Archive for the ‘alleys’ Category

Danforth – Woodbine – Gerrard

Posted: April 7, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, history, locations, reflections, stores, transportation
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or thereabouts…

below: Starting point, Woodbine and Danforth

below: Small Mediah painting in the doorway, Danforth

small street art mural by mediah in the entrance to a store, people on the sidewalk, Danforth

below: Another Mediah mural, on the railway underpass on Woodbine just south of Danforth

mural by mediah, geometric shapes and colours, on an underpass

below: And again, in an alley south of Gerrard.

below: East End Love

tall narrow mural beside sidewalk on the Danforth, East End Love

below: “Humming on Woodbine”  – A hummingird and a young woman with daffodils in yellow and purple, a mural by Blazeworks at Woodbine and Danforth.

mural painted by Blazeworks in 2023, called humming on woodbine

below: Closer-up version  –  an old streetcar (when did they stop running on Danforth?  The TTC operated streetcars on Danforth from 1923 until the subway opened in the 1960s.)

below: Two storey brick stores with square facades in front.  Rows like this can be found all over the city although in many places they are being replaced. This row has probably been here for a hundred years; this section of Danforth was developed between 1910 and 1930.  The streetcar provided a commuter route and facilitated growth to the east.  The opening of the Prince Edward Viaduct (Bloor Viaduct) over the Don River in 1918 made access to downtown and the rest of the city even easier.

row of two story brick stores on danforth

below: Some stores have added features such as this little peaked facade at the front and the fancy brick work around the windows.

two storey brick store front on danforth, with small peak in roof on on side

below: Window reflections

reflections in a window of a store on Danforth, cars and stores across the street can be seen.

below: Tims stands alone

two story building with a Tim Hortons, pale pink building, no buildings on either side of it, a woman in a pink coat walks past

below: Ghost sign on Danforth, Burnett Brothers Butchers, The House of Quality.  That would be Alfred and Horace Burnett.

ghost sign for Burnett Brothers Butchers of high quality, on old brick building on the Danforth

below: Remnants of streetcar tracks can also be found on Strathmore Blvd (behind Woodbine station) that abruptly end at Cedarvale

old streetcar tracks in a street, Strathmore Blvd., that come to an end.

below:  Drink Coca-Cola – an iconic red disc. As for the rest of the sign, the font and the style of sign is still seen in many places in Toronto.

old store, now a gallery, with red round drink coca cola sign, also old sign saying confectionery

below: Soaking up the sun in front of Atop Appliances

two people in a bus shelter, one standing, one sitting, in front of store called Atop Appliances which is an old grey building with a black shingle roof

below: Spring blossoms, pretty even if they aren’t real!

mural on the side of Value village, spring scene with blossom tree and green grass, bike share bikes in a row in front of the mural

below: A line of stars

painted along the side of a red brick building, beside driveway, two stripes, a narrow white stripe on top and a wider blue stripe below. On the blue, are eight pale orange stars

below: And stars on fences in an alley

2 large stars as decorations, on old fence in an alley, crooked fence, car parked in alley, dead leaves on the ground, mossy roof on garage next door

below: Aren’t doors fascinating?  Final Notice and 2nd Final Notice.  If a door is a title to the story that lies within, what is the story that would unfold here?

old black door, with yellow spray paint, three times, that says final notice, mailbox beside the door, number 2138, crooked concrete step

below: Many little pots in a sun-filled window, looks like an attempt to jump start spring planting.

row of old store fronts on gerrard, some now home, one has large window with greenish curtains, also a lot of little pots in the sunlight, perhaps growing seeds for spring planting

below: My favorite kind of Canada Geese.  They are quiet and don’t leave little messes behind.

front yard with decorations - in the shape of canada geese with red scarves around their necks

below: Lakeside campfire at sunset on a garage door

painting on a garage door, campfire on a granite outcropping beside a lake with pine trees around it, at sunset, sky in reds, oranges, and purples

below:  Poser bunnies in a mural on Gerrard

poser bunny mural on the side of a two storey structure on gerrard street

below:  I saw a lot of these posters that day – How to fold a fitted sheet.  Once upon a time such posters had a phone number written on little flaps that you could tear off.  Now we have the dreaded QR code.  Apparently there is now something called “quishing” which is QR code phishing (I am not calling this poster fake, I am just ranting about QR codes in general – like how annoying they are on menus because now everyone has to get their phones out).

poster on wood utility pole with the title How to fold a fitted sheet

below: Secret Park  …. sshhhhh  I can’t tell you where it is.

below: Empowerment by the wading pool (this is not the Secret Park!)

below: Toronto Chinese Mennonite Church (formerly Rogers Presbyterian Church), Woodbine

front of brick building, toronto chinese mennonite church

below: Crossing the street, towards Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church, Gerrard St.

woman crossing stret with a dog on a leash dog has a purple coat on, in front of old brick church, grant african

below: Plaque of Dedication for Grant Church

Plaque outside Grant Church

Plaque of Dedication commemorating the relocation of Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church from 23 Soho Street to 2029 Gerrard Street, November 17th, 1991. 
  Grant Church Journey
In 1833 in Toronto, worship began in each other’s homes.  The meetings were held on a site on Chestnut Street.  Later, a church was built on Richmond Street.  In 1856 we moved to a hall at Queen and McCaul Streets.  In 1912 we celebrated the grand opening at University and Elm Streets, and moved to 23 Soho Street in 1929.

grant african methodist episcopal church, brick building, on gerrard,

below: St. Francis National Evangelical Spiritual Baptist Faith, Archdiocese of Canada.

below: Semis on a slope

semi divided houses in a row on gerrard, two stories, with front porches,

below: A newer three storey residential building. I wonder how many units it has? Three at least?

new three story residence beside an older house

below: Layers

car parked in a driveway beside an older house, with a taller glass and brick condo building behind

semi houses, large trees between sidewalk and street

below: Pink house with a lot of stairs to the front door, Woodbine

below: Housing on the hill

below: A bus shelter, unfortunately it seems to be acting as housing as well.

below: May Peace Prevail on Earth in two languages (and more on the back)

