TORONTO - MARCH 3, 1990... A stroll down Yonge Street

A home movie of a walk down Yonge Street in Toronto starting at College and ending up at the Eaton Centre.

[@edwardbliss8931]

2024 sucks so bad, I'm finding that I'm watching your videos to re-live that period from 1987 to 1990 when I was the most happiest

[@sralyn]

And the Who assured us '21 would be a good year.

[@hellboundrubber4448]

I wish for Toronto the way it was more than to be young again. I truly hate how cities around the world are being designed to be Socialess Societies. They don't want us dancing in the streets. It makes them jealous because they can't dance and it doesn't require money and status. So they take these things away and isolate the poor to have it for themselves. High Rent Condos solves this problem.

[@CinHalCedHerChance]

@@hellboundrubber4448 Yep and now they introduced the bike lines to mess with traffic even more, to the point it'll be "15 minute cities" - look that up. It's too clinical now, no character, just a disaster with drivers who shouldn't be driving that just came to Canada with no clue how to drive with rules.

[@sm3675]

​@Jay PPP 15 minute cities are also the most livable. Canadians spend millions annually on trips to London, Paris, and Rome, why not recreate walkable, green, urban oasis in our own home.

[@sm3675]

​@@CinHalCedHerChance m

[@jacobrocks7]

I can’t believe that was 32 years ago! I used to work on Yonge street near AA and Sam’s. Thanks for the great memories!

[@RationalLlama]

This makes me want to go to Yonge Street and take a video right now as a reminder of how things are today, when I am looking at it from the future.

[@Genious.]

Check out a channel called Johnny Strides - who is doing just that, with a little DJI camera - and does it all over the city. It's probably not a stretch to think that in the future, we will be able to go back to the current time in something like virtual reality (only much better).

[@andrewbeaudry5414]

Young St is trash now

[@engl8266]

This is exactly how I felt !! and I was surprised to see your comment feeling the same !!

[@j.g.8494]

"This makes me want to go" to the porn shops on Yonge Street, north of the Eaton Centre in the late 1970s!

[@miked.7245]

People that do that nowadays get screamed at and attacked. I tried to do it here in Ottawa and five different people tried to tell me that I couldn’t record them. One of them tried to grab my camera. People have lost their minds.

[@riteshpuri8239]

The thing I have realized that the period of 1980-2010 was the best the time ever because we had a simple childhood where we had more outdoor activities, electronics free life and more deep connections, amazing friends and wonderful memories. Life was so simple back then!!

[@j.g.8494]

Before 1980 was even BETTER!

[@stevemino142]

City centre's in the late 80s and early 90s were so glamorous and enchanting on Friday and Saturday nights...never lived in Toronto but in Kingston ontario around this time in 1990 good video... great video 👍

[@lindacosta6962]

A beautiful venue indeed and there never ever was another one like this❤❤

[@EdVanWest]

Oh wow. Thank you for the 1990 footage. That was my favorite part was the SAM THE RECORD MAN ana AA neon lights.

[@melnkev2010]

Seeing Biway and payphones being me back in time. This is probably when the condo boom started.

[@mr.adamsapple3679]

And bargain Harold's

[@peteryeung111]

1990-2005 BEST years of my life in Toronto.

[@CinHalCedHerChance]

💯💯💯💯💯

[@j.g.8494]

Many commentators on videos about Toronto say that the time that I lived there - from 1975 to 1995 - were even BETTER! Others insist that the 1970s were the years when Toronto was at its best! Some say that Toronto started going downhill from the year 2000 onwards. I don't live there anymore. When I watch videos of Toronto in 2024, I still think it's a beautiful and modern city - though much has changed!

[@fredbissnette3104]

I miss Toronto

[@j.g.8494]

I lived in Toronto from 1975 to 1995. In this video, I can tell it's the early 1990s by the clothes and hairstyles that people wore at that time!

[@johnnie135]

I think the best part of this video is "Lovely Kelly." She shows that dates change on a calendar, but people act the same way when their having fun. Kelly is the bridge that unites 1990's with the year 2021 -- who knew, eh Kelly? I do hope future people will agree with my statement in 2041.

[@homewrecker44]

Going to Lime Rickey's at the Eaton Centre after a summer walk down Yonge. God I miss those days 😪

[@CinHalCedHerChance]

1:25 is where it starts..😥😥the colours, the lights, it was so vibrant and full of life

[@90sTVshows.]

