Fine Books in Bismarck, North Dakota

 

   Mr. William A. Strutz passed away early this year. He was an attorney and a collector of fine books. A few of the items from his collection of 15,000 are pictured above. His rationale for buying so many, was simple: "I'm a reader."
  This important collection is being auctioned and bibliophiles will be interested. I will provide the details here since it is not too late to get out your wallet. [Note in the small print above that the opening bid for these items are all in six figures.]

   "One of the Finest Private Libraries in America, Assembled By William A. Strutz, To Be Offered at Heritage Beginning June 27: Auction includes only privately owned copy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in original pink boards, as well as spectacular inscribed copies of The Great Gatsby and The Hobbit, among other important books and manuscripts." 

William Strutz’s library consists of over some 15,000 books — the result of a “lifelong labor,” the attorney’s hometown newspaper, The Bismarck Tribune, once noted. He began collecting books in college in the late 1950s, on subjects ranging from astronomy to psychology, religion to law, philosophy to history. Soon after he began to focus on books of great literary significance, in superb original condition, and with important provenance. This accounts for the profusion of presentation and association copies found in his library, many of which are of great rarity.
   But Strutz wanted more than just a copy of the book itself. He sought out copies held by — touched by, gifted by, loved by — their authors. He wanted books presented from one notable to another. As result, Strutz assembled “one of the most important collections of English and American literature that has come on the market in decades,” says Francis Wahlgren, Heritage Auctions’ International Director of Rare Books & Manuscripts.
   The attorney’s lifelong labor makes its auction debut on June 27 as Important English and American Literature: The William A. Strutz Library, Part I, Rare Books Signature® Auction. More than 225 books, letters and manuscripts from Strutz’s collection are offered in this inaugural event, which is now open for bidding. This auction event includes some of the greatest works of English and American literature from the 16th to 20th centuries. Heritage will then offer selections from Strutz’s coveted collection over a series of auctions throughout this year and next.

“The collection is probably one of the few remaining great private libraries in America, formed over six decades,” says Wahlgren. “Sixty years of collecting is not frequently seen anymore, especially with his focus on depth and quality. Some of these books are so rare they’re likely never to be obtainable — or seen outside an institution — again. He was extraordinarily well-read — Strutz famously cited quotes from his vast collection during trials — and his books reflect that.”

For additional details see the auction website and: "One of the Finest Private Libraries in America" to Auction," Fine Books and Collections, May 23, 2024.

The Bonus:

For an earlier Western auction of books related to natural history in MM, see Sotheby's.

Italian Snakes

 First, A Few Words About Patrick Fermor
    I am a fan of the writer Patrick Leigh Fermor who died in 2011.  I have most of what he has written and recently picked the book pictured from the shelf. It is an anthology and I thought I had read everything in it, but had not. It contains a piece about snakes.

Serpents of the Abruzzi
    That is the title of the snake essay and it originally appeared in The Spectator, on June 5, 1953. During that year, Fermor was walking through Tuscany and Umbria when he came upon a religious festival honouring San Domenico who is credited with removing the snakes from the Abruzzo region. Large numbers of snakes are gathered and they are draped over the statue of San Domenico as it is paraded through the village of Cocullo. 
   Curious about whether the Rito dei Serpari or the "Rite of the Snake Charmers" written about by Fermor seventy years ago, still happens, I went searching and found that the snakes still slither around Cocullo on May 1. For more, and some very good pictures see this BBC piece, "Italy's Annual Snake Festival in the Village of Cocullo."  After viewing them you may prefer Coachella or even Pamplona and the "Running of the Bulls." 
   Here are some of the snake bits from the Fermor piece:

   LEAVING the gentle, Italian, primitive landscape of Umbria for the blank sierras of the Abruzzi was as complete a change as a journey to a different planet. Indeed, these wild grey peaks have an almost lunar remoteness, and the little village of Corullo, a grey honeycomb of houses at the end of a blind alley of the mountains a dozen miles from Ovid's birthplace at Sulmona, must usually seem a desolate habitation. The sun beats down from a blazing sky, but in the labyrinthine shadows of the lanes there is a chill bite in the air from the towering snows of the Gran Sasso.

    But once a year, in the first week of May, this planetary silence is broken, and the village population, normally only a few hundred souls—shepherds and small cultivators to a man—swells to several thousands.. Pilgrims, last month, swarmed from all the neighbouring villages, and, as this is one of the few parts of Italy where regional costumes survive, the streets were a kaleidoscope of different colours and fashions, A bearded shepherd, playing an ear-splitting pibroch on a bagpipe made of .a patched inner tube, wore raw-hid/ mocassins, and his legs were cross-gartered, Iike those of a Saxon thane, with thick leather thongs. The religious occasion was also the pretext for a rustic fair, and the market was full of trussed poultry and squealing pigs. Pedlars carried trays of rosaries, medals, little tin motor-cars, celluloid thumbs-ups and dried acorn-cups. There were " lucky" hunch-backs, crippled beggars, hucksters with fortune- telling canaries and a wandering hypnotist. Less usual was the presence, wherever one turned, of snakes, slung over brown forearms or twisting like bracelets, lying in loose tangles among the funnel-topped bottles in the wine-shops, or held in clusters of four with their unwinking heads all gathered in the palm between the laden fingers of both hands, their long forked tongues sliding in and out of their jaws. Some were nearly two yards in length, and all of them looked alarmingly dangerous. Most of the serpari, or snake catchers, are under twenty. For weeks past they had been hunting them in the mountains, where they abound. Capturing them while they are still dazed with their winter-sleep, they disarm the poisonous ones by giving them the hem of a garment to bite, which, when snatched away, breaks off their teeth and drains their poison. Then, stored in jars or sewn into goatskins, they are put by until the great day conies round. There were now several hundred of them in the streets of Corullo—black, grey, greenish, speckled and striped, all hissing and knotting together and impotently darting and biting with their harmless jaws. The floor of the church—baroque, and surprisingly large— was deep in crumbs and bundles and debris, for hundreds of visiting peasants, finding the village overflowing, had slept there all night. Queues waited their turn at the confessional, and, under a pink and blue baldachin, relays of priests 

administered the sacrament....

