When we think of Toronto, what usually jumps to mind at first is its cultural vibrancy, amazing food, bustling arts scene and intense sports fans.

But there’s another Toronto, one full of strange and unusual facts that even lifetime residents might not be aware of.

BlogTO has been rounding up some of the most intriguing tidbits, looking at the Danforth, U of T, the TTC and more. Here are a few of our favourites:

• U of T … yep, it’s haunted: Diabolos and Reznikoff were masons at University College in the 1850s, but unfortunately found themselves in a bit of a love triangle with the same woman. As you might expect, a confrontation ensued, leaving Reznikoff dead. To this day, people report hearing creaking and banging noises in the college late at night, which are attributed to him.
• The subway was a potential nuclear fallout shelter: During the Cold War, the subway tunnels were seriously considered for use as a possible fallout shelter in the event of a nuclear attack, especially one on Detroit or Buffalo.
• École Napoléon on the Danforth? It used to be a bathroom: The École Napoléon — now a French language school — has some less lofty history behind it. It was once the Danforth public lavatory, with an outdoor skating rink right behind it.
• Yonge Street, as it turns out, is not the longest street: We’ve all grown up believing that Yonge Street is the longest street in the world. Welp, not so much. That honour actually goes to the Pan American Highway.
• Queen and Bay wasn’t always so nice: Now home to science, research, shopping and government, Queen and Bay was once the epicenter of The Ward, Toronto’s poorest and most overcrowded neighbourhood.
• There used to be double decker buses: This one actually seems kind of nice. In the 1920s, the TTC included in its routes a few double decker buses, with open-air top levels. Sadly, these seemed to vanish pretty quickly.