4 sided pole about 8 feet high, with words written on it, may peace, also written in another language (different alphabet too)

Paul Estrela Lane revisited

Posted: March 28, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, locations, nature
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Back in 2017 I visited this lane for the first time and I added some photos from that visit on this blog (see Paul Estrela Lane.).   Most of the street art that I saw then is still there.  Some of it has been overgrown like the mural below.  In a month or two some of these waves will be hidden behind greenery.

below: Mural by Caitlin Taguibao, Pre-pupa moment painted in 2018.

mural by caitlin ta in an alley, a woman is sitting, blue leaves on plants around her

central female figure in caaitlin mural, green and black striped collar, or pillow, around her neck, black sky, yellow sleeves on clothing,

garages on Paul Estrela Lane, some with street art or graffiti on them

below: Another older mural that natures seems to want to cover up.  This one is the work of Kim Therese Dolan.

mural of a woman's face, eyes closed

below: Winter vines on painted particle board.

below: Icey icicles on a March morning

graffiti on wall, white on black, text that says icey, above it are 3 icicles

below: Many coloured goofy faces with impressive teeth and googly eyes.  A whimsical work by Monica on the Moon (aka Monica Wickeler).

monica on the moon mural of faces, with blue garbage bins in front, in an alley

blobby goofy faces in blue, green, and pink, part of a mural

below: Kanos, a French artist, from Paris.  More of his work can be seen under ikanografik on instagram.

black and white on red mural by kanos

below: More red, this time from Mediah

mural by mediah, geometric shapes, sharp angles, straight lines, on red background

below: Red 9 and Parlor 23 in the shadows.

below: Peeling teal paint on weathered wood.

part of a fence that was painted teal colour but paint is now peeling, picket tops of the wood forms triangles

paul estrela lane

below: Heidi Berton,

small street art in paul estrela lane painted by Heidi Berton

below: Children eating ice cream beside a hot summer sun.

part of mural, for carters ice cream store around the corner, a line of children eating ice cream cones

below: A blue man and his cat by a mystery man, Victorful.

two murals in paul estrela lane, first is a man in blue with a tiger, and the other is a line of children eating ice cream while sitting beside a sun made of concentric circles, with yellow in the center and red on the outside ring

below: More wood textures.

old wood fence, close up showing the texture of the wood grain

… as well as vines and shadows….

vines on a white garage door with black graffiti on it as well

…. and one last view of the alley

garages along the north side of paul estrela lane, large tree, no leaves, winter time, but no snow, some graffiti on the garage doors

wandering the alleys

Posted: March 16, 2024 in alleys, construction, doors, graffiti and street art, old buildings
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….of Dovercourt and Bloorcourt (south of Dupont and east of Dufferin)

blue and white banner on a utility pole, dovercourt village

Apparently there are over 250 kilometres of alleys and lanes in Toronto.  I am not sure how many are in the Dovercourt Village neighbourhood, but here are some pictures of what I saw when I walked the other day.

looking down a laneway to where it dead ends at a residential street with two storey brick houses, there is ablack picket fence in the alley, the house on the left in the alley is being renovated and has scaffolding covering the side

In many ways there is a similarity to most lanes – the garages and fences, the two storey houses, mostly brick, a few old trees, and the pavement in rough shape but there is always some interesting things to be found.

looking down a toronto alley, no dumping sign, garages, back of brick house, glass and steel highrise condo in the background

below: Somehow the back part is still standing!

backyard of a two torey house, view from alley with fence down, wood addition on brick building is old and falling apart

backyards and rear of houses, view from the lane behind

below: A narrow, skinny house with an extra layer of blue tarp privacy.

blue tarp over a fence behind a house in an alley

below: Happy dancing in the streets of Toronto – or close enough!

on a white garage door in a lane, a black line drawing of the CN Tower, 3 people dancing, the sun, a tree and two dogs

garage in an alley with street art on door and on side of building. on the side is white throwup on exploding red, yellow, and orange background

parking space in alley with chain across it, garage,

below: Monsters romping and flying around the black and white city

white garage in an alley, with a red man door, drawing and painting on the wall

below: “I want a cup of chai from the former Pink Palace”.

graffiti in an alley, black animal (cow?) on brown, with text, I want s cup of chai from the former pink palace

brick tower, perhaps steeple in the background, brick house in the middle, and a small garage with graffiti on door, large tree in the foreground

view looking down an alley to where it ends at a street with houses, large tree in the foreground, tall white apartment building in the background

below: An infill house in the lane.

black clad two storey house, dwelling, infill in an alley

below: And another infill….

black clad two storey house, dwelling with a large window facing the alley on the upper floor, infill in an alley

below: Large blue bear mural on a garage door by Jeff Blackburn

mural by Jeff Blackburn of a large blue bear face with maroon nose and mouth, white teeth, furry,

view of adjacent houses from the alley behind

chainlink gate between two garages in an alley, with view into backyard

upside down street sign that says no parking in the alley, backs of houses in the background

below: Falling apart.  Fake brick.  Asphalt based siding such as this bit here became a popular  alternative to painting  wooden structures as early as the 1930’s.  It was very popular in the 1940’s and the 1950’s in North America where it was used both for low-cost housing (and garages) and for covering the deteriorated exterior walls of older homes.

old fake brick asphalt tiles broken, on a wood garagebelow: A few simple flowers

a simple mural of flowers on a garage door in an alley, with house next door under renovations

below: and a garage in need of some paint and TLC.

view from an alley, an old wood garage in peeling teal paint, two storey brick house with a small wood balcony on the upper level

below: “We are all sacred”.  Scared might work too.

words scrawled on a wall that say we are all sacred

below: Art before dishes – a wonderful sentiment that I hope you agree with!

on a brown garage door in black marker, a line drawing of a person holding a light, and text that says art before dishes

below: Another garage door, some more peeling paint, and a faded face with pointy ears.

paint peeling on a reddish brown metal garage, old line drawing in yellow paint of a face, splotchy where bare metal can be seen

in a lane, looking at the back of a house with a yellow door and a dark green garage

below: Building back and up

alley view of the back of a house that is being updated and renovated, most of the back is covered with plywood

below: An oldie, a Lovebot the robot

an old red and white lovebot sticker on a no parking sign on a garage in an alley

below: A surprise find, and another oldie – I didn’t realize that any of these old Rob Ford portraits by Spudbomb still existed. This one dates from 2011.  Remember those days?

