Posts Tagged ‘reflections’

Danforth – Woodbine – Gerrard

Posted: April 7, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, history, locations, reflections, stores, transportation
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or thereabouts…

below: Starting point, Woodbine and Danforth

below: Small Mediah painting in the doorway, Danforth

small street art mural by mediah in the entrance to a store, people on the sidewalk, Danforth

below: Another Mediah mural, on the railway underpass on Woodbine just south of Danforth

mural by mediah, geometric shapes and colours, on an underpass

below: And again, in an alley south of Gerrard.

below: East End Love

tall narrow mural beside sidewalk on the Danforth, East End Love

below: “Humming on Woodbine”  – A hummingird and a young woman with daffodils in yellow and purple, a mural by Blazeworks at Woodbine and Danforth.

mural painted by Blazeworks in 2023, called humming on woodbine

below: Closer-up version  –  an old streetcar (when did they stop running on Danforth?  The TTC operated streetcars on Danforth from 1923 until the subway opened in the 1960s.)

below: Two storey brick stores with square facades in front.  Rows like this can be found all over the city although in many places they are being replaced. This row has probably been here for a hundred years; this section of Danforth was developed between 1910 and 1930.  The streetcar provided a commuter route and facilitated growth to the east.  The opening of the Prince Edward Viaduct (Bloor Viaduct) over the Don River in 1918 made access to downtown and the rest of the city even easier.

row of two story brick stores on danforth

below: Some stores have added features such as this little peaked facade at the front and the fancy brick work around the windows.

two storey brick store front on danforth, with small peak in roof on on side

below: Window reflections

reflections in a window of a store on Danforth, cars and stores across the street can be seen.

below: Tims stands alone

two story building with a Tim Hortons, pale pink building, no buildings on either side of it, a woman in a pink coat walks past

below: Ghost sign on Danforth, Burnett Brothers Butchers, The House of Quality.  That would be Alfred and Horace Burnett.

ghost sign for Burnett Brothers Butchers of high quality, on old brick building on the Danforth

below: Remnants of streetcar tracks can also be found on Strathmore Blvd (behind Woodbine station) that abruptly end at Cedarvale

old streetcar tracks in a street, Strathmore Blvd., that come to an end.

below:  Drink Coca-Cola – an iconic red disc. As for the rest of the sign, the font and the style of sign is still seen in many places in Toronto.

old store, now a gallery, with red round drink coca cola sign, also old sign saying confectionery

below: Soaking up the sun in front of Atop Appliances

two people in a bus shelter, one standing, one sitting, in front of store called Atop Appliances which is an old grey building with a black shingle roof

below: Spring blossoms, pretty even if they aren’t real!

mural on the side of Value village, spring scene with blossom tree and green grass, bike share bikes in a row in front of the mural

below: A line of stars

painted along the side of a red brick building, beside driveway, two stripes, a narrow white stripe on top and a wider blue stripe below. On the blue, are eight pale orange stars

below: And stars on fences in an alley

2 large stars as decorations, on old fence in an alley, crooked fence, car parked in alley, dead leaves on the ground, mossy roof on garage next door

below: Aren’t doors fascinating?  Final Notice and 2nd Final Notice.  If a door is a title to the story that lies within, what is the story that would unfold here?

old black door, with yellow spray paint, three times, that says final notice, mailbox beside the door, number 2138, crooked concrete step

below: Many little pots in a sun-filled window, looks like an attempt to jump start spring planting.

row of old store fronts on gerrard, some now home, one has large window with greenish curtains, also a lot of little pots in the sunlight, perhaps growing seeds for spring planting

below: My favorite kind of Canada Geese.  They are quiet and don’t leave little messes behind.

front yard with decorations - in the shape of canada geese with red scarves around their necks

below: Lakeside campfire at sunset on a garage door

painting on a garage door, campfire on a granite outcropping beside a lake with pine trees around it, at sunset, sky in reds, oranges, and purples

below:  Poser bunnies in a mural on Gerrard

poser bunny mural on the side of a two storey structure on gerrard street

below:  I saw a lot of these posters that day – How to fold a fitted sheet.  Once upon a time such posters had a phone number written on little flaps that you could tear off.  Now we have the dreaded QR code.  Apparently there is now something called “quishing” which is QR code phishing (I am not calling this poster fake, I am just ranting about QR codes in general – like how annoying they are on menus because now everyone has to get their phones out).

poster on wood utility pole with the title How to fold a fitted sheet

below: Secret Park  …. sshhhhh  I can’t tell you where it is.

below: Empowerment by the wading pool (this is not the Secret Park!)

below: Toronto Chinese Mennonite Church (formerly Rogers Presbyterian Church), Woodbine

front of brick building, toronto chinese mennonite church

below: Crossing the street, towards Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church, Gerrard St.

woman crossing stret with a dog on a leash dog has a purple coat on, in front of old brick church, grant african

below: Plaque of Dedication for Grant Church

Plaque outside Grant Church

Plaque of Dedication commemorating the relocation of Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church from 23 Soho Street to 2029 Gerrard Street, November 17th, 1991. 
  Grant Church Journey
In 1833 in Toronto, worship began in each other’s homes.  The meetings were held on a site on Chestnut Street.  Later, a church was built on Richmond Street.  In 1856 we moved to a hall at Queen and McCaul Streets.  In 1912 we celebrated the grand opening at University and Elm Streets, and moved to 23 Soho Street in 1929.

