Posts Tagged ‘signs’

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

Senlac Road

Posted: June 21, 2023 in construction, locations, nature
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The north end of Senlac Road is at Finch Avenue. It runs south through the middle of York Cemetery and the Lansing neighbourhood towards Sheppard Ave.   .

an old wood bench on a patch of grass in front of shrubs and trees

below:  Addington Greenspace (or Addington Greenbelt) is a small park on the west side of Senlac, or rather it is an access point to the city’s ravine system.  In this photo, the trail back up the hill to the street ends by a bus stop.

looking uphill along a path through the woods and ravine, Addington, to a TTC bus stop pole at the top of the trail

below: The greenspace follows a creek and passes under Addington Street before it meanders southwestward towards the Don River close  to Sheppard and Bathurst.

concrete wall on bridge, has a black happy face spray painted on it

below: Protest signs on lawns.  Back in May City Council tried passing a new bylaw that would limit what signs you put on your lawn and how many.  There were more than 30 amendments to the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 693 (Signs).  Most of them were adopted on the 14th of June except (if I am reading it correctly) for all amendments concerning “advocacy signs”.   The council agenda item history is online.  If you check it out and find that I am wrong, please let me know!

sign beside sidewalk that says stop privitization of public hospitals

below: Although the main part of Senlac ends at Sheppard, there is a small two block section south of Sheppard slightly to the west.

utility poles and hydro wires, street signs for senlac and sheppard avenue

below: Beware of the zombies!!

no parking signs, one says zombies on duty

 

low rise brick building

below: Most of the area is residential – 1950s and 60s suburbia.

old white convertible with top down parked in driveway in front of a house

side view of a house, wood fence in front of it, roofline is barn shaped

lots of plants growing in blue and grey pots in front of the porch and beside stairs of a house

pink lilac bush in full bloom, by a wood fence

2 storey brick house on sheppard aveune, beside a vacant lot

old red car in driveway of a house

below: Like all older neighbourhoods in Toronto, many smaller houses are being upsized.

renovation and enlargement of a house, smaller older house beside

2 houses on a residential street

…. or torn down and redeveloped totally.

blue and white city of toronto development notice

below: An empty house.  As I was taking these pictures, a woman passing by remarked that they had been empty for seven years.  I hadn’t meant for this walk to turn into yet another redevelopment story but even here there are blue white signs along with boarded up buildings.

front porch and front door of old brick house now empty

below: This development dates from 2016.  It proposes townhouses along Sheppard but 5 multistorey (11-25 storeys) buildings behind.  Part of the reason for the delay is that the project also involves tearing down existing rental accommodation.  In June 2022 the City Planning Division recommended that City Council approve the Rental Housing Demolition application that accompanies this development.  It is 14 pages long but if you are interested in what happens when developers want to tear down rental units, click on this City of Toronto link

blue and white development notice in front yard of a house

below: Hiding behind a massive shrub, both a house and a development notice

a large green shrub obscures a house that is awaiting demolition

boarded up doors and window of an empty brick house, wood porch has rotted away

old brick bungalow with boarded up windows and door

small brick house with boarded up windows

below: This bungalow is actually on Sheppard West.  The proposal here is not for a condo, but for a 38 room hotel (in 6 storeys).

small brick bungalow with development notice in the front yard

below: Also Sheppard West.

black metal construction fence around a building site

mm

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

prospects on Lawrence East

Posted: April 28, 2023 in intersections, locations, stores, transportation
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Lawrence Avenue East between Victoria Park and Warden Avenues is a fairly typical Scarborough “thoroughfare” street, or arterial road.   It has seven lanes of traffic and is lined mostly by strip malls set back from the street to accommodate parking lots in front.  It is designed for cars.   Also typical of Scarborough are the many different ethnic restaurants and shops.  I decided to walk these few blocks after I heard about  The Lawrence Prospect which is a group advocating changes to this stretch of Lawrence Avenue…  Changes like dedicated bus lanes and bike lanes as well as sidewalk improvements to increase pedestrian safety. They are promoting the idea of a “complete street” which simply means that the street works for all users, not just for cars.