ITS ALL GONE NOW

[@rickyweston8153]

takes me back to the best days when life was simple

[@Test-vl1ib]

I remember that time there well. I hung out at The Imperial and The Silver Rail. In 2023, Dundas Square has been relegated to junkies and the mentally ill. And Yonge north of Dundas to Gerrard is a dead zone with that god awful blue Ryerson/TMU eyesore. I didn’t think Yonge was that great then to be honest, but compared to now, it’s a paradise.

[@k.s.333]

Back then I used to take the GO to Toronto and just walk around. Never was I concerned about my safety.

[@j.g.8494]

Is it that bad now? ( lived in Toronto from 1975 to 1995. I was never concerned about safety.)

[@dcharles131]

Great job Ryan. I was in Jarvis Collegiate grade 9 at this time.

[@aadilhusain2268]

Hi Brian... love your videos... do you have any pics/videos of the store megasonic... it was an electronics store at 332 Yonge street between ‘90-92... in front of majestic on Gould street between japan camera and the pinball arcade... my dad used to own that store and lost all the pics of that time

[@raulxavier1271]

2:48..Look at the mass of people! LOL. Love it

[@justrecording4217]

The first thing I noticed is that no one is accosting the cameraman or demanding to know why they are being recorded. People have become fearful and violent since the good old days.

[@jrcmillard1985]

Toronto the great! 😎

[@Dragondude2525]

I live for stuff like this. Seeing what Toronto use to look like. I only have my own memory and that only goes back to the mid 90's. Gotta ask. Where on Yonge, north of Dundas was the Wendy's located? And I loved seeing that Pizza Pizza sign. That store has been there forever!!! Also what was that restaurant you worked at? Was it located at the bottom of the escalator leading up to the indigo?

[@hardyboy1959]

The Wendy's was on the west side of Yonge just north of Dundas between the Scotiabank and the Pickle Barrel, seems to me, you had to go up some steps to go in which is probably why it's not there anymore. I worked lunch hours waiting tables at a crepe restaurant in the Eaton Centre called the Magic Pan, best side job I've ever had! I can't remember exactly where it was located, somewhere on the ground level part way down the mall on the east side, it had two levels and part of the upper floor was a patio that overlooked Yonge St.

[@weissmag]

The Pizza Pizza was before that another landmark know as Papaya Hut which my Dad took me to every Sunday in the Summer Time. Pizza Pizza moved into that spot and The Papaya Hut became Papaya Island at Yonge & Alexander St on the East side.

[@Genious.]

@@hardyboy1959 Her walk at 3:22 is fantastic. There's nothing better than a girl with character!

[@jacobrocks7]

Prior to the Pizza Pizza, there was a store called Papaya Hut that I worked at in my youth. Love those carefree days so long ago.

[@17MJG93]

Sam The Record Man, Eaton's, Bi-Way... God, do I ever miss those days. I wonder what the new Honest Ed's will be like.

[@aroundtorontotwo]

way different now

[@sralyn]

Loved Sam the Record Man, never tried Pizza Pizza though.

[@snaggletooth7031]

Aww the good ol days

[@copperlocks1]

1:18 Zanzibar Tavern ;still going strong!

[@infoupdater582]

After 1990 all the shits started to happen in Toronto High rise buildings , condos.Congestion , No Smile

[@thefozzybear]

2:47 I worked at that Bi-way location as my 1st PT job.

[@mattyantha]

Hey Brian. I'm just curious. What's your set-up for transferring? I saw in one vid you use Power Director, but what hardware do you use?

[@hardyboy1959]

I digitized these 8mm videos a while ago using imovie. I've used many editing programs over the years but the one I'm using right now is Power Director.

[@kenlompart9905]

The last decade Toronto was still a great city.

[@j.g.8494]

Which decade are you referring to? The 1980s or 90s? To me, from videos I've seen by "Johnny Strides", Toronto looks even better in 2024.

[@kenlompart9905]

@@j.g.8494 The 80s and 90s were great in Toronto but I think the 80s were best due to the music and the great nightlife. Now Toronto is all condos and overcrowded and back then you felt perfectly safe riding the subway no matter what time a day it was, also people could enjoy the parks because they were safe, clean and there were no homeless camps in them.

[@j.g.8494]

@@kenlompart9905 I had no idea that nowadays there are homeless camps in Toronto's parks and that the subway is not so safe. It wasn't like that at all when I lived in Toronto from 1975 to 1995.

[@simonasada4918]

When Toronto was a Canadian city!

[@miked.7245]

Where are all the people screaming at or attacking the cameraman? Oh I forgot this was 1990, before people lost their absolute minds.

[@vincentforonda7381]

not much people back in 1990..and so buildings life now is so crowded

[@DragonPupEclipse]

Yes but more people go out back then cuz no online shopping and social media.