 Then the devotees moved on to the effigy of St. Dominic himself, a lifesize, wooden figure in black Benedictine habit with a horseshoe in one hand and in the other a crosier. Embracing him with a hungry and possessive veneration, they rubbed little bundles of coloured wool— sovereign thenceforward, when applied to the spot, against toothache and snakebite and hydrophobia—down the grooves of his skirt, or lifted their children to kissing distance of the worn and numinous flanks. Silver ex-votos hung round his neck, and pink ribbons, on which were pinned sheaves of offered banknotes, fluttered from his shoulders. St. Dominic of Sora, or " the Abbot "—he has nothing to do with the great founder of the " Preachers' " Order—was a Benedictine of Umbrian origin, born in 951. He was eremetical and peripatetic by turns, and his countless miracles during his lifetime, and, the Abruzzesi relate, even since through the agency of his relic, were nearly all connected with the foiling of the bears and wolves, and, especially, of the snakes. 

  By the time High Mass began, there was no room to move in the crowded church. Yet a passage was cleared and two young women advanced with large baskets balancing unsupported on their heads, each of them containing great hoop- like loaves; both baskets were draped in pink and white silk and decked with carnations and wild cyclamen. The girls stood, like caryatids, on either side of the high altar until, at the end of the service, the image of the saint was hoisted shoulder-high and borne swaying into the sunlight before the church door. There, while the compact multitude clapped and cheered and the bells broke into a jubilant peal, the serpari clustered round the lowered float. Snakes began flying over the tonsured head like lassos. Parish elders arranged them feather-boa-like, about his shoulders, twisted them round his crosier and wound them over his arms and through the horseshoe and at random all over his body until the image and its pedestal were an all squirming tangle. Many fell off or wriggled free, and one over-active reptile was given a sharp crack over the head. It was raised shoulder high once more like a drowned figurehead salvaged from the Sargasso Sea. .A small pink banner, pinned all over with notes, and a large green one, were unwieldily hoisted. Village girls intoned a hymn in Abruzzi dialect in St. Dominic's honour; then the clergy, one of them bearing the cylinder with its swinging tooth, formed a procession

Then came the two girls with their peculiar baskets. A brass band struck up the triumphal march from Aida, and the saint, twisting and coiling with the activity of the bewildered snakes and bristling with hissing and tongue- darting heads, rocked insecurely forward and across the square. The innumerable peasants, the conjurors and pedlars and quacks, fell into step; the wine-shops emptied; pigs and poultry were abandoned in their pens, and the whole immense con- course, now itself forming a gigantic many-coloured serpent, wound slowly along the rising and falling streets. Every few steps the effigy came to a halt while fallen snakes were replaced or yet more banknotes, which floated down from the upper windows, were pinned to the fluttering ribbons. Boys on all sides brandished tangled armfuls of redundant snakes, and, looking up at the bright mid-day sky, I saw girls on the roof- tops waving the now familiar reptiles in either hand.

Sources: 

   "Strange Italy: The Festival of Snakes in Abruzzo." 

   "The Ancient Snake Festival of Cocullo." 

"A Statue Draped With Snakes? In Italy, It Happens Every Year: Held in a Small Mountain Village, This Festival Has It All: Snakes, Charmers, Religion, Science. See For Yourself -- and Try Not to Squirm," Francesco Martinelli, New York Times, Sept. 29, 2023.
  Fermor has many fans. Have a look at the Wikipedia biography first and if interested see this website devoted to him: "Patrick Leigh Fermor; He Drank From a Different Fountain." You could start with A Time of Gifts which is about an earlier walk across Europe just before the start of World War II. 

If you are close by and want to borrow any of his books, just let me know. 

The Bonus:

  For more about religion and snakes see, the "Snake Handlers."

The Talented Mr. Towles

Amor's Workshop 
   Although I do not read much fiction, my wife convinced me to read A Gentleman in Moscow and I am glad I did. She has just finished, Table for Two and I will soon start The Lincoln Highway. All of these books were written by Amor Towles and he produced them from the comfortable quarters pictured in this post. 

   The gentleman in Moscow is confined to a hotel for years. If one was placed under house arrest for a long period, Mr. Towle's place in Manhattan would be a comfortable place to be and there would be plenty to read. 

   Mr. Towles does a lot of background reading to get the facts needed for the fiction he writes, so one will find in his collection guides to Moscow and a set of encyclopedias from the 1930s which was used when writing Rules of Civility. He also has some first editions and some signed works, including a copy of Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize lecture. 

   Apart from recommending some books to read, this post is also another one about "private libraries." The last one was about Wilde's, see "Oscar's Library." 

Source: 
   The pictures are from: "Book Tour: The Author of A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway Guides Us Through His Personal Library," John Williams, Washington Post, May 18, 2024. An earlier profile is found in: "Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Gramercy Park," Joanne Kaufman, New York Times, Sept. 23, 2016.

The Bonus:

   Gentleman in Moscow, is recommended, but if you are unsure, there is a Wikipedia entry for it.
   If you would rather watch than read, it is available now as a streaming mini series on Paramount+. 

  The gentleman is played by Ewan McGregor. You may remember that McGregor is one of the men who rode a motorcycle from the very tip of South America to Los Angeles - see, "Long Way Up." 
  If, like Towles, you are interested in Bob Dylan, head to the University of Tulsa. See, "Bob Dylan." 

  

Hi Ho Silver !!

Silver Bars Along With Chocolate Ones at COSTCO 
   I don't usually read the commercial emails received continuously, but I was curious about what "Treasure" might now be found at Costco. It turns out it is SILVER. At the end of 2023 I noticed that they also carry GOLD and I don't have much to add to, "GOLD AT COSTCO", where I confessed an ignorance about 'investing' and financial matters generally.

  I can understand that Costco attempts to lure customers to return by offering "Treasure," but I am not sure that silver is, although it might be more valuable than crypto. Still, I thought I should call it to your attention. I know that a silver bar will last longer than a chocolate one and perhaps is a better hedge against inflation. While the prices for most things seem only to go up, however, the value of gold and silver sometimes goes in the other direction. I see in my "Gold Post" that the 1oz. of gold was going for $2,679.99 at Costco back in December, so you should check and see what it is worth now, before you buy some silver bars. Also in that post you will learn about the expression, "Going to Hell in a Handbasket," which may be relevant. 

