Good morning! The weather forecast said that there was a chance of drizzly rain and they were right but it wasn’t that much and it didn’t last for long. Not the best day for sunny blue sky photos of the city, but since when has that held us back?
below: You probably don’t recognize where this photo was taken (unless you are familiar with the Victoria Hotel). This is Yonge Street, just south of King subway station, and it is also where I started walking the other day….
below: Contrasts of old and new at the corner of Yonge and Wellingon. Architectural trends as well as the material used are a product of their time.
below: The old stone entrance with a large circular window over the door and an arch that matches those over the other windows. There are also little details in the stonework that you just don’t see in modern buildings.
below: The more recent development to all glass buildings with oversized (i.e. extra tall) ground floor levels.
below: But such extensive use of glass is not entirely new. Downtown skyscrapers have been built using steel frames and glass since the 1960s. I think that the TD bank tower was one of the first, if not the first, in 1967. But that’s not this building… this is part of the large RBC complex on Bay Street between Wellington and Front. The bright pink plants along the sidewalk are wonderful!
below: The south part of the RBC building is very photogenic! Its gold coloured glass as well as its angles and nooks make for some interesting pictures. The older stone Union Station is hiding in the bottom left corner.
below: A recent addition to the streetscape in front of Union Station are these bland blocks of concrete. Such imagination! So much thought went into their design! Really? That’s what someone thought would be a great addition to Front Street?
below: There were some complaints about the older ones… the Jersey barriers that were meant to be temporary but then never went away…. in fact, many of them are still here….
There are 2 art installations in the West Wing at Union Station. The first is a group exhibit, “A Transit Through Time” featuring six Black artists – Destinie Adélakun, Pixel Heller, Segun Caezar, Heritier Bilaka, Rico Poku and Camille Kiffin. Each artist is responsible for one panel…
below: The picture in the foreground, the woman with a red head scarf and blue blouse, is the work of Segun Caezar.
below: “Gelede Queens” by Destinie Adelakun – people in ornate costumes pose in front of a large fireplace and mirror. According to UNESCO, “Gelede is performed by the Yoruba-Nago community that is spread over Benin, Nigeria and Togo. For more than a century, this ceremony has been performed to pay tribute to the primordial mother Iyà Nlà and to the role women play in the process of social organization and development of Yoruba society. “
below: “Self Knowledge” by Heritier Bilaka
below: This large butterfly, by Jordan Sook, is part of another installation called, “Nothing More, Nothing Less”. Apparently there are more butterflies around Union Station. Have you seen any?
below: Ontario Square between Queen’s Quay and the waterfront where a large image from Alex McLeod’s “Liquid, Gold” can still be seen. I wrote a blog past about this picture and others from this series a year ago, “Liquid, Gold and other matters“
below: This “Carnavale Amulet” basket is made of glass and was created by Laura Donefer. It is on display at Harbourfront along with several other of her pieces.
below: A few boats are docked in the harbour. The bridge over the harbour is no longer just blocked, but is now severed.
below: Protecting the young trees
below: Dead and not alive; dead and dead. Patio season on the waterfront hasn’t begun yet.
below: On the south wall of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery a very large photograph by June Clark still hangs. This is left over from last year’s CONTACT Photography Festiva.
below: Getting ready to clean up the city?!
below: Still quiet now, but getting ready for summer…. water taxis to take people to Centre Island.
below: Patriotic red and white, but a very sad Canadian flag.
below: Love Park on the southeast corner of York and Harbour is now complete. This public space was created when the exit ramp from the Gardiner to York Street was removed. It is difficult to see from ground level photos, but the pond is heart shaped.
below: A beaver has made its home in the pond.
below: There is also an owl that has a great birds eye view of the park. Someone else has a great view too!
below: Looking north on York from Harbour Street towards the Gardiner Expressway and beyond. Love Park was behind me to the right when I took this photo.
The old multi level parking garage at Lower Simcoe and the Lakeshore is on its way down. Demolition is well underway.
below: Dwarfed by the new condos around it, the stairwell and elevator shaft from the garage stands on its own. Whose picture is at the top? Someone blowing a giant bubble – must be quite the wad of gum!
below: The other stairwell.
below: “Don’t trespassing”!
below: The demolition as view from the other side of Lakeshore Blvd.
below: A lot of concrete! Under the ramp to the Gardiner
below: The northeast corner of York and Lakeshore
below:
below: York Street at Lakeshore Blvd where the old green Gardiner Expressway travels directly above the Lakeshore
below: Just after taking the above photo, there was much noise from the honking of horns, as this black car decided to take a short cut to the ramp by going north in the southbound lane on York Street.
And last, a shout out to the Toronto Maple Leafs as I walk through the Scotiabank Centre back to the subway. As I write this, the Leafs tied at two games apiece with the Florida Panthers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Go Leafs Go!
below: Carlton in his regular blue and white attire as well as in his St. Pats costume. Love the curly wig and the clover leaf shaped glasses! You can catch Carlton in the store at Scotiabank arena (along with a lot of other Toronto team paraphernalia!).
as I walk Toronto 