Posts Tagged ‘people’

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

 

Dyke March 2023

Posted: June 25, 2023 in events, people
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 The crowd was enthusiastic.


The motorcycles were noisy.

people walking in dyke March, two women on a red motorcycle, with one on the back is cheering and carrying a rainbow flag

The rain stayed away.

dykes on bikes, two women getting ready for pride parade,

people walking in dyke March, woman dancing in front of a white vehicle

people walking in dyke March including a black woman with long braids in black and pink tied up on the top of her head,

people walking in dyke March, woman in black helmet sitting on white scooter

dyke march, pride toronto, woman in black hat, short black top and carrying pink orange and white striped flag

dyke march, pride toronto, purple, pink, and orange striped banner that reads dyke march

group pf women at dyke march in downtown toronto, carrying signs, one says no pride without bipoc and the other says protect trans rights

group pf women at dyke march in downtown toronto, carrying signs that say fuck the patriarchy and watching out for sisters

dyke march, person with purple mohawk hairdo

dyke march parade, young woman in blue, dark sunglasses and blue kerchief, smiling

two woman on Bloor street, pride weekend, in matching blue and white small striped dresses, one holding a clear umbrellas with rainbow decoration

group pf women at dyke march in downtown toronto, two are topless, with no cops at pride written on chest another is in a wheelchair

group pf women at dyke march in downtown toronto,

group of women at dyke march in downtown toronto,

group pf women at dyke march in downtown toronto, with paper fans and playing withbubbles

group pf women at dyke march in downtown toronto, one woman heavily tattooed on back and shoulders

group pf women at dyke march in downtown toronto,

group pf women at dyke march in downtown toronto, back of person with short hair, and pink hearts dyed into the hair

people behind metal barricades watching a parade, dyke march

women walking in dyke march

women walking in dyke march, carrying anti Islamic regime signs, signs with women, life, freedom

woman carrying large cutout of a person holding a rainbow flag with words women life freedom

thousands of bubbles, Bloor Street, beside parade route

dyke march, pride toronto, two women, one with pink playboy jacket on

dyke march, pride toronto, people watching parade pass by on Bloor street

dyke march, pride toronto, people walking in parade, some with bubble blowing guns, some with flags

dyke march, pride toronto, woman with flag held up high, placard that reads this is what queer joy looks like

two happy women marching in dyke parade for pride 2023 in Toronto, one has green hair and a rainbow flag tucked into the waistband of her skirt

people walking in dyke March, two women arriving to the march with signs

people walking in dyke March, walking beside a white vehicle, a woman carrying a rainbow flag above her head

3 little orange, white, and pink striped flags tucked into the waistband of a pink dress

women in dyke march along Bloor street in Toronto, woman in yellow bra holding a sign, sticking her tongue out at camera

women in dyke march along Bloor street in Toronto, red head younger woman with her arm around the shoulders of an older woman

a woman in hat, mask, and on a bike with a carrier covered in flowers and pins

women in dyke march along Bloor street in Toronto, two women at edge of parade, one with rainbow fan and the other with rainbow flag

dyke march, women walking down Yonge street including two women pretending to be Larry and Steve, candidates for mayor in the Toronto by election. they have red platform high heeled shoes around their necks, as their election platform

women in dyke march along Bloor street in Toronto, a group poses with candidate in mayor election, Olivia Chow

women in dyke march along Bloor street in Toronto, younger woman in pink dress, other woman walking behind holding hands

people walking in dyke March, one with large reflective mask on as well as black hat

family of mother, father, and daughter, standing on yonge street watching dyke march pass by

a pair of rainbow boots, with white ankle socks, in dyke march

there’s always something at Yonge & Dundas!

Posted: May 24, 2023 in locations, people
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TTC streetcars on Dundas at Yonge street

two men talking, one holding a large white banner with blue chinese writing on it. Some English words, Heaven will soon eliminate the CCP, secret china .com and epoch times,

small group watching a street performer at yonge and dundas, one black man is holding a guitar, a woman with a phone, another man putting a coin into a can

four men standing on the sidewalk watching a street performer

sign on Comics Cafe, store now closed, with C in Cafe missing, a picture of superman

a woman in a red jacket stands in the doorway of a double decker tour bus as a man walks past

woman in short shorts and fuzzy brown slippers waits for a bus

man yelling in Japanese, wearing black outfit and a head band with large red dot on it, beside sign that says

people looking at comic books tht are lined up on a cloth on the sidewalk, for sale

man standing on sidewalk with dog on a leash, looking at his phone

a garbageman in orange t shirt and large black bag walks past intersection of Yonge and Dundas, cyclist waiting for the traffic light to change

two young women smiling as they watch street performer

a woman wearing a blue dress and a hat walks past a store window with many reflections

two men talking together, one has a long white beard and white hair

an older black man is sticking his hand in a fountain at Yonge and Dundas

turning green…

Posted: May 15, 2023 in graffiti and street art, nature
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… with touches of pinks and other colours.  Spring time!

