This weekend saw the temperatures rise high enough draw people outside. A lot of the snow melted and there was hope in the air – hope that winter won’t last too much longer. This being Canada, winter can last as long as it wants!… And that’s often into April. In the meantime, it was great to enjoy the weekend.
below: A quiet sunny spot to sit
below: Taking selfies on the rocks at Edwards Gardens.
below: Watching the ducks on the partially frozen Wilket Creek.
The general idea yesterday afternoon was to walk Oakwood, southbound from St. Clair. What I didn’t expect when I left my cosy apartment was a strong cold wind, so part of the adventure was dictated by which direction the wind was blowing and how to avoid it (if possible!). If some of these photos look a little blurry, it’s because of the snow that was falling all afternoon.
below: Pizza Pizza on the northwest corner of St. Clair and Oakwood.
below: I hadn’t gone far when I found a lane so of course I had to follow it… Looking back towards Oakwood Collegiate.
below: Old black and white photo of St. Clair Ave from 1911 just after construction of Oakwood Collegiate was complete. Oakwood Avenue is now on the other side of the school in this photo. It is interesting to note that St. Clair had streetcar tracks back in 1911 but was still a dirt road. Apparently the city started building these tracks when the school was open – the St. Clair streetcar line was open in 1913. I found this photo in Living Toronto – follow the link if you want to read more about the history of this school.
below: And that is where I spotted this man with a little red heart…
below: … and across the alley from him was this woman, also with another little red heart. It’s Valentines Day today, how sweet and how appropriate.
below: The hearts just kept on coming. I’d only walked a few minutes and already I had enough for a Valentines Day post! 🙂
below: At the end of the lane I spotted this too…. can you see the LOVE? It looks like it’s written in the middle of the pink and blue graffiti but it’s actually on the metal vent.
below: So much for walking down Oakwood. I circled back to St. Clair West where I saw the Yummi Cafe & Laundromat with it’s hand written sign in the window. Support Our Teachers! These are trying days for education in Ontario as the teachers lock horns with Doug Ford and his Conservatives who speak first and think later.
below: This is middle section of the Royal Heights village mural painted by Murals by Marg in 2019. It is on the side of 1006 St. CLair West (at Appleton Ave).
below: To the right is a small butterfly, child height. Choose to be kind.
below: The left side has a larger butterfly as well as a bright yellow door with a blue umbrella. Let love rain down!
below: Right across the street (on the northeast corner of Appleton & St. Clair) is this mural. I haven’t been able to find out who the artist was.
below: Looking west on St. Clair as you approach Glenholme.
below: A coin laundry as well as Glenholme Variety on the southwest corner of St. Clair and Glenholme.
below: In front of 98 Glenholme is this little sculpture, an old fashioned sewing machine on a pole. It marks the home of Marcello Tarantino Sartoria (tailor).
below: Another alley – the wind back here is not so bad!
below: An old green Chevrolet delivery van with Imperial Upholstering Co written across the side and above the front window in faded letters. Also fading is the text: Manufacturers of Individual Style(?) Furniture
Mural by Ross Bonfanti and Sandra Tarantino with hearts, stars, a flying car and superhero kids.
The alley ended at Dufferin and that is where I headed south.
below: The southwest corner of Dufferin and Davenport
below: A black and white photo from 1912 of the construction of Dufferin Street at Davenport. This photo is originally from the City of Toronto archives but I found it online in an article on the history of Dufferin Street in blogTO.
below: Mary looks down upon us, from a niche in the wall of St. Mary of the Angels church.
below: Remnants of an art project left to weather on a fence around a schoolyard.
below: A smiling happy mural on the side of a dental office on Dufferin Street painted by spudbomb (2017)
below: Just north of Dupont Street, the CPR tracks cross Dufferin.
below: This strange pillar (artwork?) is on the southwest corner of Dufferin and Dupont. It used to be the marker/sign for the stores in the Galleria plaza on that corner. Everything there is under renovation at the moment so instead of tearing down the sign, it was converted into this. Hence, “Love me till I’m me again”.
below: From a different angle – the neighbourhood wins no beauty contest.
below: The architecture on Dufferin, both houses and stores, is a mishmash of styles (or non-styles!) that have evolved over the years. The next few photos try to give you an idea of the variety. First, at Dufferin & Rosemount
below: Dufferin & Hallam
below: Dufferin & Auburn
below: Standing alone at 1432
below: 1452A and its neighbours
below: An ominous sign – a boarded up house on Dufferin Street. Is change far behind? Just in case, I like to document what’s there because in this city, you turn around and everything’s different. And you think to yourself, “What used to be there?” But you can’t remember because that is how our memories work and isn’t that disconcerting?
