Tell Me Tuesday: How do you enjoy nature in your city?

I’m a born and raised Torontonian, but I often wonder why I want to live downtown in a big city, particularly on a beautiful, sunny summer weekend.  Fortunately, most of Canada’s cities offer surprisingly easy access to amazing green spaces, including parks, waterfronts, ravines, etc.
I took full advantage of that last weekend.  On my way home from a lovely Saturday brunch, I wandered through Riverdale Farm and both Riverdale parks on my way home.  Because the weather was pretty perfect, the farm and the parks were packed with folk out enjoying the weather – playing frisbee, baseball, and soccer; walking their dogs; getting in a workout; and even one guy apparently trying to paraglide of a big hill.
On Sunday, I got to spend the morning on the waterfront as we raised awareness for the upcoming Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup by hosting a garbage retrieval dive with local Navy Reserve divers.

(C) WWF-Canada/Riannon John
After that, I headed out with my family and the dogs for a hike along some of the trails at the Evergreen Brickworks.  With all our off-path diversions to chase sticks and swim in the little creeks in the area (for the dogs, that is), the hours just flew by.  We all came home filthy and exhausted and full of burrs (again, the dogs) – the sign of good day spent outside.
On such a lovely weekend, I was hardly alone.  Lauren, our volunteer coordinator, went kayaking on the Rouge river, and advises that “urban parks are gems to be explored.”  My sister and her friends spent hours playing tennis in our local park. Another friend took a picnic down to the beaches.
Clearly, there are lots of great ways to enjoy nature, even in urban environments.  So, we want to know: how do you enjoy nature in your city?