black paint on a white garage door, an old spud bomb painting of Rob Ford, ex-mayor of toronto, painted in 2011

below: Bastards in rust

rusty hinge on wood gate, with word bastards scratched into the metal

concrete wall under metal window frame, rust has stained the concrete, two white eyes have been drawn on the rusty part so now it looks like a face

below: I am going to pretend that it says “Tag here”.

graffiti on a wall that says tag here

low view of alley showing mostly the pavement, cracked with dirt and wet spots, some garages along the sides

below: One more garage door

garage in alley, white door with street art on it

below: Someone’s lurking above us

small alley

below: One large iguana, or perhaps a chameleon.  Whichever it is, it doesn’t look very happy.

large green iguana in a mural, looks unhappy

below: The brick building is on Dovercourt, just north of Bloor…. which is as good a place as any to end….  until next time that is.

whit truck parked in a lane with construction on both sides, on dovercourt, just north of bloor

banner on a utility pole, bloorcourt,

southern Spadina, from Dundas to Ireland.

Posted: March 9, 2024 in alleys, intersections, locations, stores, transportation, waterfront, windows and walls
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Spadina has many faces –  It starts at Eglinton as Spadina Road where it runs south through Forest Hill.  It’s journey southward then continues through a number of different parts of the city including a spot where there is a block missing at Casa Loma.  Pedestrians can use the Baldwin Stairs but traffic has to detour around the castle.   At Bloor it changes to Spadina Avenue and widens to allow streetcar access down the middle of the road.   Here, it is also the western edge of the University of Toronto.

Just north of College Street,  Spadina becomes Spadina Crescent as it forms a circle around what is now the Daniels Faculty of Architecture building.   South of College Street to Dundas  the neighbourhood is somewhat eclectic with a mix of Kensington Market and Chinatown.

three people waiting for a green light before crossing spadina, a woman in a long yellow and grey plaid coat and a couple talking to each other

on a pole at an intresection, a yellow button for crossing signal plus lots of papers, posters and graffiti, a cyclist goes north on spadina in the background

people buying fruit and vegetables from a market, on the sidewalk,

chinese food store on spadina, with some items on display on the sidewalk

2 asian women on sidewalk, talking together, one has a clear plastic bag with 2 cauliflowers in it.

below: Celtuce and asparagus for sale.  Celtuce was new to me – I’ve never seen it before.  It is also called also called stem lettuce, celery lettuce, asparagus lettuce, or Chinese lettuce.  Unlike other lettuces, it is the stem that is eaten (although the leaves are also edible).

box of celtuce for sale at a fruit and vegetable market in chinatown, also a box of asparagus tied in bundles,

below: Collaborative mural under the window, the work of June Kim and Curtia Wright. East meets West, painted back in October.

mural with tigers and women face, under window on chinatown store

part of mural with tigers and women face, under window on chinatown store

a woman walks along spadina, pulling a shopping bag on rollers, walking past a store with displays on the sidewalk

head mannequin of a young boy, wearing a fur hat, in the window of a store

window display of asian chinese store in chinatown on spadina, metal grille in window as well, tea cups, silver piggybank, porcelain figurines,

below: Holy Chinatown window Batman!

window display, chinese and asian new year items, lots of red, plus one batman toy in blue

below: A Canada Post mailbox decorated originally with an image of the Year of the Rat (from Lunar New Year calendar) stamp issued in 2020.

side of a canada post mailbox with chinese characeters, one male and one female, on the side, also stickers and graffiti slaps on it

below: Waiting for the streetcar

a young man is waiting for ttc streetcar on spadina, standing in front of an advertisement featuring the large face of a woman

a large yellow school bus turns right onto spadina from queen street, two men are standing by the street car tracks

below: Looking eastward along Queen Street West with a web of streetcar wires overhead and many tracks underfoot.   The new Ontario Line subway will cross here with a new Queen-Spadina station being planned.   Between Sherbourne (Moss Park) and Spadina the Ontario Line will be under Queen Street.  West of here the tracks will swing south to a station at King and Bathurst.

looking east along queen street from spadina, people crossing the street, ttc wires above and tracks at street level

below: Another eastward looking view, this time from a bit farther south at Adelaide, a street that has become canyon-like as it makes it way through the older brick buildings in foreground and then the taller glass buildings as it gets closer to Yonge Street and the downtown core.

people crossing Adelaide Street at Spadina, looking eastward along Adelaide with Yonge street in the distance, large tall buildings on both sides of adelaide

below: And a little bit more south again… the CN Tower rises into the fog as it peeks out between two glass condo buildings at King and Spadina.  South of King is the new development “The Well” that opened recently.  I have blogged about it previously (Well, Well, Well, 27 Nov 2023)

CN tower peaks through between two highrise glass condo buildings, above where two people are repainting a billboard

Spadina is also a major access point to Lakeshore Blvd and the Gardiner Expressway.  This section of the road is rather barren if you are on foot (unless you are a concrete aficionado LOL)

below: Another eastward view – Both Lakeshore Blvd westbound (but not eastbound!) and the Gardiner Expressway are elevated and they run parallel as they cross over Spadina.

ramp to the gardiner expressway, plus upper levels of the gardiner, looking east from spadina

below: Standing on the northwest corner of Spadina and Queens Quay.  This is where Spadina ends – at the waterfront with some of the docks and parks that have been redeveloped in recent years.

a couple stands on the northwest corner of spadina and queens quay

below: Looking north up Spadina from Queens Quay.

view from queens quay looking north up spadina, with gardiner crossing over, lots of ttc streetcar wires overhead

below: Look!  Continue walking towards the waterfront but be careful crossing the bike lanes of the Martin Goodman Trail!

on the street, paved with bricks, the word look has been painted in blue on white background,

below: Spadina Wave Deck

Spadina Wave Deck on Queens Quay, where the sidewalk arches up over the water, glass condos rise up in the background

below: The Omni Coastal, a tug boat, is docked at Spadina Quay.

