a new amazing place

I'm a big fan of urban spaces. I don't think they always get the credit they deserve. I mean, we all know that if we're at the top of a mountain or on a gorgeous deserted beach, we're going to remember them and talk to people about them. But we don't always talk about the urban spaces that for some of us who have always lived in cities, are just as memorable.

I've always been a city person. I think that may be because I grew up toddling around south London and then North Vancouver (which, admittedly, had its fair share of greenery and mountains) and then moved to Toronto, took a detour back to London and Mumbai and returned to the downtown Toronto mecca.

I was coordinating some media interviews for Amanda Martinez last week (plug: her new disc comes out October 20 in Canada and she's got shows in London, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal this month as well) and I'd decided to have it at the new Koerner Hall venue on Bloor Street.

Now, I'm a huge fan of buildings that bridge the gap between old and new. Koerner Hall is Toronto's newest (and possibly most gorgeously appointed) concert hall, part of the brick heritage building that houses the Royal Conservatory of Music. The hall is a warm wood designed room, with a to-die-for acoustics and what looks like taffy-pulled wooden adornment that decorates the ceiling and the back of the stage set-up. Although seating is for 1000+ audience members, it retains its intimate feel and I can tell the concerts there are going to be as pleasing for the artists as the audience since the space presents such an admirable first impression.

So, i had set up a schedule of interviews in the lobby of this building to get the media knowing where it was and to see how great it was that Amanda's new disc was launching here. Makes sense, right?

I thought I'd probably have an experience in the space because I was already overwhelmed by it but it wasn't that space that I'm going to point out as a corner of the world that is full of magic...

As I was bringing the camera crew from CBC The Scene down the elevator to the main floor, we walked through this row of music practice rooms. They look a bit like doors on a ship - with little round windows where you can peek to see musicians at work. And the magic was that the music was bleeding, ever so quietly, into the hallway we were walking through. It was like that Alice in Wonderland tunnel that the Cheshire Cat likes to open every once in a while... we all were flabbergasted and speechless. It's these kind of unexpected corners of paradise in urban centres that I try and enjoy as much as possible. I've now added it to my list of new amazing places in the city of Toronto. Worth the surprise. Made my week.