Archive for the ‘people’ Category

Dyke March 2024

Posted: June 29, 2024 in events, people
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Another June, another Dyke March!

line up of dyke march southbound on yonge, with pink banner in the front

Dykes on Bikes led the parade as usual.

cheering dykes on bikes in parade

two women on motorcycles, dykes on bikes, rider in the back is also holding a big dog, laughing

dyke march image, woman in black sleeveless top is taking phone picture of others in dyke march

dykes on pikes, parade

women holding pink dyke march banner in a parade

two drummers drumming and laughing while walking in dyke march in toronto

policeman in yellow vest with back to camera watching parade goes by, one of the women in the parade watches him out of the corner o her eye as she walks past

below: Olivia Chow walks in the parade along with a Phenomenal Gaysian!

mayor of toronto, Olivia Chow, walks in Dyke March along with people holding a banner with her name on it,

NDP group in dyke march, with banner that says big dyke energy, led by Kristyn Wong-Tam with a blue megaphone. She is MPP for Toronto Centre

dyke march

dyke march, with flag in rainbow colours that says peace, Cheri DiNovo, carrying flag and giving peace sign with fingers. She is United Church minister and former politician.

two people holding hands, one is holding the index finger of the other, in a parade

women walking in dyke march, one is pregnant, carrying sign that says, 15 years a family, one baby and one on the way

people in the upper windows of aroma espresso bar on yonge, with rainbow flgs, watching dyke march below

dyke march, person wearing pink cowboy hat

 

person with lavendar hair and bright red glasses carrying a fan that says shady queen

rainbow coloured sign held up in parade that says loving is hard

photo from toronto dyke march, south asian women carrying pink sign that says lesbians do exist

woman with short dark hair , 2 small pride flags tucked into the back of her top

woman walking a dog in a parade. dog is wearing a rainbow coloured outfit

woman holding open umbrella and walking in parade, striped pride colours, other people walking too, yonge street, toronto

young southeast asian men with bike helmets on, standing on sidewalk, watching dyke march

dyke march, sign that says i put the bi in bitch

woman wearing red hat that says canada is taking selfie with another woman in dyke march

women by a bus stop on yonge, during dyke march. one is in cat costume with ears and another is draped in pink flag, with long blonde hair

woman in parade, sticking her tongue out

people walking in dyke march, one woman is smiling and waving a flag

women holding a banner for gals together, pals forever

middle age man trying to take a picture of a woman with a bubble blower as she walks in a parade

person in pink glasses and many blue and pink necklaces, dyke march

person wearing red bandana as a head scarf, with small lesbian pride flag inserted into knot of bandana

trans marchers in dyke parade

woman waving large flag in a parade

woman with umbrella that says love girls on it, watching parade

smiling woman, wearing t shirt that says dyke

family group poses for family selfie before dyke march parade starts, men wearing fedoras

father and daughter sitting on sidewalk watching parade, girl has a lesbian pride flag wrapped around her shoulders

person with rainbow flag draped over shoulders, giving a thumbs up sign

two people sitting on a sidewalk watching parade go past, one is wearing a brown cowboy hat

dyke march, person holding hand written sign that syas looking for a super graphic ultra modern girl

woman wearing a striped crocheted dress and bright pink shoes

dyke march, one woman is looking back at another who is scantily dressed in a very small bikini

person taking pictures, across street from zanzibar tavern

men watching a dyke march parade

crowd watching dyke march including a woman with purple hair and platform black and white shoes

crowds lining streets at yonge and gould to watch dyke march parade go by

a couple walking down the sidewalk, she is wearing a black dress and boots,

young woman wearing a head scarf, with drink in hand, taking pictures at a dyke march

man has hands on face of female police officer

woman taking a picture of two other older woman, at dyke march

Uptown Yonge as the sun goes down

Posted: June 27, 2024 in construction, locations, old buildings, people, stores
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Were you an Edmonton Oilers fan?  Did you jump on that bandwagon?  On the night of the 7th game of the Stanley Cup playoffs were you glued to the TV?  Or are you wondering what I’m talking about?!