a boat tied up at a dock, with city street scene behind

thick grey rope wrapped around a metal post

below: Pulling back a little farther… the CN Tower is still hiding in the fog.

toronto waterfront at spadina quay, omni coastal tug boat is docked, condos on the waterfront, CN tower obscured by fog, grey cloudy day

below: Ahoy matey!

caution sign on a wood tree planter that someone has written the word pirates on, so sign now says caution, pirates!
below:   It’s a much quieter scene in the winter when fewer boats are here.  In the background, the Canada Malting Company silos still stand strong.

view of Toronto waterfront, looking west from Spadina Quay, towards large Canada Malting Co silos, boats in the foreground, but not many because it's winter, some wrapped in white, foggy grey day

lamp post, black with downward curved top, in music garden, with condos behind,

below: Looking for the signs of spring and finding the beginnings of tulips and daffodils in the Music Garden

small daffodils and tulips starting to grow in a garden in front of a large willow tree

small wood bird house with a blue roof hanging from the branch of a tree

below:  Some useful information: “Bathrooms, Where can they be found?”  Number one on the list is Billy Bishop Airport and I can attest to the fact that yes, they have bathrooms (check in the ferry terminal building).

sign on sidewalk on waterfront re information on where to find a bathroom in the area

below: Another red tugboat in the fog – this one is the Radium Yellowknife.

red fire boat docked at Toronto waterfront, on a foggy day

below: The silos have been under wraps as they have been renovated.

scaffolding and blue tarps around the curved ends of the canada malting co silos

below: Built on reclaimed land in the early 1900s, the silos have been empty since 1987 and  had fallen into disrepair.   Although they are now missing a couple of letters, the silos are in much better shape.  I am not sure if there is any use planned for the structures but the site is being turned into a park, Bathurst Quay Common.

below: If you walk past the silos, you come to Ireland Park with its memorial to those who fled the Irish famine in the 1840s.   The park also has seven sculptures cast in bronze by Rowan Gillespie of Dublin Ireland. The installation is called ‘Arrival’.  These figures match an earlier installation on the Customs House Quay in Dublin, ‘Famine’ (1997).  A third installation in Tasmania Australia completes the trilogy.

In Ireland Park statue of man, very thin, ragged clothes, upraised arms, representing Irish immigrants to Toronto during Irish famine in 1847

head and shoulders of a cast bronze statue of an Irish immigrant at Ireland Park on Toronto waterfront, part of a memorial to Irish immigrants to Canada during the famine years in the 1840s

below: Along the exterior walls of the silos, a few signs have been posted that tell the story of Irish immigration to Canada.  This is one of those signs.

sign half in English and half in French that tells the story of the ship called The City of Toronto that brought irish immigrants to Canada in 1847.

Arrival of the City of Toronto – When the steamer City of Toronto dropped anchor at Rees’s Wharf on Sunday, 6 June 1847, City officials had no way of knowing the boat was a harbinger of the chaotic and overwhelming migration season to come.  The City carried 700 people.  More than half of the adults on board were “indigent” migrants from Ireland, all traveling at the expense of the government. 
Given reports of ongoing distress and hunger in Ireland, the volume of immigrants was expected to be high that year, but Toronto was still unprepared for the tidal wave of Irish Famine immigrants now cresting its shores.  Toronto, with its population of 20,000 would eventually receive 38,000 immigrants in 1847. 
Steamships arrived filled to capacity with passengers exhausted and sick from their weeks-long journey.  Many of those who had been deemed healthy by doctors at Grosse Ile were beginning to show signs of typhus.  
The logistics of receiving, triaging, housing, treating and transporting (or burying) this wave of newcomers fell to a group of municipal and provincial officials, who had to make do with rudimentary medical and settlement infrastructure and resources.

black and white photograph of a woman sitting at the back of a streetcar, looking through the window

 

from Harbord to Dundas via Kensington

Posted: January 18, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, locations, reflections, stores
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…. or thereabouts.

It started with a stop that was earlier than planned.    I was on my way to meet a friend in Kensington but that morning my walk started closer to Harbord because the 510 car wasn’t going anywhere.  An incident on a streetcar involving the police means the whole route gets backed up.

streetcars stopped on Spadina, police car with lights flashing stopped beside the one in front

below: This building on the west side of Spadina (372/374 Spadina) has languished for a few years.  It falls within the Harbord Village HCD (Historic Community District) and there may have been a change of ownership.

large old houses on Spadina near harbord

below:   I tried researching the present status of the property but I came up empty. There is a building permit in the window but there are no signs of work being done.

old large brick house with front porch, building permit in window

below: My fellow TTC travellers and I walked the curve in Spadina.

people walking on the sidewalk, walking past large old brick houses

below: At the south end of the curve is Lord Lansdowne School which was built in 1960/1961 to replace an older school nearby and to accommodate the post-war population growth in the city.  The main part of the school is a nine-sided circular building with 18 tapered steel pylons radiating outward like flying buttresses.  The roof consists of folded concrete plates,

part of exterior of lord lansdowne school

below: A big chunk of anorthosite sits in the schoolyard.   Some of the rocks brought back from the moon are anorthosites.  But this isn’t a moon rock!  This type of rock isn’t found in many places in North America but there is some to the north of the city in the Canadian Shield region.  It is composed predominantly of feldspar.  It is an igneous rock which means that it was formed from the cooling and solidification of molten rock (such as lava).

large grey rock in a schoolyard with a plaque on it describing the rock

Plaque: “This basic igneous rock was found at a depth f 12 feet during the course of excavation for this school.  The composition is a very rare type and is  assumed to have been carried here from Caribou Lake north of Parry Sound by a glacier during the Great Ice Age approximately 12,000 years ago. “

below: Every Child Matters on the schoolyard fence

orange ties on fence to spell words every child matters

below: Also on the fence, parent and child walking hand in hand past the playground.

painted cutouts on a chainlink fence around lord lansdowne school, a mother and child holding hands

below: Intersection of Spadina and College, looking south.

