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Yonge and St. Clair was where we blagged our ways into our first AA- and R-rated movies. It was where we test-drove our terrible fake IDs. (Thanks Fran’s. Thanks Scoreboard.) When our burger tastes matured there was Toby’s. (God, I can still taste the Truck Stop.) When our pizza tastes matured there was Il Fornello. Even the Swiss Chalet takeout was a bit special, thanks to the greasiest staircase in Toronto.

All of which is to say, I have extremely fond memories. And walking around there recently, I was downright astonished at the state of the joint.

“Years ago we had five movie screens, we had an LCBO, we had Bofinger, we had Tom Kristenbrun’s restaurant (Rhodes), we had the best bookstore in the city (Lichtman’s),” recalls Stephen Cameronsmith, a real estate development consultant and vice-president of the Deer Park Residents Association, who has lived in the area for decades. “We had Leonard Furs, we had Ira Berg — the fancy ladies’ clothing store. We had all types of really neat and wonderful retail.”

“And (now) it’s just gone to hell in a handcart.”

He does not exaggerate.

The cinemas are long gone — CHUM too, and Imperial Oil, and more recently CFRB. That I knew. But vacant storefronts, right in the heart of the city? A proliferation of dollar stores and nail salons? A survey of Twitter followers suggests few see any reason to visit except for Holy Chuck’s burgers and Kwan Dim Sum.

“It certainly wouldn’t be one of our top recommended locations,” says David Hopkins, president of restaurant consultants The Fifteen Group. “My wife and I live in the area, and we certainly don’t go to Yonge and St. Clair if we’re looking for somewhere to eat.”