I usually watch hockey games now and again, especially during the playoffs but I found that watching the Edmonton-Florida series was just too stressful.  Instead, these long June evenings are great for walking!  A little bit of Yonge Street, Uptown Yonge, was my stomping grounds the evening of the last game.

banner for uptown yonge on a hydro pole, stores and new condo in the background, says eat up. street sign for st. Clements avenue as well

A few scenes from Yonge between Eglinton and Sherwood, in no particular order…

evening, coffee shop on Yonge street, also poke bar,

below: Old and new. I like the way the evening light catches the architectural details along the rooflines.

roofline, old brick buildings with architectural details in front of a newer high rise residential building

below: Playing peek-a-boo.  The new pushes from behind.

stores on Yonge street, prism hair salon, vape studio, goa hair salon,


below: Seating!

late evening, getting dark outside, looking at store front, cobbler's corner shoe repair,

ceiling art, white and green cubes with lights inside

round exterior wall of part of rio can yonge eglinton centre, short glass tower,

metal grille gate covers glass doors of now empty and closed store on yonge street

below: Northwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton, Yonge- Eglinton Centre with its updated glass facade.

yonge eglinton centre entrance

When the Yonge Eglinton Centre was built in 1968, Eglinton was the last station on the TTC subway line.  The Y-E Centre was a large development, and was the tallest building in the neighbourhood.   There was a shopping centre, a cinema, an office tower, two tall residential towers, most of which still remain.   Eglinton is no longer a gateway to suburbia; it is Midtown.  The Y-E Centre is just another tall building in a sea of them.

side of concrete building from the 1970s, Yonge Eglinton centre

tall concrete building

below: The new entrance to the Eglinton LRT (unopened of course)  with the Canadian Tire headquarters behind.  Southwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton.

southwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton, new entrance to Eglinton LRT (unopened), Canadian Tire head quarters building, 1970s concrete, new condo behind

Lament for the Eglinton LRT.  Metal fences and torn cloth.  In tatters and disarray.   Still not opened.

front glass of eglinton LRT station, behind metal construction fence and torn green cloth

stores on yonge street

sidewalk tunnel under scaffolding to protect from adjacent construction site

restaurant window, night time, sidewalk

Maybe one day I will be able to walk somewhere in this city and not run into another hole in the ground.  Note the usual – facades being saved, single houses that stubbornly remain.

construction hole in the ground

gravel roadway down into construction hole in the ground

Bus stop all tied up in knots.

TTC bus stop on yonge street behind orange and black cones and yellow caution tape

mural on the side of bmo bank on yonge, flowers, male face, female face, child face, dog, and lot lots of flowers

white car parked in front of a mural with flowers with many petals, and a woman's face

artwork on glass above subway entrance at canada square, corner of yonge and eglinton, a woman is carrying a potted plant, a man in green shirt with tattooed arm is looking at her

three plants in flower pots on a shelf in a room with a blue light, on the left is an orchid,

below: With some paparazzi stalker vibes I’m afraid.

… Back home in time for most of the third period…. Sad to see Edmonton lose, but why is there hockey this late in June?

Hanging out at Yonge and Dundas

Posted: May 21, 2024 in people
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This is just a post about people doing their own thing, going about their day.  Nothing spectacular or wild & crazy, just a few ordinary moments in an ordinary day.

people walking at yonge and dundas

Most people are absorbed in their own small circle, or  busy on their phones, and don’t pay much attention to what’s going on around them.

A group of people wakling, one smoking, one on phone, two with orange drinks in their hands.

two people sitting on a low wall at Yonge Dundas square, looking at the same phone, TTC streetcar behind them with people inside

But sometimes the camera gets noticed.

woman carrying a package, looks at camera, in the background other people are crossing Dundas

And sometimes (well, often actually), I am not the only one.  So does he have a photo (or 2?) of me and if so, what did he do with them?  Delete? LOL

man with a camera taking photos, holding camera closer to waist level

man wrapped in orange blanket talking to a man wearing dark sunglasses

group of people sitting on a bench at Yonge Dundas square, others standing or walking nearby

three men together on sidewalk outside Eaton Centre on Yonge Street, looking at something, one with a phone in his hand

man, with back to camera, sits on bench in a bus shelter, with a bundle by his feet that is wrapped up in a blanket

People sitting in red and blue muskoka chairs under big red umbrellas at Yonge Dundas square

two men walking across Yonge Dundas square

I would love to have overheard that conversation!

