Guided by voices

YouTuber Johnny Strides hosts city tours for homebodies

While most people walk, bike or hop on the streetcar with a destination in mind, nearly every day YouTube personality Johnny Strides, known IRL as John Hicks, walks, bikes and hops on streetcars (and subways and buses) just so he can record it all. And apparently people want to follow him. He has more than 60,000 subscribers to his channel and more than 900,000 views on one of his most popular videos: a narrated Friday-night stroll downtown.

Hicks, who has been doing this full time since he quit his insurance job in August 2020, didn’t set out to be a virtual tour guide. Three years ago, he built a new computer, bought a GoPro camera and started making what he calls “goofy hyperlapse walking videos around Toronto.”

He didn’t have much of an audience at the time, but when he made the switch to long-form videos, viewers started paying attention. Comments on these videos reveal that they hit home for people feeling nostalgic about neighbourhoods they once lived in or seeing how areas of the city have changed. The longer videos came naturally to Hicks. “I’ve always enjoyed walking and exploring cities,” he says. “When I travel, I’m not a mountain or beach person. I’m more of a ‘let’s walk around Saigon for two hours in 40-degree weather’ person.”

Hicks continued shooting during the pandemic, seeing — and sharing — a Toronto very different from what he was used to. He narrates throughout, chiding bad drivers, offering historical tidbits, or commenting on the state of Toronto affairs, particularly during lockdown. “I learned that it’s really the people that make the city vibrant,” he says, “because it was quite desolate, especially in the financial district.” With Hicks’ videos, workers stuck at home could keep feeling the pulse of the city.

And it isn’t just folks who miss their daily commute or time downtown, or those catching up on old stomping grounds, who enjoy Hicks’ videos. “There are people with accessibility issues who seldom get out and experience it,” he says. “I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from them.”

To showcase the city without the crowds, Hicks braves all kinds of weather. “I’ll do it in the morning, afternoon, night, in the rain, in the snow,” he says. “(Viewers) really seem to like the inclement weather.” During a walk through Yorkville last winter, Hicks turned the camera on himself, showing his toque and shoulders with a buildup of snow. One YouTube commenter wrote that it looked like he was in a snow globe, while others noted how much they love to see the snow — from the comfort of home.

Regardless of the weather, walking, cycling and transiting around town has changed how Hicks relates to the city. “I’m more aware of what’s going on in terms of developments,” he says, “witnessing what an area was, what it is now and what it will be, rather than just living in the present.” Parkdale is one neighbourhood that comes to mind. “Growing up, it had a bit of a rough reputation. It’s now a vibrant place worth visiting, and I imagine it will continue to blossom. But I also fear residents may be priced out. Some already have been.”

For someone who’s logged as many miles as he has, Hicks says his favourite video is one he made in the Annex. “I think (it) is the best representation of why I love Toronto,” he says. “It’s got a subway line and the busy retail stretch on Bloor Street.” He also loves the retail shops of Harbord Village and the beautiful old, detached houses mixed in with mid-rises and high rises.

As for the best transit route? Hicks recommends the 501 — so long as you’re not in a hurry. “I have a love-hate relationship with the Queen streetcar. I think from end to end, it’s the best way to see the city,” he says. “It’s almost like a greatest hits tour on one streetcar.”

While he earns money from YouTube ad revenue, channel memberships and viewer contributions during live streams, Hicks says, “I don’t view it as a workplace.” In addition to looking into other ways to showcase the city, such as with Top 10 lists or cheap-eats guides, Hicks — who has shot Montreal, Niagara Falls and Ottawa — is eager to make international videos now that restrictions have eased up. “I love exploring other places,” he says. “And then, of course, I always love coming back to Toronto.”