Latest news with #TorontotheBetter
Hamilton Spectator
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Looking for better love: I'm a sweet, energetic man looking for a deep love
Name: Bob Gender: Male Age: 68 Looking for: A long-term monogamous relationship with a woman. A former IT consultant, this is my third year of retirement and I'm digging the freedom. I've got two kids in their late thirties plus a couple of grandkids that I adore spending time with. I'm fun-loving and like to joke around; I tend to see and vocalize the irony in just about every situation. I'm a talker who unwinds by having a good conversation. I live alone and can spend the day working on my computer or doing things around the house, so at some point during the day, I like to get out and see people. I love to spend my time socializing: meeting and making new friends, spending time with old ones. I love hearing and trading stories of life, where people came from, how they got to be who they are. I also love to help people, whether it's neighbours or friends, or volunteering at my boat club. Since 2020, I have been to, Mexico, small places on the west coast, the Caribbean, and Turkey, plus Greece three times, with a group trip to the Mayan coast thrown in. I love to go to out-of-the-way places where you get to know people and the real culture. I'm into dancing and live music, whether it's Reservoir Lounge, Drums and Flats, Cameron House, The Rex, Castro's, Drom Taberna, Handlebar … I play volleyball, too, and I love to walk. I also currently sail in Toronto at least three times a week. Sailing can be a social sport. It's not really safe to go out alone, though many people do, so I prefer a group that gets along and works as a team. Better Love — part of the Star's Toronto the Better project — is a yearlong personal ad series that connects Torontonians looking for love and offers an alternative to our swiping habit. Singles pen honest, vulnerable descriptions of what and who they're looking for, in a throwback to (photo-free) personal ads of yore. These essays will appear regularly in the Star, and interested parties can email betterlove@ to connect. Read more Better Love essays here . I like to keep busy. I can sit down and read a book, but why would I want to when there are so many opportunities to be in the moment? I'll have plenty of time to escape into a book or movie when I'm older or on a cold winter's day. (I've been in an all-male book club since 2003, regardless; even if I have not read many of the books, I do try to attend the meetings!) It doesn't matter if I'm working around the house, doing things at my cottage, helping out fellow sailors at the boat club: if I'm learning something, I'm going to be enjoying the experience. What I think makes me unique is that fact that I don't just dream about stuff: I like to do stuff. I'm one of the first people with my hand up if something interesting comes along. I truly believe that you get out of something what you put into it. If you are willing to put effort into something, it will pay off, even if it's not always in the way you thought. My first real dating experience ended in a marriage that lasted almost 30 years. After our divorce, my next dating experience turned into five years. I've been single for five years, but I'm trying to date a bit more now. I'm an old dog always willing to learn new tricks! I'm financially independent and can take care of myself; I don't need anyone but would really like to have a loving person to share passions with (mine, hers, ours). I can cook and love to chop stuff, make soups and salads, but prefer guidance with spices and sauces — and I would like to take some cooking courses one day! I'm working on balance. I'm trying to find a person that appreciates me, but also has a life and can be independent. I have bit of difficulty letting my feelings show as much as I should and am working on that, too. I would love to be in a relationship of equals. I take care of you and I know you are going to take care of me. If you're looking for a homebody, couch potato or sports fan, I'm not your man. I'm more about participating than watching. I'm social, and I love to go out and entertain, so if that doesn't interest you, its likely to be a deal-breaker. You must be able to travel and be financially stable, too. I would love to have someone to see the world with, go for walks, share my frustrations with or just hang out with. I was once in hospital for a couple of weeks. The guy in the next bed had a wife that would bring the paper in the morning and they would spend a couple of hours just reading quietly together. I was so envious. The ability to have companionship without doing anything. A shared experience without the experience. I was inspired by the idea of having the opportunity of actually meeting real people that are interested in a real relationship. As a talker, I'm not interested in spending tons of time texting. There is no emotion in texts or email. In the end, what I want is to be happy. I know I'm not going to find perfect. I just want perfect enough for me. Want to connect with Bob? Email betterlove@ to request a connection. (Note: Responses are not guaranteed.)
