The new face of Mimico

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!  Had a very nice trip to Sarnia for the weekend, with a great drive through spectacular fall colours on Saturday morning, some antiquing success and a delicious thanksgiving dinner.  Holiday Monday is providing some lovely fall weather, a slight chill in the air, but  beautiful sunny skies above, so I went for a walk around the neighbourhood.  Given the work I've been having done on the outside of my house in the last few weeks, it was interesting to take note of other renovations and improvements going on in Mimico.  The most notable, whilst not yet officially open to the public, is that Mimico Waterfront Linear Park is nearing completion, with paved surfaces and decked boardwalks now installed.  The good folks of Mimico weren't going to let the lack of a little thing like an official public opening stop them from enjoying this addition to the neighbourhood, so I joined the merry throng making use of the pathway.  The closest entrance is only about five minutes walk from my house, and I have to say, the trail that has now been more or less completed, linking all the way along the lake to Harbourfront, in the downtown core, is an amazing new asset for this community.  There is a curving, smoothly paved pathway, which will be great for cyclists and roller bladers, and then a very nice boardwalk section that is ideal for walkers.  Add to that, the really great views of downtown, and across the marina, as well as what look to be some areas reserved for naturalization of marginal plants to create a wildlife habitat, and you have a truly excellent way to help create that "waterfront living" experience that is top of mind for local real estate agents!  Now it feels like there is a bit of substance behind those claims!  Add to that the fact that work is finally starting on a new building at Superior and Lake Shore (which has been under discussion for nearly the entire decade that I've lived here), and that a very pretty new house a few doors down from me is nearing completion, I started to feel like things are really starting to move up in Mimico.  Here are a few pics from my walk:

Autumn colour on Lake Crescent in Mimico

Colourful fall garden on Queen's Avenue, Mimico

The fall colours in Southern Ontario are really intense this year.

View from the newly paved section of the Mimico Waterfront Linear Park

Marina in Mimico, view from Mimico Waterfront Linear Park

View towards Humber Bay

Looking east, from Mimico Waterfront Park, towards Humber Bay

Look at the nice new path for cycling or roller blading....

....and great board walks for strolling....

...or you could just sit down and enjoy watching the boats drift by.

This is the second phase of the park, and it really will add tremendously to the amenities in the area.

And closer to home, my own renovation project is nearing completion.  Here you can see the final colour scheme I selected for the timbers and stucco.  I'm highly pleased with the results....can't wait to see it all finished!

Everything is primed at the front and ready to be painted.

A new house, just a few doors down from my much more humble Mimico dwelling, is nearing completion.  Landscaping went in last week, and the results are starting to look really great.  So glad this house is tasteful!

And at the corner of Lake Shore Boulevard and Superior Avenue, it's down with the old....

...and it shouldn't be too long before the new condo arrives.

This heritage property is currently up for re-development.  The original estate actually became a post-war low rise apartment complex.  The proposals are currently being actively discussed in the neighbourhood, and I'm hoping a good solution for some positive re-development can be found.