grant african methodist episcopal church, brick building, on gerrard,

below: St. Francis National Evangelical Spiritual Baptist Faith, Archdiocese of Canada.

below: Semis on a slope

semi divided houses in a row on gerrard, two stories, with front porches,

below: A newer three storey residential building. I wonder how many units it has? Three at least?

new three story residence beside an older house

below: Layers

car parked in a driveway beside an older house, with a taller glass and brick condo building behind

semi houses, large trees between sidewalk and street

below: Pink house with a lot of stairs to the front door, Woodbine

below: Housing on the hill

below: A bus shelter, unfortunately it seems to be acting as housing as well.

below: May Peace Prevail on Earth in two languages (and more on the back)

4 sided pole about 8 feet high, with words written on it, may peace, also written in another language (different alphabet too)

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

Never tired of walking Yonge Street.

Posted: January 2, 2024 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations
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This is a walk that started with the Sherlock Holmes wall behind the Toronto Reference Library that I noted in a prior post.  After a brief stop at Balzacs, we continued south on Yonge to Dundas.  With all the new development on Yonge there was a lot to see.  For the most part this is a documentation of the changes on Yonge Street and perhaps one day it will be part of “A history of” the area.

christmsd decprations, pine and pine cones, on light standard with 4 globe lights, tall condo in background

new glass towers, condos, being built behind old brick buildings on yonge street

below:  Asquith Ave, looking towards Yonge with the Toronto Reference Library on the right.   New condos rise above the old brick facades from the 1880s.

looking westward on asquith towards yonge, toronto reference library on the right

yonge street toronto street sign with upper part saying Bloor Yorkville, also red and white no entry sign with a sticker on it that says free palestine from hamas

below: Looking south on Yonge Street from just north of Bloor.  Bloor Street West now gets lost in the canyon between tall towers.  The one on the southwest corner of Bloor and Yonge is planned 91 storeys but is now between 1.2 and 1.6 billion dollars in debt.  The ONE. Now with an uncertain future.  The project was taken over by a court-appointed receiver back in October.

looking south on yonge, west side, from just north of bloor

looking up to top of condo tower being built, cranes, other tall buildings, one bloor west

looking north up yonge street towards bloor

below: Looking east on Bloor from Yonge.

bloor street, looking east, southside, from yonge,

below: What was once new is now old.

sign in an upper floor window that says always something new except the word new is worn out and parts are missing

below: The old Church of Scientology building remains empty and derelict.  It’s boarded up at street level and many of the windows are cracked.  The building has been empty since 2010.   Back in 2014/5  there was talk that the organization was going to totally renovate the interior and exterior of the building; there are renderings online of the proposed changes.  At that time they owed the city close to $100,000 in back taxes.  “This building is designed in the International Style, with a clean facade and balanced proportions ” is the beginning of a description of the property on the ACO (Architectural Conservancy Ontario) website as it apparently has a heritage designation.

 

old church of scientology building on yonge street, boarded up a street level, cracked glass windows,

 

below: Vapes, vibes, and cannabis.  A brief summary of downtown Yonge Street?

store fronts on the west side of yonge, south of bloor, Vapes, Cannabis,

below:  The northwest corner of Yonge and St. Joseph Street.  Bake Code, Sacred Seed, and Pay2Day.  Richmond Hill’s number one cake store is coming to the store on the south end.  The pictures look yummy!

old buildings from the 1800s on Yonge street, two storey, store fronts, brick, at St. Joseph street , Pay2day, Sacred Seed,

 

below: Southwest corner of Yonge & Wellesley

southwest corner of yonge and wellesley with old store fronts,

below: Same corner as the photo above, but from a slightly different angle to show the new curvy condo on the south side of Wellesley.

wellesley street looking west from yonge street, convenience store on southwest croner, noew curvy condo tower in glass behind it

below: More condo development.  This time on the north side Wellesley just west of Yonge.  Centre Court.

truck parked in driveway of gate 2 of centre court construction site

below: A new park on Wellesley, Lillian McGregor Park, named for Dr. Lillian McGregor (1924-2012), of Whitefish River First Nation, who was a nurse and a community leader.  She received many awards including the Order of Ontario and she was the first Indigenous woman to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto.

green supports on white sculpture in park

below: Artwork by Winnipeg artist, a crane by  Kenneth Lavallee in Lillian McGregor park.

sculpture of long necked goose looking down at goose egg, in park on wellesley ave in toronto

below: Spotted along the way, two shiny small pieces of graffiti – shine shoes sir.   By Rocky Zenyk.

brass puck on stone, graffiti, words cut into it

small brass plaque on a post, words engraved into it

below: But does it work?

old open style phone booth on yonge street, covered with graffiti

below: Kiokii And, Unicorn Beauty, and ABC Books.