Toronto Star
20-07-2025
- Toronto Star
Five days, 65 km, 86,000 steps — and one restless city: I walked all the way across Toronto. This is what I saw
Walking Toronto Walking Toronto — part of our Toronto the Better project — is a series about discovering the city, one step at a time. Through deep-dive features, curated walking routes, and community strolls, Star writers explore what our streets say about life in Toronto. We'll uncover hidden stories, local gems, and the challenges and joys of moving through the city. Everything worth knowing about Toronto, I've learned from walking around. It's the best way to learn about a place — to see it at length and in detail, to encounter the people who live there, to hear it and smell it and get into its nooks and crannies.
Toronto Star
19-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Toronto Star
How I learned to love walking in Toronto
By Contributing Columnist Shawn Micallef is a Toronto-based writer and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow him on Bluesky: @ Walking Toronto Walking Toronto — part of our T oronto the Better project — is a series about discovering the city, one step at a time. Through deep-dive features, curated walking routes, and community strolls, Star writers explore what our streets say about life in Toronto. We'll uncover hidden stories, local gems, and the challenges and joys of moving through the city. I learned how to walk in Toronto. Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Toronto Star
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
6 tips for walking in Toronto
By Contributing Columnist Shawn Micallef is a Toronto-based writer and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow him on Bluesky: @ Walking Toronto Walking Toronto — part of our T oronto the Better project — is a series about discovering the city, one step at a time. Through deep-dive features, curated walking routes, and community strolls, Star writers explore what our streets say about life in Toronto. We'll uncover hidden stories, local gems, and the challenges and joys of moving through the city. Gear Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Hamilton Spectator
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Looking for better love: I'm a 71-year-old widower hoping to fall desperately in love one last time
Better Love — part of the Star's Toronto the Better project — is a yearlong personal ad series that connects Torontonians looking for love, and offers an alternative to our swiping habit. Singles pen honest, vulnerable descriptions of what and who they're looking for, in a throwback to (photo-free) personal ads of yore. These essays will appear regularly in the Star, and interested parties can reply to an email address — betterlove@ — to connect. I'm retired after a successful career as a lawyer, corporate executive and educator. I was born and raised in Toronto but have lived and travelled elsewhere, including, when I was younger, Europe for two months on five dollars a day, and a few years later on an around-the-world five-month journey. I have both a pan-Canadian and a global perspective. I also loved playing tennis for 50 years, downhill skiing for 30 years and volleyball for 20 years. Although I was raised Jewish, I do not ascribe to any formal religion; I consider myself a spiritual person with a true moral compass and a strong interest in giving back. I am 71 years young and pursue a variety of interests with energy and enthusiasm, including performing in a rock and pop choir; volunteering as a tutor for new Canadians in English, math, and computer skills; and taking courses on a variety of subjects that pique my interest and fulfil my goal of being a lifelong learner. Joining a rock and pop choir indicates my risk-taking (as the last time I was in a choir was when I was nine), along with a love of music and performing. Film is an abiding passion, and I am a member of both TIFF and Hot Docs, and have volunteered for both over the last three festivals. Being single as well as retired allows me to do all the things I like to do. If necessary, I am prepared to modify at least some of that to be with someone I love. I married later in life, at age 46. We had 20 wonderful years together, travelling the world, writing books together, laughing, and loving each other. Sadly, she was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and passed in 2020. It was a struggle to come to terms with her passing. I began to date again late in 2022 and enjoyed a five-month relationship with a woman in 2023 that came to an amicable conclusion. It has become clear to me that I miss the fun, excitement, warmth, shared experiences, love, and intimacy of a committed relationship, and yearn to find that again. I seek a woman who is intellectually curious. She must also be adventurous: not risk-seeking, but primed to check out what the world has to offer, both at home and abroad. She must have a sense of humour and be able to laugh. Finally, I seek a romantic, someone who wants to hold hands in public and behave lovingly in private. Politically I am a bit left of centre and proudly Canadian, which might be a problem for those right of centre. I do not own or use a smart phone which may seem strange to most. Since I started dating again in 2022, it has only been through friends as I have no interest in using social media for that (or almost anything else). I guess my circle of friends is not wide enough to have met likely candidates. I have been a reader of the Toronto Star for 60 years — I started young — so I feel a commonality with people who read it. I miss the love of intimacy I once had, and I felt this ad was a way to find a wider range of women with whom I could share love and all the other aspects of togetherness. I have only fallen deeply and hopelessly in love a few times in my life and want to have the thrill of that experience once more — and, hopefully, for the rest of our lives. Want to get in touch with Irv? Email betterlove@ to request a connection. (Note: Responses are not guaranteed.)
