Ten Things That We Love (and Really Miss Right Now) in Downtown London
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been both rapid and shocking. We are all trying to adjust to our new shared reality, which includes closed schools, empty public spaces, physical distancing, isolation, and persistent anxiety about how long all this might last.
For our part at young & free press, this has been a major shift … we love travelling around the region, being out in the streets promoting local businesses and events, exploring galleries, trying new restaurants, meeting up with friends, visiting farms, and going to concerts. Most of the time we focus on taking photos and making short videos for social media, but now we have shifted to writing lots of articles. This has been an interesting process, and we have enjoyed the challenge … one of our teenage staffers, Emily Stage, wrote a cool essay on street art in Ontario’s Southwest, while Maddie King put together an insightful piece on the impact that COVID-19 is having on high school students. Perhaps the one bright spot of the pandemic is that we have gained a bit of time to reflect and attempt new things. We have our memories, too, and this may be the right moment to consider how we make memories and why this is important to our health and well-being.
Meik Wiking is the CEO of The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Institute is an independent think-tank that explores why some societies are happier than others, and aims to inform public policy by encouraging decision-makers to consider what helps people be happy. The logic is air-tight: happiness should be our priority, right?
Many may be familiar with Wiking’s successful first book, The Little Book of Hygge, which highlights the Danish approach to making places cozy. This may seem like an odd topic at first, but the theme is significant – how do our surroundings impact our level of contentment? Wiking followed this up with a sequel of sorts called The Little Book of Lykke – this time out, he focussed directly on happiness, and what makes people around the world truly enjoy life and feel fulfilled.
More recently, the author wrote a book called The Art of Making Memories, and ultimately this one might resonate with readers the most. Wiking offers a guide to creating memorable moments, and suggests that this is one way that we can sustain ourselves during challenging periods – indeed, if we have managed to live in interesting ways and have built up a catalogue of great moments in the process, we can draw on those memories when we need a boost. Sound obvious? Possibly, but the book prompts readers to consider how we go about making memories, and how we can play an active role in improving our own state of mind. Also, how can we work at holding onto our best memories and retrieve those thoughts and images? Wiking digs into how great experiences are made, stored, and then found. He writes: “Our satisfaction with life – our happiness – depends in part on whether we have, or create, a positive narrative of our life. When we look back, do we see flashes of flaws and failures, or do we see moments of joy, moments of happiness?” If you want fantastic memories, the first step must be to have wonderful experiences …
Luckily, our team at young & free press has managed to build up a massive inventory of awesome memories! Road trips, great meals, and fun concerts are key for us, and we reinforce all these experiences through the photos and videos that we make for social media. Consider Instagram for a moment – essentially, this is a way to collect memories, and the images prompt us to think back on how things looked, smelled, tasted, sounded and felt at a specific time and place. We have noticed how, the longer the pandemic goes, more and more people are posting old travel photos … clearly, this is one way to cope with the current situation and recall better times.
Many of our favourite moments have happened in downtown London. Lovely nights at local restaurants. Discovering new shops. Random experiences at festivals and events. Thought-provoking and inspiring shows at galleries, concert halls, and theatres. We have really had a great time in the City! More than anything right now, though, we miss the people that we have met along the way, the familiar faces in the restaurants, cafés, offices, venues, and shops.
With this in mind, we thought that we would compile a list of Ten Things That We Love (and Really Miss Right Now) in Downtown London … this is a tough time to say the least, and we want everyone to know that we miss visiting and look forward to being able to do so again soon. So, have a look at the list! We included some details covering how businesses and organizations are continuing to serve the community while navigating the restrictions of pandemic life.
Our teenage staff members Alex Popen & Emily Stage visited Museum London back in June 2019 to view works in the exhibition by artist Kent Monkman titled Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience.
10 / Wandering Through Museum London
Before the pandemic hit, how many of us took for granted the ability to walk through a gallery or museum mid-day, just for a break from everyday life and perhaps a bit of inspiration? Put differently, how nice would it be to walk around Museum London right now, venture from room-to-room and check out the exhibitions? We remember visiting early in 2019 in the weeks leading up to the JUNO Awards and checking out the ‘JUNO Photography Exhibition’ and the ‘Women to the Front’ installations. Last summer, we were especially moved by the works of Kent Monkman in the collection titled ‘Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience’ … his paintings offered a powerful response to Canada 150 celebrations and a sharp critique of colonial policy-making. We miss wandering through the Museum and absorbing all the details of the various exhibitions.