[@andalilo]

Oh yes, when we used to have time to go in our time off to pick up our paycheque and random people just said hi to the camera when a stranger got them into their frame.

[@torontovolger3836]

It’s amazing he must have some how known that KZbin was going to be a thing so did it way before

[@hardyboy1959]

tbh I was shooting a video letter to my cousin.

[@justrecording4217]

@@hardyboy1959 And no one accosted you for it. No one attacked you. No one screamed at you or said something ridiculous like "YOU CAN'T RECORD ME!". People have lost their minds nowadays.

[@markortega2712]

Hey! Would you happen to have any footage from Toronto in the leadup to WrestleMania in 1990 that shows any WrestleMania signs or large crowds excited about WWF being in town?

[@hardyboy1959]

Hey, thanks for the comment, the closest thing I could find from my videos was this old WWF commercial from 1990... kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6usXoGBi6Z-b8U

[@ClintScottFischer]

How much was the paycheque and how long would it last?!

[@eduardovlog]

❤️👍

[@plissken2156]

1:08 - Wonder if the guy in charge of the theatre marquee realized that there is a 'D' in Guardian?

[@sajidvijayan4306]

look at 0:51 those ppl are literally forming a line and now ppl just push each other and get on the bus

[@arttheboy]

walking down yonge street on a friday...7

[@TheIndianaDrones]

Hey Brian. Incredible footage! We're a rock band from the GTA. We understand completely if you wish for this footage to remain a personal time capsule. But, we thought we'd at least inquire about possibly using some of your montage in a future music video. Check out our channel if you have a min for a feeler on the type of videos we make!

[@mustaindbackupchannel697]

Back when people didn't tell someone to turn off their camera

[@user-tl4fi6oy8d]

Back in 1990 there were Torontonians who lamented that it wasn't 1965 anymore. Miserable people never change.

[@j.g.8494]

I have to admit that, now and then on a Friday or Saturday night in the 1970s-80s, I did get a kick walking north of the Eaton Centre on Yonge Street to watch the sleaze and visit the porn shops!

[@RR-xu5xk]

Every third store was an arcade. I remember my dad taking my brother and I downtown when we had a day off of school and being from Mississauga, we would make fun of the homeless because we didnt know any better.

[@billjohnson7904]

Bi-way means something different these days

[@MandoGuerrero2]

Toronto will still be packing streetcars in the year 2290.

[@navheer4916]

March 3 1990 day I was born lol

[@mr.adamsapple3679]

Is that the three story Wendy's, caz I worked there in the 8o's

[@hardyboy1959]

It might have been, I know you had to climb stairs just to go in!

[@user-ri8yx4hf4g]

I used to think Yonge street stretched all the way to North Bay, don't laugh at me!

[@bassiejazz]

Lake Simcoe ... pretty close 😊

[@leslie7872]

bruh... and the street cars still look the same.

[@MarcusCollins69]

so? they are the same, they are a beauty and ill miss having them even though they make me nauseous

[@bethanygoldstein5472]

why did everything go to crap in the late 2000s early 2010s... on right social media and the rise of the alt left happened.

[@trainrover]

queer how Ton o' rot there's become more vanilla than ever, ain't it fuckingly.......

[@WAYNE131966]

no cell phones....lol...

[@selimb9634]

When Indians where in India

[@basilicata92]

The 90s was the last beautiful decade in Toronto. The 00s globalism took over and mass immigration from 3rd world and Muslim majority countries occurred.

[@orangepinecan]

basilicata92 racist much? Immigrants are the life blood of any serious economy. Do you want population decline or population growth? If you want a declining population, then say goodbye to your economy and future.

[@AM-hh2jb]

@Rocco Notte trust me Muslims aren't the ones killing Canada. It's your own liberal politically correct far left politicians and law makers.

[@UzumakiNaruto_]

@3AM I would say certain groups of people who while are relatively small in number are heavily influential because they're constantly loud and angry and gain attention while the more silent majority of Canadians have much less say as to what goes on in the country. Take away Muslims, blacks, natives, LGBTQ people and feminists and that's like 90% of Canada's problems gone in an instant. All of a sudden Canadians can focus on real issues rather than constantly pandering and placating these relatively small specific groups of people.

[@JanetStarChild]

What's the deal with this new millennium and people becoming increasingly xenophobic? Seems like the more progress humanity makes into an enriched future for all, the more sociopaths drag everyone back down into the primordial ooze.

[@weissmag]

@@JanetStarChild : Islam is The Answer !