Nearby, Harry Styles may be about to get demolished but he doesn’t seem too concerned.

large image of singer Harry Styles on bright red background, covers most of side of building on Dundas, now behind hoardings and construction fences

I hope that everyone had a good long May weekend!  The weather was great this year, for a very pleasant change.  On to summer…..  !!

continuing from Dundas West

Posted: April 19, 2024 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, locations, people, reflections
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Ready to roll again?!

people walking on sidewalk, past a sign for a sushi restaurant that says lets roll

 The last blog post ended at Dundas West Station where the Giraffe Building sits on the northwest corner of Bloor and Dundas  …. so let’s picked it up from there…..

large billboard on top of two storey building with upper level painted like a giraffe in brown and yellow, bottom level covered with ads and graffiti

If you go north on Dundas from here you’ll find yourself in the Junction.

below:  A quick peak north on Dundas West at Edna (first block north of Bloor).

southwest corner of Edna and Dundas West, standing in front of Mcdonalds at the subway station, a bus, some people walking, a man leaning against a telephone pole.

But not today.  Today we’re heading south on Dundas until it meets up with Roncesvalles.  Then we’ll walk generally north and east until we cross Dundas at Sorauren.  A brief stroll north on Sterling will bring us back to Bloor.   That’s the plan!

man holds a coffee cup as he walks past adverts on side of giraffe building

two people standing beside defaced mural in support of front line workers, dundas west and bloor

below: Crossing Bloor at Dundas

a couple walking together, crossing Bloor, with dollarama store and brick highrise apartment building behind them

man holds a piece of plaid fabric in his outstretched arms as he walks past advertisements on exterior of giraffe building

wood cutouts of people doing things, man holding a ball above his head, painted, mounted on exterior of red brick building, a school,

large painting of a glass half full of milk, on exterior of red building, word full written on the milk, beside Bloor Street fitness, with a large white boxing glove outside

below: Waiting by Jimmys Coffee

looking across Dundas West towards Jimmys Coffee, people waiting to cross with traffic light

below: Walking their bikes

a young man walks his bike on sidewalk past a store, reflections in the window
walking on Roncesvalles, a woman in a maroon skirt, a couple walking together

below: Jac’s Milk on Roncesvalles still has a mural depicting the 504 King streetcar.  The boys at the table were selling eye protectors for watching the solar eclipse (that dates this walk!)

Jac's Milk convenience store on a corner on Roncesvalles, TTC streetcar in mural on the side of the building, a person on a bike in the foreground

a woman walks her dog on the sidewalk, Roncesvalles

below: White Corner Variety

a person on a bike riding north on Roncesvalles, past Whites Corner Variety

below: Outclass reflections

a woman sits on a bench in front of a store window

below: Jogging on Roncesvalles

two women jogging on Roncesvalles at Howard Park

two young asian men working at a fruit and vegetable market, goods on sidewalk, some people passing by, a pile of orange in the foreground

below: Totally gutted

view from alley behind, most of interior of house has been gutted for a renovation

below: Also under renovations is the Hindu Prarthana Samaj Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Toronto.  Prior to being demolished, this was an old church building dating from 1886.  First it was Ruth Street Presbyterian Mission and then later it became Fern Avenue Church of Christ until the Prarthana Samaj congregation bought the building in 1979.  Soon it will look more like a Hindu temple!

hindu temple being renovated behind hoardings

backyard views, from laneway behind

garages in alley, dark green garage door, bright blue wall,

below: Flowers on the side of a garage in an alley

pinkish peach colour lily painted on a wall in an alley, also a purple rose in the painting

 

graffiti on a brick wall in an alley, blue eyes with text eyez

sticker of a heavily armed police man with a large gun on a pole in an alley

sign upside down, yellow sign says slow, alley,

below: New infill in an alley

new infill house in an alley

below: With another one under construction nearby.   Construction of these laneway homes was allowed beginning in the summer of 2018.  Since then, their popularity has blossomed.

infill housing being built in an alley, plywood

below: Wilson’s Variety & Grocery on a corner in a residential area.

small convenience store on a corner in a residential area, Wilson's Variety and Grocery says green and yellow sign across the top of the window, black bars on the window, Canada Post mailbox in front of the store,

small narrow house, two storey, large tree in front, gingerbread trim under eaves, very small front yard,

house on Sorauren, white fence in front, red trim on porch and awning over window

backyards, alley view, one with lots of stuff in the yard

below: No payment entertainment and BE BETTER where Sorauren meets Dundas West.

where Sorauren meets Dunda West, a big billbord, an old yellow building, and another building with the words be better written in big white capital letters

below: Same corner, southwest side.  Pink door beside Timmy’s Variety.

southwest corner of Sorauren and Dundas West, building with large white sign and pink features

below: The West Toronto Railpath runs up the east side of the railway tracks.

