as I walk Toronto

thrift store kitsch

Posted: May 12, 2026 in stores
Tags: angel, baby fairy, bears, ceramics, cherished teddies, chicken, figurines, glassware, glittery, nervous, pig, pottery, screaming, shoes, underwear

Kitsch. Such a great word. From the Merriam-Webster dictionary: ” kitsch, the various bits and bobs of popular culture—fuzzy dice, plastic flamingos, cartoon-themed plastic lunchboxes, etc.—that enjoy widespread popularity but don’t hold much cultural esteem.”

And where is a great place to find fine examples of these bits and bobs? A thrift store. Maybe you’ll recognize one or two of them!

below: A snail on a bare baby fairy bum and bears playing accordions, oh the things that people will collect! The bears are from Cherished Teddies which were very big in the 1990s. There were a vast number of them for all occasions, all seasons, and all ages.

below: Can you read this little piggy’s expression? I am afraid that is confuses me, …but the coffee cups are nice. I made a small mistake and googled this image – to my horror, you can get a 12 piece pig/piglet set with the pigs in different “cute” poses, of which this is one, for about Cdn $80 on Ebay. Google it as your peril!

below: This one almost came home with me! The glass that is, not the frog. Sorry Mr. Frog.

below: More confusion – she’s kinda cute in a kitschy kind of way. The little person at her feet though – is this a mother and child? Or is this an angel watching over a child? Mother Nature dressed in lavender and feathers?

below: Wise advice, especially if it comes with glittery pink cowboy boots!

below: He’s not listening; he’s not taking good advice…. he needs to buy some shoes….

below: Another anthropomorphic animal…. a long eared rabbit this time. She’s wearing a hat and a dress and very blue footwear. She’s also wearing a surprised expression that makes you wonder what the goose said or did.

below: I’ve got one hand in my pocket and the other’s carrying something blue….

below: A smart purchase! A steal at $3.99

below: All that Mardi wanted was to be gras…..

below: Maybe it’s the hair? …. but I suspect that no one is going to mistake me for Wonder Woman!

below: Not really kitsch, but that’s a lot of weird looking bikini undies!

Have fun! And maybe find a bargain or two while you’re at it!

intersections – Dufferin & Queen

Posted: May 11, 2026 in construction, graffiti and street art, history, intersections, old buildings, transportation
Tags: catchoo, CN rail, construction, D7606, development, donuts, Dufferin St., feelings boi, geekypet, GO Transit, graffiti, Grow Up Art, history, Milky Way, murals, Queen Street West, raccoon, railway tracks, sentient cookie, sketchrat, stickers, The Turd Reich, trp613, TTC, urban ninja squadron, visual noise, vivvy, zonr

The intersection of Dufferin and Queen Street West is dominated by the CN railway & GO transit tracks. Large underpasses to the north and to the east define the character of the streets here.

Between 1881 and 1891, the population of Toronto more than doubled, from 86,415 in 1881 to over 181,125 ten years later (numbers are from census data). As the city expanded, infrastructure struggled to keep up as it usually does. It was decided that Queen Street needed an underpass instead of a level crossing. In 1896 the first bridge was built. At this time, Dufferin street ended at Queen to make room for the tracks. Dufferin was now divided into a north and south section.

below: This is a 1898 photo from the City of Toronto archives showing the new railway bridges over Queen Street West. The view is westward. Dufferin is difficult to see in this image but it ends under the railway bridge that is farthest away. Parkdale train station would have been just outside the picture on the left side. It was closed by 1970.

below: Still on Queen Street and still looking west but from farther back from the railway bridge which is now in the distance. The big square-ish building on the right is a Veterinary Surgeon’s office. The ad on the side of the building is for ‘The Sun’ where you could find the highest grade of bicycles, manufactured by G. T. Pendrith. The photo was taken in November 1896.

black and white photo from late 1890s, Queen street looking west towards railway tracks and Dufferin Street

source: There are many places to find this photo on the internet. This copy came from Wikimedia Commons.

below: Looking east along Queen from Noble Street, past Dufferin to the railway tracks, 1954. The Gladstone Hotel in the distance. There is a Shell gas station on the southwest corner, and although it’s difficult to see, a policeman is standing in the intersection directing traffic.

black and white photo from Toronto Public library digital archives

source: Toronto Public Library digital archives. Photographer – James V. Salmon

below: Southwest corner today …. that Shell station is long gone. A newer condo development fills that corner (built since 2010).

below: The stone wall along the east side of Dufferin looks very similar to that of 1954. The buses have been modernized though – we now have new shiny red hybrids.