store fronts on the west side of yonge, south of bloor, ABC books, unicorn beauty,

below: Menu in the window – potato noodles and ramen and more.

menu in the window of a chinese restaurant

below: If Chinese cuisine is not your thing, there is always tandoori chicken or palak paneer nearby.  “Come and enjoy your festive season with our specials”.

sign in window for kothur indian restaurant

below: And then for something different…. for dessert you can try ‘chilled mango sago cream with pomelo’ or ‘the bath teddy bear’, or many other different taste sensations.  I think that I need to start stopping at more of these places and actually sample some of these foods!

food pictures of items on menu in restaurant

below: Kobi Korean restaurant and Metro Cigar along with one industry that is booming along with Toronto’s construction craze, the toilet rental business!

porta pottie truck parked in front of stores on yonge street

below: At the intersection of Gloucester Street and Yonge is this new red creation, a sculpture by Albert Paley

red metal sculpture on sidewalk on yonge street
below: 33wallflower33 graffiti

33wallflower33 slap graffiti on a pole, 3 ladies in period costume, black and white,

33wallflower33 pasteup graffiti on the corner of a building, woman in long dress

signs on stores on yonge street

below: Available…. one shiny red Christmas elf costume complete with silly hat.  She doesn’t look very happy having to wear it!

young girl mannequim with long black hair, wearing a santa claus costume, or elf costume

below: A cheerful little bear welcoming you to College Park

shape of a bear in red toque and scarf, in lights, christmas decoration at college park

below: Construction, and one lane blocked, near College

looking north on yonge from college, withone lane of traffic blocked because of construction

below: Looking north on Yonge towards College Street.

looking north on yonge towards college, west side, hoardings between sidewalk and street

below:  Different architectural styles.

old three storey brick buildings on yonge street
below: .. with a closer look at some of the brick and stone details

close up view of architectural details on some brick stores on yonge street

below: More old architectural details seen on exterior walls along Yonge Street

black, top of column details on exterior wall
old round stone medallion on exterior of building

below: Southeast corner of Yonge & Gerrard, now an empty shell surrounding a hole in the ground.

southeast corner of yonge and gerrard, old building now just a frame as redevelopment of the site begins

below: Reflection of the old Charles Tavern tower, now part of a new condo development.

looking south on Yonge

below: More construction, northwest corner of Yonge & Elm where the facade of a building on Elm is being preserved.

construction site behind chainlink fence

ink and marker scrawls on coloured hoardings around construction site

below: The Zanzibar remains standing amid all the changes happening around it.

Zanzibar tavern on yonge, beside a cannabis shop

below: Reflections at Yonge and Gould (looking north)

Yonge street, tall buildings, lots of reflections,

below: Another view from Yonge and Gould, this time looking south to Dundas Street.

yonge and gould, looking south towards dundas street

below: If you look closely at the photo above, there is a store on very right that looks like the name starts with Fun.  This is Funduk, and if you look in the window, this is what you might see… Top row closest to the window is Special pomegranate with hazelnuts.  Beside it is almond paste with raspberry.  What choices!!

in a store window, rows of red rolls, turkish delight for sale,

signs and store fronts at yonge and gould,

Yonge and Gould, international food

people getting on and off a TTC streetcar on Dundas, with pictures on the side of the bus shelter in the foreground
folding metal grate over shop window, word toronto in red is written on the window

I’ll end this post with a selection of the small graffiti that I saw

below: Be a hero … or

black and white slap graffiti on a pole, be a hero, a man is holding a black umbrella over the head of another men, both men in black suits

below: Ride a broomstick … or

graffiti sticker on a black pole, woman riding a broomstick

below: Comment on Republicans …

pasteup slaps on metal box already painted

below: …. And wash it all down with an ice cream cone.

pink and blue melting ice cream, sticker on a pole, graffiti

graffiti sticker

stickers, graffiti on a pole

intersections – Yonge & Empress Walk

Posted: November 19, 2023 in construction, graffiti and street art, public art, reflections
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After a very warm October, colder November days aren’t always easy to get used to!  The solution?  There are lots of paces to walk in Toronto where indoor pathways can be used to warm up!

below: Loblaws at Empress Walk, our starting point that day.

Looking down from mezzanine level to lower level Loblaws grocery store

looking down from above to the produce section of Loblaws at Empress Walk, people shopping for apples

below: Glass ceiling at North York Centre.  Before amalgamation of the six Toronto boroughs into what is now the City of Toronto, this was a busier place as it is adjacent to North York City Hall where City Council offices and meeting spaces were.

large glass ceiling over walkway down centre of mall, North York Centre

below:  Interior of the library

interior of central library on Yonge, with rounded balcony sides on three levels

below: The next two photos are taken from the south entrance to the library. First is looking south along the edge of North York City Hall. A  sliver of Mel Lastman Square is on the left.

view from the back entrance to the library, looking south along the edge of North York City Hall towards Sheppard Ave

below: Now looking east towards Yonge Street with Mel Lastman Square on the right.

view from back exit of library, looking east along edge of North York Centre to Yonge St

below: West side of North York Centre (& library)

below: “Green Between” (1994) by Peter Hide stands beside Meridian Arts Centre on North York Blvd (not to be confused with Meridian Hall which is downtown at Yonge & Front)

metal sculpture beside sidewalk, brown, rusty, looks a bit like a face,

below: Also North York Blvd., the south entrance to North York City Hall as well as the Board of Education building.