Here are a few photos of spring in the city that I collected as I walked in the past few weeks.

CN tower behind spring buds and new growth on trees

below: Spring time … when all the bugs and insects come out!

a large stuffed caterpillar on a deck of a house

below: As do the trees….  including this massive pink magnolia in full bloom.

a large pink magnolia tree in a front yard

a house with a large white blossom tree in the front yard

below: Flowers on a grave

York cemetery, tombstones in foreground, tall buildings of North York in the background

Ryerson university, Balzacs coffee, yellow umbrellas outside on spring day, people sitting outside, some people walking past

a man sits on a red bench on Pape Ave., East York

Pinehills cemetery, stones in the oreground, blossom trees in spring in the middle, and apartment building with blue features in the background

two houses on a street, with condo in background, spring, double car garages, white brick, black roofs, large tree in front

front yard, black metal trellis, blossom trees, one yellow tulip, fake stone front of house, stone walkway, brown wood fence, single white door for front door

a man wearing only shorts lies on a bench

back staircase of a brick building, upper apartment, with blue and pink planters on the stairs

metal box on sidewalk, bell box, painted with a monarch butterfly in a field of pale purple daisies

lots of dandelions in the grass by a sidewalk in front of a wall with street art on it, apartment building behind.

pussy willow in the foreground, tall buildings in the background

big old willow tree in spring in front of two houses

house with pale pink siding on upper floor, spring

Moving Toronto

Posted: May 12, 2023 in history, public art, transportation
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…for 100 years.  At the moment there is a selection of old TTC photos on display at Pape subway station in celebration of 100 years of Toronto Transit.

below: Already  lining the walls at Pape Station are images of Pape station itself and the surrounding neighbourhood. This is ‘Sources/Derivations’ by Allan Harding MacKay.   You can see the reflections of one of the old TTC photos in this section of MacKay’s artwork.

reflections of pape station sign, from the artwork on the walls of that station

The TTC posters are at platform level between the westbound and eastbound trains so you can look at them while waiting for a train.

below: First Pride bus, 2008

photo on display at pape subway station, from 2008, first Pride bus at Pride parade in Toronto, a woman in colourful clothes is walking in front of the bus

below: People waiting for the North Yonge bus at Eglinton station, 1950s

old photos of the TTC on display at Pape subway station, black and white photo old North Yonge bus at Eglinton station 1950s with people waiting to get on the bus. A stopped TTC subway car is behind the poster, a man in red is standing by the window

below: Waiting for the subway. “Line 1 customers ride the higher capacity Toronto Rocket (TR) subway train on its 2011 launch. By 2017, Line 1 had grown by 8.6 km.”

A subway train is stopped behind a poster at the station. on the poster is the back of a woman in a black parka with fur lined hood as she in turn is standing by a ttc subway train

below: Two posters, two eras. On the left: “A chartered TTC bus circles outside Rosedale station in 1961 as it awaits passengers.  Only one other station, Davisville, from the original 12 was a surface station.”  On the right: “Rushing to catch a Peter Witt streetcar along its Yonge Street route on a summer day in 1930.

people waiting on the platform of pape station, with posters of history of ttc on display

below: “A TTC car picks up scholars with disabilities outside their school in the 1920s.”  A couple with their COVID masks on sit in front of more images from ‘Sources/Derivations’ by artist Allan Harding MacKay.

an older Asian couple in covid masks sit on a bench at pape station platform, waiting for a train, posters of black and white old ttc photos on display between the tracks

below: “On a warm day in 1994, customers eagerly wait to board an Articulated Light Rail Vehicle streetcar along Queen Street at University Avenue.

platform level of pape subway station, woman on phone, artwork on walls by MacKay, poster of old TTC streetcar

reflections of building on Danforth ear Pape, tower with green domed roof, from the artwork on the walls of that station

Resilience at Cedarbrae

Posted: May 4, 2023 in events, public art
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“Resilience” is a photography exhibit at Cedarbrae Library.

part of exterior wall of Cedarbrae library, part window and part photography exhibit, large photos in black and white of people

It is the creation of Scarborough Made.  This is a group founded by Alex Narvaez x Sid Naidu in 2019.  It uses photography and cinematography to document positive stories about the people of Scarborough with emphasis on identity and culture.

black and white photography, a couple standing outside a building, she in white sleeveless top and white pants, he in darker clothes

four large black and white portraits on exterior wall of glass windows Cedarbrae library, Resilience for ArtworxTO

words describing a photography exhibit, outdoors, at Cedarbrae library, Resilience by the group Scarborough Made,

“Resilience:
The ability to recover from challenges or adjust easily to change.