The “Dufferin Jog” was fixed in 2010 when another railway bridge was built.

below: Looking north up Dufferin during the construction of the bridge, 2010. This is another image from the City of Toronto archives.

construction of the bridge for CN rail and GO transit, to eliminate the dufferin jog, 2010, from city of toronto archives

source: Fonds 601, Series 2860, File 4, Item 1 (City of Toronto archives)

below: North on Dufferin today (not exactly the same view as above). Bus lanes, or rather transit priority lanes, have recently been painted red. The red brick building on the east side of Dufferin still remains.

below: There are changes coming to the northwest corner of the intersection. This photo was taken from the corner of Noble and Queen and is generally north looking.

below: Hoardings on the north side of Queen

below: The view behind the hoardings

To the west of the tracks is the Parkdale neighbourhood with its colours and idiosyncrasies.

The Milky Way runs parallel to Queen on the south side. There has been lots of street here and I have blogged about it before, 5 times before as it turns out. The first time was back on 2015 (Walking the Milky Way) and the most recent was in 2023 (Aging on the Milky Way)

below: On the north side of the railway tracks, there is a pedestrian crossing and bike path. There is also a quiet corner with a couple of benches. The rest of the images in this post were taken on that pedestrian crossing.

below: The Turd Reich – a wonderful series of paste-ups of our “favourite” men in uniform. Donald Trump, Elon Musk, British MP Nigel Farage, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, JD Vance, and Vladimir Putin have been dressed up as World War II Nazi soldiers. This collection first appeared in London, England about a year ago. They are they creation of Grow Up Art.

below: A hole in the fence, with a well worn and muddy path!

below: Thing 1 and Thing 2, right out of the Cat in the Hat.

below: A little red X marks the spot

below: We are all connected

below: Every man needs a muse. Who is your Venus?

below: “Always remember you’re Heart & Soul, you are Loved 4 ever. Trust me.”

Graffiti by: Catchoo, D7606, Feellings Boi, Geekypet, Sentient Cookie, Sketchrat, TRP613, Urban Ninja Squadron, Visual Noise, Vivvy, Zonr (and others)

CONTACT on Queen West

Posted: May 10, 2026 in galleries
Tags: 18 Waits, Adrian Merritt Smith, Dianne Twombley, exhibit, Frances Patella, Gallery 1313, Gladstone Hotel, Gregg Thurlbeck, images, Natalie Hunter, Offshoot!, Peter Friedrichsen, photographers, photography, photos, Propeller Gallery, Ryan Bolton, Twist Gallery, Yuma Dean Hester

Exploring CONTACT exhibits along a small stretch of Queen Street West.

Gladstone Hotel

below: Two images, on the left artwork by Dianne Twombley and on the right, an image by Natalie Hunter, “Of Rust and Rays (Slater Steel)”

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Paul Petro Contemporary

below: On the upper floor of the gallery, an exhibit by Ho Tam, “Lessons 2000” (until June 6th). The photos look back to Tam’s childhood and school days in Hong Kong.

below: On the ground floor of the gallery, photos by Marlene Creates, “Selected Works from 24 Years in a Patch of Old-Growth Boreal Forest… ” (also until June 6th). The pictures show a hand in front of different types of trees in different years.

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Propeller Gallery

below: “Yellow Tree”, mixed media, burnt wood, wire, by Frances Patella

below: Small mixed media images on acrylic, also by Frances Patella

below: “Reflected”, one of the photographs taken by Peter Friedrichsen as part of his “Emergence” exhibit (until 24 May). His photos were taken at Tommy Thompson Park (once the Leslie Street Split) to help document the evolution of that space. The images were processed using pigments made from brick and charcoal gathered from the site. (My apologies but the reflections in the gallery were awkward here).

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Twist Gallery

“Before Borders”is the show at the Twist Gallery. It is a collaboration between Ryan Bolton and Yuma Dean Hester (until the end of May).

below: “Driving Back Through the Northern Rockies” (unfortunately with reflections), by Ryan Bolton

below: Somewhere along the Liard River, by Yuma Dean Hester

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18 Waits

below: 18 Waits is actually a men’s clothing store where everything is made in Toronto . Here, Adrian Merritt Smith has an exhibit titled “Retreat” that is showing until 31 May. This first picture was taken while driving through Saskatchewan.

below: Top to bottom: Dundas Valley, Kearney, and near Chatsworth (all in Ontario).