North York blvd street scene

below: Benches! On Yonge Street

benches along the sidewalk on Yonge street

below: Fountain in the small park by Joseph Shepard Building (federal government).  Now dry for the winter season.

dry fountain in front of brick building, along with some trees with yellow and gold coloured leaves (autumn colours)

yonge street

two storey shops and restaurants on west side of Yonge Street, just north of Sheppard, with large residential building behind them

waiting for bus near Yonge and Sheppard

walking on Yonge near Sheppard

below: Hearts on planters –  These are 2 of the 19 hearts that make up the Willowdale Mosaic Mural Project.  They were created by Robin Hesse and Cristina Delago under the auspices of Mural Routes.   You can find them on West side of Yonge Street, between North York Boulevard and Upper Madison Avenue.

public art project on yonge street, heart shaped, decorated, on side of concrete planters on the sidewalk

public art project on yonge street, heart shaped, decorated with picture of willow tree, on side of concrete plan

below: The Yonge Sheppard Centre on the northeast corner of that intersection has been renovated and the the exterior is totally changed/improved.

below: A pedestrian walks beside the Yonge Street side of the redesigned Yonge Sheppard Centre

walking on yonge street beside new yonge sheppard centre

below:  Even though there are already a lot of condo towers in the area, construction continues on more of them.  This new building is just north of Sheppard.

construction site, building of new entrance to new condo, lots of glass, open door, can inside the interior

elevator on exterior of new highrise condo under construction on yonge street

below: The Legion building (dark brown, with the Canadian flag) is now dwarfed by development around it.

cement truck parked outside new condo building

below: There are still some sites that have not yet been redeveloped.

two storey brick commercial or office space, empty, for lease, on yonge street, brick building

a young woman pushes a baby stroller on sidewalk in front of a glass store front

tall glass buildings across yonge street at empress and park home

people waiting at a bus stop

below: Public bulletin board with posters of a few of the people kidnapped by Hamas in Israel back in October.

notice board on sidewalk covered with kidnapped notices of Isrealis kidnapped by Hamas in Israel

below: In an alley near Yonge & Greenfield; a joint effort by Carillo Art Studio, Cruz1, Luvs (Moise) and Zgar as part of Bit Lane 2021.

luvs and cas mural in north york alley

below: A pink and purple tiger watches the blue jay standing on the branch by June Kim and Nixo Street Art (Erika James). The orange snake is the work of Muisca (aka Daniela Rocha)

three murals on two sides of a building

below: More wildlife, a sparrow, in among the crates in a corner of the lane.

in a corner behind stores in an alley, a small doorway, some stacked crates and boxes, a mural on the wall of a sparrow

below: Lots of birds! On TTC property, Sheppard station bus loop, another mural by June Kim.

wall at Sheppard station TTC bus loop, mural of birds by June Kim, with Emerald condo development in the background

 

poster on grey wall, mostly torn off

With thanks to my mother for being my walking partner that day (which as it turns out, was one of the colder days this month).

reflections in puddle

reflections in puddle

boom town

Posted: July 22, 2023 in locations, public art
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Something to smile about!

on a construction boom, painted red, two big half globes, reflective, with googly eyes, also underneath, a black triangle that looks like a smiling mouth

He’s happy to be hanging out under the Gardiner with a friend….

two booms, one green, one red, with eyes, parked under the Gardiner, by bents that have been decorated in blue

while another of the gang lurks nearby, keeping an eye on the situation….

shaggy rainbow coloured mop-like structure over a boom, raised about 20 feet off the ground, with googly eyes, boom town art installation

Together they are part of “Boom Town”, a temporary creative intervention to brighten the day of passers by.   A colourful contrast to the Lakeshore and the Gardiner above it, brought to life by the people at the bentway as well as the Waterfront BIA.

Finch West

Posted: July 21, 2023 in construction, public art, transportation
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I have blogged a few times about the new Eglinton LRT/subway line that may or may not ever get finished in our life time.  As well, I have shared some pictures of the construction that is the beginning of the work on the Ontario line through downtown.  But apparently, that’s not all that Metrolinx is up to – I have heard rumours of another LRT line under construction in Toronto, the Finch West line.  So I went to investigate.

below: Waiting on the platform at Finch West subway station.

looking down from above, people sitting on benches on platform at Finch West subway station

Like so many transit projects in the city, the history of the Finch LRT has not followed a straight path.  In 2009 the provincial government announced a new subway/LRT line along Finch from Don Mills to Humber College.  But that promise was shortlived – the eastern end was removed a year later.  Next, mayor Rob Ford cancelled the whole project after taking office at the end of 2010.  City Council reinstated it (the western portion)  in 2012 and construction was to begin in 2015 for a 2020 completion date.  Work began a little later than planned but at least it actually started.  The new LRT line goes from Finch West station at Keele to Humber College, 10.3 kilometres in total.  It’s behind schedule but I don’t think that that surprises anyone.

man with a backpack riding escalator at subway station, going up, reflections in metal sides of the escalator

My walking plan was to take a Finch bus westward along the new route and then walk back….  Traffic, of course, was horrible and by the time we got to hwy 400 I was ready to get off the bus.  It didn’t help that they were repaving parts of Finch Avenue.

traffic and TTC bus on finch as approaching ramp to highway 400 north.

below:  Like many plans, changes had to be made along the way since the sidewalk kept coming to an abrupt end….

