Big City Beauty At The Phoebe Condo Near Queen West On Beverley Street

If you love a walking life as much as I do, then you probably value the ease, effortlessness, and convenience that accompanies the privilege of living in the centre of the city, where pretty much everything you need is out your front door and around the corner.

Like when you live at The Phoebe north of Queen west of University. This is a location where you can walk 9 minutes to meet pals at the chic Shangri-La Lobby Lounge for early evening cocktails, then pop home to grab a shower, make pretty, and without any worry of being late stroll one block east to meet your mom to indulge your shared passion for Mozart’s The Magic Flute performed by The Canadian Opera Company.

You can’t live an extraordinary life like this living in the suburbs. But when your address is next door to all of Toronto’s best sports, culture, and arts venues, you can stake your claim to living a Bright Lights Big City life. Yup. That means zero stress about traffic jams, road closures, or disappointing your mother for being late.

Who said the world can’t revolve around you?

It does when you live in Suite 112 at 18 Beverley Street!

A Nifty Neighbourhood!

Dating as far back as the early 1800s, this area was established by immigrants from across the globe (Jewish, Asian, Portuguese, Irish, Polish and Ukrainian), each throwing down roots in their own enclaves. One of the city’s most colourful, flavourful, and busy enclaves is Chinatown – located just two blocks west of this condominium. This bustling hub is actually among the largest Chinatowns in North America. There is something here for everyone – delectable dishes, fresh produce and cooking ingredients, boutiques, lounges, offices, and a number of historic sites and cultural events. When it comes to great eats, it’s hard to beat dim sum on a Sunday morning on Spadina! I love Mother’s Dumplings for – you guessed it – great dumplings, and King’s Noodle House near Spadina & Dundas for great Cantonese barbecue. Looking for drinks and a chill vibe? Try the Red Room at 444 Spadina!

The active Chinatown BIA works to preserve Asian culture and history while positioning the area for prosperity in the future. Residents and local proprietors hail from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and other Southeast Asian countries. The BIA host and promote events to celebrate Asian culture and share it with visitors from near and far. Check out the Chinatown BIA website for a comprehensive history of the area, and for an up-to-date guide for events. They also have a cool 4D Tour, letting you check out the shops, salons and restaurants, punctuated with historical facts!! Love!

Just to the south of The Phoebe is the Entertainment District, where there’s a vast selection of eateries, leisure activities, and hip clubs to be explored right outside your front door! For comfort food and a good brew, just cross the street to Wahlburgers, Pizza Rustica, Bar Hop, or Pizzaria Moretti. If you’re craving something flavourful, try Akira Black, Agra for great Indian food, or Thai Princess! Do you deserve a night out? Start it off with a visit to the LCBO at King and Spadina, then dance your way over to trendy Lavelle,  2Cats, or Kost – the options are endless! We particularly love Spin – part clubhouse, part ping pong parlour!

Even date night is a breeze when just a short stroll along King West will find many of Toronto’s best entertainment purveyors: TIFF Bell Lightbox, The Princess of Wales Theatre, and Roy Thompson Hall! While virtually everything you need is mere seconds away on foot (the building boasts a Walk Score of 99), the King Streetcar and the Spadina LRT can take you anywhere you need to go beyond your ‘hood, and there’s a Budget car rental directly across the street for those weekend excursions to IKEA!

When you live at The Phoebe, getting where you want to go can’t be more convenient! The Yonge/University Line is 4 blocks east, and the 24-hour Queen Streetcar is at the bottom of the street while the 24 hour Dundas Streetcar is at the top. It’s also just 6 minutes by cab to the Billy Bishop Island Airport or to Union Station where you can catch the UP Express and be at Pearson International Airport 25 minutes later. Biking? The dedicated bike lanes on Beverley Street are #35 on Toronto’s cycle network. How amazing is that?