Your CASTLE

 Insurance Can Be Interesting
   This illustration attracted my attention even though it is alarming and would be even more so if I could have also grabbed Wisconsin, which appears below Washington above. The main point from this major article is that it is now not uncommon for insurers to refuse to insure your home or drop you after they read the latest weather forecast. If you do not have a home, you now have a good excuse in that you cannot buy one if you can't insure it. Such dire news coming from me is likely not to be believed, so here is the source: "As Insurers Around the U. S.Bleed Cash From Climate Shocks, Homeowners Lose," Christopher Flavelle, et al., New York Times. Some of the points made:

   The insurance turmoil caused by climate change — which had been concentrated in Florida, California and Louisiana — is fast becoming a contagion, spreading to states like Iowa, Arkansas, Ohio, Utah and Washington. Even in the Northeast, where homeowners insurance was still generally profitable last year, the trends are worsening....
  In 2023, insurers lost money on homeowners coverage in 18 states, more than a third of the country, according to a New York Times analysis of newly available financial data. That’s up from 12 states five years ago, and eight states in 2013. The result is that insurance companies are raising premiums by as much as 50 percent or more, cutting back on coverage or leaving entire states altogether. Nationally, over the last decade, insurers paid out more in claims than they received in premiums, according to the ratings firm Moody’s, and those losses are increasing.    
   The growing tumult is affecting people whose homes have never been damaged and who have dutifully paid their premiums, year after year. Cancellation notices have left them scrambling to find coverage to protect what is often their single biggest investment. As a last resort, many are ending up in high-risk insurance pools created by states that are backed by the public and offer less coverage than standard policies. By and large, state regulators lack strategies to restore stability to the market....
 Even the insurance companies are having trouble getting coverage. Reinsurance companies, global giants like Swiss Re, insure the insurers, sharing some of the risk of the policies they write. As disasters worsen, reinsurers have become more reluctant to underwrite insurance in parts of the United States. That’s made insurance companies even more conservative about where to do business....
 “I believe we’re marching toward an uninsurable future” in many places, said Dave Jones, the former insurance commissioner of California and now director of the Climate Risk Initiative at the University of California Berkeley law school.

  The author did not have second thoughts since he published the next day, this article: "4 Takeaways From Our Homeowners Insurance Investigation: Across the Country, More Intense Heat, Storms and Fires Are Causing the Home Insurance Market to Start to Buckle," Christopher Flavelle, NYT, May 14, 2024. In condensed form, here they are:
1. Climate change is upending the insurance market.

2. Insurers are pulling back coverage in surprising places.

3. The consequences of that pullback could affect the broader economy.

4. States are intervening in different ways.

   If H5N1 hits, life insurance could be next. 

CANCON - I will just say, "Coming Soon to an Area Near You." 
The Bonus: This news has not reached Florida as you can see from these new headlines: "Ron DeSantis Signs Bill Scrubbing 'Climate Change' From Florida State Laws," and "DeSantis Signs Law Deleting Climate Change From Florida Policy."

The Great Lakes "Goiter Belt"

 The Bright Side: A Reminder
   The clouds remain and I began thinking about how much we complain. It is time to remind ourselves that maybe things aren't so bad, or perhaps as bad as things once were. See, "The Bright Side" presented earlier in MM where I suggested that the musings of the philosopher Eric Idle can help us be a bit more positive.
  

 Given that, oddly enough, I have never gotten around to writing about goiters, I will use them to suggest that with regard to health care, things are surely better, even if you are waiting in line to get some. The picture above is from the 1930s and it is likely that the swelling around the woman's face is evidence of an enlarged thyroid gland. It is also the case that she may not have lived near a nail salon since a manicure is needed.

An Iodine Anniversary
   The lack of iodine is responsible for the enlargement of the thyroid and the diminishment of intelligence. In 1924 it was put into table salt to make up for the iodine deficiencies experienced in our area. As a salt appreciator and contrarian, I suggest we celebrate the 100th anniversary of iodized salt. 

Sources:
  As with most subjects, you have good reasons to doubt my expertise, so here is what you need to know about goiters and iodine:
"How the Arrival of Iodized Salt 100 Years Ago Changed America: On May 1,1924, the First Iodized Salt Appeared On Shelves, Quickly Solving an Iodine Deficiency Crisis that Plagued the Northern U.S. 'Goiter Belt'," Ray Cavanaugh, Washington Post, May 1, 2024.
 In the early 20th century, iodine deficiency was ravaging much of the northern United States. The region was widely known as the “goiter belt,” for the goiters — heavily swollen thyroid glands — that bulged from many residents’ necks. The issue was more than cosmetic: Iodine deficiency during pregnancy and lactation often led to children with severely diminished IQ and other permanent neurological impairments. And Michigan was at the epicenter of the crisis.The soil there didn’t have much iodine. Nor did the freshwater Great Lakes. And so the inhabitants didn’t have much iodine, either. The prevalence of iodine deficiency in the state became strikingly apparent after the outbreak of World War I. Simon Levin, the medical examiner for the draft board in Michigan’s Houghton County, observed that more than 30 percent[link] of registrants had a demonstrably enlarged thyroid, which could disqualify them from military service. In fact, it was the leading cause of medical disqualification in northern Michigan."
   If you are now interested in this subject see: "A Grain of Salt," by Howard Markel and "History of U.S. Iodine Fortification and Supplementation," by Leung, et al. 
There is some discussion about how iodine was introduced into the food supply and I would think that now both the Canadian and U.S. governments would  experience some difficulty in convincing many citizens that such a policy was warranted. 
  The photograph at the top is from, You Have Seen Their Faces, by Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White. There are many faces pictured and all of them suggest that maybe things are not so bad for us. 
For more about Caldwell, see "American Folkways and Erskine Caldwell" in MM.

THE PAPER CANOE

 A Paper Canoe?
   Here is some rainy day writing for those who might require some rainy day reading. I will begin at "The Paper Canoe" which is located on the Currituck Sound in Duck, N.C. We were fortunate to recently have dinner there, but it was a busy night and I wasn't able to inquire about the name, "The Paper Canoe." 
   I was reminded of some notes I had about the book, The Voyage of the Paper Canoe: A Geographical Journey of 2500 Miles From Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico, During the Years 1874-5, by Nathaniel Holmes Bishop. I do not know if the name of the restaurant relates to the title of the book, but I do know that you will enjoy reading it.
   You will find The Voyage... for varying prices on Amazon where someone has printed it for you and you will find more on AbeBooks. The very expensive ones will be copies of the original, not knockoffs. Or, you can simply read the e-version quickly found on Gutenberg or the Internet Archive, which has a fine copy that is easily read and searched. But, if you prefer paper, live in London and have access to the Western Libraries, one will be found for you in storage.