Finch avenue, construction new LRT line, sidewalk comes to an end, orange barricades

below: .. and intersections weren’t always easy to navigate.

a man on a motorbike rides past orange barricades at construction site, policeman patrolling the traffic at the intersection, Keele and Finch, LRT construction, stores on other corner of intersection in the background

below: At the eastern end of the new LRT, on the east side of the intersection of Keele and Finch is a new public art installation.  This steel structure is 40 feet high and represents Elia Public School which once stood at this intersection.  It was designed by Brandon Vickerd.  In the photo below, the building behind seems to be another Metrolinx building – that T symbol is on the new LRT stations as well.

new steel public art installation at keele and finch, by Brandon Vickerd, outline of building shape to remember the school that was once there

below: Also at Keele and Finch – there are already two buildings to access the subway.  It seems to suggest that TTC and Metrolinx have structures on three of the four corners of that intersection.  Finch West station is on the section of Line 1 (Yonge-University) that opened late in 2017.  Pictures from those days can be found at “to the end of the line”

Keele street, looking north from Finch, Finch West subway station sign and striped buildings

below: Most of the LRT runs above ground.  In order to provide easy access with the existing subway line, the LRT goes underground just west of Keele.

just west of Keele Street, on Finch, where tracks for new LRT go underground as they approach Finch west subway station, new construction,

below: New LRT trains parked at the new Finch West Maintenance and Storage Facility just west of Jane and Finch.

new LRT trains, black and grey, parked in TTC lot,

below: No one will be able to say that they can’t find the stations along Finch.  This is Driftwood station.

black structures as new lrt station on finch avenue, with apartment buildings behind

a woman in white looks to the other side of the street as she waits for traffic light to turn green, a couple wait on the other side

danger signs, active tracks, on new lrt rail tracks, at Jane and Finch

large sign for Norfinch Shopping Centre, two women on the sidewalk walking past it, KFC,

traffic directional signs, no right turn for large trucks, no left turn,

yellow and orange traffic barricades at construction site, finch avenue west

below: Walking past Norfinch Oakdale station.

to people walking along sidewalk, with orange barricades on both sides, new LRT station to the left, high rise apartments in the background, Finch Avenue west

construction of tracks and station, new lrt on finch

below: Track work at Tobermory station.

two workmen working on new tracks along finch ave lrt route

below: Looking west from Romfield

finch avenue west lrt construction

finch avenue west lrt construction

hidden behind long grass and weeds, an old sign that says congratulations class of 2020

reflections in red hexagonal tiles at finch wst station, along with the green light coming through the green glass on the windows of the station

Dupont Street scenes

Posted: June 10, 2023 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, old buildings
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part of a blue and white sign, with the words this way and an arrow pointing left

Another sunny spring day and another walk in the city.  This time we walked along Dupont with the occasional diversion to an alley or side street.  First stop?  First Last Coffee.  Always start with coffee!  In general, this blog covers Dupont between Spadina and Ossington and as usual, there may not be much order to the photos!

pictures and signs on the wall inside a coffee hop, First Last coffee, including a sign that says coffee please

below: The transparent domed Dupont subway station at the northwest corner of Spadina and Dupont

Dupont subway station, entrance on northwest corner of Dupont and Spadina, transparent structure with dome shaped curved roof

two women waiting outside Dupont subway station, red and white TTC sign,

below: Because of the redevelopment along Dupont (some buildings have been demolished but their replacements are still holes in the ground), Casa Loma can now be seen from the street.

blue sky with chain from crane (not in picture) hanging in the foreground, a large metal utility tower in the middle, and the top of Casa Loma roofline in the distance

below: Northwest corner of Dupont and Shaw

corner of an intersection that is one big construction site

below: Someone’s comment on the construction….

Construction site entrance sign that says gate 2. someone has added the word hell so that the sign now says gate to hell

below: … And another comment – he’s so happy to have a gun that he’s drooling.

black and orange construction sign with figure of man holding sign, happy face added to head and a machine gun put in his hands, altered sign

rebar sticking out the ground, construction site, as building begins to rise from the ground

shiny hoardings around a construction site reflect the bright orange signs and cones on the street beside it

a workman in a blue hardhat cleans the street between hoardings with large photos on them and orange cones blocking traffic

workman cutting pavement on dupont,

There are quite a few construction photos, maybe more than you’d like, but construction plays a large role in the scenery along Dupont these days.