The Phoebe

The area is home to a number of lofty condominiums, transforming this area since the 1990s from utilitarian to utopian, where space is coveted, edgy and cool. I’ve long loved this building – The Phoebe – located at 18 Beverley Street, 11 and 25 Soho Streets which is located 4 streets west of University just north of Queen Street West. Completed in 2003 by the reputable Diamante Development Corporation, this well-managed condominium has several qualities I consider important for prospective purchasers.

Not so large that you don’t recognize your neighbours but not so small that buildings with fewer units are vulnerable to big escalations in common fees or ongoing special assessments when building systems and components fail, this well-managed welcoming condo – containing 231 suites in a collection of three buildings – offers the pragmatics of efficiency and the social benefit of a cohesive community. The centre of the site is dedicated to a lush landscaped garden with a water feature and a common area with barbecues exclusively for residents. This allows the opportunity for both community interaction and solace from the ‘Bright Lights Big City’ synergy – which we love and celebrate – that’s beating just steps away. It’s an oasis of calm in the heart of downtown.

I particularly like walking out the lobby doors and not being assaulted by honking horns, gas fumes, and a crush of passersby rushing because they’re five minutes late. And I value the building amenities which include use of the tranquil half-acre parklike courtyard with water feature, plus all the must-haves: concierge, 14 visitor parking spaces, a car wash, common area bike storage, a guest suite costing $100 per night, a well-equipped fitness centre with free weights, weight machines, yoga and pilates style mats, balls, accessories, treadmills, stationary bicycles, featuring large mirrors and generous natural light, and a social lounge that connects to an outdoor terrace with communal gas barbecues. It’s pet-friendly too (one pet with no restrictions against larger dogs), conveniently less than a five-minute walk to Grange Park or around a 10-minute walk to Clarence Square Dog Park. How awesome is that?

I LOVE Suite 112

This sun-drenched 1bed 1bath upgraded suite of approximately 606 square feet is guaranteed to tick a lot of your shelter wishes, wants and needs!

First, it has a fantastic efficient layout with a spacious open plan delineated into zones for cooking, lounging and dining! Warm wood floors ground the entertainment space while the expansive wall of south-facing windows floods this freshly painted space in natural light.

Second, this intelligently-designed suite is a great example of scale and proportion, which allows you flexibility and fun in tailoring it to your liking. I adore the wall of built-ins which complement the wood floors (Secret? I’ve ALWAYS wanted a vintage sliding library ladder), offering the perfect opportunity to create or curate your personal collection of object d’arts, although it could be easily tweaked to accommodate a flat-screen television and surround-sound system for use as an entertainment centre. Although our virtual staging features the shelving unit as a focal point for a lounge, it could easily be co-opted with a dining table to serve as your Work-From-Home world headquarters by day. Just make sure you party at night!

Third, who doesn’t love a pop of colour? We adore the striking red backsplash in the kitchen, which contrasts well with the bright n’ white cabinets and appliances, and dark countertops. Whether you’re a foodie or you’re only recently developing your Master Chef aspirations, this is a great space to practice your culinary skills with plenty of cabinets and a peninsula that doubles as a breakfast bar.

Separated from the entertainment space by sliding doors, which can be left open or closed depending on your need for privacy or darkness, is the sleeping sanctuary. Featuring comfy broadloom, a mirrored double closet and generous dimensions, there’s also direct access into the pristine stylish 4-piece.

This contemporary condo offers the trifecta of location, space, and style. Including one car deeded parking and locker, and reasonable common fees of $632.02 (inclusive of heating/cooling, water, common elements and building insurance) + hydro, this dynamite space would be well-suited to a university student funded by the Bank of Mom & Dad (given its proximity to OCAD, the newly named Toronto Metropolitan University, & the University of Toronto), a young professional single or couple (because, everything!), or a zoomer boomer seeking a pied-a-terre (near some of the best health care specialists in the country, and Opera!)

Wanna take a look? Pop James a message at –> James@urbaneer.com