Posts Tagged ‘Reggae Lane’

snow day scenery!

Posted: January 31, 2026 in alleys, nature, people
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Subtitle: Take the Long Way Home

three cars in a driveway beside a house, all cars are covered with snow

The snow started falling on Sunday morning and it just kept on coming.   In the end, there was a record amount of snow that fell in most parts of the city with a reported 46 cm at Pearson Airport and 56cm downtown.   Luckily Monday was clearer and the city had a chance to begin to shovel out.

Not surprisingly, there were TTC problems especially on the subway.

below: Waiting for a shuttle bus because there was no subway between Eglinton and Bloor.  Too any people and not enough buses!

winter day, people on sidewalk waiting for TTC shuttle bus on Yonge Street, cold, snowing, hats and scarves

So – Change of plan, back into Eglinton station to wait for a bus – let’s try heading west instead of south!

a man waits for a bus at Eglinton TTC subway station, outdoor bus bays,

vacant lot downtown, covered with snow, surrounded by fence with no trespassing sign, taller building in the background

lowrise stores on Eglinton, at corner, there is a mural on the side of the building, trees on a rock

Eglinton West station is now called Cedarvale.  There is a new subway entrance – actually it’s probably at least a couple of years old now but it’s never been used.  It was built for the new Eglinton Crosstown LRT that MIGHT open in February.  Rumour says opening 8th February, counter-rumour says that’s not true….

new Cedarvale subway entrance, glass, in winter

The old round concrete station is still in operation.

old original round low concrete building that is Cedarvale subway entrance

Interior shot – boring brown tiles on the wall, very 1970s concrete ceiling, and no people headed down to subway level…..

interior of Cedarvale subway station, concrete, stairs to lower level, glass walls on upper level, patterened concrete ceiling

… because there is also no subway here either!   This is the view northward up the Allen Road.  There are not a lot of cars on the road.  The center section, i.e. the train tracks, are still covered with snow.

looking north up Allen Road from Eglinton, winter, snow covered, very littl traffic, highrise buildings on the west side the the Allen

… So back on the bus to go south again!   At least I didn’t have a deadline to meet or an appointment to get too.  I was just looking for interesting snow pics.   Schools were closed and many people were working from home so there weren’t a lot of other people traveling with me.   Still, I am sure that there were many people who had a frustrating time getting around the city on Monday.

back of man sitting on a TTC bus, black hat and purple jacket.

What follows are some of the pictures that I took as I explored a few parts of the city.

below: Reggae Lane (near Eglinton West and Oakwood)

Reggae Lane from Oakwood side in winter, covered with snow

below: Looking east on St. Clair West at Oakwood.

St Clair west, looking east from Oakwood, winter, snowy

below: Not the best day for the Take-out Window!

snow bank in front of Tim Hortons take out window, also a Canada Post mailbox in the snow

below: Buried?!

a black glove is on top of an orange cone in a snow bank, looks like an arm reaching up out of the snow

below: Shoveling out – a scene repeated over and over again across the city.

a man shovels a snowy alley, between two stores

below: Buried trash

sidewalk plastic garbage bin in a snow bank

below: No school!  East Lynn Park was busy though…

people with sleds and inner tubes and other sliding devices on snow covered hill at East Lynn Park, adults and kids

below: And after sledding, what better than a visit to the local coffee shop….

a group of kids with inner tubes and sleds, walk on sidewalk

below: Others were out looking for employment opportunities….

girls in winter outerwear, and carrying shovels, walking on snow covered widewalk

man shoveling snow as people walk past, Danforth

people walking on sidewalk, snow banks beside them

kids on a sled being pulled along sidewalk

below: Plowed bike lanes!

below: But this bike isn’t going anywhere!

bike buried in snow

below: More Love (and orange snowflakes) at 981

house, in winter, large numbers on front door, 981, also a sign that says more love,

car parked on snow covered street, evergreens, as well as large bare trees, some houses,

city side street after snow storm, plowed sidewalk, cars covered with snow, snow banks

snowy toronto street, after the snow storm, winter,

below: Tana Printing and Toronto Coin Laundry, Oakwood Ave

brick store fronts, Tana Printing, and Toronto Coin Laundry, on Oakwood Ave

below: Peter’s Variety and the Primrose Bagel Company (with smoked fish and soups too!).

