Do you ever find that when you try to do anything productive in your house, you always just end up reading arbitrary Wikipedia pages and back-articles from Pitchfork? Does the combination of rumbling roommates, a cat that's always doing something weird and having all of your personal belongings in one spot make accomplishing things a grotesque ordeal? Do you ever just need to get the fuck out of your pad? Well, if you live in a shit-hole in North York, this would definitely ring true. Living downtown, on the other hand, is a whole new bushel of apples, with all kinds of shit to do and places to work or hang. Every month, the Steel Bananas folk venture out into the city to check out what Toronto has to offer to present you with a couple of sweet spots with fierce lattes and good vibes. Cafes are fucking wicked.

The Common
1071 College Street @ Gladstone

Just East of College and Dufferin resides the Common, which I have passed by many times in the morning to witness a teeming interior, but during the afternoon when things have calmed down I can stop in and claim a table for my own.

The Common is stamped on the front window in illustrious brown curves with thick panels of stained glass standing out above. I enter to find a fairly rustic, fairly worn down location: some old decaying signs adorn the walls, including an ancient “fresh home made Laura Secord Candies, for every occasion” and an old ice cream sign that may or may not have been salvaged from a garbage site. The old green counter is chipped and worn and the tattered, old red floor has certainly seen better days.

Behind the counter there are some antique one and two-dollar Canadian bills, some old postcards and photos, as well as some drawings obvious etched by children. Ivy has been artfully hung from nails attached by elastic bands and while there are not many seats, the one wall is lined with second hand wooden benches while small wooden chairs lie in every other space the shop has to offer. There are also four seats placed out front for customers to enjoy the summer air, sitting along College in the sunlight. The imperfect off-white walls seal the deal of the atmosphere, for therein lies the appeal of the Common: an authentic coffee shop that serves its customers faithfully, unabashed by the DIY shoddiness of the interior.

Behind the counter, above the tubs of coffee, children’s toys have been arranged for your viewing pleasure, a coffee shop that does not shy away from being playful. Along the front window some toys and books aimed at children are within reach, leading me to believe that the coffee shop is excessively child friendly.

Although the Common does not appear to have many victuals to offer, late in the day a cake and some cookies in jars on the counter are still available for your snacking needs. I order a latte that is served with water as opposed to milk, The lady serving it to me excessively friendly in an I LOVE NY t-shirt, allowing me to decide how high the water should rise to personalize the ratio of coffee to water. The dark roast, which I had black to be bold, was beautifully bitter, perking me up and dancing on the taste buds. The Wifi is plentiful, the atmosphere is excellent and I will surely return to replenish my caffeine stores when I get the chance