Gallery 1313

There are three shows here – first, by Gregg Thurlbeck second a group exhibit by Offshoots!, and last a small selection of the missing persons posters from New York City after 9/11.

below: Two of Gregg Thurlbeck’s images from “City for the People, Forest for the Trees”.

Offshoot! 2026 (group exhibit), until May 11th including the following:

below: Benjamin Rondel – a photo that looks like a winter scene taken from above.

below: Christine Mack with a series on urban doors (mostly Toronto and Hamilton)

below: Jude Marion

below: Lilianne Schneider, “Old Tree”

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of weeping cherries and boxing gloves

Posted: May 7, 2026 in galleries, nature
Tags: Aga Khan museum, art, boxers, CONTACT, Contact photography festival, Hassan Hajjaj, Islamic Center, magnolia blossoms, park, photography, posters, reflecting pools, serviceberry, typography, women

….. and other seemingly unrelated things

These photos were taken at Aga Khan Park where there is a CONTACT Photography Festival exhibit of images by Hassan Hajjaj (b. 1961, Morocco). The subject of these photos is Arab women boxers. The exhibit is titled, “La Salle de Gym de Femmes Arabes”

below: Front and back

I was disappointed when I realized that the photographer was male. Do we need men to tell women’s stories? Or, if these stories were told by a woman, how would they differ?

….especially with respect to this photo. Really? Yellow heart-shaped sunglasses?

It may be culturally insensitive, but I see very little to like in this photo. I don’t see strong women, I see women being erased because they have to hide behind so many layers and so many restrictions. There is no empowerment here; there is no individuality.

Yes, those are cans of food in all the borders. And yes, they are supposed to remind us of Andy Warhol’s use of Campbell soup cans.

below: This is “ALIF” by Acil Benamara. It is part of “Inner Structures – Outer Rhythms” which is an exhibit showcasing contemporary Arabic and Persian graphic design and typography. The rest of the exhibit is inside the museum.

below: A fox among the serviceberry trees.

The magnolias were also in bloom.

late April searches

Posted: May 3, 2026 in construction, locations, nature, transportation
Tags: armillaria, bridges, construction, Crothers Woods, flowers, fungus, GO train, Ontario line, spring, trains, trees, trilliums, yellow trout lily

… and meanderings.

transmission towers and wires among the tree tops

X marks the spot

The original plan was to find a good place to find out how far the Ontario line construction has progressed on the portion of the line that crosses the Don Valley Parkway.

A quick reminder – this is a photo (lifted from the Metrolinx website) of the bridge in question. The bridge in the background is the Millwood Bridge. On the north side of the bridge will be the Thorncliffe station on Overlea Blvd. Immediately after the southbound trains cross the Don Valley Parkway, they enter the Minton Place tunnel which is at the north end of Pape Ave. The rest of the journey is underground. [One problem with this image – when is the traffic this light on the DVP? Like, never. Certainly not during the day.]

Our starting point was a Crothers Woods trail, specifically at the trail head behind Loblaws. There is a plaque here to honour Thomas Hauser.

circular, like a bike wheel, plaque mounted on a large rock at the start of a trail, in memory of Thomas Hauser

“In memory of Thomas Hauser Thomas had a passion for mountain biking and dedicated countless hours to help in the restoration and enrichment of the trail system in the Don Valley. Thomas’ positive attitude and hard work in this area demonstrated his love for adventure and the outdoors. “

There is also a sign that warns against walking the trail if it is muddy. Yes, it was muddy but that didn’t stop us… at first. The trail takes you downhill to river level. Just before going down, there were a lot of sirens, police cars and fire trucks, on Redway Road. This is the road that seemingly ends at Loblaws, but actually goes downhill and then runs parallel to the train tracks by the Don River (apparently it is also home to the longest staircase in the city, 194 steps, but we missed that).

There are a few signs of spring in Crothers Woods these days but in general it’s still rather grey.

below: Trilliums

below: Yellow Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum), also known as dog-tooth violets, with it’s droopy flowers and mottled leaves.

below: It almost looks like string art but it’s actually the remains of a fungus, Armillaria root rot (Armillaria mellea), a parasitic fungus that grows under the bark of trees. It is found in soil and can attack trees (especially unhealthy ones) starting from the roots. It grows upwards, invisible, until it chokes the tree and the tree dies.

Rather than dodging puddles and trying not to slip in the mud, we retraced our steps. At the moment, no pedestrians are allowed on the Redway Road hill but that seemed like a better route to try…..

below: Bottom of the hill, Redway Road

… And there we found the construction site. But we also found a GO train that was stopped on the tracks (hence all the sirens). Unfortunately someone was hit by the northbound train and died at the scene. At this point, 5 days later, I haven’t been able to find any information beyond that.