West Toronto Railpath north from Dundas West,

concrete supports under bridge, Bloor Street over railway tracks, covered with graffiti,

below: You can tell by the sweet chocolatey smell in the air that Nestle is still making chocolate bars and other candy here.

Nestle factory, with large faded ad for Aero chocolate bars

walkway bridge over Sterling Ave at Nestle plant

sign on grey corrugated metal wall that says Nestle, coffee crisp

below: You are greater than everything

orange diamond shape construction sign that has been painted over in yellow and blue, stencil of an open hand holding a flame, text that says you are greater than everything

below: Halfway up Sterling Ave, around the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), there has been a flurry of development activity.

back corner of MOCA, Museum of Contemporary Art, with new construction of a new building beside it, crane on top of new building, sign on the back of MOCA that says over asking under taking

Sterling Ave., new building under construction on right, MOCA on left, museum of contemporary art

below: Development on the north side of MOCA.

looking across a flattened vacant lot. dirt, to a line of new townhouses, as well as older single family homes with large trees in the backyard

looking down the side of a house, to see new townhouses in the background

old used concrete barriers lined up beside each other, being stored in a vacant lot, behind a fence

below: A pair of anser eyes

man in red wool hat taking a picture of anser eyes graffiti on grey wall

below: Land Back, Turtle Island style.

poster on a wood pole, turtle with red sash around middle, words that say land back

below: Catchoo paste-up, catching a hand grenade

small graffiti pasteups by catchoo, two green outstretched hands reaching for a hand grenade

below: One wet fish dripping on Feelings Boi.   The fish is probably the work of Rowan McCulloch.

feelings boi sticker, as well as a sticker with a black and white image of a fish

below: More houses….

older brick two storey single family home with single upper storey window, also a porch across the front of the house, with white metal railing on porch

two storey bay and gable house, painted blue with white trim

two storey bay and gable house, red brick,

chair on a porch with 3 pizza boxes on it, also a bike on the porch

below: A row of bay and gable houses.

row of two and three storey bay and gable houses, large tree in front

houses on Bloor West near Sterling

addition to front of house, extends to sidewalk, large window in front, with reflections, walls are painted in mural with purple sky, blue and red trees, and green grass

below: And that brings us back to Bloor …. Bloor Gift and Smoke Shop across the street from the north end of Sterling Ave

on Bloor West, at Sterling, old red brick building, with Bloor Gift and Smoke Shop

below: Looking west on Bloor from Perth.  The southwest corner remains vacant.  Old concrete steps go nowhere now, and haven’t for many years.  The old tires are a more recent addition to the landscape.  Unfortunately this one of the many sites in the city where development is in limbo.  As early as 2010 there was a 12 storey building proposed on this site (1439 Bloor West plus 80 Perth).  At the moment, there seems to plans in the works for a 14 storey building but the plans seem rather fluid (i.e. they keep changing).

intersection of Bloor and Perth, with vacant lot on southwest corner

below: Back in 2014 or 2015, the concrete walls of this underpass were painted with murals. Now almost all of it is tagged over or scrawled on. It’s a mess.

entrance to toronto railpath beside tracks on Bloor Street, concrete walls covered in graffiti

below: UP Express train stopped at Bloor West station on its way to Pearson Airport.  The UP Express was in the news this past week because Metrolinx decided to change the scheduling such that half the trains no longer stop at the Bloor and Dundas stations.   Cue the now-normal Doug Ford flip flop when there was a lot of very verbal backlash from the commuters that use these stations.  The regular schedule has resumed.

UP Express train in station, reflected in the windows of building on other side of tracks

From here it is a hop, step and a jump back to Dundas West station.

In case you are interested –  Ten years ago, the building that houses MOCA stood alone. Its life as part of Tower Automotive had ended and its new life as a gallery hadn’t yet begun.  Previous posts:

Tower Automotive 2013
Tower Automotive 2014
First visit to the new MOCA 2018

winter came back

Posted: March 27, 2024 in people, public art, waterfront
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Woodbine Beach &
Winter Stations

Woodbine beach in the winter, large trees, some snow,

faded orange wood snow fence in winter, at the beach

woman walking two dogs at the beach

below: “We Caught a UFO”.  Design Team: Xavier Madden and Katja Banović (Croatia and Australia)

public art, winter stations, on Woodbine beach, supposed to look like UFO that landed on the beach, covered with netting

young boy holding a stuffie as he sits inside an art installation at winter stations, netting a ufo

below: “Nova” designed by a team from Toronto Metropolitan University Department of Architectural Science.