workman helping a concrete truck back up into a construction site, traffic waiting,

construction reflections in a window

vacant building beside a grassy space, red brick, tagged on the side, old grey shingle roof, boarded up lower level window, construction fence around it

below: Joe’s Convenience chaos.

below: Reflections in a restaurant window

below: Dispensary of a different kind

below: Cyclists waiting for the lights to change.

a woman with a backpack walks by a window with many reflections in it

below: No energy today (all sold out?)

looking into a large warehouse interior with lots of windows, nine window panes

below: Looking at the northeast corner of Dupont and Dovercourt.  The interior of this old industrial building has been renovated and part of it is now a basketball school.

old building, three or four storeys high, made of many small panes of glass, on the northeast corner of Dupont and Dovercourt

below: View through the window

looking through a window to young men playing basketball inside

below: The billboard at Dupont and Dovercourt features an image by Maggie Groat and was part of the CONTACT Photography Festival.  More of her work is on display at Ontario Square (on the waterfront) and can be seen in a blog post, Double Pendulum, from a few weeks ago.

billboard with image by Maggie Groat, part of Scotiabank COntact photo festival, bottom part has been tagged

below: Silver Star Car Wash – I could say that it’s all washed up but considering the time that it takes for the development process – especially in a case like this where the application involves an amendment to the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law.

silver Star car wash on dupont street with a blue and white development notice in front

below:  Although it looks like a gathering of praying mantises, it’s really a symbol of a booming construction industry, boom lifts for rent.

cranes for rent, all parked outside a rental store

below: 888 Dupont (at Ossington) is one of the next buildings to be redeveloped but that is for another story on another blog post.

tall blue crane on construction site next to glass industrial warehouse building from 1921 at 888 Dupont street

below: An old rusty sign on the side of a building in an alley just off of Dupont tells us that J.F. Spencer, Sheet Metal Worker, once worked there.  old sign on the side of a building in an alley near Dupont street,

four houses on Dupont street

below: Looking along Dupont from Delaware Ave

Dupont street looking west from Delaware Ave

three two storey houses on dupont street

below: Probably the most affordable house on the street!

a small playhouse surrounded by leaves, in the side yard of a house

below: Some people have rose bushes in their front yard…

lone two storey house on Dupont, with large rose bush in front of it

below: … and some people have horses.

sculpture in a front yard of a horse up on its hind legs

below: A seaside Nova Scotia scene by Megan Oldhues.

mural on the side of a garage of a Nova Scotia waterside scene, sailboats, dock, flag,

grey car parked beside a garage with street art mural painted on it. Lots of red, orange, and yellow, blob-like characters

I’ll end this post with a few photos of the graffiti that I saw starting with this old Lovebot.

older Lovebot paste up on a grey brick wall, part of top of head has worn away

below: A pinkish red portrait of a young woman.

red stencil of a young woman's portrait

paste up graffiti on a metal pole, beside a wood pole full of old staples, black ink on paper paste up that says gewn 2020 squid

 below:  Voodoo Ninja, brought to you by Urban Ninja Squadron along with Ave Rage (or maybe it’s Average) who gets to play the victim.

4 paste ups on a box, all black on white. One is an urban ninja squadron collaboration with ave rage, and three are inky blotty drawings

 

old window in an old brick bilding, with street art that is peeling around the bottom part of the window

scrawled graffiti, happy face

pink rose on a large rose bush

until next time…. stay focused! … if possible….

small blue car parked on Dupont, with Ontario licence plate that says unfocused

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

Little India again

Posted: January 16, 2023 in locations, stores, windows and walls
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Little India, also known as the Gerrard India Bazaar, is a section of Gerrard Street to the west of Coxwell Ave. I have walked around, and blogged about, Little India before.  Some of these images may resemble those that I have posted in the past,

below: TTC 506 streetcar southbound on Coxwell stops before it turns right onto Gerrard.

TTC streetcar southbound on Coxwell, stopped at Gerrard where people are getting on and off

In the windows of the Islamic bookstore….

black face head mannequin with teal head scarf, in islamic book store window

in store window, a framed image of arab calligraphy beside an ad for unicorn shaped gummy rush

On the street outside Lahore BBQ and Paan Center. …

Gerrard street sidewalk scene, with Lahore BBQ and paan center in the foreground, other stores

close up of metal grate covering blue curtain over the front window of lahore bbq and paan center

below: Three storeys of saris and South Asian fashion.  Bright pink!

pink three storey store on Gerrard

Mannequins in the windows of other clothing stores ….

mannequin in a window

photographs and mannequins on display in a window, reflections of street scene in the window too

mannequins in store window with reflections of globe shaped street lights and yellow lit public cart banner on light pole

And mannequins where you don’t expect them….

a white mannequin head looking out the front window of a house

Windows from the outside

below:  A boy and his robot?

two cardboard robots, male and female, in a window

below: Drumsticks, masala chai and Amma

window of a store in Little India, ad for drumstick ice cream, sign that says masala chai sold here, covid mask sign poster re Amma

old white bench outside, leaning against wall with window (store) and painted in multicoloured monsters

wall painted in yellow and red with a pile of old tires and other garbage in the bottom