below: This stretch of Lawrence lies in the Wexford Heights neighbourhood

large black planter beside sidewalk with faded red ribbon, winter greenery pine and a wexford heights sign

below: The wavy roof over the entrance is a throwback to the late 1960s and 1970s when there was a lot of development in the area.  It was an era when the car ruled.  Land was cheaper and more abundant.  Strip malls and ‘plazas’ were popular.

front of an apartment building, with entrance, from the 1970s, with wavy roof over the entrance

Like many areas of Scarborough (and Toronto for that matter), it is very multicultural.  You can find a cast array of different ethnic restaurants and stores here.

Lawrence Avenue East

below: Weekend breakfast, Halwa Puri, Butter Chucken, Lunch Special, and Family Deal with tandoori chicken!

restaurant advertisement sign in parking lot on Lawrence East, for Ammi's Restaurant

below: Ibrahim BBQ Shawarma, halal, with Iraqi kabab and Shawarma wraps, 2 for 1!

Ibrahim BBQ and Shawarma restaurant window with pictures of items on the menu

below: Very few remnants of a much slower and sleepier past remain.  Little white picket fences are rare!

old low beat up white picket fence between parking lot and low rise apartment building

large billboard type sign in parking lot in front of strip mall, for Sequioa Lounge, Alzahraa halal grocer, and Shawarma Brothers,

below: Part of the impetus for the Prospect project was the fact that some street work was going to be completed here this spring/summer.  Why do a partial job only to have to redo it a year or two in the future?  As of today (28April) there is no construction happening here.  The only sign of work is at the corner of Lawrence and Warden where the sidewalk was widened.

metal construction fence around a newly widened sidewalk with bus shelter in the middle

spray paint marks on sidewalk in orange, yellow, pink, and white, marking different utility lines or construction points, sidewalk

Bike lanes on Lawrence Avenue from Victoria Park all the way to Rouge Hill (16.2km) were approved in 2008 but were never built.

speed bump ahead sign by parking lot of Tim Hortons, also a no trespassing sign

below: The Moon Lounge with its neighbours – Mayfair Drapery & Rug below with Tru Belle on top – skincare, hair care (pink!), and body sculpting advertised.

two storey store front on Lawrence with lowrise apartment building in the background

below: Unloading can, bags, and boxes

men unloading bags and boxes of groceries to an Asian, Indian, food store

below: Window of Top Gun Burger

looking in window of top gun steak and burger restaurant, logo is a tank with the bod of the tank is a hamburger

parking lot, strip mall, and newer condo building on Lawrence

below: Lawrence East is served by TTC route 54.  It runs east from Eglinton station (at Yonge) to Leslie Street, north on Leslie, then east on Lawrence.  The route ends at Starspray Blvd – you’ve probably never heard of it but it’s on the waterfront just before the Rouge River.  That’s a distance of almost 28 km.

2 TTC buses on Lawrence, a school bus parked beside,

view of lawrence avenue east as seen through a bus shelter

below: Greetings for Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims fast during daylight hours (among other things).  This year it was observed between 22 March and 20 April.

Ramadan Mubarak sign on lawn of restaurant

below: The planet is in our hands

painted Bell box on a sidewalk, a woman in yellow dress has her hands up in the air, holding onto the Earth with the text the planet is on our hands

below: Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church on Lawrence,

below: Looking west at Pharmacy with a Seniors crossing sign.

intersection of Pharmacy and Lawrence Ave East, yellow and black seniors sign,

below: Do any drivers notice these signs?  What are they supposed to mean?

yellow Senior Citizens centre sign beside yellow and blue wrapped pole

below: Wedged between the UPS store and Tim Hortons drive thru are these murals by Ian Leventhal. (NW corner Warden & Lawrence)

On the side of the UPS store, and beside Tim Hortons drive through, there are two murals on a wall

below: Moovattuphuza is a town in Kerala India.

Man's portrait on mural with route that he took from India, Moovattuphuza, Canada, Wexford

below: Diana is holding a large fish and is pictured beside a fishing village in Greece.

mural on a wall beside a tim hortons drive through

below: Nearby (SE corner of Warden & Lawrence) is Tony’s portrait.