Peter's Variety store on Oakwood, beside a bagel store, winter, lots of snow

church, on snowy street, with cars parked but under snow cover, a woman walks past

Done Xing Market with a large painting on the side of the building which is an ad for Alberta Veterinary Services, painting of a large ginger cat, winter day, snow banks,

below: When you spend time on buses and in bus shelters you encounter some strange things, like this paper “What is the Mark of the Beast? Central bank digital currency payment through face or hand system to be implemented by Antichrist during Tribulation period.”  Do you feel more informed now?  A little wiser even?

small poster pasted to side of bus shelter with lots of words, titled What is the mark of the beast

below: Thank you to all the TTC bus drivers that kept the city moving that day!  By afternoon those buses were looking a little dirty to say the least….

people entering the back door of a very dirty mud and slush covered bus

interior of bus, winter day, wet floor with reflected light

Oakwood village

Posted: July 17, 2021 in graffiti and street art, locations, public art, stores
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crocheted concentric circles in a window with reflections of the houses across the street

Oakwood Village BIA is centered on Oakwood Avenue, south of Eglinton West.

Toronto street signs, Jesmond Ave with Oakwood village top,

below: “Celebrating Queer Black Lives (2021) by Curtia Wright.  This is also part of a STEPS project, I HeART Main Street, which features 26 murals on “Main Streets” in Ontario this year.

mural on the side of The Beer Store, in bright colours, two women with dreadlocks, eyes closed and about to kiss

below: We are all Canadians, and with a big heart too

hand written sign in window that says We live in Canada We are all Canadians, Toronto Ontario, Below sign is a heart made of crocheted circles in different colours

below: Sidewalk games
paintings on sidewalk, game with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, blue water a truck, and a hot air balloon

below: Sidewalk vowels
drawings and paintings on the sidewalk featuring vowels, A E I O and U

below: Shiny palm tree about 5 metres tall – an art installation from 2010 on the traffic island where Oakwood meets Vaughan Road.  It serves as homage to the neighbourhood’s Caribbean community.

Shiny metal sculpture of a palm tree

a house with a glassed in front porch and a Canadian flag flying outside the door, other stores and houses in the background

two small houses pus a couple of slightly larger houses on Oakwood, two have front porches with chairs on them, and well tended front lawns

a grey concrete flower pot that is supposed to look like Roman urn, with bright red flowers growing in it plus a blue and white polka dot child's plastic windmill

below: Rusty the Snowman!

an old rusted metal decoration on a chainlink gate. laughing snowman, front steps and flowers in planters in the background

below: La Cubana, Supermercado Latina.

La Cubana supermercado Latino, grocery store, first storey painted in blue and white stripes like the Cuban flag, Cuban flag hanging in the window

The side of La Cubana supermercado grocery store with pictures of food, also stored items under blue tarps, and a bell box painted with a yellow measuring tape and articles of clothing, a bonnet, a tie, a cap, and three pairs of shoes

A purple picture in the window of a door with a cardboard sign in middle that says Please do not put garbage in front of the store, reflections of stores across the street in the window as well

Awning cover on Edmundo Snack bar, with round Carlsberg beer advert above it, exterior

three storey white brick building with reddish mansard roof, lower floor is Asmareeno Grocery and Alert Pest Control

items for sale in displayed in store window that is still decorated for Christmas even though it is summer. Bowls, tea pots, dishes

reflections in the window of Alfredos hair styling, closed, with a small Canadian flag in the window

below: Recently sold, Open Bible Baptist Church, just south of Eglinton.

old red brick church at 587 Oakwood, windows boarded up and cross removed from over front door

The New Jerusalem Spanish Church with a green hedge in front of it

below: Old gate in front of new (or being renovated) house

below: Where WTF = Wear The Facemask!