And windows to look in

 

looking in a store window in Little India, figurines, shiny silver statues

below: Carpets and patterns on pattern.

carpets in a store window, some rolled in front of a carpet with diamond shapes in reds and oranges and teal,

below: Christmas poinstettia in the quiet before opening time.

poinsettia in the window of a coffee shop

below: Canadian flags for the world’s best butcher

looking in a window that has two Canadian flags, a mug that says best butcher, a hand roller,

below: The missing letters make the sign

looking in the window of a laundromat, sign on window says co laun

looking in the window of a store that has a bright green light shining on a plant by the window, reflections, clothes hanging inside

closed sign on a shop door, with a glittery gold curtain partially covering the window of the door

below: Waiting for the streetcar

below: “You Are Here” This painting is still on the wall but it is no longer The Flying Pony coffee shop, now it’s The Black Pony.

below: The old Belfast Tavern building remains, boarded up, neglected, and only a shell of what it once was.

old tavern building on Gerrard St., boarded up, now a u-haul truck and trailer rental location

below: Parked.

Outside the Lahore Tikka House restaurant, two tictoks sit behind barricades, in an otherwise empty parking lot

door with glass window that has been covered in newspaper, number 1447 sticker on it too, beside a wall with a graphic the illustrates various parts of Little India

below: Large mural on a fence in the lane behind Gerrard Street, north side.

large mural on a fence in an alley

below: Cat on the wall

mural on a fence in an alley, cars parked behind buildings, street art painting of a cat with an orange and yellow halo

alley behind Gerrard St., garages, house

below: Rowell Soller mural

Rowell Soller mural on the side of building

close up of a mural painted by Rowell Soller, green face

lit sign that says Dave! hanging over the entrance to a convenience store at Gerrard and Coxwell, Coxwell street stores in the background

below:   For whatever reason, Gerrard makes a jog at Coxwell.

two street signs, a yellow diamond shaped sign that says road narrows and green sign with words Gerrard street continues one block north

below: Gerrard India Bazaar banner and street sign.

utility pole with stop sign on Gerrard, pink pole with gerrard india bazaar banner on the top, stores on Gerrard in the background

Other posts about Little India

Back to Little India, on a snowy day in Feb 2022

South Asian Festival, street festival on Gerrard in July 2016

 

window of a store with twinkies for sale

a December morning walk

Posted: December 9, 2022 in locations, old buildings, people, public art, windows and walls
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Ahhhh December, that time of year when the mornings are dark, and even darker when it’s raining.  But that’s no reason to stay at home!

people walking past Starbucks on Yonge Street, morning, still darkish outside, people inside the coffee shop, man with umbrella outside, another man standing by wall looking at his phone

below: The northwest corner of Yonge and Queen is still behind hoardings.

early on a dark and wet morning, the northwest corner of Queen and Yonge, 2 Queen West, a building under renovation and behind hoardings, people waiting on the sidewalk for traffic lights to turn green, reflections on wet pavement

below: Even on a dark and foggy morning, Dundas Square is radiant.  The colours that it casts on Yonge Street  are dependent on the electronic billboards that dominate the space.  A constantly changing light show.

looking north up Yonge street early on a dark morning, lots of red lights reflecting off buildings and pavement from the lights and large signs at Dundas square

below: Old style, simple, sidewalk to subway access.

looking north on yonge street, by entrace to TTC subway on sidewalk on east side of yonge street, people coming and going, dark morning, rainy, reflections,

a woman crosses the road, early morning, rain, wet pavement with reflections, she is wearing a bike helmet and roller blades that light up. Pedestrians and cyclists waiting for the light

large red planters at Yonge Dundas square with evergreen boughs, ribbons and other Christmas time decorations,

below: The Christmas tree arrives at Yonge Dundas Square

morning, on a dark wet day, Yonge Dundas square, wet pavement,

below: When a damp December day gets wetter it’s time to go inside!

back of a grey haired man's head as going up escalator, with some white lights in star shapes on the ceiling

orange coloured faceless mannequin in a store, holding a large bowl of facke food - lettuce, peppers, eggplant,

below: Snowpeople frolicking among the Christmas lights.  December of course means Christmas and you know that the stores have been decorated for weeks already!  Lots of Christmas stuff on display….

a red christmas sweater with many little white snowmen on it,

two white female mannequins stand beside a large white nutcracker figure and two very pink magenta fake Christmas trees. One mannequin in a slinky blue dress and the other mannequin in a silvery glittery dress with spaghetti straps. she is holding a gold sparkly handbag

below: Multicoloured shiny balls on this Christmas tree

large fake christmas tree with bright coloured balls on it, in uniqlo, a clothing store, with mannequins in winter puffy jackets

white eyeless mannequin with bright red lipstick, wearing a high necked embroidered top with flowers and leaves on black background, in a store

a woman comes out of the apple store at the eaton center

below: Hockey and rainbows

beaded christmas tree ornaments for sale, hanging on hooks, red maple leaf with silver accents on the left, a red and white hockey shirt with maple leaf in center, and a rainbow on the right

below: Another typical tree scene

mannequins standing beside a decorated christmas treee in a store, with wrapped presents under the tree, and handbags for sale

below: Many trees in gold and silver in this Christmas dream (nightmare) bedroom scene.  Jokes about Santa and naughty or nice are running through my head now!