intersection of college and spadina, looking south on spadina

below: A small disc mounted on a concrete pole – a tribute to Saul Gwartzman by Rocky Zenyck.  Gwartzmans Art Supply store is still on Spadina Ave.

circular brass piece, mounted on utility pole, a face in the middle of it, with words marked on it

Engraved in around the face on the disc, “We remember. Saul Gwartzman. Born on Spadina Avenue above the store where he supported artists in Toronto for decades, 1936-2019”

below: Walking on Spadina, south of College.

spadina, south of college, west side of the street, Smoke and Variety store, El Macombo tavern, people on sidewalk winter time, no leaves on trees,

below: Canadian souvenirs are unavailable at the moment!

store front on spadina, closed, with canada flags on door,
stores and buildings on the east side of Spadina, old brick buildings,

below: Dragons on the wall, Oxford Street.

dragon mural on red brick building

below: One of the Kensington poles with a globe at the top.  Another site in limbo – the hoardings are still around the lot on the southwest corner of  Baldwin and Spadina.  I wrote about them in Dec 2020 (post: a long time lingering) and they were old then.

Spadina Ave, pole for entrance to Kensington, with globe on the top

There were not many other people walking around Kensington that morning, we were a bit early for that.  Even without people, it is a neighbourhood that is full of colours and full of life.  Parts of it are run down and grubby but that rarely stops a photographer!  The next photos are a random sample of what we saw that day.

below: Looking west on Baldwin.  The king is on the wall.

looking west on Baldwin, yellow wall with painting of man with crown on head, on the side of one of the buildings

below: Kids for sale!

items in the window of a kensington cheese store, an old picture of queen elizabeth with words eat more queso, a piece of wood shaped like a goat with words kids for sale

below: Mice in the cheese store window.  There’s Mickey Mouse and the little brown mouse, Jerry, from another cartoon series as well as some not so famous rodents.

items in a cheese store window, toy mice, mickey mouse, flags of Greece, Serbia, and Singapore

below: Uncle Vintage at the other end.  The mural on the right is “When Math Meets Art”

looking down an alley in kensington, view of Uncle Vintage clothing at the end, murals on both sides of the alley

below: From a different angle. It was painted by Sasha Q (aka Oleksandra Stepanenko)

mural in blues and greys with title Math Meets Art on old brick building in Kensington

 

below: Mural of a blue crab by Nick Sweetman,

blue crab mural by nick sweetman

below: Look Mom Paint!

large words painted on the side of a building that say look mom paint

below: Three old black and white photos of Kensington scenes in the window of the Peruvian food store,

three old black and white photos of Kensington area in the window of a Peruvian store,

below: A bright and cheerful red daisy keeping an eye on things.

street art in a small corner on Baldwin Ave in kensington

below: “And then the streets became my notepad – GOD”

written in large black letters on a pinkish salmon coloured brick wall, and then the streets became my notepad, god

below: More hoardings and the consequent graffiti covering them.

below: It’s difficult to see, but some of the words written on the hoardings are “It’s hard but ur strong”.

below: Mark has left his mark.

a man with a walker walks past a white wall with a large purple painting of the name Mark in capital letters

below: The backside of Moonbean Coffee as seen from the alley behind.  Little faces in Paradise.

graffiti and street art on upper back part of moonbean coffee as seen from the alley behind

below: Yummy!  Mini Boston Cream Bombs on display in the window.

boston cream bomb donuts in the window of a donut store

below: Not so yummy?!

looking in the window of a fruit and vegetable store, large green squash and a pile of oranges beside the window

below: Pigeon fanciers, this one’s for you. It seems there were some takers.  Sorry, but I didn’t follow up with the research on this one so I am not sure what happens if you call!

poster on a wall with a street art face painted on it, poster is looking for pigeon fanciers to interview

below: Union Jack either faded to pink, or in trans colours?

hand painted union jack on a fence but the red has faded to pink

below: Super Serve on Dundas, across the street from People Hair Salon.

below:  It looks like Rowell Soder mural although he rarely paints the eyes – the mushroom top should give you a hint as to what this store sells.

below: I like yellow rubber duckies but I doubt that I would wear this many at once!

below: You grow girl!

below: She leans left.

below: Little yellow bald guys as well as some words written on a wall; they are Leonard Cohen lyrics.

“From Leonard Cohen Book of Mercy, …I heard my soul singing behind a leaf, plucked the leaf, but then I heard it singing behind a veil. I tore the veil, but then I heard it singing behind a wall. I broke the wall, and I heard my soul singing against me. I built up the wall, mended the curtain, but I could not put back the leaf. I held it in my hand and I heard my soul singing mightily against me. This is what it’s like to study without a friend.”

below: Mirror, mirror, on the wall..  A Sigil is a sign in magic or witchcraft or similar.

below: Mannequins in feathers….

below: … and mannequins in hats

a Kensington laneway

rusty white metal gate at the end of a walk in front of a blue house painted with white gingerbread trim

below: The mural on the left features a white egg with a large open mouth.  The text above it says, “Feed Eggs”.   Any ideas?

alley in Kensington, looking towards turquoise building, Courage my Love vintage clothing store

below: It’s Dick Dastardly and his dog Muttley

mural in alley, Dastardly and his dog muttley, cartoon characters

below: A mandolin player by SashaQ and a Phillip Saunders portrait in blue.

murals in a kensington alley, in the front is a mandolin olayer, then a portrait in blue.

 

below: Leftovers from both Halloween and Christmas

outside a house in Kensington, both halloween and christmas decorations, snowman

below: An eclectic collection of posters and notices cover a restaurant window… pictures of food as well as posters for  young Asian musicians.

signs and posters in the window of a chinese restaurant on spadina

below: Fight Your Demons

written on a wall in black paint, fight your demons

below: South on Spadina

spadina, looking south,

below: Spadina and Dundas

With many thanks to Merle for walking with me on that grey day!  We enjoyed wandering around the street and alleys and discovering what Kensington has to offer.  It was fun to have someone helping to find all the little bits and pieces that often get overlooked.   Here we found a party, or at least the remains of one.   All those little coloured blobs are actually shiny words that say “party”.   I hope that it was a good party!

woman wearing pink hat taking a picture with her phone of confetti on the sidewalk that is bits of shiny paper spelling the word party

Merle has a blog too where she meets and interviews interesting seniors (or seniors who are doing interesting things), Super Bubbies!  I forgot to ask her how old one needs to be a Bubbie and am I old enough?!!!  If you are interested in the photos that she took on this walk or you’re curious as to what makes aa Super Bubbie, check out Super Bubbies!  I find it fascinating how different people can walk the same route and come away with quite a different recollection of the walk.