nova art installation, winter stations 2024, woodbine beach, white fabric over red triangles shapes made by metal bars

shadows on white fabric of a public art installation at the beach

looking past white fabric and red posts, part of an art installation, towards the lake Lake Ontario where a couple is walking a dog on a leash

two women dressed in winter layers, with two dogs, getting a dog to pose by icicles on a shrub by giving it treats

below: “Bobbin'”  Design Team: From University of Waterloo – Max Perry, Jason Cai, Kenneth Siu, Simon Peiris, Yoon Hur, Angeline Reyes, Oluwatobiloba Babalola, Yiqing Liu, Kenyo Musa, Ali Hasan

winter station called bobbin on woodbine beach, red wood fence around a teeter totter

a woman walking a small brown dog on the boardwalk at woodbine beach

three young people jogging on the boardwalk at woodbine beach

below: “Kaleidoscopic Odyssey” designed by Brander Architects Inc., Adam Brander, Nilesh P, Ingrid Garcia, and Maryam Emadzadeh

two girls wearing pink coats play inside art installation that has many reflective surfaces

man crouching inside a tube with reflective surfaces as he takes a picture

kaleidoscope art installation reflections

below: “Nimbus” designed by David Stein

woodbine beach by Lake Ontario on a sunny wintery march morning, with art installation, part of winter stations, nimbus, designed by david stein, people walking on beach, large tree

nimbus winter station art installation at wodbine beach, large white cloud with blue rope rain

below: Someone left their ammo behind.

a pile of snowballs left on a wood bench at the beach

Halloween on Church, 2023 edition

Posted: November 2, 2023 in events, people
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Photos from the annual Church Street Hallowe’en party this year:

two melting masks, halloween party, one person in red and the other all in black

 

halloween night time party, outdoors, black and white photo of girl in witch costume and carrying a bucket with jack o lantern face

halloween night time party, outdoors, black and white photo, people walking up the street

halloween night time party, outdoors, couple with cart says NASA, man with sign around neck that says take me to your dealer,

halloween party, outdoors, night, church street, two men dressed in gold and black as Egyptian pharoahs

2 male photographers taking pictures of 2 women in halloween costumes in front of a lit store window, night scene,

4 women in costumes, in a row, posing for photo, halloween night time party, outdoors,

Halloween photo, nun, man being held by a green inflatable alien

halloween party, outdoors, night time, woman, posing with pink and white furry

Halloween photo - angel and admirer

Halloween photo - woman in yellow wig, person with black crow full head mask with large beak

Halloween photo, woman in black mask poses with person in full yellow costume

man standing beside person in gold costume, halloween night time party, outdoors,

halloween night time party, outdoors, man holding young child in snowsuit, scarf, and hat, standing next to person in nun costume

halloween night time party, outdoors, wig, plaid jacket, holding large stick

Halloween photo, woman in yellow and orange uniform with brown paper bag over her head

halloween night time party, outdoors, nun and person in mask with blue lights

asian woman on her phone, night time,

halloween night time party, outdoors, two young kids, one in a stroller, looking at the adults in costumes,

halloween night time party, outdoors, man in pink playboy bunny costume, beside woman in strawberry hat and sweater

Halloween photo, Asian man in blue long hair wig

black and white scene, people walking on church street

Halloween party, night time, outdoors, woman posing with person in white furry headed costume

Halloween party, night time, outdoors, woman with Mexican day of the dead painted face, person in white shroud and bloody face

Halloween party, night time, outdoors, black and white photo of two women, one with blood on face, wearing a tiara

Halloween party, night time, outdoors, person with real pumpkin over head

Halloween party, night time, outdoors, man posing with purple furry

Halloween party, night time, outdoors, man in jester costume pushing woman in wheelchair who is wearing similar costume

Halloween photo - woman in sparkly mask poses with men dressed as fruits

corrupt fruit group shot, halloween party, 4 men dressed as fruits with $100 bills attached to them

policewoman costume, inflatable Donald Trump costume

Halloween party, night time, outdoors, couple in costume

Halloween party, night time, outdoors, boy posing with person in spiderman costume

white dog being carried by a man halloween party, woman dressed as cowgirl posing, hugging, another woman

Halloween party, night time, outdoors,

Halloween party, night time, outdoors, man in black and white striped prison shirt

middle aged couple posing with man in white drag outfit, slip, wig, lots of necklaces and jewellery, Halloween party, night time, outdoors,

Halloween party, night time, outdoors, women in head scarves and long coatsSpider

Halloween photo, people look at, grimace at, and take photos of a person in a strange insect-like costume with lights on the legs (or appendages)

Union Station and beyond

Posted: August 19, 2023 in construction, locations, people, public art, transportation
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Welcome back!

one of the statues of Maple Leaf hockey players,

below: Posing with the men of Legends Row

people taking picture

below: The CN Tower peaks out from behind glass buildings on Bremner.