Construction pictures:

below: The buildings on the left are at Overlea and Millwood. The Ontario Line is elevated as it parallels Overlea Blvd (where the Thorncliffe station will be). It then crosses Millwood which is where the new bridge begins. The white (erosion protection?) covers the hill that is part of the support for the elevated tracks. I wonder if construction is impacted by the transmission lines running to and from the Leaside Transmission Station (also at Overlea and Millwood)?

below: Partially completed concrete support between the railway and the river. The men in the white pickup truck have the job of making sure that it is safe to cross the tracks.

below: The concrete support in the photo above is now on the far left. The details aren’t easy to spot but the white horizontal lines on the far right mark the site of the Minton tunnel. Between the partially finished support and the tunnel are both the Don River and the Don Valley Parkway. Trains will pass over the traffic on the DVP.

long awaited ride to Kennedy

Posted: April 22, 2026 in construction, public art, transportation
Tags: construction, Eglinton Ave East, Louie Witthöft, LRT, Metrolinx, people, redevelopment, Rodney Latourelle, Sarah Morris, Scarborough, streetcar, trains, TTC

As everyone knows, the Eglinton LRT took FOREVER to plan, build, and test. Way back in June 2021, I posted about going to Kennedy and Eglinton to see the first LRT trains being tested (On a mission to Kennedy station). Little did we know then that it would be almost five years later before the trains came into service.

below: Some of the stations have artwork (six of them I think). This is the glass and mirror installation at Eglinton, “Light from Within” by Louise Witthöft & Rodney Latourelle (Witthöft Latourelle)

below: There is also some colour at Don Valley station (formerly known as the Science Centre). “Total Luna Eclipse” by Sarah Morris is a series of circles and overlapping circles in bright colours.

below: This is the interior of the concourse level on one of the subway stations along the Eglinton line. I am not sure which one it is because they all look the same. White everywhere, with an elevator in the middle.

below: Waiting on the platform at Don Valley, the last underground station before the tracks surface on their way eastward towards Kennedy.

below: My apologies Scarborough, but you are rather dull to look at from this angle….

below: But most of us don’t ride transit for the scenery

Nothing really exciting but there is definitely a sense of relief that it’s finally open. It took too long and cost too much but it’s running….

In a lot of ways, the tracks running down the middle of Eglinton Avenue create a wall, especially for pedestrians. For better or worse though, this section of Eglinton has never been pedestrian friendly. It has been designed for cars. And that’s probably not going to change in the near future.

But the coming of the LRT will affect development along Eglinton (or rather, has already started to affect development).

below: 1900 Eglinton East – From shopping center with lots of parking, to four mixed use buildings up to 48 storeys high. Will the slow down in the condo market affect this? If you are interested in this, it is application number 19208733ESC21OZ and the link takes you to the relevant City of Toronto webpage (Good luck!).

below: At 1911 and 1921, out with the old and in with 8 buildings, 4 towers, a park, and 2 new streets. This is almost right across the street from the picture above (between Pharmacy and Warden). The application wasn’t completed until Nov 2025 so not much is going to happen here for a long time yet.

Redevelopment in Toronto is slow. This plaza (strip mall) at Kennedy and Eglinton was already boarded up in 2021. It looks a little scruffier and a little rougher now but otherwise, not much has changed in five years.

Construction along Eglinton East continues as Metrolinx builds the Scarborough Subway extension. This section of subway is an extension of the Bloor-Danforth line and will run from Kennedy station, east along Eglinton past Brimley before turning north. It ends at Sheppard and McCowan. Back in 2023 I visited that intersection and I posted some photos – Intersections – McCowan and Sheppard

below: Eglinton at Midland, looking northeast (on a rainy day).

constant companions

Posted: April 21, 2026 in people
Tags: buses, coffee shops, looking, people, phones, sitting, subway, talking, TTC

Maybe it’s like shooting fish in a barrel – taking pictures of people on their phones as they are out and about in the city…. sometimes by themselves and sometimes with friends and family. But always with a phone in their hand. Ubiquitous. Addictive. Constant. So for the past few months I have been taking a look at our relationship with those phones (and our surroundings) while we are out in public. It’s still a work in progress and yes, some photos are not as interesting as the others. This is a few of what I have so far…..

below: A book!

below: “Live and let live”

Myth and Legend

Posted: April 20, 2026 in galleries
Tags: AGO, Art Gallery of Ontario, boats, David Blackwood, etchings, Flora S. Nickerson, icebergs, print, printmaker, Rostellan

