Bathurst Jewish Community Centre

Well, right now it’s pretty much a hole in the ground. A few acres of prime real estate along Bathurst and Sheppard once spelled the northernmost point of the city, and the centre of Toronto Jewry’s exodus from Kensington Market and the Spadina strip.
In it’s heyday, it was a fine building, housing all manner of sporting equipment, meeting rooms, a private school or two, a kosher café and a Second Cup manned by a pair of elaborately quaffed Russian ladies whom I’d named «salt» and «pepa» for the colours of their ‘dos.
Sadly, it had fallen into disrepair. Hallways were grungy, equipment worn, locker rooms smelled of mold and the elderly. Speaking of whom, a gang of naked old dudes had taken over the whirlpool and sauna; unpleasant reminders of how chicken soup and pastrami are made. Those same old dudes, marginally clothed in workout appropriate khakis and button-​up shirts, would fatass their way onto equipment and assume a workout pose while chatting/​yelling at their hard-​of-​hearing friends.
Staff made matters worse. Those accustomed to cool, hip indifference in trendy nightspots might appreciate a dose of the real deal, accompanied by the occasional cutting remark. A cutting remark might have been preferable to the actual alleged attempted stabbing inflicted by the café owner-​the stuff of suburban legend. Trainers must be hard up for work. They badger members endlessly, then discuss their social lives during sessions.
You may ask why post four stars despite shabby facilities and shabbier service? The short answer is that hope springs eternal. If they ever raise enough money to actually build the new darned gym, I’m sure it will be lovely. More important, I judge gyms by their results. The BJCC was literally located outside my office. Location alone made for frequent, regular workouts and pretty decent results if I do say so myself. To this day, I wish for a gym so conveniently located.
Now, if only they hired a decent cleaning staff.