Welcome to Uncultured, a newsletter devoted to staying entertained in, um, untertaining times.
Today, as Toronto prepares to enter Stage 3 of reopening —
Stage 0: The zombies are here so stay home and watch Tiger King
Stage 1: Go outside but don’t enjoy yourself
Stage 2: The zombies are still here but now you can hide from them on makeshift restaurant patios
— I wonder how long before everything feels normal again, and not just “new normal.”
This is what Nathan Phillips Square looks like on a perfectly sunny late afternoon on a weekday in July:
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_lossy/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8411aeb0-093f-4363-9fca-494fc41a434c_640x480.gif)
And here’s Union Station:
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3636899f-82c2-4e9e-bb30-b8c4f76bbe7f_1024x768.jpeg)
The fountains are on at Yonge-Dundas Square but there’s no one frollicking in them. The double decker tour buses that throng the square in any other summer are nowhere in sight.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_lossy/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4f1eb525-3581-4c43-bdd0-617584c6f567_640x480.gif)
At St. Lawrence Market, it’s business as usual, despite the lack of tourists.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F22e29e5a-1c90-45e3-9b9d-8ec6849e9bac_4032x3024.jpeg)
Though that doesn’t bode well for vendors who only sell things a tourist would want.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F992f4d98-5c9c-4098-a8fb-f69a3d797049_4032x3024.jpeg)
While there are a few people milling about, the shop owner laments that “it should be much busier.”
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33a88eab-681e-4052-bca9-9b12921bc4f0_768x1024.jpeg)
So, naturally, I bought some souvenirs.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F730434eb-e44d-48e8-9e04-397d6e53f07c_1200x900.png)
Name one person who doesn’t love icewine tea.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6de96a15-9c75-4f7b-9417-3bcbc427d238_898x539.png)
And no, you didn’t hallucinate this hat.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48b59a54-6c7d-4962-a5b8-17c880726a48_1024x768.png)
Now, wouldn’t you like it to be yours?
Or if not the hat, perhaps the tea, the snow globe or the Canadian landmark flask?
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_lossy/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d0fcbcf-81cf-4caf-875d-2a0d181c7c8c_488x640.gif)
For the fun of it, I’ll be awarding one of these as a “door prize” for every 100th email signup at Uncultured. (It may take awhile to hand them all out.)
Hopefully you don’t consider this a disincentive.
Like what you see here? Press the little heart button, spread the word and make yourself a nice hot cup of icewine tea.