Keep exploring!  Keep being super!

blues, and more, in a Kensington lane

Posted: January 13, 2024 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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My previous blog post was about graffiti on a wall on St. Andrew Street  (Is everyone nice?) which is in the Kensington neighbourhood.  Also in Kensington are quite a few alleys and laneways, and in most of them you can find graffiti and/or murals.  This post is a short tour down one of these alleys.

below: The garage door with the UBER 5000 painting of dogs playing cards marks the entrance to the alley.  Lucky the little yellow birdie points the way.

part of an uber 5000 mural of dogs playing cards, with a little yellow birdie in the top left corner, entrance to alley, other graffiti and street art can be seen including a large piece by Rowell Soller

part of an uber 5000 mural of dogs playing cards, with a little yellow birdie in the top left corner, entrance to alley, other graffiti and street art can be seen

below: The first blue is a man with the start of a beard and mustache by Phillip Saunders

portrait of a blue man with a mustache by Philip saunders, on a wood fence

below: A poser bunny

poser bunny street art on a wood fence

below: A long term resident now is this woman with the purple lips and Jamaican flag.

portrait of a Black woman, purple lips, Jamaican flag under her

below:  One eyed red daisy painted large by Life©️(aka Life in the streets)

large text street art painting in yellow and green

street art mural of a large purple fish with billowy tail, swimming,

murals on garages at the end of the lane with other murals on the buildings on the side of the alley too

below: Some of the pieces are mismatched but she’s still intact.

portrait of a woman in blue painted on a wood fence

below: Another blue face keeping an eye on the alley

a bike leaning against a wall in an alley, a street art mural of a woman in blue paint in the background

below: Cats on garages, both by Mankaur Arts (aka Manpreet Kaur) because the world won’t save itself…. but maybe we can score a goal or two in the meantime.

murals on garages, one of the right is cats playing hockey and on the left is a cat with text saying

an old mattress leaning against a fence in an alley, murals on some of the garages,

below:  Another shade of blue, a bit more teal this time.

painting of a teal coloured man on a wood fence in a Kensington alley

below: Center part of a mural by Rowell Soller.

 

mural by Rowell Soder in an alley, part of a face, mouth and nose, surrounded by red, yellow, and white shapes

graffiti stickers, faces

graffiti stickers, faces plus my name is marene

Elvis is in the alley

Posted: October 16, 2023 in alleys
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In case you’ve been wondering where Elvis Presley has been hanging out, there’s an alley in the Dovercourt area that I’d like to show you!

cutout of Elvis Presley in a shiny yellow suite, from the wait up, on a fence, in an alley

Elvis is not alone!  There are a few other bits and pieces stuck on the fence with him.  It’s not great art but I hope that it at least makes you smile!

below: A little red bowtie, most debonair.

framed in white, two mini hubcap eyes and red bowtie

below: Mini racers

miniature racing cars on a black and white track, as art, on a fence

below: Chunky beads in a black frame, strung up and hanging out

in a black frame, a red beaded chunky beads, necklace

below:  Chilis?

hanging from pink wool, little white wicker shapes, in a red frame, as art on a fence

below: Who doesn’t like a bashful little unicorn?

unicorn ears and horn with a pink rose, attached to purple board, along with closed false eye lashes to make a portrait of a unicorn, art on a fence

below: A street scene in front of a construction site.

painted streetscene on fence with construction behind

below: An image of the back of a truck on the fence, with a real truck (or maybe a large yellow bin?) on that construction site.

painting in yellow and red of the back of a truck, on fence

large construction site

in an alley, a blue rubbish bin, trash can, with black words written on it, feed me please

in the alley after dark

Posted: October 13, 2023 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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A walk down Graffiti Alley on a rainy night.

below: Unfortunately, one of Uber5000’s large Toronto/Canada themed murals has been defaced (the one on the north side of the alley).

Graffiti Alley night time, light from headlights of car, walls covered with street art and graffiti

below: Doug Ford running away with the money, stencil graffiti by D. Terra. Our Premier seems rather happy with his haul. Accurate?

black and white stencil art by d terra, of doug ford in a ablack suit, white shirt, black tie, holding bags of money and smiling

below: A dope piece that bears some resemblance to Homer Simpson.

graffiti alley, homer simpson with word dope

below: A  yellow one-eyed daisy standing tall.

yellow one eyed daisy on green stem

below: This portrait has hair!

black and white portrait of a young man with glasses and headphones,

night time, graffiti alley, street art and graffiti on walls

below: For some reason, a section of one of the side lanes (McDougall Lane? or Rush Lane?) was lit by a red light.   Here there was a collection of pasteups and stickers including one with an abundance of flowers in her hair, a skater figure by drecks. She is joined by a bare breasted woman with even more flowers on her head as well as a Snoopy look alike and a cat on the telly.

slaps on a wall, graffiti alley, night time, red light

below: On the same wall as the above – Tweetie bird, from Australia, along with some friends.  Because of the red light, this photo is very low contrast and difficult to see.  Best to see this wall in the daytime!  Second best, would be to check out the instagram page of tweet_streetart

pasteups in an alley, red light, nighttime

with red lights, at night, slaps, paste ups and other graffiti

below: Another selection of slaps, mostly birds this time.

slaps on a wall, mostly birds, plus a fish

slaps on a wall, mostly birds

below: A little raccoon

raccoon graffiti in black and white, also a bird and a fish sticker

below: Mortus figure – his hands are almost big enough to hold all those skulls.