Man's portrait, Tony, on a mural along with picture of a village in Greece, words, Greece, Canada, Danforth, Wexford,

below: Modernnisa women’s clothing store – evening gowns, kaftans, abaya, and hijabs

window and front wall of Modernnisa women's clothing store with floor length dresses and head scarves

below: “Dear Toronto, We’re just getting started, Love Scarborough”.  It’s an ad campaign for Scarborough Hospitals that is appearing in bus shelters.  Along with the play on the “Love Scarborough” phrase there is a sense that maybe Scarborough’s time has come.    In 2017 Catherine Hernandez’s novel “Scarborough was published; it has since been adapted into a movie.  The movie was shot primarily in Scarborough and premiered at TIFF in Sept 2021.

advertisement in a bus shelter for Scarborough Hospital, photo of a black man in scrubs, with text that says dear toronto, we're just getting started, love scarborough

used cars with no licence plates in a lot on Lawrence

below: Multicultural yet very Canadian.

cars for sale with Canadian flag licence plates on front,

below: Nigeria Palace, Bamar Biryani and Kabob, Luxmy Restaurant

businesses in two storey pale grey brick strip mall

below: Northwest corner of Warden & Lawrence

parking lot

There was one thing missing here – I didn’t see one single blue and white City of Toronto development notice sign!  Nada!

purple bin to donate clothing, broken sign, puddle in cracked pavement, street in the background, trees with no leaves

below: There is no construction happening here – left over from a previous job?

bent orange and black construction zone sign, on a hydro pole on Lawrence, also a yellow and blue slava Ukraine pole wrapper

raining, people walking past front of TTC bus

Parkdale Provincial Park

Posted: January 8, 2023 in graffiti and street art, locations
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notes here

signs on a utility pole on Queen Streeet East, early morning, rainy day, homemade signs arrow pointing to Provincial Park,

There’s a new provincial park in Toronto!

hand painted sign in green and white that say Parkdale Provincial Park, on a metal construction fence around a vacant lot waiting for redevelopment on Brock Ave.., also a hand drawn sign that mimics the blue and white Ontario Parks sign

… but sadly it’s just a vacant lot

small table in a vacant lot, behind a fence, houses on Brock Ave in the background

The city has owned the land for a few years and has already torn down the LCBO that used to be here.  The plan is to build supportive housing for those in need.  So far nothing else has happened – has the project stalled?

sign on a metal construction fence around a vacant lot with title 40 homes 2023, description of fight to build affordable housing

“We are in a housing crisis.
Parkdale needs permanent supportive housing.
Three years ago in December 2019, the City of Toronto purchased 11 Brock (this site) from the Province, with a purpose to redevelop it as affordable rental homes for some of Toronto’s most vulnerable people.
In December 2022, Municipal Councillor Gord Perks’s office shared that it will be funded by the Rapid Housing Initiative, a Federal program.  But bids for a non-profit haven’t started and plans aren’t yet made.  Why?  NP Remind Councillor Gord Perks, Federal MP Arif Virani, and each other that we remember the human right to housing.”

 

handmade sign that looks like a provincial heritage plaque, description of history of Brock Avenue LCBO, now a vacant lot

11 Brock Avenue LCBO
1891-2016
Construction of this edifice began in 1889 to celebrate the annexation of the Village of Parkdale into the City of Toronto.  Originally a “Barber Shoppe and Purveyor of Fine Elixirs”, it was the finest destination for the procurement of alcoholic spirits and haircuts.  The Shoppe fell on hard times in 1916 with the advent of prohibition and the reduction in haircuts due to the famous poorly times Toronto head lice outbreak.  Ostensibly becoming Toronto’s foremost storage facility, bootlegged moonshine was sold in a hidden speakeasy carved into a 125 cubic meter block of ice.  Attracting patrons from across the city for both alcohol and ice alike, this enterprise allowed the neighbourhood to prosper and directly led to the construction of Sunnyside Beach and Amusement Park.  Not coincidentally, 1927 brought the first electric household refrigerator into the market, the end of prohibition in Ontario, and the creation of the LCBO.  11 Brock became one of the first 18 LCBO stores that opened on June 1, 1927.

