Photos from the annual Church Street Hallowe’en party this year:
Here are a few photos from a recent visit to Craven Road, one of my favorite streets. The last time I posted about it was “Craven Road once more“, in May 2019. That’s almost three years! – it doesn’t seem like that long ago but then again I find that COVID has really messed with my sense of passing time. Anyhow, it’s always interesting to see what remains, what’s new, and what has just been rearranged.
below: Part of the fence
below: Back in 2019 the clock read 12:10. Time has passed.
below: The sheep have been here for years (since at least 2015) and they are starting to show their age. The other two images are recent additions.
below: Abstracts in blues
below: An upside down Q for the little red man.
below: I am hoping that the painting on the right says “The Great White North” …
below: Even the mask has a mask
below: Rubber boots, rubber gloves and a white hat make for a dashing figure.
below: Some newer landscapes
below: …. and last, another two oldies of the feline variety.
Welcome to Kensington market!
It’s very different here before the stores open and there aren’t many people out and about.
below: Do you remember Mr. Cod and Chinese Leader Mao?
below: Fancy bath tubs galore on the shower curtain in the window.
below: Yin and yang in the corner with tbonez and Cosmo Cam
My walk the other day started with a coffee and a croissant from Broadview Espresso, just north of the Danforth. It was a bit chilly and damp to be eating & drinking outside but that’s the way of the world at the moment, at least in Toronto. At least walking helps keep you warm! Anyhow, just outside the coffee shop was a sidewalk unicorn painted by whatsvictorupto. There was one on each of the 4 corners of the intersection of Broadview and Pretoria. Here are two of them.
whether you’re walking
or on a bike
there’s always something to see along the Danforth or behind in its alleys.
There are windows to look in
below: A great assortment of Covid masks
below: Multilingual covid signs on the window of the Greek grocery – where shelves with oregano, tomato paste, pasta, coffee beans, grape juice, eggplant, and candy are all display.
There is more street art and graffiti to find, sometimes at your feet
below: Grounded Together, A painting by Caitlin Taguibao on the sidewalk
and sometimes closer to eye level.
below: Skull and sticker
Posters with social/political messages can also be found.
below: End White supremacy above, and now a poster re stats in Toronto “Black people in Toronto are 20 times more likely to be shot and killed by the police”. Source: from the Human Rights Commission, 2018.
In this case, wake up and see the climate crisis. A faded bee on pink juxtaposed with the black, red, and white butterfly painted on the street box.
below: I get the no peeing part. I suspect that those aren’t eggs and this is a warning? or a threat?
And then there is artwork of a different kind – on the front of St. Irene Chrisovalantoy Greek Orthodox Church built in 1974
stained glass over the front entrance, from the inside
Even on a grey day there are colours to be found, not just in the artwork and stained glass windows, but in the nature around us.
below: Some sunshine in bloom
below: autumn vines with a street art background
below: This tree dominates with its abundance of red leaves. You may have also spotted the murals in the background.
below: These are the murals in the second Butterfly Laneway project (2018). Check this link (metamorphosis in the lane) to see all the murals.
below: One of the murals is carefully put aside while work is done on the back of this house.
below: More renovations. Apparently, people staying home because of covid = a boom in home renovations. Both Home Depot and Lowes reported increases in revenue for the second quarter of 2020, both were more than expected.
below: The unusual roofline and trim on these two houses caught my eye. I also love the fact that they are attached yet have a distinct character of their own. Brick vs stone, little peaked roof over the door vs. green and white metal awning, rectangular window vs bay window. Like identical twins trying to be their own person.
Danforth subway line, Donlands station. Ten years ago, it was decided that Donlands station needed a second exit and that it would be on the corner of Strathmore and Donlands, One building, 17 and 19 Dewhurst would have to be torn down to make way for the new exit. 19 Dewhurst was sold to the city in 2018 and just last year the property at 17 Dewhurst was expropriated.
Across the street at 14 Dewhurst, the old Temple Baptist Church (1925) is being redeveloped as condos, the Sunday School Lofts.
The home remodeling business may be doing well but the restaurants are hurting. As of the end of October, indoor dining in Toronto was prohibited.
below: Abyssinia restaurant. One of the many different ethnic restaurants along the Danforth. Although it is still referred to as Greektown, and the Greek influence is still strong, you can eat a wide range of foods from different cultures. As you move east along the Danforth, there is a strong African (especially Ethiopian) presence.
below: Did you know that gourmet cinnamon rolls was a thing? Did I run across the street to buy one? (Almost!!).
below: The northwest corner of Danforth and Donlands. You can choose between halal chicken and pizza, or dim sum.