Walking up Yonge Street without actually walking on Yonge Street…. with all it’s distractions and wrong turns. We eventually get somewhere and that somewhere may actually be where we want to be!
below: I didn’t know that such a place existed! It’s at Davenport and Belmont in case you feel the need….
below: I smiled even more when I went around the corner and encountered this sign
below: Toronto layers
below: The old stone stairs at Ramsden Park. A bit muddy at the bottom but that never stopped me.
below: Waiting for spring… or at least for some snow to melt.
below: An after school skate.
below: Old and new – exploring the lanes that run parallel to Yonge. This is Paul Hahn Lane.
below: Trespassers will be prosecuted. If you can’t read the sign, does it still count?
below: As you go north, Paul Hahn Lane becomes Sam Tile Lane.
below: The caterpillar isn’t where it was. Is this an Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland reference? Actually it’s a children’s clothing store but that doesn’t stop my from quoting Lewis Carroll, or at least a short passage. Alice’s interaction with the caterpillar is too long to include here!
“In a minute or two the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth and yawned once or twice, and shook itself. Then it got down off the mushroom, and crawled away in the grass, merely remarking as it went, ‘One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter.’ ‘One side of what? The other side of what?’ thought Alice to herself. ‘Of the mushroom,’ said the Caterpillar, just as if she had asked it aloud; and in another moment it was out of sight.”
below: At Summerhill there is no way to parallel Yonge because of the train tracks. A shout out to this young man who just previous to this moment stopped to ask me if I’d taken some great photos today. I answered that it was a bit grey to get great pictures and he concurred.
below: Infrequently photographed (the daring architecture!) and not well known, this is Summerhill subway station. It has no bus connections and the only major destination nearby is the large LCBO in the old CPR station a block away (i.e. not many people use this station).
below: Something old ans something new. I was wondering if the slate tiles on the upper storey were originals when I noticed the unobtrusive addition to the white and black house.
below: Looking south towards Rosedale station (view blocked by the white and blue temporary building for the construction next to the bridge). Tall downtown buildings in the distance. The tallest one is at 1 Bloor East and it is partially hidden by the Hudson Bay Centre tower on the other side of Bloor Street (the squarish building) and another tower that I am not sure of.
below: Another of the many “it’s a street, no it’s an alley”, passages that you find in Toronto.
below: The rust and metal of an alley infill house
below: In an area of smaller narrow houses on small lots, some creativity is required if you want to expand.
below: A concrete lined hole in the ground with access from the alley but also from the street? The beginnings of a larger development?
below: Along the way I happened upon the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club in its winter plumage.
below: Foiled! I was going to walk up through and David Balfour Park but the path is blocked… so back to Yonge Street I’m afraid.
below: He looks about as happy as I felt at that moment… but at least my arm is still intact.
below: Once on Yonge Street I discovered that traffic is even worse than usual because of lane closures. Water main repairs and/or replacements by the looks of it.
below: This is now close to St. Clair Ave and a subway station so this is where I called it quits. The days are still short and although the temperatures aren’t too bad, a cup of coffee seemed like a great idea at that moment (see the Aroma sign in the upper right corner? It was calling my name).
below: Someone doesn’t seem to mind being in traffic!
Stay positive & enjoy the trip, you’ll get there!
Oh, by the way, the photos may not be anything special (the grey day and all that) but I still had fun with them.
I’d heard that there were some Christmas lights brightening up the sky at Kew Beach. What I didn’t know then was that this is now an annual tradition; it was started by DeClute Real Estate in 2007. Since there was still some daylight left, I started my walk at Woodbine Beach, a bit west of Kew.
below: Small waves crash over the rocks at the shore.
below: Leuty Lifeguard Station closed up for the winter.
below: Ready to run
below: Once I got to the Kew Beach boardwalk I discovered that there are other reminders that it is now December. And what could be more appropriate than some Christmas decorations to add some cheer ? Pine and poinsettias on a bench.
below: Bright red ribbons tied around a small tree.
below: Shiny Christmas ornaments hanging from branches and a wreath on a tree trunk.
below: More signs that Christmas is soon – Some of the trees along the bike path and boardwalk at Kew Beach have been decorated with Christmas lights. As the daylight begins to fade, the Christmas lights become more noticeable.
below: Looking back towards the city as the sun goes down.
below: The mood and atmosphere of the beach changes as it gets dark outside. The light shining on the Muskoka chairs highlights the pink and green colours and almost makes the chairs look translucent.