 

black and white photo of park ranger in mask, along with a drawing of a person in a sleeping bag with caption, need home

two black and white photos, one of kids on horse back, on metal fence around a vacant lot, part of Parkdale Provincial Park protest

unesco world heritage site sign, on installation of parkdale provincial park, on brock ave, vacant lot where LCBO building was torn down

the word Ontario written on a log, with a cute little black and white animal (skunk? bear?) sitting on it

Getting there:  11 Brock Avenue, just north of Queen St. East

Accommodation: none (or bring your own sleeping bag)

Food & Drink: Check out Sam James bakery right across the street from the park entrance (if there was one).

large black and white painting of 6 hands coming together, radial symmetry, on wall of Sam James Coffee Bar

 

Pride Parade 2022

Posted: June 27, 2022 in events, people
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little colourful plastic windmill attached to mirror of firetruck, also 2 yellow balloons and 1 green balloon

Dancing in the streets.  Pride 2022.

Toronto Pride Parade 2022, start of route, man in long pink gloves posing with woman in hat with flowers on it

people sitting on scaffolding over sidewalk by construction site to watch pride parade, two have rainbow flags

person in costume at pride parade, hair wig made of ribbons, big puffy skirt, ribbons in curls as collar

group cheering and blowing whistles, arms up, getting ready for pride parade, TD canada trust group in green t shirts with rainbows on them

stuffed tiger with rainbow garland around it, on front of a motorcycle

group dancing, choreography, with pink puffs in each hand, practising before the pride parade

group dancing, choreography, with pink puffs in each hand, practising before the pride parade

young girl helping to hold white banner, marching with pride, other hands holding the banner too, toronto pride parade 2022

face painted person, with sparkles on face too, holding a sign with all the colours of the LGBQT flag, with words be proud, born this way

man in grey hair, silver crown, bending over to talk closely to woman in hat covered with multi coloured flowers, start of pride parade

rainbow striped ankle socks, and running shoes with red, yellow, and blue on them, standing on a sidewalk box to get a better look at passing pride parade

young woman tying orange balloons to a pride parade float, NDP float, she's wearing orange too

marilyn munro air kissing, under rainbow umbrella, white dress and gloves and sparkly silver purse

kids playing in bubbles while a man in a yellow t shirt walks past, on a street,

it gets better canada on purple t shirts, holding hands, people, pride parade

placard at pride parade that says protect bipoc queer kids

great dane dog with a group getting ready to walk in pride parade

large letters S and I made of balloons in a pride parade, held by a man in yellow with white hat

3 teenage girls plus another woman standing on side of street watching pride parade, temporary tattoos on their legs,

three young people holding a rainbow type flag over their heads as they watch pride parade

two men in pink at pride parade

two wagons full of trojan condom packages

two people at pride parade, one in rainbow striped shirt and the other in rainbow netting outfit with stickers over nipples, thong underwear under neath

member of skule university of toronto engineering school in pride parade

people with signs at pride parade, pflag group, totally rad mum and dad, labels are for canned soup, love is love

women cheering and taking photos while watching pride parade

some members of triggerfish in their speedo suits, dancing with red fans

plastic fuzzy garlands on front of a fire truck

man with rainbow bandana around head, and scarf on back as well as many bracelets, holding small Canadian flag, dances in the street for pride parade

crowds on scaffolding, many levels up, at Yonge and Bloor

policeman and crowd at pride, lots of bubbles in the air

a boy holding a Canadian rainbow flag, small girl beside him with sunglasses lowered

woman in magenta glasses and cowboy hat laughing with woman with rainbow bandana over her head

getting ready for pride parade, man with gold collar and not much else, woman in red sari, tattoos, drinking from bottle

people up on scaffolding to get above street level to watch pride parade

woman watching pride parade is holding a small dog with a rainbow bandana around its neck

back view of two people hugging, one in a plaid shirt and the other in a rainbow t shirt

Toronto Pride Parade, person with tattoo on upper arm holding an orange sign that says we love trans youth. Tattoo says In a dream you saw a way to survive and you were full of joy

little plastic windmills in different colours with little pride flags as decorations on a float in pride parade

Photos from Dyke March 2022

way up Yonge Street

Posted: April 14, 2022 in construction, history, intersections, locations, stores
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between Steeles and Drewry/Cummer.

