Weekday matinees at the Bay/Bloor Varsity Cineplex provide the best eavesdropping in the city. Usually, I’m the youngest person in attendance by about 40 years, and I love listening to the grey-haired ladies gossip about how they can’t stand their friend Linda’s new boyfriend (names have been changed for anonymity). 

No, actually, the TTC is the best for eavesdropping. Sometimes I’ll have my headphones in or will be looking at my phone as a cover while listening in on a group of undergrads en route to a party anticipate who they’ll see there. I want to rip down the recent TTC ads urging commuters to “talk quietly.” Don’t listen to the poster! Talk louder!