The Paper Part
   Bishop began his voyage from Quebec in a very heavy wooden boat, but swapped it for a paper one on the upper Hudson River. You can learn more about it in Chapter V., "The American Paper Boat and English Canoes." This description is from the Introduction: Having proceeded about four hundred miles upon his voyage, the author reached Troy, on the Hudson River, New York state, where for several years E. Waters & Sons had been perfecting the construction of paper boats.  The advantages in using a boat of only fifty-eight pounds weight, the strength and durability of which had been well and satisfactorily tested, could not be questioned, and the author dismissed his assistant, and " paddled his own canoe " about two thousand miles to the end of the journey…..

An additional bit from the Introduction will help you determine if you want to search for the book or even buy it: 
   To an unknown wanderer among the creeks, rivers, and sounds of the coast, the courteous treatment of the Southern people was most gratifying. The author can only add to this expression an extract from his reply to the address of the Mayor of St. Mary's, Georgia, which city honored him with an ovation and presentation of flags after the completion of his voyage :
" Since my little paper canoe entered southern waters upon her geographical errand, — from the capes of the Delaware to your beautiful St. Mary's, — I have been deeply sensible of the value of Southern hospitality. The oystermen and fishermen living along the lonely beaches of the eastern shore of Maryland and Virginia ; the surfmen and lighthouse keepers of Albemarle, Pamplico, and Core sounds, in North Carolina ; the ground-nut planters who inhabit the uplands that skirt the network of creeks, marshes, ponds, and sounds from Bogue Inlet to Cape Fear ; the piny- woods people, lumbermen, and turpentine distillers on the little bluffs that jut into the fastnesses of the great swamps of the crooked Waccamaw River ; the representatives of the once powerful rice-planting aristocracy of the Santee and Peedee rivers ; the colored men of the beautiful sea-islands along the coast of Georgia ; the Floridians living between the St. Mary's River and the Suwanee — the wild river of song ; the islanders on the Gulf of Mexico where I terminated my long journey ; — all have contributed to make the * Voyage of the Paper Canoe' a success."

Chasing the Paper Canoe
   From the description above one notices that the 'Paper Canoe" travelled in the area of the restaurant, so there may be a connection. There is mention of the crooked Waccamaw River also found in the introduction and that was noticed by someone at Coastal Carolina University. ln 2012 faculty and students at Coastal Carolina traced the wake left by Bishop and identified places he mentioned. The result is the book, Chasing the Paper Canoe, which was published by Athenaeum Press at Coastal Carolina. To learn more about the project see, Chasing the Paper Canoe. If you look under "Bishop" you will learn more about him and the voyage of the "Paper Canoe." If you would rather just look at beautiful photos from the coastal Carolina area, click on "Gallery." The book can be purchased on Amazon, from which this description is taken:
  This inaugural publication from The Athenaeum Press reimagines Nathaniel Bishop’s journey down the Waccamaw River in a paper canoe more than a century ago. The book is the culmination of a year’s collaboration between students and faculty at Coastal Carolina University. Chasing the Paper Canoe portrays the culture, desolation and stoic beauty of the Waccamaw River. Within its pages, readers find the historic rice fields contrasted to bankside home construction; the weathered waterfront of Georgetown and portraits of modern fisherman. It is a true portrait of what Bishop described as that “most crooked waterway.” The project takes readers on a journey across history and form. Throughout the printed book, readers can see the stunning photographs come to life as streaming video through a feature called augmented reality. Both photographs and multimedia components were designed and produced by students in Coastal Carolina University’s pre-professional studio.

The Bonus:

    Nathaniel Bishop is an interesting fellow and was a very active one. Two more of his books are found in storage in the Western Libraries (for now, at least) and they can also be read online or purchased in print. 
Four Months in a Sneak-box: A Boat Voyage of 2600 Miles Down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and Along the Gulf of Mexico, 1879:

"A 2,600 mile voyage in 1875 from Pittsburgh to Florida down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in a 12 foot duck hunting boat called a "Barnegat Bay Sneak Box."This curious and staunch little craft, though only 12 feet in length, proved a most comfortable and serviceable home while the author rowed it more than 2,600 miles down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, until he reached the mouth of the wild Suwanee River."

If you prefer works about walking: 

The Pampas and Andes: A Thousand Miles' Walk Across South America, 1855:
"Bishop was a mere lad of 17 in 1855 when, with $45 in his pocket, he left Massachusetts bound for South America. Pursuing a love of natural history, he arrived in Buenos Aires, ascended the Plata and Parana Rivers, walked across the pampas and the Saline Desert, hiked over the Andes into Chile, and at Valparaiso caught a boat for home. Barely able to speak the language, he slips quietly through South America, eyes open. The ultimate boy's adventure."

For more from MM about long walks, see John Muir who took a Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf  from Ontario.  To read more about things From Far Away and Long Ago, in South America see: "W.H. Hudson and the Hail Storm."
  If you are now feeling enthused and considering your own trek, see "The Trans Canada Trail." 

Course Catalogues

   Early this morning I had the thought that comparing university course catalogues from various periods would be interesting. My assumption is that a syllabus from, say the "radical sixties" for courses offered from, for example, a Political Science Department, would be less radical and even less 'scientific', than one from this year. It remains unproven.

  I recalled that a few years ago a researcher from a major university in the U.S. showed up at the University of Western Ontario  and wished to be shown UWO catalogues from the 1920s. He was trying to find out if the Business School at Western was one of the first to introduce the "case method" into the classroom. Some were located in storage and I think some have even been digitized. My search now for some of them remains unfinished.
  Too much effort would be required and my assumption remains just a hunch. I wasn't easily able to find the ones on the campus close by and the search for others would be even more effortful. Plus, such searches can quickly go astray. Which is what happened, but what I did find may be of interest.

"BIRD" Courses
   Such courses are not ones the researchers associated with Western's Advanced Facility for Avian Research would be looking for (for more about AFAR see, "For The Birds".) "Bird" courses are easy ones and, like most things, they are easily found by searching (see below.) 
   The website from which the image above was taken is as sophisticated as the image is attractive and the caption says, "use this beautiful resource to help you find out more about fun courses at Western." Additional topics are offered, such as a "Guide to Navigating University," "Medical School Application Guide" and information about various STEM courses.
  The website is called "WebStraw",
"which is a a student run not-for-profit that tries to make learning in the post secondary environment the best it can be. We are an organization that has immense expertise in the field of learning strategies, module design and open-access educational advocacy, and we use these skills to create projects and products that greatly improve the educational environment in universities all over North America."  Some of those involved seem to be here in London, but there is also information about McMaster and Queen's. For more, see webstraw.ca. [see "Sources" below.]
  