CN Tower peaking out from behind galss buildings on Bremner, reflections in the glass too

below: A slightly different angle, but still looking west on Bremner towards the Rogers Centre, which of course everyone still calls the SkyDome. The very east end of Bremner is also known as Raptors Way in celebration of the Toronto Raptors NBA Championship win in 2019 (that’s basketball for those of you who don’t follow such things).

Bremner street scene, Longos, people, Rogers Centre in the background

below: Maple Leaf Square.  The three rusted metal cones form  “Search Light, Star Light, Spot Light” (1998) by John McEwen.  At night, light shines through the thousand star shaped holes in the metal.

3 large conical structures as public art, with star shaped holes in them, in front of Union Station

below: South entrance to Union Station.

south entrance of Union Station, at Maple Leaf Square, with tall office buildings behind,

below:  More public art with lights can be seen in the foyer at 25 York Street (enter at Union Station in photo above and turn left). Thirty thousand lights suspended from the ceiling and they are constantly changing colour.   This is David Rokeby’s “Pixel Cube”.

 

light art installation suspended from high ceiling, titled pixel cube,

below: If you had turned right instead of left into 25 York,  you would find yourself in the foyer of Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Pictured, larger than life on the wall, are 90 Ryan O’Reilly, 16 Mitch Marner, and 88 William Nylander.

picture on interior wall at one of the entrances to Scotiabank arena, showing portraits of 3 maple leaf hockey players

west entrance to scotiabank arena, interior shot, Canadian flags hanging from ceiling, reflections in polished floor, people,

a family of four with suitcases passes through entrance to Union station from scotiabank arena, with large picture of a Maple Leaf hockey player watching them

below: Russell Peters gives directions?

sign inside Union Station, on a large picture of comedian Russell Peters, directional signs showing York and Bay concourses as well as GO station and TTC

below: Although much of the Union Station renovation is complete, there are still mystery parts behind temporary walls and plastic barriers.

man walking with a cane, inside hallways of union station where there is still construction and renovation going on

people inside union station, at top of escalator for GO regional trains

union station, escalator, upper level with clear railing, advert on pillar

below: The walk from the railway side of the station to the TTC portion is now covered.  No more dodging the elements!

covered space between railway station at union station and entrance to TTC subway

construction and maintenence equipment like a wheelbarrow kept behind a green mesh fence, with danger due to construction signs on it

people walking down exterior stairs, union station

two men outside union station one in black pants, white shirt, and black tie standing and a construction worker in orange and yellow vest sitting on railing with back to camera

below: Construction on Bay Street, immediately north of the railway tracks.

construction of a tall building, steel frame of lower floors completed, tall crane, Bay street

below: A typical day in downtown Toronto?  Construction vehicles caught in the gridlock.

flatbed truck loaded with metal pipes, n Bay street, in traffic, with pedestrians waiting beside the road to cross over

pasteups and sticker graffiti on a red newspaper box with the word free on it

below: Intersection of Bay and Front (that truck is still there!).

a man on a scooter and other traffic at bay and front streets

below: At street level, something is happening with the gold tinted glass windows on the Royal Bank building.  No opportunities to play with reflections in the angled glass walls.   As an aside, if you want to discover how many plainclothes security people are lurking in the area, put your camera over the wall and aim it at the building.  Then smile.

construction zone around the base of the royal bank building at bay and front, a gold tinted glass building

below: Heading north, Bay and Wellington

people crossing wellington street on bay, pedestrians, tall buildings on either side of the street

teo men hugging each other in greeting as another man with bright blue sunglasses and pink shorts walks past

a workman repairs the large wide stairs on bay with passersby looking at him

a man in an orange and yellow work vests rests against a billboard sign for tangerine

a couple walk their bike on king street

around the Distillery, June 2023 version

Posted: July 6, 2023 in locations, old buildings, people, public art
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below: The sparrows around Balzacs Coffee shop are as brazen as ever.  If you decide to lure them away by throwing crumbs elsewhere, the pigeons will join in the fun.

small sparrow at edge of round table, outside, balzacs coffee

people sitting outside at balzacs coffee at distillery district, yellow umbrellas,

below: East entrance to the Distillery, on Cherry Street.  I suspect that everyone who visits the Distillery takes this photo.