Once it was the hinterland but now it feels like the city just goes on and on and on….

below: In 1955 this was the view looking south on Yonge from just north of Cummer/Drewry. This was the center of the community of Newtonbrook, named after the Newton Brook Wesleyan Church founded in 1857.  A general store and post office were opened here in 1863 on the northeast corner of Yonge & Drewry (possibly the buildings on the right side of this photo).

black and white photo of yonge street looking south from Cummer

photo credit: James Victor Salmon, found on Toronto Public Library website (public domain).

below: It’s not taken from exactly the same viewpoint (traffic!) but this is what you see looking south on Yonge Street now.

yonge street, looking south from drewry and cummer, large new condo development with 3 cranes, some traffic,

below: Looking north up Yonge Street from just south of Cummer/Drewry.  The large house is on the southeast corner of Cummer and Yonge.

old black and white photo of yonge street,

photo credit: Tim Chirnside, found on Toronto Public Library website (public domain)

below: The intersection of Yonge and Cummer (to the east) and Drewry (to the west) today.   The large house in the black and white photo above would be on the far right of this picture.

northeast corner of cummer and yonge, large red brick apartment building, small strip malls

below: Yonge Street is also Provincial Highway 11.

toronto street signs, cummer ave., yonge street, as well as provincial highway 11 sign for yonge street

below: It is a major transportation/transit route.

GO bus stop and Viva bus stop markers on yonge street

below: Happy Nowruz! or in other words, Happy New Year!  It is the Iranian New Year; the beginning of spring; a new day!  The banners were by sponsored by Tirgan, an organization that “promotes cross-cultural dialogue between Iranian-Canadians and the global community at large.”

red banner on utility pole on yonge street that says happy nowruz

below: There are many other cultures that are well represented in this part of the city.

signs for stores, restaurants and businesses on yonge street, popeyes louisiana kitchn, legal services, accountant, mary's cosmetic clinic, etc

small hand written sign that says big parking lot

cleaning up in front of a new building on yonge street

below: Like so many parts of Toronto, there is a lot of redevelopment taking place. Blue and white development notice signs are everywhere.

blue and white development notice sign on vacant lot on yonge street, houses, and newer highrises in the background, residential area, Newtonbrook

crooked metal fence around a vacantlot that has been paved over, yonge street, about to be redeveloped

man adjusting signs on hoardings around a construction site

view southward on yonge street, behind chainlink fence

below: To be (possibly) replaced by 25 storeys, 347 residences and a daycare.

sign print shop storefront with development notice sign in front

below: Seoul Plaza with it’s Korean BBQ restaurant and other businesses (not all Korean) – also with a development notice sign in front.  I’m not sure of the size of the development but it looks like your average  20ish storeys on podium condo.

Seoul Plaza on Yonge street, restaurant and businesss, with blue and white development notice sign in front

strip mall on Yonge street with cars parked in front, Arzon Super Market, Papa Cafe, nanaz Salon, plus other businesses

billboard that says bigger and better, on yonge street, pedestrians on sidewalk

below: Looking south from Moore Park Ave

looking south on the west side of yonge from Moore Park Ave., people walking on sidewalk, stores and restaurants

below: Looking north to the intersection of Yonge and Steeles.  Steeles Ave has been the northern boundary of the City of Toronto since 1953.  All of the tall buildings in this picture are north of Steeles and are in Thornhill (York Region).

looking north up yonge street to the intersection of yonge and steeles with many highrises north of steeles

looking down a short alley to a pale grey side of a house, same grey as building on north side of alley

below: Pro Ukraine stencil graffiti.

spray paint stencil graffiti, black trident on blue and yellow map of ukraine

below: I’m not sure what the spring will do but someone has been putting up a lot of posters for the Communist Party.