Prints by Canadian artist David Blackwood at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Blackwood (1941-2022) was born and raised in Newfoundland. This retrospective exhibit features more than eighty of his prints and drawings. Most of the prints are etchings. In a couple of cases, a series of prints shows the development of a finished piece. The images are very much Newfoundland and Labrador with sailing ships and large icebergs playing a big role. There are lots of people in boats!

below: “Passing Under the Rostellan”, 2013, etching and aquaprint. The final copies had a reddish sky.

below: “Wedding on Deer Island”, 2020, etching, aquatint & watercolour.

below: “The Flora Nickerson in the Labrador Sea”. The Flora S. Nickerson was a schooner owned by the Blackwood family. David Blackwood’s father and grandfather were mariners as were many other ancestors. This boat appears in many of Blackwood’s prints – a boat that he sailed on many times as a child.

below: “The Great Peace of Brian and Martin Winsor”, 1985

below: If you look closely at the bottom portion of the above image, I think that you get a better look at the two Winsor men (and their rifles)…..

below: …But if you check the details at the top of the print, you find a small empty boat – presumably belonging to the men. There is certainly a story being told here!

This fascinating exhibit is still on (as I type this) and will continue until 26 July 2026.

Biscuit Lane

Posted: April 18, 2026 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: alley, Bert, cartoon characters, cartoons, city, CN Tower, downtown, Garfield, graffiti, Inspector Gadget, Jessica Rabbit, lane, murals, Ness Lee, pink panther, pop culture, roadrunner, Rogers Centre, Thomas the Anonymous, Tweetie bird, Wiley Coyote, Woody Woodpecker

Biscuit Lane runs behind the east side of Yonge Street for one block, running south from Charles Street. It was named Biscuit in honour of William Christie (1829-1900), the man behind Mr. Christie cookies. A young William Christie started his career working for another baker, William McConnell whose shop was on Yonge Street in this area. According to Wikipedia, Christie was paid $4.00 per month plus given room and board – he baked at night and then delivered the baked goods by handcart to customers in nearby Yorkville. After two years he left McConnell to work at another bakery in the same neighbourhood.

It is a short, narrow lane with street art murals now on both sides.

below: A Toronto mural in a Toronto alley.

below: More Toronto, painted by Thomas the Anonynous

below: “I’ll always be here with you!”

below:Cartoon characters & Pop culture references! Bert doesn’t look too comfortable!

below: Inspector Gadget, one of the Smurfs, Betty Boop, Tweety Bird looking angry, Goofy isn’t sure what’s happening, Launchpad McQuack, and Droopy Dog.

below: Marge Simpson with her enormous blue hair, Yogi Bear, Jessica Rabbit, Bert, Woody Woodpecker, Little Hiawatha, The Mask and Huckleberry Hound.

below: Along one wall is a large mural by Ness Lee – women with long hair

below: Looking north on Biscuit Lane

below: Wanted poster for what looks like the Pink Panther in black hat and shades. Wanted for “harbouring stool pigeons near sanctuary”

below: “Wanted for keeping it 2 real”. Marvin the Martian?

below: …. and even more (with some repeats)….. A smug Pink Panther and a concussed Sylvester…. Beep! Beep!

below: It’s the alphabet all jumbled up in many colours, many ‘fonts’, and many sizes.

below: Superhero time! Superman, Spiderman, and more.

Children of Europe

Posted: April 15, 2026 in galleries
Tags: black and white, children, Chim, David Seymour, Europe, Image Centre, photography, post war, TMU, UNESCO

The previous post, Face of Time, was about the recent Magnum Photos exhibit at TMU’s Image Centre. There was another exhibit of post war photographs that was shown at the same time. This second set were taken by David “Chim” Seymour (a co-founder of Magnum Photos) and they feature some of the 13,000,000 orphaned or abandoned European children. His work was commissioned by UNESCO and took him to Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, Poland, and Hungary. Seymour was Polish, born Dawid Szymin (1911-1956); he died in Egypt at the close of the Suez Crisis.

below: Some of David Seymour’s photos ended up in the UNESCO publication “Courier”. This is the front cover of the February 1949 edition, with the headline ‘The Children of Europe’. The photo was taken in a Warsaw orphanage. The printed story starts with: “Europe is a stone wilderness and the smoke which has since long lifted from the last war still discloses a shattered continent. Where it is not shattered physically, it is hurt within its mind and its courage for life. The child groping his way out of the ruins must make his way to life now in this Europe.”