east entrance to Distillery District at Cherry street, with large Distillery District sign overhead

below: Part of a display of some of the products produce by the Gooderham and Worts distillery over the years.  The distillery complex built by Gooderham and Worts started producing spirits in 1862.  At one time it was the largest employer in Toronto.  It also once produce half the spirits made in Canada.

part of a display of liquor bottles, some of the gooderham and worts distillery products over the years, Ballentines, and Hiram Walker products, Government House rum,

below: There are now many old photos of the Gooderham and Worts distillery from years past scattered around the Distillery District.   This one is ” The Office Entrance”.  The door is still there, as are many other features seen in the photo.

little green metal door in brick wall at Distillery, with a copy of an old black and white photo of a distillery building

woman in pink head scarf and dark sunglasses, sitting outside brick building at distillery district, smoking a cigaretts

 

pride flag in a window box in the distillery

below: Approaching Parliament, with the large heart painted in rainbow colours for Pride month (June).

 

rainbow heart in distillery

below: Home is Toronto

black and white sign on brick wall that says home is toronto

below: Old millstone from the windmill that pre-dates the dsitillery.

large stone, round with hole in middle, plaque attached, old millstone from the distillery, made in 1832

“This millstone brought from England on the schooner ‘Kingston’ to the town of York 1832 was used for grinding grain in the historic windmill of Gooderham & Worts. The windmill stood 52 feet southwest by south of this point. It was the eastern limit of the famous ‘Old Windmill Line” on which the original plan of the city of Toronto was based.”

below: Note on the bakery door – Please make sure that the pigeon doesn’t come in with you! Patty the pigeon wasn’t there the time that I went in.

sign in a window of a door that says don't let the pigeon in when you open the door

below: The line of painted head and torsos is back.  The shapes are all the same but each has bee painted by a different artist.  They are part of the  ‘6ix Art Outdoor’ exhibit.

a woman sits on a stool in the distillery district, with a small white dog,

below: Two of the sculptures still under wraps. This is at 6least the second time that they have been on display.  They were lined up in same place last August.  If you want more information about them, I blogged about the 6ix Art Outdoor last year.  (follow link).

two painted human torso and head forms

banner of pennant shaped flags in rainbow colours, over two sculptures with human forms, torso and head

barrel of flowers on a rock wall in front of a line of sculptures

large spider sculpture in the distillery

a woman in a white dress and cowboy hat poses beside an old rusty truck

distillery district roofine

looking through a blue metal cutout of a mexican day of the dead couple, to a restaurant on the other side

locks attached to a metal structure on a brick wall, love sign in distillery

reflections in a small gallery window

a couple walking in the distillery, he has bright red dyed hair

below: The inflatable couches are there because through July there are night time showings of various movies, Italian movies for the most part I think.

a family eating ice cream while seated in the distillery district

below: Painting by Terran McNeely for Pride 2023.

painting by Terren McNeely, pride 2023, man with inverted rainbow pyramid in his hand

below: Development notice sign on Mill Street.

broken bike at bike stand on Mill Street, by blue and white development notice sign beside brick building

below: One of the buildings on Distillery Lane is being refurbished.  Yellow crane is for new development on Parliament.

view at south end of Distillery, just north of Gardiner, looking west towards CN Tower, many cranes, large billboard

below: There is now a hole on Parliament!

construction site on parliament, large hole in the ground with distillery district in the background, cranes

below: … a very big hole!

construction site on parliament, large hole in the ground

below: And I’ll end this post with a sigh…. some people

trash, used coffee cups and an empty bowl and plastic spoon, left on a window sill, flower box in front of it

Canada Day on the waterfront

Posted: July 1, 2023 in locations, people, waterfront
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front of restaurant, patio, canadian flag, happy canada day sign, rainbow umbrella

a couple stand together at the edge of the waterfront, by Lake Ontario

looking west along waterfront towards boats docked and silos at the foot of Bathurst street