The lights remain until well into the New Year. More information can be found on the Light Up the Beach website.
I like the camera part but I’m willing to prove the “no fun” part wrong. The other day I went meandering with a friend. We started near Christie station (at a coffee shop of course) with no particular destination in mind. Generally south was the consensus… and with a pinch of playfulness (forget that no fun nonsense!) and a dash of distraction that’s more or less what we did.
below: As you may know, Bloor Street east of Christie is Koreatown with lots of Korean restauants and tea shops.
below: … including cheese tea. This seems to be a new trend, or at least new to me! Apparently it is black or green tea with a foamy topping made from cream cheese, sugar, and whipping cream (or variations thereof). Next time I may indulge.
below: “Imagine your Korea” mural on the side of P.A.T. Central, a large Korean store.
below: A fire breathing dragon and many scared people trying to run away. It’s a pity about the garbage though.
below: By Bathurst street the Korean restaurants have disappeared. Once upon a time (it seems so long ago!) Honest Ed’s dominated the SW corner of Bloor and Bathurst. Now there is just hole there, and a very big hole at that.
below: This picture is just a small part of “Utopic Isles, Neon Nights, a Flowery Future”, which consists of three panels of images by grade 11 and 12 visual arts students from Central Tech high school. They are part of the hoardings around the construction site here.
below: Another section of hoardings feature collages of old pictures of Honest Eds – a project by Jessica Thalmann called “To Dwell is to Leave Traces”
below: To try gluing pictures on hoardings is also to leave traces! Its’ another “no fun” find. All rather cool until you learn that no fun is a branding thingy. Stickers as promos for businesses are now very common, posters like this on, not so much.
below: Construction makes room for the two buildings on Bathurst that refused to sell to the developers. You can still see the ghost sign on one of the buildings – baby carriages repaired
below: Looking west from Bathurst Street across the big hole to the backs of the houses on Markham Street that are empty and boarded up. Some of them will be retained in the new development.
below: A concrete lovebot hides in the corner. He’s missing an arm and has three bricks instead of a leg.
below: Near lovebot is another ghost sign – Coca Cola, sold everywhere (Bathurst Street)
below: This frog has four points on his crown and lips made of plaster. Looks like he’s found a home on top of the garbage pin.
below: ‘Keep hustlin!” Don’t linger and watch out for cars. I was going to make some comment about Toronto becoming increasingly dangerous for pedestrians but I decided that I needed some documentation to back me up. I learned the acronym KSI (killed or seriously injured). Toronto has the research on the KSI stats for 2005-2018 as part of their Vision Zero plan and the results are “mixed”, i.e. the trend isn’t upwards. In fact, I don’t think there is a trend of any sort.
below: [Can we stand two social issues in a row? LOL.] What I didn’t realize was there was a “worldwide “Nobody Pays” call to action on November 29 for fare evasions” (source). Chile in the poster is a reference to Chilean high school students protesting transit fare increases with a series of mass evasions starting on the 7th of October. I don’t recommend burning your Presto card just yet.
below: The very small print at the bottom of the poster gives references to two documents (from 2012 and 2014) that outline the funding of the TTC and where the money comes from.
below: Well it is December after all…..
below: Well it is December after all…..
below: Conversation on a garage door.
below: Sometimes Mother Nature endures. There was no stopping this tree and it seems to have thrived even with the metal of the fence embedded in it.
below: The omnipotent metal fence strikes again. This time flamingos in love and an Al Runt mural are in danger.
below: Continuation of the mural by Al Runt around the corner of the building
below: This mural has suffered a different fate, that of the creeping billboard posters. As much fun as “procaffeinating” is fun to read about, I’ve seen more than enough of them around the city. I’m not sure that it was someone’s sense of humour that resulted in Holt Renfrew posters being displayed beside those for Pathways to Education that play on poverty and lack of education.
below: But…. [one day I will do a post where only the words in the photos do the talking. There are some great stories out there]
below: I especially like this one, Just Keep Going.
below: A white horse in an alley
below: As well as two little astronauts.
below: Blood and bandages barber shop. Wonderful name!
