Sometimes it is easy to forget, when you are in the concrete towers of the downtown districts, that Toronto is a city with a lot of natural beauty and vibrant parks.

Sunday afternoon we took a quick stroll in “The Beaches,” a waterfront area along the shores of Lake Ontario. There  is a boardwalk that runs for miles, or so it seemed, beach areas that looked like they might be the place to be on a hot summer’s day, and lots of greenery. Lots of people too on an unseasonably warm fall day, but it didn’t feel crowded.

I know that Torontonians frequent the Beaches a lot. I don’t know if it is a tourist destination. After all, it isn’t that exceptional as a recreation area – though maybe being so close to downtown (my guess is an hour’s walk from the CN Tower) makes it special.

It certainly was a nice place to take a break during a hectic day, one that I can see returning to again and again.