Back to the "Birds"
   The Catalogue of "Bird" Courses at Western University" was done in 2021 and is found in the form of a 31 page pdf. Samples of some of the courses are provided above and they include more detail and and there are more of them. The purpose of the catalogue is: 
"to provide you with insight into courses that will enhance your academic experience at Western. These courses, commonly referred to as “Birds”, are highly recommended by other students because they are structured in a manner that guarantees your academic success. Furthermore, these courses are often taken as electives to help lighten your overall workload, as content is easily digestible and evaluations are straightforward. In simple terms, we define a “Bird” as the following: Bird: A course that, by design, enables students to succeed with content that is easy to grasp, requires minimal effort relative to other university courses, and has fair evaluations."
I will not provide the link to the pdf here, but it will be easy to find. 
   My purpose in this post is less clear, but it certainly is not to promote "bird" courses. Apart from the very interesting and professional "WebStraw" endeavour, I also find it interesting that there might not be much known about it at Western. A search of the Western website, the library one and the Western Gazette yielded nothing.

Sources: 
  The website for "WebStraw" was provided and is safe. I did not provide a link to the pdf. [ A reader let me know the link provided above does not work. That is correct and I am unable to provide a stable one. It can be found, however, by googling "Webstraw" which leads to https://webstraw.ca., a site under construction. Under "Western Resources" I was able to find the "Bird Course Catalogue." You should find it there, but if not, do the search. Also try: https://webstraw-bird-course-catalogue.super.site/ (this was found via: https://linktr.ee/WebStraw. "Webstraw" appears to be a website builder.] July 7, 2024.

   The etymology of "bird" in this context seems to have some Canadian roots - e.g. "A university or high school course regarded as requiring little work or intellectual ability. Perhaps with reference to the size of a bird’s brain, suggesting that students of such courses have limited academic ability (cf. bird-brained adj.).OED, 1975.
  A search for "bird courses" will find many, but is not recommended. For more about one of them see: "Site Tempts Birdbrains With Easy University Courses," Kamila Hinkson, Toronto Star, August 16, 2013.    

Wild Horses

 Ponies in the Dunes
   Recently some horses were seen running loose in London (the one in England) and yesterday others were racing in the Kentucky Derby. Here I will provide some information about horses found in the wild outside of the confines of Churchill Downs and well away from city streets. 
 I am doing so for two reasons. One is that ponies are better subjects these days than politics and politicians, although one cannot completely avoid politics even when writing about ponies. Some think the horses found in the wild are problematic and bad for the environment, while others disagree.
  It is also the case that we were recently in Duck, North Carolina in what is called the "Outer Banks." I learned, while there, that herds of wild horses were found near Corolla, just to the north, where they roamed on the beaches bordering the Currituck Sound. 
  I would probably have not paid much attention to this equine news, but I grew up in an area to the north and east of the Outer Banks, where wild ponies also ran wild and could be seen grazing in the dunes on what is called the "Delmarva Peninsula", because it is consists of those three states - Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The wild ponies were often discussed and I once went to a "pony penning" in Chincoteague. During such an event, the ponies are rounded up by "Saltwater Cowboys" and herded across the channel where some are auctioned off for the benefit of the Volunteer Fire Department. It is going to happen again when the tide is low on Wed. July 24th, so you have time to attend if you wish. 
  Although I don't think often about ponies and horses, they are better subjects than politics and politicians and that they still exist out there in the wild beyond the highways littered with dollar stores and fast food chains is worth noting. I remembered that there were also herds in Eastern Canada and have learned there are some in Western Canada as well. So I rounded up some sources for you and could surely have found more if I had included the Western U.S.  Enjoy reading about the horses and ponies that still run wild on this continent and simply skip over the political parts. 
[Click on the links to learn more. I have chosen ones that are not behind a paywall and are sure to be virus free.]

Corolla, North Carolina

Corrolla Wild Horse Fund

 This group works to protect the “Bankers”, the wild horses on the northern part of the Outer Banks. Apart from the information provided there is also related merchandise, including the book, Corolla’s Wild Horses A History.  A short account is found under,  “Spanish Mustang History” where one learns that the herd dates from the 1500s and that in the 1920s there were between 5,000 and 6,000 wild horses before the developers arrived.
   See also, "Wild Horses of the Outer Banks: Everything You Need to Know." 

Chincoteague & Assateague ( Virginia & Maryland)
   For information, start with the National Park Service's “Assateague’s Wild Horses” which also includes over 50 photos of the horses. See also: “How to See the Chincoteague Ponies” which includes a link to the “Chincoteague Travel Blog” and the “Official Chincoteague Island Pony Swim Guide" which indicates that the 99th pony swim this year will be on Wed. July 24, 2024.
  There are at least three Wikipedia entries related to the horses in this area:

"Chincoteague Pony"

"Pony Penning" - which even includes a chart showing how much the "Saltwater Cowboys" made for the Volunteer Fire Department from the pony auctions.

Misty of Chincoteague, the children's book also has an entry. The London Public Library has a copy. 

Ponies in the Virginia Mountains

   Start with this interesting piece which indicates that these ponies are related to the ones mentioned above: "Meet the Wild Ponies of Grayson Highlands State Park, VA: These Carefree Equines are the Descendants of 50 Assateague Ponies, Released into the Area in 1975," Catie Leary, Treehugger.

According to Virginia State Park staffer Amy Atwood, the carefree equines, which some speculate to be the descendants of Assateague and Chincoteague ponies, were released by the U.S. Forest Service into the area surrounding Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and Grayson Highlands State Park in 1975.1

Ponies With a Purpose

Why would the Forest Service release wild ponies in a state park? To control the growth of brush along the balds, which are a man-made landscape forged by extensive logging operations in the late 19th century. The balds maintained a clear-cut appearance through the first half of the 20th century due to cattle ranching, but after the area was transformed into a state park in 1965, there were no more cows to keep the brush in check. Goats have become a popular way to keep landscapes trimmed, but for the highlands, here is where the ponies came into the picture.

See also, "Ponies of the Grayson Highlands," Otto Solberg, The Appalachian Voice, Dec. 15, 2016 and the Grayson Highland State Park website. 

CANCON (For American readers, that acronym refers to "Canadian content".)
   Horses are also found running in the wild in Canada, from the Maritimes in the east to the mountains in the west. 