COVID-19 status: Museum London is currently closed until further notice. The Museum is providing some ‘virtual tours’ of current exhibitions via social media. Visit the website at www.museumlondon.ca for details.
Emily Stage & Maddie King of young & free press visited recently with students in the Game Design program at the Fanshawe College School of Digital and Performing Arts, including Brandon Medeiros, Noah Vezina and Eric Homm. We collaborate on an annual event called ‘Great Lakes Game Day’ in which high school students from St. Thomas play-test video games designed by Fanshawe students. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the event this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic
9 / Hearing the Buzz of Students at Fanshawe College Downtown
Over the past five years or so, Fanshawe College has established a substantial downtown campus on Dundas Street featuring two beautiful buildings where instructors teach students in a wide range of programs including Game Design, Theatre Arts, Interactive Media Design, Animation, Internet Applications and Web Development, Culinary Management, Hospitality and Tourism Operations Management, and many more. The empty feeling around the building right now is an intense reminder of how much energy the Fanshawe staff and students bring to the area, and the significance of having a post-secondary institution set up in the core. There are approximately two thousand full-time students studying at the Fanshawe campus downtown. Perhaps this current crisis also presents an opportunity to consider how we could do more to engage students and provides some unique experiences for the community. Our team at young & free has totally enjoyed collaborating with faculty and students in the Game Design program to host our annual event called Great Lakes Game Day, where we have high school students from St. Thomas play-test video games designed by the Fanshawe students. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the event this year because of the COVID-19 virus, but these sorts of collaborations are possible and also a lot of fun!
COVID-19 status: Fanshawe College campuses are currently closed. Learning is happening online, if possible. Many events have been cancelled, including the annual spring convocation ceremonies. For a full rundown of news updates, visit www.fanshawec.ca
Maddie King and Andrew Gunn of young & free press attended the Home County Music & Art Festival in Victoria Park in summer 2019. The Festival is one of the great annual events in downtown London.
8 / Attending Events in Victoria Park
Victoria Park is one of the loveliest downtown green-spaces in Ontario’s Southwest. We love checking out events like the Home County Music & Art Festival and TD Sunfest in the summer, and walking through the holiday lights in December. Although we have been instructed to ‘stay home’ as much as possible during the pandemic, we can still go out for the occasional walk (while maintaining ‘physical distancing’, of course), and Victoria Park provides a great setting. We can remember how the park looks when the whole community comes out for an event – for example, just think of Home County and the music from the band-shell and the vendor-tents lining the pathways. Beautiful nights! Hopefully we can all be together in the park again soon …
The scene at the Home County Music & Art Festival in Victoria Park in downtown London in summer 2019.
COVID-19 status: Many facilities like arenas, pools and libraries in the City have been closed to the public indefinitely. Parks remain open for walking – physical distancing is required. For up-to-date information, please review the City website: www.london.ca
Emily Stage and Alex Popen of young & free press stand in the Michael Gibson Gallery during ‘The Hockey Show’ exhibition in December 2019. The gallery is one of our favourite spots in downtown London.
7 / Checking out Artwork at the Michael Gibson Gallery
‘Jesus We Lost Again’ by artist Anthony Jenkins.
The Michael Gibson Gallery is a distinctive spot in downtown London. Located on Clarence Street, the space is stunning and the artwork is thought-provoking with owner Michael Gibson and associate director Jennie Kraehling ensuring that everything always looks and feels perfect. Some recent memories: back in December, there was a fun exhibition called ‘The Hockey Show’ – we enjoyed contemplating one of the archetypal Canadian sports through the lens of multiple artists (the piece called ‘Jesus We Lost Again’ by artist Anthony Jenkins is a real gem — see the image at right). Just before the pandemic took hold, we dropped by to see the impressive painting titled ‘On the Road’ by Erik Olson, which highlights a highway near the famed Big Pink house in New York state where Bob Dylan and members of The Band recorded The Basement Tapes in the late 1960s.
COVID-19 status: The Michael Gibson Gallery is open by appointment only. Find details on the gallery website & look through some of the artwork online, too. We look forward to being able to dip into the gallery again soon and view the paintings directly.