Empire Sandy tall ship with three masts is moored or docked in Toronto harbour

William Lyon Mackenzie fire rescue tug, red, boat, in Toronto harbour

people on the back of a large boat, looking at man working on smaller boat moored beside it

on the waterfront, people walking past small lake cruise boat

young girl walking a dog while looking at her phone, on the waterfront, walking past a boat

a woman in bright orange shorts jogs along the waterfront in front of a green park and wood bench

the words life is beautiful written in yellow on the concrete walkway on waterfront

two people putting a red kayak in the water while a third person is in a blue kayak already on the water

kayak on Lake Ontario

looking through a rack of upside down kayaks towards the rest of the waterfront

a woman site by herself on a bench

a mother and daughter sitting on a bench eating ice cream

a man in a pink shirt takes a selfie in front of the Empire sandy boat on the waterfront

rigging, ropes and chains from a boat in the foreground, kayaks on the water in the distance

people walking past

cyclists on the Martin goodman trail

a bored looking woman witting on a concrete barrier, holding her bike in front of her, by the waterfront

a man in a white hat holds his bike, while standing

gift shop selling canada day souveniers

queens quay at waterfront, red beaver tails store and gift shop, condos, people,

three people talking, standing in a park

two young men sitting by waterfront, each reaches his hand towards the other

man sitting in red muskoka chair under yellow umbrella, toronto waterfront, sand

kids playing in a splash pad at sugar beach

kids playing in a splash pad at sugar beach

woman in thong bikini laying prone, sun tanning, sugar beach

standing by Lake Ontario, a father holds a young child while another stands beside

woman on bicycle with a trailer full of furniture

two women, one on a bike by a blue truck, on in red head scarf and black and white polka dot skirt,

Pride 2023

Posted: June 26, 2023 in events, people
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Sunday’s Pride parade and related antics

Pride is big.  By big I mean soooo many people and places happening all at once.    I take pictures on that Sunday because I like mingling with the crowds, talking to people, and taking pictures of people who want their picture taken.  Although I am happy to take posed shots, I prefer the candid shots.   This set of photos is by no means comprehensive – that’s an impossible task.  Instead it represents the people and events that I saw as I walked up Church Street, checked out the marshaling area for the parade, and then tried to find shady spots to stand to watch the parade itself (another impossibility!)… until I got too tired.

woman carrying one part of a large pink, white, and turquoise trans flag, with crowd watching the parade behind barricades beside her

before parade, group of three people, one with long green hair and another with pink hair, posing,

two people walking in pride parade, large blue fuzzy hair wigs, orange boas, rainbow bows in the hair

Brazilian Bees walking in pride parade

group at beginning of pride parade

woman walking in pride parade, crowds behind her

person in white cat face mask with pink ears walking behind banner in pride parade

man at pride parade wearing shiny pink boots, knee high

getting ready for pride parade, group, one person has sign that says doctors prescribe gay pride

man in drag in pride parade, sequin dress, red jacket,

people on sidewalk with popsicles, pride parade,

group with feather costumes walking in pride parade

friends of Ruby float in pride parade passes by on Dundas Street

pflag group in pride parade, with signs saying we can be your family, and you are beautiful,

person in pride parade

black motorcycle decorated for pride parade, rainbow flag with words written on it that say dyke on bike, pride was a riot

two men and a rainbow umbrella, one in pink bikini bottoms and both in fuzzy rainbow coloured leg warmers

john tory, ex mayor of toronto, walks on church street before the pride parade

men in pink t shirts in parade singing and yelling

group in pride parade in yellow t shirts that say my first pride

before pride parade, man in drag, white frilly dress with bow in hair

three women watching the pride parade

two women, from the back, arms around each other

young woman with bright pink hair and a rainbow teddy bear in her backpack

group in pride parade, men in pink t shirts

people waving small rainbow flags as a float passes by

at beginning of pride parade, trans group, with signs saying protect trans kids and I love my trans son

pride parade, two in rainbow masks

people watching pride parade and Yonge and Dundas, standing up on railing around subway entrance

two middle aged asian women walking on sidewalk beside crowds watching pride parade, one is wearing black floppy hat

man walking on sidewalk in blue overalls with crotch removed

three people watching parade, man in hat and long robe in wavy colours, vintage clothing,

man in a grey t shirt and rainbow tulle skirt

two boys and their mother wearing t shirts that say peace respect unity

a person in blue and white striped bottoms and a matching frilly bonnet

a security guard stands beside a man using a large video camera, along side a row of porta potties

a woman in round sunglasses with a crocheted shoulder band and skirt

a woman taking a picture of two other women in front of a mural on Wellesley

four people posing under a rainbow umbrella inclusing one person in an animal mask

4 asian japanese women posing for the camera before the pride parade,

cameras and people interviewing before pride parade

small dog in a stroller with pride rainbow flag

man standing on a step stool behind crowd at pride parade

 

woman in pink bikini, watching pride parade

 

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