graffiti text sprayed on map and wall of bus shelter says the spring will (illegible), partially removed posters below that for communist party

communist party posters on a grey metal street boxcommunist party posters on a red box on the sidewalk

old Christmas decorations and empty buckets behind a restaurant

man sitting in a bus shelter, brick apartment building behind him

graffiti of a cartoon like young man with a big red nose

south of Davenport

Posted: January 5, 2022 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations
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Sometimes I find myself in unfamiliar territory and so it was last week when I went to investigate some alleys where I’d heard that new murals had been painted.   My previous post, Around Wadsworth Park, was part of the same walk; there was just so much to see that I split my photos into two groups.  In general, the last post was north of Davenport Avenue while this post features Davenport and the streets & alleys to the south.

below: More raccoons by Emily May Rose, this time they are being watched over by a big white rat. Quite the dumpster fire!

mural in an alley by Emily May Rose of raccoons and a big white rat. One raccoon is setting fire to a dumpster

preparing for a sidewalk sale, including a sign that says amenity closed because of covid 19

below: A large mural by Birdo beside Charles Sauriol school

large birdo mural on the side of a building, street art

the side of a house is covered with street art, 2 or 3 murals on both upper and lower storeys

below: A man reaching out a multicoloured hand to a woman by Phillip Saunders covers the back part of the house

murals on the side of a house, a man and a woman with black curly hair

below: A brown octopus and bright coloured tiger playing together – a collaboration between Luvs and June Kim.

mural of a tiger on the side of a house

below: Baby birds with beaks uplifted in a mural by Bruno Smoky and Clandestinos

mural by Bruno Smoky and Clandestinos on a wood fence in an alley, baby birds in a nest with their beaks open waiting for parents to feed them

below: Blue jay and tomato face, rowdyradrat and Chris Perez

street art on a wood fence in a lane

murals on a wood fence in a lane, tomato, blue jay

below: Taking cover under umbrellas on a rainy day in a mural by Elicser Elliott

mural by elicser elliott on a garage door in an alley, people under umbrellas in the rain, pink background

below: Someone has extra time lying around, but without the coffee

leaning against a lime green dumpster is the time part of an old coffee time donut shop sign

a motorcycle parked in a backyard with lots of weeds and junk

small house with brown picket fence in front, second story with mansard roof on one part of house only

street art painting of a nuthatch bird on a wood pole

below: Mural in a lane, signature says June, Bacon, and Erika.

mural in a lane, nuthatch, flowers by Bacon, and a bright cat by June Kim

below: Part of another June Kim feline

a June Kim mural of a tiger or cat, feline, on a brick wall in an alley

below: A man walks down the alley, between a mural on the right and Quick Recording Studios on the left.

an older man with a cane and a plaid jacket walks down an alley, back to the camera

below: In the window of the Art Academy of Canada, Davenport Ave.

paintings in a window, with window reflections, of Art Academy of Canada

below: A.J.’s So Fresh Coin Laundry, also on Davenport

buildings on Davenport Ave., two storey, one is A.J.'s So Fresh Coin Laundry

below: A multi-lingual thank you to essential workers on Davenport – obrigado, gracias, merci, and grazie!

a mural on a brick wall on the side of a building on Davenport, a thank you to essential workers during covid, thank you written in many languages

below: Boney Santa’s lost a lot of weight recently… he’s probably tired of all the weight gain jokes and comments though…..

large skeleton outside in front yard with Santa hat and red scarf, holding a plastic candle light, other Christmas decorations on porch of house

below: More Emily May Roses’s mischievous raccoons and their cans of spray paint.

emily may rose mural on the side of a dark grey building, raccoons playing around a white cube van, with orange spray paint

below: Anya Mielniczek’s woman’s face looks down the lane.

mural by Anya Mielniczek of a girls's head in pinks and oranges down a lane, rest of mural blocked by fence

below: A closer look of the mural reveals another woman’s head on the far side along with people mixing together in the central portion painted by Raoul

orange and pink woman's head by Anya Mielniczek along with a picture of

below: HeldbyHuda mural

street art mural on a garage door by artist with instagram handle heldbyhuda

below: Patterns of circles and semi-circles on a gate by Stephanie Bellefleur

street art on a wood gate across the back of a garage, patterns of circles and semi circles

below: Another gate, but half of this one has been removed.

