Celebrity Does Not Exist in Toronto

Famous people live next door, take the subway, and have Toronto Public Library cards.

One thing I love about Toronto is that we don't tend to get star-struck here. Famous people live next door, take the subway, and have Toronto Public Library cards.

And we're snobs: Seeing someone like Ben Kingsley or Helen Mirren will cause a murmur on the street. We will wave at Danny Glover, 'cause he's here so often. Paris Hilton? Who cares?

But sometimes, even I will be caught off-guard. A couple of years ago, I was sitting in the Manulife Centre having an espresso, reading poetry, and being pretentious.

I looked up and saw an elderly gentleman approaching. He was wearing a trench coat. He would not have garnered my interest had it not been for the two buxom blondes accompanying him, one on each side.

I returned to my book.

As he passed me, something clicked in my brain. I looked behind me. And then turned to a gentlemen sitting beside me, drinking his coffee.

"That was Sean Connery," I said.

"Man," he said, "the boy is getting old."