Sable Island
   This Parks Canada website is all you need and it contains many pictures as well. 
   Sable Island is widely known for its wild horse population. They have thick, woolly, shaggy coats, often brown, and stocky bodies. Today’s population descended from horses introduced to the island in the 1700s.The Sable Island horses are considered an iconic feature of the island, with both natural and cultural heritage value. The current population of wild horses on Sable Island is about 450 horses.
Origin: The population of wild horses on Sable Island has existed for over 250 years. The Sable Island horses are believed to be descendants of animals introduced to the island in the 1700s.

British Columbia

  Information about the horses in the Chilcotin area is found in this article: "Free-Roaming Horses Are Feral and Invasive, B.C. Says - But Biologist, First Nation Argue They Need Protection," CBC News, Dec.3, 2023. 

   A new book about them is also available: The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin: Their History and Future, by Wayne McCrory.

See also: “Protecting Wild Horses in Alberta (& Canada)” Zoo Check. Here is how it begins: "Wild horses have been a part of the Canadian west for hundreds of years. There are currently wild horses living in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia and parts of Saskatchewan, including a population of protected wild horses in the Bronson Forest. There are also approximately 900 wild horses in Alberta spread out over thousands of square kilometres of terrain in the Rocky mountain foothills. In the 1990s, a population of approximately 1200 wild horses also lived on Canadian Forces Base Suffield near Medicine Hat. Unfortunately, despite a concerted effort by Zoocheck, Animal Alliance of Canada, Albertan’s for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Grasslands Naturalists, the Department of National Defense (DND) removed the horses. Despite promises to the contrary, most of the horses were sent to slaughter." [This also includes a YouTube video - 15 min.]
  That protection is needed is indicated in this article: "RCMP Investigating Suspicious Deaths of 17 Wild Horses in Kamloops Area," CBC News, Mar.14, 2023.

Visiting TORONTO

 36 HOURS IN HOGTOWN
   As the nickname chosen indicates, I have not been kind to Toronto, although I could have picked "Queen City" which, these days would be an even worse one. In MM I have twice referred to Toronto as a "carbuncle" and is usually the case, those references are based in ignorance, rather than on any actual knowledge of the subject. I have rarely gone to Toronto in recent years and on those occasions have found nothing to encourage me to revisit.
   The fact that the esteemed New York Times had a travel writer visit leads me to believe that I may have missed something and been unfair. As one act of penance I will offer the observations of someone more knowledgeable and you can learn for yourself what Toronto has to offer. As another, I will provide earlier assessments of Toronto and then fully absolve myself by offering all of the other "36 HOURS..." pieces about CANADA that the New York Times has printed during this century. 
  It is also the case that I am feeling bad for Torontonians given the Maple Leaf loss last night.
   We will begin with the recent Toronto article and then look at the older Toronto ones done in 2016 and 2005. The typical "36 Hours..." piece offers basic recommendations about such things as Key Stops, Attractions, Shopping, Eating and Staying. It is also typically the case that the choices are the ones that would be appreciated by a traveller whose expenses are covered by someone back in head office. 
   The recent Toronto article was done last month and from it, some information has been extracted. The citation is provided and you may be able to get beyond the paywall. That may be the case for all of the other articles as well. Here it is and the one place that might get me to visit is Issues: The Magazine Shop. If I do go, I might try to see the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, but I don't think it is right downtown. 

“36 Hours; Toronto,” Ingrid K. Williams, New York Times, April 11, 2024

Recommendations

Key stops

Trillium Park, west of Toronto’s inner harbor, is relatively crowd-free despite having an outstanding view of the downtown skyline.

Sunny’s Chinese, a popular restaurant hidden inside a mini-mall in the Kensington Market neighborhood, serves fun plates like Hong Kong-style French toast with black-sesame jam.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto is currently hosting “Greater Toronto Art 2024,” the second installment of its triennial.

Cry Baby Gallery is an art space with a cocktail bar hidden behind a curtain in the back.

Attractions

Massey Hall, a landmark theater, reopened in 2021 after a three-year renovation and modernization project.

Evergreen Brick Works is a cultural community center with a popular year-round farmers’ market.

The Gardiner Museum is dedicated to the artistry and craft of ceramics.

The Philosopher’s Walk winds through the leafy St. George campus of the University of Toronto.

The Bata Shoe Museum has an unexpectedly fascinating exhibit exploring the history of what we put on our feet.

The Beach (also called the Beaches), on the eastern edge of the city, is a neighborhood abutting Lake Ontario with sandy shorelines and a wood-plank boardwalk.

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is a sprawling gallery surrounded by acres of pristine woodland.

Zaal Art Gallery has paintings, sculptures and fashion from contemporary Iranian artists.

Restaurants and bars

Patois is a festive restaurant serving Caribbean-Asian dishes like jerk chicken chow mein.

Bad Attitude Bread is a plant-based bakery with specialties like vegan Cheddar biscuits with Old Bay seasoning.

Milky’s, a cool cafe, brews up specialty drinks like a spiced maple syrup latte.

Taverne Bernhardt’s is a cozy neighborhood bistro featuring local produce and rotisserie-style chicken.

Bowie, a vibey bar beneath a laundromat, offers great people-watching behind an unmarked entrance.

Bathurst Local is a laid-back bar with a maze of private karaoke rooms.

White Lily Diner is an all-day restaurant serving comfort food, with produce supplied by its own Ontario farm.

Shopping

Easy Tiger Goods is a sunny boutique that sells cute made-in-Toronto ceramics.

Issues Magazine Shop stocks rare print titles.

Etc Home, a home décor shop, sells hand-crocheted coasters, embroidered tote bags and more.

Where to stay

A solid option downtown, the Ace Hotel opened in 2022 in a newly constructed building designed by the Toronto firm Shim-Sutcliffe Architects. Beyond the lobby framed by soaring concrete arches, the hotel features 123 cozy guest rooms as well as a restaurant and a rooftop lounge. Rooms start at around 499 Canadian dollars, or around $367.

In the trendy West Queen West area, the Drake Hotel is a longtime favorite for its cultural events, concerts and art-filled interiors. With the addition of a new five-story wing, which opened in 2021, the property now has 51 rooms in addition to a popular lounge, cafe and rooftop terrace. Rooms start at around 360 dollars.

On vibrant Dundas Street West in Little Portugal is the family-run Ode, which opened in 2021 with eight private guest rooms, each designed in collaboration with a different local artist. Rooms start at 260 dollars.

