Red horse-chestnuts

On Wellesley Street, halfway between Yonge and Church on the doorstep of Toronto's Gay Village, stand two red horse-chestnuts, which give a much different impression from the common white ones. That's the only place I see these striking trees anymore, but they always remind me of Buffalo, New York. In early 2000 I had a three-month romance with Mike Morgan, a handsome rogue from Buffalo.

He picked me up one cold Saturday in February at the Black Eagle here in Toronto. Someone else was in the process of trying to charm the pants off me that afternoon. I spotted Mike out of the corner of my eye. He said hello, but my heart sank when he turned and walked out of the bar. Five minutes later he returned, walked right up to me and cut in on the conversation. I was smitten.

That spring I paid at least a half dozen visits to Buffalo. Mike is a graphic artist who loves architecture, so he would spend Saturday afternoons showing me around the city. It is remarkably beautiful. Downtown is full of ornate skyscrapers, such as the City Hall, built around the beginning of the 20th century.

Buffalo hosted the 1901 World's Fair. The residential neighbourhoods built on its site feature gracious boulevards, traffic circles and parks designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. The city also has several buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, such as the Darwin D. Martin house, and many Wright imitations.

But one of the things I remember best about the city is how the red horse-chestnuts opened in May. I had never noticed them anywhere before. There they lined the streets.

Between 1999 and 2001 I went through a series of brief relationships, mostly with good men, but none of them lasted. The spring of 2000 holds some of the most interesting and pleasant memories from that difficult period of my life. I still see Mike once in a while in downtown Toronto, and I'm always happy to do so. If you ever want a tour of Buffalo, I can't recommend a sexier or more entertaining guide. Be sure to go in May when the horse-chestnuts are in bloom.

As if lemmings weren't enough trouble....

( You don't want to know )