decorated bedroom scene in a store, white bedding, gold and silver christmas trees, a large gold and silver nutcracker, wrapped presents with gold ribbon and bows, large white stars hanging from the ceiling

below:  Are those meant to be trees?  An anti Christmas statement?  Someone thinks this is being edgy or radical – a wink at climate change?  The Christmas budget was slashed to smithereens and this was all that was left?

two mannequins with black face, dressed for winter, Boss store, mannequins standing beside two very small and awful looking tree shapes made of grey sticks

below: Come on in! I’ve been waiting for you (no trees here!)

in a store, looking in the door, a faceless mannequin sits on a counter with legs crossed,

looking out a small window in a pedestrian bridge over queen st., yellow school bus on the street below

below: Christmas shopping 2022.

lots of stuffies on shelves, for sale for christmas time, mallow, round characters,

looking in the window of a barber shop or hair stylist, partially translucent window

below: A very tall tree stands on its own in a quiet corner behind the elevators.

a large christmas tree in office building, partially obscured by a bank of elevators

man on a lift washing interior windows, office building lobby, with danger sign below him, man in background looking out window while talking on the phone, christmas lights and decorations outside

below: A marble wall with a bas-relief artwork by Nicolas Baier with the title, “Mappemonde”It was made by cutting way pieces of the marble, leaving a tree-like network  that could be roots and branches or it could be more technical man-made communication infrastructure….

a wall, interior, lobby of an office building, white, textured, artwork by Nicolas Baier called Mappemonde, Bay Adelaide Centre, bas-relief work made by cutting away at the marble, network of lines and shapes like roots and branches of trees

below: Watching the World Cup 2002 from Qatar.   As of this morning (9 Dec), eight teams remain – Brazil, Croatia, Argentina, Netherlands, Morocco, Portugal, England, and France,

people watching a large tv screen, world cup soccer, football, game,

below: Not a tree; instead it’s a collection of red, gold, and silver shiny balls in an metal inverted cone shaped frame.

tall christmas tree in an office building lobby, made of red, gold and silver shiny balls on an inverted cone metal frame,

people talking on an escalator, a Christmas tree of gold and silver balls is in the background

on a red carpet in a large space, a gold decorated christmas tree surrounded by 2 intersecting circular bands of lights so that tree looks like it is in centre of a sphere

below: Twin highly decorated, very brightly lit, Christmas trees at the St. Regis hotel.

two very decorated, very brightly lit christmas trees in the lobby of the st. regis hotel

below: A trend is starting to emerge… ye olde typical office building lobby tree. Tall, perfectly shaped, and classically dressed.

large plainly decorated christmas tree behind a window, orange and black abstract painting on a wall nearby

below: A new curved glass ceiling structure on Wellington Street beside the old red brick Toronto Club building.

new construction on wellington street, beside an old red brick building, a new curved roof glass atrium, behind black hoardings, and a new entrance

below: On an interior wall there is a plaque describing the history of the Toronto Club building at 107 Wellington West. It was built in 1889 and inside you’ll find “a billiards room, reading rooms, and dining rooms finished with wood paneling and carving, stone and marble fireplaces, and plaster ceilings.”

ontario blue and gold plaque for history of 107 Wellington St west, the Toronto Club building built in 1889

below: Access to the Toronto Club may be difficult but this little area seems like a quiet oasis for anyone that knows of its existence.  I didn’t try sitting down so I am not sure how security would react!  Some buildings are more welcoming than others.

small tables and chairs in a hall space, Christmas tree on one, side, pictures on the wall on the other side,

below: The pictures on the wall feature the rivers of Toronto – Humber, Don, and Rouge as well as the shore of Lake Ontario. They were painted by Canadian artist Linda Martinello (oil and graphite on drafting film).

four water themed paintings by Linda Martinello hang on a white wall, above chairs and desks.

below: The cows are lazing on the grass… perhaps they are waiting for someone to decorate the Christmas trees!

cow statues in a small downtown park, 3 conical christmas trees nearby, undecorated

2 young women taking a selfie at a specially set up space with proper lighting, and background designed with red and a large green heart, words say Celebrating Christmas

below: Gingerbread Lane at the Royal York Hotel

large gingerbread person shape in a christmas display, gingerbread lane, at the Royal york hotel. Large red bow on her head, green glitter on her face, a necklace of candy canes, a green collar on a lighter green top

large nutcracker christmas decoration, red hat with gold filagree, white beard, black mustache, green jacket, holding a present wrapped in red and white striped paper and a big red bow

below: Up on the mezzanine level of the Royal York lobby there is a display of old black and white photos such as this one of the building of the hotel (about 1928). The pictures illustrate the early days of the hotel. There are also photos of famous people who stayed here. The lighting is terrible but the images are interesting.

old black and white photo of building the royal york hotel

looking down into cafe area of royal york hotel, people eating, talking, and reading newspaper

below: The bar at the Royal York.  Not a bad place to end a blog post!

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