Look for a short-term rental in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighborhood, which is surrounded by great restaurants, shops, bars, bakeries, breweries and the popular Trinity Bellwoods Park.

                           Older 36 Hours in Toronto (2016, 2005)

"36 Hours: Toronto. In this famously diverse city you'll find an energetic food scene, vibrant street culture and cocktail wizardry," Egner, Jeremy.  New York Times.13 Nov 2016: TR11.  

With just under 2.8 million residents, Toronto is one of the biggest cities in North America, though it hardly feels like it. Even more so than New York, the famously diverse city is less a metropolis than a patchwork of distinct neighborhoods linked by a live-and-let-live-ethos and a vibrant street culture. Long recognized as one of the most livable...

 

"36 Hours Toronto," New York Times,17 June 2005: F4.  

After 40 years of immigration from virtually every country, Toronto has realized its promise as a vibrant picture postcard of world culture. Cafes, clubs, restaurants, theaters, museums and galleries are everywhere, and instead of...

                                     36 HOURS ELSEWHERE IN CANADA

  I noticed above that I suggested that this list provides all of the Canadian-related ""36 Hours..." articles that the NYT has printed. There are about a dozen locations included, some of which were visited more than once and they range geographically from St. John's to Victoria, and chronologically from 2002 to the present. They were found by searching the databases provided by Proquest, which also offers the brief abstracts. I may have missed a few.
   Those of you interested in seeing how the recommendations have changed over time may find that some of these older pieces are accessible without a NYT subscription.

Banff, Alberta (2002)

"JOURNEYS: 36 HOURS BANFF, ALBERTA"
Headlam, Bruce.  New York Times, 29 Nov 2002: F3.  
THERE are higher towns in the Canadian Rockies, but Banff in late fall is about as close to heaven as one can get. The breathtaking mountain scenery is highlighted by the dark boughs of evergreen trees, and the town's

Calgary, Alberta  (2018)

"36 Hours CALGARY, ALBERTA: Visitors to this Canadian city will find a revived cultural scene, locally sourced menus and ice skating at Olympic Plaza," Glusac, Elaine.  New York Times, 04 Feb 2018: TR10. 
The construction cranes that pierce the downtown Calgary skyline and nearby neighborhoods suggest a boom on the Alberta prairie. In fact, in the past two years, sagging oil and gas prices have crimped Calgary's economy, which is now showing signs of recovery. Projects underway before the slowdown, including the music museum…

Montreal. (2015, 2010,2006, 2003)

"36 Hours MONTREAL: Whether you want to embrace the season on rinks, trails or runs, or simply head to the spa, this vibrant city has it all," Sherwood, Seth.  New York Times, 22 Nov 2015: TR1.  
Winter is right around the corner, and when the going gets cold--like zero-degrees-Fahrenheit cold--Montrealers get resourceful. Some dodge Canadian winter amid the heated vapors of the city's Nordic spas or the warming drinks of cozy bars. Others embrace it by skiing and skating in public parks, cheering the hometown...

"36 Hours: Montreal", Lee, Denny.  New York Times,15 Aug 2010: TR10.  
FRENCH or English? One of the beautiful things about Montreal is that you never know in what language you will be greeted. Which brings up a second tiling: Maybe it's the good food, the open skies or the free-spirited students who call this city their…

"36 HOURS Montreal", Chen, Aric.  New York Times, 22 Oct 2006: D12.  
MAKE no mistake: visiting Montreal is not like going to Paris. True, the brooding facades and crooked streets of Old Montreal feel distinctly European, and yes, the locals take their French seriously. But don't confuse this cosmopolitan Canadian port city for a fusty, Old World wannabe.

"36 Hours Montreal, New York Times , 13 June 2003: F5.  
IF you crave a family trip featuring high culture and haute cuisine but don't want the hassle or the jet lag -- not to mention the air fares -- of Europe, Montreal has it all. Though it is predominantly a French-speaking city, Montreal is not just for Francophiles. It is a cosmopolitan melting pot with more than 100 different…

Mont-Tremblant (2005)

"JOURNEYS: 36 HOURS MONT-TREMBLANT, QUEBEC",Better, Nancy.  New York Times, 18 Feb 2005: F3. 
If you're dreaming of a weekend getaway to Courchevel or St. Moritz but can't stand the falling dollar--or the flights--consider an alternative: Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. Since 1995, the Intrawest skiing corporation has spent more than $400...

Niagara-on-the-Lake (2002)

"36 Hours Niagara-on-the-Lake," New York Times, 03 May 2002: F5.  
THOUGH situated in Ontario only 20 minutes from the thunderous roar of Niagara Falls, it is impossible not to feel light years away from its touristy neighbor up river the moment you enter Niagara-on-the-Lake. Visitors

Ottawa, Ontario (2017, 2007, 2004) 

"36 Hours OTTAWA: Ottawa gears up for its 150th birthday bash this year, with exhibits, galleries and a thriving food scene," Scalza, Remy.  New York Times, 08 Jan 2017: TR11. 
Canada's capital has no shortage of historical charms--from Gothic Parliament buildings to a Unesco World Heritage canal--but it has long been dogged by a reputation as a workaday government center. A weekend in the city, however, proves otherwise. With a thriving food scene, a multicultural and multilingual sensibility owing to its…

36 Hours: Ottawa Arnold, Katie.  New York Times, 26 Aug 2007: D11.
OTTAWA has always had image problems. Back in 1867, when it beat out its rivals Toronto and Montreal in a bid to become Canada's national capital, the Governor General bemoaned Parliament's move to what seemed a frontier outpost on the Ottawa River as an "exile to wilder-...

"36 Hours Ottawa," New York Times, 02 Jan 2004: F3.  
ARMS swinging rhythmically, briefcase In tow, a skater glides to work over the frozen surface of the 170-year-old canal that winds nearly five miles through the heart of the city. Parents push bundled-up babies across the ice in sleighs; and French- and English-speaking vendors sell hot chocolate at...

Prince Edward Island (2002)

"36 Hours Prince Edward Island," New York Times,16 Aug 2002: F4.   FOR decades, tiny Prince Edward Island (population 138,000) has been a recreational haven for Canadians. But why should Canadians have all the fun? Prince Edward Island has all the charm of New England without...

Quebec City (2018, 2016, 2005)

"36 Hours: Even the tourist with little time can squeeze in some of this Quebec city's cosmopolitan pleasures," Glusac, Elaine.  New York Times, 07 Oct 2018: TR9.  
Its cobblestone streets and French architecture make Old Montreal, the original settlement on the St. Lawrence Seaway, compelling. But Montreal, now 376 years old, also has much to offer in its surrounding neighborhoods. From the new restaurants of Gay Village to the annually updated murals of the Plateau and the trendy shopping...