4 broken front door bell buzzers on a white peeling paint wall showing yellow paint below. sticker on yellow with man from monopoly game saying covid? wtf*? *wear the mask

below: Reggae Lane, just south of Eglinton. The mural in the background was painted by Adrian Hayles in 2015.  Better pictures of it are on a previous blog post about Reggae Lane

murals on reggae lane

graffiti, black spray paint on a light grey concrete wall, outline of a person holding up a sign above head that says Afroism, 2020

below: Waiting…..

below: Never Give Up!

door with a window at 506 Oakwood, with a picture of a bird with a frog in its beak and the words Never give up

a woman dresses in black t shirt and shorts and holding her bike is getting sir from an air pump at an ultramar service center

below: Looking north up Oakwood to Eglinton West. The construction of Oakwood station still has a long way to go! The previous blog post (‘Eglinton and Oakwood’) looked at this intersection/construction.

looking north on Oakwood to where it ends at Eglinton West, crane, construction of new oakwood subway station

International Market

Posted: October 19, 2017 in construction, old buildings, stores, transportation, windows and walls
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International Market in this case refers to an area in Toronto, approximately around the intersection of Dufferin and Eglinton West.

street sins on a pole, a one way sign, plus two signs with street names, Belgravia Ave and Dufferin Street, both with orange tops that have the words International Market

There is definitely a diverse (as in multicultural) feel to the area

below: … such as Jamall, Carribean Custom Tailor

older building, with some green around the doors, sign says Jamall Carribean

below:  and the Lady Ann Superstore African Boutique with the adjacent Centro Cultural Latino American.

storefront, Lady Ann Superstore African Boutique with a mannequin, child size, on the sidewalk outside dressed in red African style clothes.

Because Eglinton Avenue runs through the area….

 

street scene on Eglinton Ave with bus shelter, utility pole, street signs, stores, and billboard

there is a lot of upheaval caused by construction of the Eglinton Crosstown line.

wire fence in front of a construction site, lots of dirt, street and buildings in the background.

below: Completion of the subway/LRT isn’t scheduled until 2021.  That seems like a long way off doesn’t it?

a surveyor at work, behind construction fence and cones and in front of stores, Chamsine, and Shantys take-out, which are two storey brick buildings

below: A subway station is being built at Oakwood Avenue.   Because the space is too small for a conventional crane like the ones you see all over the city, this green horizontal structure is being used instead.  It is supported by the metal beams and can slide along the top rail.

a large horizontal crane stretches over a vacant lot where a subway station is being built

below: Rendering of Oakwood station that I found on the Eglinton Crosstown website.

drawing of Oakwood Crosstown station, design plans, taken from Crosstown website.

below: Immediately south of Eglinton is a small lane, Reggae Lane.  Welcome to Reggae Lane was the second mural painted here.  You can see the original Reggae Lane mural in the background.  I blogged about it when it was first painted two years ago.

view looking down an alley, cars parked behind buildings, two murals, Welcome to Reggae Lane,

below: Some of the concrete planters on Eglinton have old black and white photos on the sides.  This was an Art Starts project.

a small tree grows in a concrete planter in front of a grocery store

below: The pictures are small and difficult to see but they are historical photos of the area – stores, people, parks, etc.

small, old black and white photos reproduced and mounted on the side of a concrete planter outside

below:  One of many restaurants on Eglinton, the Budapest Restaurant and Biguly Bar, obviously Hungarian.

a car parked in front a Hungarian restaurant, the Budapest

below: There is also Uzbek cuisine, the Taj Restaurant.   Uzbekistan is one of the “stans” found in central Asia (near Afghanistan) that gained independence from the former Soviet Union 25 years ago.

a blue food truck is parked in front of the Taj Restaurant, an Uzbek restaurant

below: A yellow phone booth?

a public phone, small yellow phone booth mounted on a blue brick wall

below: Faded memories of years gone by.

looking in the window of a store that sells photo frames and such, an old TV sits in the window too. The pictures are all faded to shades of blue and purple

below: The Popular Car Wash – a great price for a car wash.

an old sign for popular car wah, $5.99 in front of a gas station

I’ll leave you with a few more images of the area.  It’s seen better times but it was an interesting place to walk around.   There are signs of improvement – and we’ll see what impact the subway has once it’s finally finished.

street scene with construction cones and signs, some traffic, sidewalk, pedestrians, and stores,

a window of an empty store that is covered with posters

5 black mailboxes arranged vertically in a row between two doors.

three storey brick building with stores on the ground level, traffic in front,

open door of an electronics store, with some speakers and other electronics on display outside too

looking across Eglinton Avenue to some stores, construction traffic cones in front,