Other little graffiti stickers, posters, and paste-ups:
below: Another flying bicycle
below: Mad Dog Wrecking Crew
below: A very sad man
below: Checkerboard sneaker and a big tooth-ed skull by mr. Toon.
below: The paper is torn but it is: “She clasped my face in her bones and kissed silence into my mouth” a quote by Amiri Bakara (I saw one exactly the same in Kensington last summer).
below: With a car parked in its mouth
below: Does the blue haired woman know whats lurking behind her?
Happy November – let’s keep walking and see what we can see along the way…. and in case you need help…!
“Social norms has been reset to factory settings”
I’m not sure what the above words mean or imply but I do know that we’ve all been impacted by Covid in one way or another. The city seems to be moving along albeit more slowly than usual. Sections of the city have fared better than others. In fact, it would be very easy to portray segments of Toronto as being in trouble.
Here the road is closed to vehicles for Open Streets (the last Sunday of September).
We are missing events. All those things that I like to take pictures at and blog about – the parades, the street festivals, and even the protests. With more people staying at home, no tourists on the streets, and events going virtual, it’s a much quieter city.
below: This was the last weekend of TIFF and you wouldn’t know anything was happening.
below: In past years, King Street closes for TIFF activities. This year there was none of that – no crowds jostling for a look at a celebrity or two, no booths selling things.
below: These little “patios” have been carved out of some downtown streets to help restaurants stay open during these COVID days. It’s a great idea for the warmer months. Although the city now allows propane heaters on the street, I am not sure how many people are going to want to have dinner outside in December.
below: The Royal Alex Theatre is still set up for “Come From Away”
below: A nearby restaurant still has its St. Patricks Day green on display.
below: Roy Thomson Hall in the foreground with downtown buildings in the background, as seen from Metro Hall.
below: New public art on Adelaide… this is “Dreaming” by Jaume Plensa. She’s three storeys high and I wouldn’t be surprised if she is dreaming of the days when we didn’t need masks. How long until someone gives her a mask?
below: Reflections with security guard
below: The steeple of St. Andrews Presbyterian church
below: Mother and daughter cycling together
below: The cows are still in their pasture, unfazed by the changes around them.
below: The next two photos were taken while I was standing in among the tall black towers of the Toronto Dominion Centre. The first view is to the southwest towards the CN Tower.
below: The second view is to the northeast.
below: The Canada Permanent building on Bay street is getting a cleaning.
below: This is one of the Bank of Montreal buildings, also on Bay Street.
below: Window washers
below: Pearl Street, looking east. Old brick buildings in the foreground with their modern counterparts shining in the background.
below: The west end of Pearl Street.
below: I found a person!
below: Looking north up University Avenue
below: The Shangri-La hotel and Momofuko restaurant with it’s weird sculpture “Rising” by Zhang Huan at street level (also University Ave). Masses of “peace pigeons” cover the surface.
below: Looking the other way on University Ave, south past Richmond to Adelaide and beyond.
below: Preservation of a large brick facade on Adelaide.
below: Waiting for the lights to change
below: Under the heading of “somethings never change”, there are always photoshoots in front of Osgoode Hall. Presumably this photo or one similar can be found somewhere on instagram?
below: Arranging the veil.
below: With a the pigeon by the Eaton Centre.
below: Mr. Ryerson keeps changing colour. Apparently he was more red not that long ago. Rather than remove the red paint, he was “cleaned up” by painting him this shade of green. He probably doesn’t realize it but he’s become a controversial figure. He may have been one of the first to establish public schools but he also played a role in the creation of residential schools for the indigenous population. Because of the latter, there has been some people advocating for the removal of this statue.
This statue was unveiled in 1889. It stands in front of an ivy covered building that started its life as Toronto’s first teacher’s college (1847).
below: Queen Street West
below: This yellow birdie, at least in sticker form, may be on the verge of extinction. An Uber5000 creation that can also be found on several of his murals around the city.
As I write this, the number of Covid cases in Toronto (and all of Ontario) have gone back up. Although we were hopeful that we were wrong, was there ever any question that things would get worse before they got better? Are we more complacent? Maybe. But let’s hope that we are also wiser this time around.
Another year of jack o’lanterns and giant spiders
and other creative spooky and creepy decorations. Clowns and pumpkin heads.
And even bunnies can be fearsome. Bunny with baseball bat.
It’s a time for dressing up in costumes and having fun…. for kids
…. and for adults (night time photos taken on Church street)
below: What’s scarier than Donald Trump? Three Trumps! Thrice the thrills.
Not everyone was scary – look at these cute and cuddly animals!
Smurfs!
Even Marilyn stopped for a picture.