"36 Hours QUEBEC CITY: In Quebec’s capital, emerging neighborhoods reveal a mix of hip and historic that makes for a wide range of enticements," Williams, Ingrid K.  New York Times, 17 Jan 2016: TR12.  Quebec City has long drawn admirers to its historic district--the famed ramparts, quaint cobblestone lanes and handsome stone houses. Get swept up in this squint-and-you're-in-Europe charm, however, and you risk missing out on the Canadian city's most compelling attractions. Over the last few years, a gradual revival has spread…

"JOURNEYS: 36 HOURS QUEBEC CITY," New York Times, 28 Jan 2005: F5. QUEBEC can give provincialism a good name. Orphaned by mother France, dominated by Britain (after what Quebecois still call the Conquest) then for years by majority-Anglophone Canada, the people of…

St. John’s (2006)

"36 HOURS: NEWFOUNDLAND", St John's, JEFF SCHLEGEL, New York Times, 28 July 2006: F3.  FOUNDED in the late 16th century, St. John's was already a settlement when New York City was a mere gleam in the eye of European colonizers. Cod was once king here, but now it's the offshore oil industry that is pumping cash and confidence into this quirky city of nearly 100,000 that sits at North America's easternmost...

Vancouver, B.C. (2017, 2010, 2007, 2003)

"36 Hours VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA: With its urban forests, glassy downtown and lively food scene, this coastal Canadian city can be enthralling," MacNEILLE, SUZANNE.  New York Times,17 Sep 2017: TR8.  
It happens before you know it: Suddenly, you're smitten with Vancouver--its endless coastline, glassy downtown, the extravagant nature that surrounds and permeates it. A recent article in The Vancouver Sun featured a 600-year-old Douglas fir in Stanley Park. Vancouver is that kind of place--a place where a tree is a celebrity. It's also a…

"36 Hours: Vancouver, British Columbia," Lee, Denny.  New York Times,14 Feb 2010: TR10.  
NO wonder Vancouver is often heralded as one of the world's most livable cities. It is blessed with a snowcapped mountain backdrop and crystal blue harbors. It is also a gateway to the Inside Passage--the marvelous maze of glacier-carved...

"36 HOURS: VANCOUVER,"
Weingarten, Marc.  New York Times,15 July 2007: D12.  VANCOUVER, British Columbia, is two cities rolled into one. For outdoorsy types, this western Canadian city is a nature paradise, with miles of scenic hiking trails and bike paths that sweep along the Strait of Georgia, the pine treelined waterway that connects Vancouver with the Pacific Ocean.

"36 Hours Vancouver, British Columbia," New York Times, 08 Aug 2003: F4. 
THE 2010 Winter Olympics, recently awarded to Vancouver, British Columbia, promise to bring a new level of attention to Canada's far-western gem. But this is a city at its best in Summer, when the weather is reliably decent and perfect at times. Vancouver is surrounded by water and mountains and is...

Victoria, B.C.  (2018, 2004)

"36 Hours VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA: This jewel offers innovative restaurants, gorgeous parks and gardens, and museums that celebrate the areas many cultures," CARMICK, SUZANNE.  New York Times,  22 Apr 2018: TR9.
This compact, eminently walkable city, set amid the breathtaking beauty and bounty of Vancouver Island, is lauded as one of the world's top small urban destinations. Beyond the picture-perfect downtown waterfront, British Columbia's capital is an exhilarating blend of cultures, from Canadian and First Nations to Chinese and European...

"36 Hours Victoria, British Columbia," New York Times, 11 June 2004: F4. 
THOUGH elegant Victoria, at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, is the capital of British Columbia, it is actually closer to the United States than to the Canadian mainland. On a clear day the peaks of the Olympic Mountains in Washington seem tantalizingly close to visitors strolling along Dallas Road, a...

Whistler, British Columbia (2020, 2014, 2010, 2005)

"36 Hours: WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA; This resort has hints of a quaint mountain town. But the high-end indulgences and world-class skiing say otherwise," Scalza, Remy.  New York Times, 02 Feb 2020: TR9. 
Consistently ranked among the top ski resorts in North America, Whistler Black- comb is the opposite of a well-kept secret. Seventy-five miles north of Vancouver, in Canada's Coast Mountains, the resort -- technically two mountains, tethered by a two-mile-long, peak-to-peak gondola -- was the host of the 2010 Winter Olympics and…

"36 Hours: WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA With a boost from the 2010 Olympics, Whistler-Blackcomb has grown up, now drawing a vibrant, international crowd," Solomon, Christopher.  New York Times, 14 Dec 2014: TR4. 
With apologies to Aspen, Whistler-Black-comb in British Columbia really is North America's most cosmopolitan ski resort. Walk down the Village Stroll. Hear the voices heading toward the gondola: Chinese, Russian, Japanese. Lean in, though, and you'll also hear a Babel of young ski bums who give the place its real vibrancy:

"36 Hours Whistler, British Columbia," Solomon, Christopher.  New York Times, 17 Jan 2010: TR12.  
 THERE are good reasons that much of the Winter Olympics is taking place in Whistler next month. Sure, North America's biggest ski resort looms overhead. But this steep mountain valley is home to something else that makes it particularly welcoming to…

"36 HOURS: WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA," Mackin, Bob.  New York Times, 02 Dec 2005: F3. 
MYRTLE and Alex Philip found their own pot of gold when they came from Maine and built the Rainbow Lodge by the shores of Alta Lake in 1914. There were several dozen year-round residents living on Alta, a fishing hole 75 miles north of Vancouver. The locals were intrigued by the sound made by the western...

The Bonus: 
   The image at the top was taken from an article that recommends two dozen things to do, some of which are not found in the NYT piece. See: "24 Best Things to Do in Toronto: Museums, Markets, Parks, and Much More," Sefanie Waldeck, Conde Nast Traveler, Sept. 29, 2023.  My two visits in recent times were for musical events and we did find two places worth checking out, neither of which is mentioned. It is the case, however, that I don't think I would want to visit either one during a very busy time: "Little Canada" and "Ripley's Aquarium of Canada." 

Post Script: 
  Another factor in Toronto's favour is that Richard Florida, who knows a thing or two about cities, has chosen to live there. It is also the case, however, that he does also have a place in Miami.