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09/05/2005: "When Cars Attack"

When I arrived home today Dupont was closed and like 6 or 7 police cruisers were parked around the streets as well as ambulances and fire trucks. A cab had plowed into the corner of the 24 Hour store and a Sunfire was angled into People's Restaurant.

I've never eaten at Peoples. It looks sort of deep-fried. But I should probably go in it at some point. Next door is also the new location of LIVE - the vegetarian place. I'll never go in there though - even though I'm a vegetarian, when they were a few doors down in their old 4-seater restaurant they would put out two little chairs on the sidewalk that totally blocked it. I appreciate gestures like that when appropriate, but when it just so obviously doesn't fit, it just seems like stupid-yuppie crap. Like walking through Whole Foods - these people have no sense of how their actions (or movements around the olive bar) affects other people. Try walking in Whole Foods without wanting to punch people. It's often on my way home though.

Anyway, the accident: they carted somebody away on a stretcher and I don't know if anybody was hit - but I've stood on that corner so many times and felt uneasy. There are always people there. Cars turn right (north) onto Spadina without looking for pedestrians all the time. There are a bunch of places in this city that just don't feel….right. Mostly due to cars. This is one. When I came out an hour later, all the emergency stuff was gone.

Beware of Dupont and Spadina. It's nice otherwise - but watch those cars.

Replies: 3 Comments

on Saturday, September 10th, Laura said

I should really stop using the Dupont-Annette corridor as my bike route to the west end of the city... I find between Ossington and Lansdowne to be the deadliest. So many souped up Hondas and drivers who like to pass on the right. Makes my blood boil just to think of them.

on Tuesday, October 4th, gregory said

A curious legend surrounds the People's restaurant, one that may or may not be true. Apparently when Dan Ackroyd was working with the Second City crew in his pre-Saturday Night Live career, he would rehearse at a space somewhere in that neighbourhood, and often dined at the People's restaurant. The story goes that the staff at the restaurant were the inspiration for the famous recurring Saturday Night Live skit that took place in the Greek restaurant. You know the one: "No Coke, just Pepsi" and "Cheeseburger Cheesburger". There are, in fact, two restaurants on that stretch of Dupont called People's, and both seem to be run by Greek families. I've never had the nerve to ask either one of them if the story is true.

And yes, that is a deadly intersection.

on Thursday, November 3rd, Pascal said

I used to eat at People's all the time, circa 99-01. I worked at a design studio just around the corner and we'd split for lunch early enough to still validate eating breakfast. They're super nice and friendly there. It's standard fare, but sometimes, that's the best fare. Sorry about the accident.