6 / Seeing Films on Forest City Film Festival ‘Film Club’ Nights
Filmmaker Sami Kahn chatted with Maddie King of young & free press following a screening of his excellent short documentary, St. Louis Superman.
The Forest City Film Festival has grown quickly over the past five years and become one of the key cultural events in the community. We have a special relationship with the organization. In fall 2019, the first-ever Forest City Youth Film Festival was held as part of the Festival week – our own Maddie King was one of the hosts, and our photographer, Emily Stage, took shots of the student filmmakers. We had a great night! Kudos to Dorothy Downs, Executive Director of the Forest City Film Festival, and Thames Valley District School Board educator Laura Briscoe for organizing the Youth Film Festival and providing such a special opportunity for local teenagers.
Early in March of this year, we attended one of the monthly Forest City Film Festival ‘Film Club’ nights at the Wolf Performance Hall, and really enjoyed watching the short documentary St. Louis Superman and meeting filmmaker Sami Khan. There are so many cultural events happening all the time in downtown London, and we are definitely missing these gatherings right now. Once this whole pandemic nightmare is over, we cannot wait to get back to the theatres!
COVID-19 status: The Forest City Film Festival is scheduled for October 20th to 25th. Unfortunately, the monthly Film Club night was cancelled for April. Check out the Festival website and social media for updates.
Emily Stage & Maddie King of young & free press hang out upstairs at Attic Books in downtown London.
5 / Exploring the Bookstores!
We are so fortunate to have lots of landmark bookstores in downtown London. City Lights on Richmond is a cool maze of walls and shelves, and there is real joy in just settling in and exploring for a while. Attic Books on Dundas Place is a multi-level magnet for bibliophiles – the rare books & maps upstairs are fascinating, and the space is beautiful, one of our absolute favourite spots. Walk up Richmond and discover Brown & Dickson – this is a cozy, intimate shop that serves as the perfect gateway to reading. There are in-store events, too.
Whenever we are in downtown London, we seem to pass through at least one of these bookstores, and now that we cannot visit because of the pandemic, we feel a genuine sense of loss. Buying books online is convenient, of course, but hardly an experience … all of these bookstores in London offer something special, and we miss being able to visit right now.
COVID-19 status: City Lights, Attic Books, and Brown & Dickson are all closed to the public at this time. Attic Books is offering a ‘Book Lover’s Care Package’ for delivery – visit the website for current information. For those on Twitter, follow the City Lights account for updates and some entertaining posts, too. Check out Brown & Dickson online here.
Maddie King, Emily Stage & Andrew Gunn of young & free press discover some new titles inside the beautiful space at Brown & Dickson Bookstore on Richmond Street in downtown London.
4 / Crossing Paths with Friends at Covent Garden Market
The agora was a key feature in cities in ancient Greece, typically a wide-open space in the middle of the community or perhaps near a harbour where the citizens met daily for social, political and commercial purposes … and hey, the tradition lives on in downtown London at the Covent Garden Market! One of the most identifiable spots in the city, the Market is one of the true hubs of the community, a large, open space full of restaurants, cafés and shops. Try the crepes at Petit Paris, pick up a smoothie at Better Blend Smoothie Bar, or dig in for lunch at The New Delhi Deli … there are dozens of merchants, and we feel like we always discover something new! Favourite memories: visiting at Christmas, enjoying the decorations inside and seeing the skating rink outside; also, in the warmer months, checking out the Farmers’ Market outdoors!
Alex Popen & Emily Stage of young & free press stand on the sidewalk at the corner of King & Talbot in downtown London. The Covent Garden Market building is in the background.
COVID-19 status: Naturally, this has been a challenging time for the Covent Garden Market … there are several restaurants & cafés on-site, but at the same time lots of people use the Market like a grocery store, picking up an assortment of food day-to-day. After a two-week shutdown, the Market re-opened on April 1st, although some of the vendors may not return for a while … we wish all the staff, vendors and customers the best in navigating the current pandemic. Find all the social media channels and updates through the Market website.
Andrew Gunn & Maddie King of young & free press drop by Grooves Records regularly to pick out new music.