When you walk across College Street in this area you can’t help but notice that you’re in Little Italy.
below: As we walked westward along College Street, we saw three of these blue areas painted on the NW corners (of Roxton, Ossington & Dovercourt)
These are the Blue Room, by Stanislav Jurkovic and they were supported by the College Promenade BIA. From the website: “Similar to a 3 dimensional ‘green screen’ in film production, the space becomes stage and canvas.” It has also won a Toronto Urban Design Award. Some photos that people have taken of these spaces can be seen on instagram by searching on #blueroomcollege (although the same photos are fed to the Blue Room website that I linked to in the first sentence).
below: In the entrance way to a store that sells a lot of things including DVD’s in Little Italy. The 4 moschettieri – the 4 muskateers! A film from 1962 with Georges Riviere as d’Artagnan (the wonder of Google!). At the bottom of the photo is the name Salvatore Samperi; I am not sure which film it is for but Samperi (1943-2009) was an Italian film director & writer. I find it intriguing that these old posters are still on this wall, torn and discoloured as they are.
below: Same store. Italian movies on DVD’s for sale. ‘Maruzzella’ (in English, ‘The Mermaid of Naples’) came out in 1956. If you are an aficionado of old Italian movies, be quick, as I think this store is having a going out of business sale.
I’ll leave you with an image that I found online, a full copy of the poster that is partially covered up above – for the R rated film Malicious/Malizia in 1973. (photo source) That’s 40+ years ago. You see, when you start wandering you start finding all kinds of strange and fascinating things – no fun? indeed not.
November came in with a gust of grey and dampness. So when the sun breaks through for a while it’s time to grab a coat and a camera and get walking even if it wasn’t you planned to do that day.
below: The cube house at the bottom of Sumach Street is still with us. It was for sale early in 2017. At that time, March 2017, BlogTO published an article about this building that starts with this description: “Based on Dutch architect Piet Blom’s complex of Cubic Houses in Rotterdam, the UniTri structure dates back to 1996”. It was sold in May 2018 for almost three million dollars.
below: No idea is original. Seen under Richmond/Adelaide Streets.
below: This guy holding his hands in front of him and wearing a red wizard cap still adorns the corner of the Magic Building on Sumach. He’s just one of a number of wizards you’ll find there.
below: This was the scene of a large fire back in April 2018. Three buildings were damaged with the one in the middle being beyond repair. It is now gone. It’s been a long, slow recovery.
below: Another building gone. This one by choice.
below: Colourful porch details.
below: A photo to document this part of Queen Street East because whether it’s in 2 years or 20, there will be changes.
below: A row of old brick houses at 79 through 85 Shuter Street where a fire has recently destroyed some of the the upper levels and roofs.
below: The buildings are empty and boarded up. This is the southeast corner of Shuter & Mutual.
below: There is a development proposal notice on the buildings. The proposed plan saves the old houses and shows a tall glass building built behind and above them.
below: That’s a big drill!
below: Shuter Street at Church.
below: Looking north on Church Street towards the new buildings that are part of Ryerson University’s expansion.
below: Steeple, St. Michaels Cathedral
below: Looking west on Dundas towards Victoria Street and Yonge Dundas Square. The cylinder structure is part of the CityTV building. The outer layer is wire mesh.
BlogTO had promoted a Day of Dead march on 2nd November, starting at Spadina and Fort York at noon. It was a grey and miserable day but a few of us went to see what was up. What we found at that location at noon was a few other photographers standing around in a sheltered spot wondering if anything was happening. At 12:20 we started to leave – and that is when a group of about maybe 20 people dressed like the men below showed up. But half of them were carrying advertisements for Westjet. It was just a publicity stunt. Boo to BlogTO for promoting it as an event.
It has been a long time since I was in that neighbourhood with a camera so perhaps a short walk around would be a good idea. The new Canoe Landing Centre is taking shape at the corner of Fort York Blvd and Brunel Court.
below: The view from Fort York Blvd
below: The view from Canoe Landing Park. The centre also includes includes two elementary schools, Bishop Macdonell Catholic and Jean Lumb Public Schools, and a day care centre.
below: Making use of the park on a grey Saturday afternoon.
below: Douglas Coupland’s red canoe art installation is still there, jutting out over the top of the hill.
below: One of the views from the canoe, cars entering the canyon of highrise glass & steel condos along the Gardiner Expressway.
below: Working hard at the library at the corner of Bathurst and Fort York.
below: Bathurst Street as it crosses the railway tracks.
below: Chill! Stay warm until next time!