Resilience exists all around us.

We see it in the movers and shakers, the cultural change makers and creative instigators.

We see it in our neighbourhoods, from the small businesses to our healthcare and essential workers.

Resilience is what lives in our narratives and exists within our identity.

Our resilience as a community is stronger when we stick together.  With it, we can overcome the challenges and build towards a better future.

The portraits you see as part of this public art installation represent the many faces that embody resilience. Pulling from both past and present works of Scarborough Made artists, we’ve created this exhibit for you to see and reflect on the humanity that exists within our community.

Resilience is us
Resilience is you
Resilience is Scarborough. ”

cedarbrae library in scarborough, photography display

black and white portraits on display in windows of library

       Artists

  • Alicia Reid
  • Ferdinand Orlain
  • Millicent Amurao
  • Nithursan Elamuhilan
  • Alex Narvaez x Sid Naidu

at Croft and College

Posted: April 1, 2023 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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Most of these murals were painted in the summer of 2020.

below: “Protect your energy”

a painting on the side of a wall on Croft Ave., by elicser elliott, of two people with text protect your energy

below:A raccoon in pinks and purples, by Jeff Blackburn

mural featuring a large raccoon head in shades of pink and purple
part of a collaboration mural on a wall, yellow popsicle by Jeff Blackburn and an ebony jewelwing damselfly on a leaf by Nick Sweetman

below: by Nick Sweetman – two ebony jewelwings, a male and female along with a partially submerged frog with its tongue ready for action.  Jewelwings are a species of damselfly.

mural on a wall by Nick Sweetman, ebony jewelwing damselfly, frog with long tongue partially submerged in water

below: GETSO (or Getsofacto)

street art piece with trash bins in alley

below: A larger than life grinning Cheshire Cat by Christina Mazzulla.

below: Some people by Elicser Elliott hanging out in a doorway.

below: Love in the alleyshort metal pole in front of hydro meters painted purple, a sticker on the pole along with the word love in paint

Photos taken January 2023

Winter Stations 2023

Posted: March 21, 2023 in events, public art
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Winter stations 2023, as in previous years, is a collection of art installations along the waterfront at Woodbine Beach.  I went for a walk along the beach one very blustery Saturday morning.  There weren’t many of us there and I think that I was the only one who wasn’t accompanied by a dog.

below: ‘Delighthouse’, designed by British pair Nick Green and Greig Pirrie.

winter stations installation at Woodbine Beach, multicoloured wood lighthouse shaped structure

below: A shrine to the neighbourhoods of Toronto titled “The (Home)” designed by Canadian group, Scott Shields Architects

winter stations installation at Woodbine Beach, plywood hut with cut out on the sides spelling out the names of Toronto neighbourhoods. Different colours of plastic covering the names,

a portion of the wall without coloured names of Toronto neighbourhoods such as High Park and Lakeview

below: “Ripple Hut” designed by students from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Department of Architectural Sciences.

winter stations installation at Woodbine Beach, metal semi cylindrical structures with holes in them

below: Looking through one of the holes in “Ripple Hut” towards the curved yellow forms of “Surface Pavilion” which was designed by a Mexican team consisting of Cesar Guerrero, Ana Cecilia Garza, and Orlando Garcia .

looking through the holes of a metal art installation structure, beach

below: “Winternet”, just burlap between wood posts.   Designed, such as it is, by a team from University of Waterloo, Dept of Architecture.

winter stations installation at Woodbine Beach, burlap wrapped around wood posts forming a few burlap fences of about 6 feet in height

coloured muskoka chairs on the beach, with burlap fence in the foreground

below: “Life Line” – design team: WeatherstonBruer Associates – James Bruer, Nick Roland, Jacqueline Hampshire

winter stations installation at Woodbine Beach, long red tube leading to lifeguard station

winter stations installation at Woodbine Beach, round red circle with words drop ball here painted on it

winter stations installation at Woodbine Beach,

below: “Conrad” is a large raccoon designed by Novak Djogo and Daniel Joshua Vanderhorst; it is also a memorial to Conrad the real raccoon who died at the corner of Church and Yonge Streets in the summer of 2015.  Whether you love them, hate them, or are indifferent to them, raccoons are part of the Toronto scene.

winter stations installation at Woodbine Beach, large raccoon made of wood and semi-clear plastic

stones and flowers and a picture of a raccoon forming part of a memorial for Conrad the raccoon

_________________________

Some previous years’ installations:

2017 – Flotsam and Jetsam

Winter Stations 2019

Winter Stations 2020

On the waterfront – Winter Stations 2022

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