car parked behind a house, gate across back of yard is partially closed and a mural can be seen on it, other part of gate is open so other part of mural is blocked

below: A Nick Sweetman painting of a large Cuckoo wasp feeding on a yellow flower

mural by Nick Sweetman on a garage door in an alley, a large blue green bee on a yellow flower

below: by Victoria Day

garage door mural by Victoria Day, stylized yellow and green flowers on a blue green gradient background

garages in a laneway in Toronto, some garage doors have murals and street art painted on them

below: Sections of citrus fruit in glass bowls, by Steam

Steam, the artist, painted a mural on a garage door of citrus fruit sections in glass bowls

below: A pink and purple butterfly by Dani Coghlan

pink and purple butterfly mural on a garage door

below: A floral wallpaper-like design by Tara Dorey

floral wallpaper like design on a garage door by Tara Dorey

jumble of chairs and other objects on a lawn, behind a chainlink fence

in an alley, two old garages with a crooked gate with peeling dark green paint, house in the background

below: A collaboration between Diana Lynn VanderMeulen and Tebby G.

mural with two cartoon like animals, one pink and the other blue, beside a blue mountain along with some pink flowers, a mural on a garage door

below: Pink flowers by Claire Browne

mural by Claire Browne on a garage door in a n alley, pink clover flowers with green leaves on a

below: Self explanatory?

a mural with a large word that says great

below: Planta Muisca mural with an orange snake under a purple night sky.

a mural by muisca on a garage door in a lane, an orange snake in the purple night with moon and plant with large leaves

below: Birds wearing neckties and hanging out together in a mural by Rob Elliott

birds painted on a garage door, stylized, large bird wearing a long necktie and smaller birds with similar ties, all on an orange background

car parked in front of two murals on garage doors, breaking bread is one of the murals

below: Sometimes while walking in this city during Covid and various lockdowns, even this might do!

old toilet on the doorstep of an apartment beside a fish and chips store

fish and chips shop sign on a store doorstep along with a folding chair

below: Remains of a vegetable garden planted along the side of the alley. Portugal peppers once grew here.

remains of a vegetable garden in late December, sign saying Portugal peppers

below: Stop and smell the flowers

wood utility pole painted white and decorated with flowers and a sign that says stop and smell the flowers

white pole with purple flower painted on it, also some stickers, welcome, kindness

covid 19 mask caught on a dead branch in a garden

Support for the alley murals was provided by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

Unfortunately, I have missed a few of the paintings.  A complete set of photos can be found on Erika James’s Instagram page.  She was one of the organizers of the project.

 

little elf characters hanging from a tree in a front yard, green cap and shirt like holly with red pants and trim but everything made of tinsel strands

Some of the murals from this post can also be seen on by worldwide street art blog, Carleton Village murals Toronto 2021

Walking Kennedy Road

Posted: September 14, 2021 in intersections, locations
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blue and white scarborough street sign for Kennedy Road on a blue sky day, with street scene behind it ,

Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that Toronto includes a large number of outlying areas, not just the downtown core.   Also, if you are looking for a “safe” place to walk during these Covid times, head to Kennedy Road in Scarborough.  I wasn’t alone the day I walked it but people were few and far between.  Out Scarborough way they aren’t as used to people wandering around with cameras so I got a few quizzical, skeptical looks.   The street scene is definitely different from the central core but every street has a story to tell.  Sometimes you just have to slow down and look for it.

below: What lured me into the area?  I caught a glimpse of this moose and it made me want to explore more.  It stands beside Kennedy Road, just south of the 401.    Back in 2000 there were 326 of these sculptures scattered around the city, all were the identical moose shapes but all were painted differently.   Collectively, they were “Moose in the City”.

a stature of a life sized moose painted like a Canadian flag beside a large welcome to Scarborough sign, from Kennedy BIA.