blob like figure with bald head and big hands, holding a lot of skulls, mural in graffiti alley by mortus

below: On the pavement

text graffiti on the pavement that says get off the internet

below: FP Monkey (aka Julia H), Skamoney, Monster Fan Club, and PP Spray

mural in graffiti alley, collaboration of three artists, FP monkey, aka Julia H.

below: Poser bunny

poser bunny on a column, door beside is covered with scrawls

below:  Making a rap music video

people making a hip hop or rap music video in graffiti alley

graffiti on a wall in graffiti alley

below: The east end of Graffiti Alley, the part closest to Spadina, was very dark.

view down graffiti alley at night, rainy, wet pavement, reflecting light

below: As it turns out, the buildings at this end (north side) are now behind a metal construction fence. Darkness equals empty I suspect.

back of buildings on Queen West, now dark, with construction fence, view from graffiti alley, large orek tag on building, dark, no lights,

below: Yes they matter but was there no where else to paint this?  There’s so much junk in the alley that no one would miss.

graffiti alley uber 5000 mural with a painting with the text every child matters covering the bottom part of it

below: I am going to end this post with a bit of a rant.  Yes, to some extent the art in this alley has come somewhat commercialized especially with the newer buildings on Richmond that back onto the alley.  Uber5000 has benefited from some of this as he has painted a few large (and very good) murals here.  I understand that street art by its nature is prone to “disappearing” behind the work of others but I reject the notion that one person’s tag is as good as another person’s mural.  Anyone can destroy.  Anyone can paint their “name” but if you are proud of writing it over someone else’s more talented work then you haven’t progressed beyond the preschooler phase of life.

street art and graffiti on a wall in graffiti alley

This post also appears in eyesonthestreets.blog

from the Distillery to Nathan Phillips

Posted: July 9, 2023 in alleys, construction, locations, old buildings, public art
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My previous post was about wandering around the Distillery District which by the way is 20 years old now.  Back in 2003 it was surrounded by a part of the city that seemed to have been forgotten.    In 2015 the PanAm games were held in Toronto.  Athletes Village, i.e. housing for the athletes competing in the games was built new in what was now being called the West Don Lands.  After the games, this housing was converted to “746 market-priced condos, 41 market-priced town homes, 250 affordable-rent apartments, 257 student dormitory units for George Brown College, office and retail units, and a YMCA recreation centre.” (Wikipedia)   Development in the area continues on all sides of the Distillery.

below: Southside view of the new development on Mill Street (east of Cherry).

new condo development on Mill street, corktown,

below: Northeast corner of Mill and Cherry. Part of this complex is a new Anishnawbe health centre.

northeast corner of Cherry and Mill, new development, Anishnawabhe medical center, other buildings,

below: Eastbound on Eastern Avenue at Trinity Street

eastern ave eastbound approaching trinity street, construction signs, building being built, cranes, traffic,

below: Fire hydrant in a field of chicory, vacant lot surrounded by a fence.

yellow fire hydrant in the weeds and wild flowers at vacant lot downtown, highrises in the background

below: Down and out.   Grounded.  Election signs left over from the recent by-election for mayor.

signs on the ground, election signs for mayor by election

below: A large section of land at Parliament and Front that will become the site of Corktown station on the new Ontario Line is surrounded by hoardings.  From here the line goes northwest to a new Moss Park station at Queen & Sherbourne –  or it goes southeast to the existing railway tracks by the Lakeshore where it surfaces before a new station, East Harbour, at the foot of Broadview ( south of Eastern).

pink signs on hoardings around construction site for Ontario Line

men on a red lift, construction site

below: Nicholson Lane

looking down Nicholson Lane,

below: There is a new mural on the St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre painted by Darwin Peters from Pikangikum First Nation..

exterior of St. Lawrence Community Centre, painted with new mural, first nations theme

below: On the Esplanade

man on sidewalk, walking past park,

below: Photography exhibit along the Esplanade, “Mashkiki” by Morningstar Quill about life in Pikangikum First Nation.   This photo shows a group of young women making ribbon skirts.

black and white painting of a group of young women sewing, sewing machine, table, in a park, part of Mashkiki project

below:  The exhibit was produced with the support of Jamii, a non-profit arts organization.

colour photo of people in two canoes, paddling on a lake, on display in a park,

below: For those hot summer days when we’re all looking for a bit of relief!

sidewalk metal box that has been painted to look like a box that dispenses or sells ice

below: Post more Bills

graffiti on a TTC bus stop pole, that says post more bills, with a rough drawing of a person

a young woman walks her dog

below: Working on the new north market building, St. Lawrence Market.

workmen on the roof of the new North tower of St. Lawrence market

below: Looking westward from Front and George streets.

view of Toronto skyline from Front and Jarvis

people at intersection of Front and Jarvis, waiting for light,

below: Lower Sherbourne

northeast corner of lower sherbourne and front streets, construction site

below: McVeighs Irish pub in an old building that is now surrounded by new developments, Richmond and Church.

mcveighs irish pub in an old building at Richmond and church, now surrounded by new development

two workmen sit beside mcveighs pub, on the small patio,

below: The steeple of St James Cathedral peaks through the gap.

The green weathered copper roof of St. James Cathedral steeple can be seen in the gap between two newer low rise buildings, one of which has a platform of window cleaners on it

below: This is “Afrophilia”, an installation at the Toronto Sculpture Garden by Frantz Brent-Harris, a Jamaican artist now based in Toronto.

In the sculpture garden on King St., a line of red heads on poles, title of installation is Afrophilia.

below: A closer look at two of the heads.

two of the red heads in Afrophilia, a sculpture installation in outdoor space

below: Crossing King Street.

on King Street, decorated curbs at streetcar stops, pedestrians crossing King St., a TTC streetcar

below: Queen Street East

street scene, Queen St. East downtown Toronto, construction, Canadian flags ,pedestrians, tall buildings,

below: The present state of the northeast corner of Queen and Church (60 Queen St. East).  Before becoming a placeholder for yet another condo development, it was a Shawarma’s King restaurant. That old yellow building may be living out its final days – since 2018 a very tall (54 to 57 storeys) building has been proposed for this site.   The original proposal had the usual blah glass and steel at street level as shown on the condo website (queenchurch.com) but in November 2020 the existing building (and a couple of nearby buildings on Church St) was added to Toronto’s Heritage Register.

large yellow building with a turret at the corner of Queen and Sherbourne streets, now with large glass and steel condo buildings behind it.

condo development at Queen and church streets in Toronto

 

below: Queen Street is now closed at Church Street for work on the new Ontario Line subway.  Rumour says that it will be closed 4 (5?) years.  Yes, years.  The subway will run under Queen Street and connect to the Yonge line at Queen and the University line at Osgoode.

two workmen at blocked Queen Street at church, Ontario Line metrolinx construction

below: Peering over the fence?

sculpture of men in circle with backs together, at Church and Queen, now beside fence and hoardings for Queen street closure

below: Looking west along Queen Street towards Yonge (behind the hoardings).