3 / Visiting Grooves Records & Imagining the Potential of Dundas Place
Everyone loves Grooves Records! The store is a fixture on Dundas Place, and the staff members are awesome. This is one of those true destination-spots that help to boost the local music scene. We like dropping by before a road-trip and picking up new music … finding artists and songs online is great, but there is something special about being in a record store and discovering new artists randomly. We miss Grooves right now, especially because this is one of the businesses that endured the massive Dundas Place construction project last year and we were really looking forward to watching the new flex-street come to life this spring! Not too long ago we were in the store and talking with staff about how to activate the street with the warmer weather. Once the public health situation stabilizes, we will definitely head back to Grooves to look through the CDs and vinyl records. Always a cool photo spot, too …
COVID-19 status: Grooves Records is closed until further notice. Stay in touch on social media.
We have enjoyed seeing the gorgeous new Dundas Place flex-street come together over the past couple of years. Alex Popen & Emily Stage of young & free press met up with Savanah Sewell, Manager of Dundas Place, during one of the ‘Jurassic Park’ nights during the spring 2019 championship run by the Toronto Raptors. Post-pandemic, we are looking forward to lots of great events on Dundas Place!
2 / Going to Concerts at the London Music Hall
The London Music Hall is one of our favourite places in the City. We have seen some great concerts in the venue – Lights and Pup stand out as highlights over the past year or two. One of the reasons that the place is so important to us is that many of the shows are all-ages … given that most of our staff members are teenagers, this is deeply appreciated! Great concert venues are essential to local music scenes, and the London Music Hall really makes things happen by bringing in top touring artists and providing opportunities for emerging performers, too. Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic has been brutal for the music industry, forcing the cancellation of countless concerts and the rescheduling of whole tours. We feel for the artists that have released new albums recently, and now have to wait for months to connect in-person with listeners. At this time, though, we just want to say thank you to everyone at the London Music Hall … thank you for all the great nights & for building such a terrific venue in the heart of the downtown! We cannot wait to return for more concerts as soon as possible.
COVID-19 status: Many events have been cancelled – we were especially sad to miss Sarah Harmer coming to town! Some concerts are being rescheduled. For all the details on what is happening, visit www.londonmusichall.com
This was a fun night! In October 2019, Andrew Gunn, Maddie King, Alex Popen & Emily Stage of young & free press went to see the Pup concert at the London Music Hall in downtown London — since then, the venue has added an amazing new outdoor sign to promote shows at the venue.
1 / Exploring the Restaurant Scene
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced restaurants to close, although some are shifting rapidly to different models including take-out and delivery options. We admire how business owners and staff are attempting to adjust and serve the community at this time.
Oh, we really miss going out for breakfast, lunch and dinner in downtown London! There are so many appealing options, and we have been lucky to visit lots of memorable spots over the past couple of years. Breakfast at The Early Bird on Talbot Street is always an experience … the décor here is famous, and the eggs benedict, chicken & waffles and other dishes are big draws for many Londoners. Thaifoon on Dundas Place is the perfect spot for lunch or dinner … this terrific Thai restaurant just completed renovations, and we wish that we could be there right now sampling the spring rolls, Pad Thai and seafood dishes, too! Another favourite is Grace at the corner of Dundas and Clarence … the interior design is striking, and we love pouring over the menu to figure out what to try. The restaurant has quickly become a must-visit spot on Dundas Place.
Andrew Gunn & Maddie King visited Grace in downtown London shortly after the restaurant opened in 2019. The interior design is stunning and the menu is inspired. We hope to visit again as soon as possible!
Not long before the pandemic, we stopped by Dos Tacos up on Richmond Row … this is a fun spot and the tacos are delicious! While the restaurant is currently closed, it has been cool to watch the business step up during this time and deliver meals to essential service workers. Community members can donate $10 / meal to help make this happen … find the details on social media.
COVID-19 status: we recommend visiting the Downtown London website and social media pages to find the details on which restaurants are adapting to the pandemic by providing pick-up or delivery options. The London Wine Bar, for example, is running a wine & food delivery service!
So, this is our list of Ten Things That We Love (and Really Miss Right Now) in Downtown London … we have lots of great memories to draw on over the next few weeks as we wait for information from health officials about COVID-19. It is heartbreaking to think that some businesses may not be able to recover from this sudden shock, but we hope that with support from the government and community, everyone will be able to endure. Thank you to all the business owners who work tirelessly to make downtown London such a fun place to visit!
When this whole pandemic experience is over, we are going to get back out in the city and have the best time that we possibly can. Until then, stay healthy everyone, and support local businesses whenever you have the chance – after all, we’re all in this together …