You might have noticed that the sign also says Mike Myers Way, named for the actor who grew up in Scarborough.   I am not sure if this means that all of Kennedy Road is named after him but there is a Mike Myers Drive just to the south of this (south of Lawrence).

below: The sign on the Elite Bakery is trilingual – Greek, English, and another in an alphabet that I don’t recognize (Arabic?).  It all looks good in any language, doesn’t it?

sign on the outside wall of a greek bakery, words in greek, anglish, and a south asian language (or arabic). wedding cakes in the window

below: More signs of the multicultural nature of Toronto

green and white symbol of Habib bank, white lion with a sword above it

below: Another common Toronto feature – the construction site! … with its plethora of safety rules and regulations.

Coid prevention signs secured to a metal fence surrounding a construction site, a cement truck is working there

construction fence around a Tim Hortons and Petro Canada station, sign says open for takeout and drive thru

below: Looking west on Eglinton at Kennedy.   That is one tall utility pole!

looking west on Eglinton at Kennedy, north side of the street, a man standing at the corner, hydro poles, high rises in the distance, traffic.

below: Magical Aquarium Club

Magical Aquarium Club building in Scarborough

a picture of a green frog and a green reptile, large, on the outside of an aquarium shop

below: Grace Church and Grace Place Food Bank

Grace church and Grace Place food bank, design of cross in the roof shingles, cars parked in front, red brick building for the 1960s

below: Mount Zion Church, The Apostle Doctrine of God

side of a plaza with entrance for the Mount Zion Church

below: Bright pink and red will make your business stand out!

large pink and red store, contractor depot, on kennedy road,

below: A faded photo above the entrance to a furniture store – highlighting their wares.  She seems like a very satisfied customer!

faded black and white photo on the exterior of a furniture store, a woman stands alone in a dining room with table, chairs, and a hutch

below: Or, show your product by having it on display outside (these are Covid times after all)

mattresses on display outside a store, leaning against the pillars of the building

a van parked out front of a store with signs, factory outlet, warehouse sale, sign in back window of van advertising a mattress sale

below: Jostling to be seen, a jumble of words and colours.

many signs for stores and businesses, posted beside the sidewalk,

below: Eye exams on site… but the I (eye?) fell over.  Carpets & Rugs, Kairali Indian cuisine – lunch buffet for an unknown price.

signs for stores along Kennedy road

below: Real Kerala groceries at Motherland Foods.  Mr. John’s take out.

set back from the street a bit, with shrubs and a parking lot in front of it, Motherland Food, kerala groceries

below: The two storey brick plaza. Many of these were built around the suburban areas, back when suburbs were newer and growing quickly in the 1950s and 1960s.

two storey brick plaza with many stores

below: It seems fitting that the Private Eye and Spy Shop is close to the Adult Movies store.  You can also eat at Lucile’s West Indian Restaurant and Groceries or at Just Love Caribbean Restaurant.

large sign in front of plaza listing all the stores, adult movies, spa, private eye spy shop,

tall empty frame for a sign outside a closed business

below: Agincourt Used Cars, closed and waiting for redevelopment – into townhouse like complex with retail on the ground floor facing the street (in one proposal from December 2015 anyhow.  There are 25 documents associated with this development, all available online.  The latest one was March 2018.  I didn’t read them.)

yellow gate and construction fence around a vacant lot with a building in the far corner, Agincourt Used cars, closed business, graffiti on building,

below: To the east, as seen from a parking lot on Kennedy Road.

rowhouses on a side street running perpendicular to Kennedy Road, vacant lot in the foreground,

below: An older housing development with direct access to Kennedy.

rounded arch over the sidewalk leading into a residential development

semis, 18 wheelers backed into spaces at distribution center

a row of trucks parked in a parking lot

a person walks past stores with large signs in front of them, 2001 Audio and Video, Crazy Joes Drapery, Sleep Factory mattress, and a flooring store

below: Just to prove that I wasn’t totally alone!

a man in a blue jacket sits on a concrete railing while drinking from a Tim Hortons cup

a man rides his bike on the sidewalk on Kennedy Road with back to camera

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