Queen Street closure, looking towards Yonge street

below: Trying to look west along Queen at Yonge.

Looking west on Queen from Yonge, construction site, Queen street closure, glass tunnel over the street, road closed signs,

below: The glass roof of the Eaton Centre is also being renovated and updated.  Scaffolding now dominates the upper level of the mall.

scaffolding and large adverts inside the eaton centre

below: More Queen Street closed…  the closure runs as far west as Bay Street and Old City Hall.

old city hall, Queen Street, with construction fence in front, for road work, and subway work

below: Feeding the pigeons at Nathan Phillips square.

woman sitting on grass and feeding pigeons while she smokes a cigarette

below: Group shot!  A school group visiting City Hall.

large school group getting photo taken by Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips, 3D sign, group shot,

below: Constructing a rainbow heart

man wth green hair delivering flowers to be made into a heart shaped decoration, by water at Nathan Phillips square

below: …. which became an attraction before it was finished

a man taking a picture of his wife standing beside a partially finished heart made of rainbow coloured flowers, nathan phillips square,

below: Empty planters.  Ugliness on Queen Street, right in front of Nathan Phillips Square and City Hall.  Neglectful.  Toronto can build it but Toronto can’t maintain it.

large, low, concrete planters along Queen street, with dirt in them but no flowers or plants,

below: Mayor Gao for mayor!  I don’t think that this was a serious candidate?!  But then again, there were 101 people on the ballot in that by-election so maybe he was…..

hand written sign posted in front of city hall

reds on Leslie

Posted: April 13, 2023 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, locations
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and other little distractions near the south end of Leslie Street.

below:  The bright red walls of The Duke stand out at the corner of Queen Street East and Leslie Street.

Leslie and Queen Street east, looking west on Queen towards The Duke, a bright red building, restaurant and bar.

below: Just to the south of Queen, this red door marks Memory Lane

below: On the same brick building as the door above there is a window with eight panes of cloudy glass surrounded by a thin red line.

old glass window with 8 panes of glass, old, red window frame, brick building

This is 1233 Queen Street East and it was formerly Lee’s Food Products.  China Lily brands soy sauce was produced here for about 70 years.   The building was constructed in 1920 and was first used as a billiards house with apartments above.  Yeat Yum Lee bought the building in 1947 and turned it into offices and a factory for his food products.

There was an attempt last September to have the building designated as a heritage site but if the Lithos Group (the development company that owns the property) website is accurate, the old building is about to be demolished.  Another condo with blah (i.e. non-existent) street level planning.   The blue and white city development notice on the building says that there will be 132 residences on 8 storeys (with retail at street level).  There will be parking for only 10 cars.

below: Metal tower (container?) on the side of the Lees building.  The Duke is on the other side of Leslie Street.

large shiny metal column with a red exterior ladder, beside a brick building with red trim

below:  Front window of 1233 Queen Street East

front bay window of 1233 Queen East, red window frame, brown brick building, empty, soon to be demolished

below:  Like many empty buildings that are waiting to be demolished, the walls become a canvas for graffiti artists to take advantage of. Here, two identical faces with different tastes in drinks.

three paper graffiti wheatpaste on a red door. in the middle are two identical faces merged together back to back. on the left is a ridged glass drinking glass and on the right is another glass

below: Multicoloured diamond shaped ‘scales’ on the iguana…. or is it a chameleon who can’t decide what colour it needs to be?

on a concrete window sill, exterior, a graffiti chameleon coloured with many different diamonds

below:  More wheatpaste on a brick wall.

Two paper wheatpaste graffiti on a brick wall. One is a woman with wings on her back holding a very large paint brush over her shoulder, black paint dripping from it. The other is a hand holding a piece of white paper with a very large black ink blot or paint splash on it

below: The Duke, a solid brick building built by James Morin in the 1870s as the Morin House Tavern.  Morin had been a grocer who went into the brick business; he was the first in the east end to make mechanized pressed bricks.  It was renamed ‘The Duke of York’ in 1912 in honour of Prince Edward – Duke of York & Albany.  If you are interested in the history of this part of the city, Leslieville History has a webpage full of information and stories

The Duke, a bright red building, seen from Leslie Street south of Queen

red wall of the Duke, with a red door, and yellow hydro pole wire protectors

below: Fading MEN at The Duke (it’s a big step up…. or down)

wood door with small window in the top of it, on a red brick building

below: In a nearby alley, “Eat the rich”!  The fork is provided.

graffiti, red writing on white wall that says eat the rich

below: Beside, and in, the window of a Thai restaurant.  I was a bit hesitant about the “Piss Riffin” on the sticker but as it turns out, it’s a podcast where they talk about  things “that matter like life , love and most importantly piss!”  So consider yourself warned before you click that link!

looking in a window at at Thai woman mannequin, wall beside window has a mailbox with a Shoppers drug Mart flyer in it and a sticker on it.

below: Gas pumps on queen just because (I like the chaos of competing shapes and colours).

view of gas pumps at a station on Queen street east

below: Part of a mural by Rowell Soller

Mouth and nose, part of a mural by Rowell Soller,

below: Another nose nearby – but a much larger one!  Beware of nasal drip!

large 3 d sculpture of a nose, mounted on red board, over a door of a store, now closed and boarded up

on bright green background a black and white sticker of a mans face

on a wood fence, a large three dimensional metal star

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