Toronto's Grey Embrace: A Botanist's Bleary-Eyed Musings
okay, so. toronto. i’m still kind of shivering, honestly. i just checked and it’s spitting a fine, icy drizzle right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the kind that seeps into your bones and makes you question all your life choices, specifically the one that involved packing only a slightly-too-thin scarf.
I came here chasing a rumour, a whisper really, about a hidden conservatory. Apparently, tucked away behind some industrial estate in *Mimico, there’s this… thing. A Victorian-era glasshouse, abandoned decades ago, but still stubbornly clinging to life. Locals call it “The Glass Lung.” Dramatic, right? I’m a sucker for dramatic. I’m a botanist, not a poet, but I appreciate a good metaphor.
Finding it was… an adventure. Let’s just say my sense of direction is less ‘reliable GPS’ and more ‘confused pigeon.’ I ended up wandering through a maze of warehouses, dodging forklifts and questioning my sanity. I almost gave up, but then I smelled it. That damp, earthy scent of decaying leaves and forgotten blooms. It was like a siren song for a plant nerd.
I overheard someone at a coffee shop - a guy with a truly impressive beard and a very cynical air - muttering about The Glass Lung. “Don’t go,” he said, swirling his latte. “It’s cursed. They say the original owner went mad trying to cultivate a black orchid. Now his ghost haunts the place, watering the ferns with tears.” Drunk advice, probably, but it added to the atmosphere. You can check out some local forums about it here: Toronto Urban Exploration Forum.
The conservatory itself… wow. It’s a wreck, obviously. Shattered glass everywhere, vines choking the ironwork, a general air of melancholy. But amidst the decay, there’s still life. Hardy ferns clinging to the walls, moss carpeting the floor, a few tenacious wildflowers pushing through the cracks. I even spotted a single, perfect snowdrop. A tiny beacon of hope in a sea of grey. I spent hours sketching, taking notes, just… breathing it in. It was strangely peaceful.
Someone told me that the city tried to demolish it a few years back, but the local historical society fought them on it. Apparently, there’s a petition going around to restore it. You can find more info on TripAdvisor (okay, I made that up, but wouldn’t it be amazing?).
I’m exhausted. My fingers are numb, my boots are soaked, and I’m pretty sure I have a spider living in my hair. But it was worth it. Absolutely worth it.
If you get bored, Hamilton and Burlington* are just a short drive away. They’ve got some decent gardens, I hear. Though nothing quite as… haunting as The Glass Lung.
Oh, and one more thing. I heard that the humidity in there is insane. Like, 99% insane. Which explains the feels-like temperature of -3.9 degrees. My data says the pressure is 1001 and the ground level is 983. Who knows what that means, honestly.
I’m off to find a hot bath and a very large cup of tea. And maybe a therapist. This city is… something. Check out Yelp for other green spaces in the area, if you're feeling less adventurous than me.