Today was Climate Strike day… a Friday where there were rallys and protests to call for action on climate change across Canada and around the world. Here in Toronto Queens Park was the gathering spot.
By 11 a.m. the park in front of the parliament buildings was quite full and people were congregating all down University Avenue as well. I wandered (pushed my way?) through the crowd while we waited for some speeches (that almost no one could hear) to finish before the walk part of the day started. These are some of the signs that I saw and some of the people that I talked to.
below: All eyes on the camera man.
below: People Act Now It’s Critical, PANIC
The best thing I heard this morning was one boy who said, “It’s not socialism, it’s a better kind of capitalism”.
below: Holding a sign that she made herself.
below: Respect your mother. There were lots of references to Mother Earth.
below: The turtles are only the beginning
below: Change is coming wether you like it or not. We need real change.
below: Being interviewed as she holds her climate danger rating sign.
below: Standing with the trees, and partially under the pines.
below: Make Ontario Greta again.
Roses are dying,
violets are too.
Save our planet,
we’re counting on you.
below: We want a green future
below: Every single use item is a time bomb
below: Taking cues from Kermit the Frog, it ain’t easy being green.
below: Continuing with the colour theme… All that glitters is not gold.
below: A common theme today was, “The Earth is hotter than”. In this case, I think that’s a Korean boy band? K-Pop? Or something like that?
below: More “hotter than” – this time an imaginary boyfriend. How can you not smile at that?
below: Look me in the eye, from up above.
below: Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone, plus Clean Energy = New Jobs
below: Our world is melting
below: Fight climate change or die frying
below: Another theme kept appearing today was an anti fossil fuel stance. “In 2018 Canada spent 3.3 billion on fossil fuel subsidies”
below: This is why we can’t have nice things.
below: Why should I study neuro when we’re all going to die?
Another post with more photos from the climate strike are immediately below this page.
This is another blog post about Croft Street, a short street that runs between College and Harbord streets just east of Bathurst. It has changed a lot since I first wrote about it in 2013. The corner of Croft and College Streets was home to the mural commemorating the fire of 1904 – it is long gone. In between then and now, the south end of Croft was spruced up with colourful murals and planters in 2016. These are a few pictures that I took as I walked up Croft yesterday (after dodging construction stuff and workmen at College).
below: A mural by Elicser is at the northeast corner of College and Croft.
below: Praying mantis mural
below: Croft is not immune to the construction/renovation craze that we’re in the midst of.
below: The fire station tower at College and Bellevue is now visible from Croft street.
below: Looking up Croft Street. One of the garages now has a Raptors logo and the one next to it is being renovated.
below: Some of the 2016 murals and planters are still in place.
below: Looking north across Vankoughnet Street
below: A door to nowhere
below: We are the future and we don’t want any junk mail
below: The door with the metal strapping is still there.
below: A large grominator on a brick wall
below: Morning glory flowers and vine growing up a street sign pole.
below: More flowers, red rose stenciled onto a garage door
below: Garage doors painted by Bruno Smokey and Andrea Manica
below: A fun ride in vibrant colours by dudeman
below: He may be blue but he’s smiling.
below: Preening and posing or just walking past. Saturday afternoon in Graffiti Alley.
below: It comes with words, a quote from Al Capone: “You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun, then you can with a kind word alone”. A mural by Madmaxxoner
below: A series of urban ninja squadron stickers on a pole
below: A grey face on a door, part of a mural by elicser
below: Square face with a four pointed crown, drawn on orange
below: So we meet alley drinking in fact(?) at 2 pm on a Teusday (sic Tuesday) it’s cool(?) and I have a half size bottle of wine some of us are in love and some us can’t be. We break off spinning in all directions and haven’t stopped since. And on top of it all is a paranoid sticker in his pink briefs. Make of it what you will.
below: Posing at the end of the alley
below: Set-up for a selfie
below: More of someone else’s selfie, this one in the partial darkness.
below: Smoke break
below: An uber5000 painting of blue cat painting a yellow birdie with a predatory camera bearing down on them.
below: We are all human by Kaun
below: More sharpie words, this time about the atomic power of prayer. Oh dear, I googled it and it’s a thing.
below: Paper paste-up telling us to eat more or proclaiming the presence of eatmore?
as I walk Toronto 