Posts Tagged ‘stores’

from Amsterdam to Skopje…

Posted: November 24, 2025 in locations, public art, reflections, stores
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and a few places in between.

 

young people crossing o'connor drive, at intersection, with a metal box on the corner painted with a large female portrait

Amsterdam and Skopje refer to two streets that intersect with O’Connor Drive in the northeast corner of East York, Amsterdam Avenue and Skopje Gate.   There is also a Wakunda Place but the spelling is different from Wakanda, the fictional country that was created of Marvel Comics.

Every neighbourhood has a story to tell, even if it’s just the story of a quiet life in their own corner of the city.  There are many similar threads that run through the many narratives of Toronto neighbourhoods – the ethnic stores and restaurants, the redevelopment of older buildings into new housing, quiet side streets.  There’s probably a mix of residential styles – single family homes, rowhouses, older apartment buildings, and newer glass and steel condos where people are trying to live as best they can.   It is a scene repeated over and over again.  Parts are fascinating, parts are dull and lacklustre.  There will always be utility poles and wires and garbage bins in the way.    Maybe there will be an alley or two to explore – with old abandoned cars, basketball hoops, and graffiti left behind by jilted lovers or angry young men.   There’s probably a vacant lot where a building has been demolished – or perhaps it hasn’t been demolished yet but it’s just sitting there taking up space and looking sadder and sadder with time.

Just because there are many similarities doesn’t make it less interesting.  Here are a few images from “between Amsterdam and Skopje”.

old welcome banner is falling off the wall, glass wall, with bright red above it

single family homes on a tree lined street

upper two storeys of a line of rowhouses, each slightly different, brick

upper level, back of stores on O'Connor, white brick strip mall, square white chimneys

blue metal xonstruction fence in front of an empty building with parking lot in front of it

parking lot and abandoned buildings waiting to be demolished

faded picture on exterior wall, overflowing cup of coffee or tea on bottom of foot that is upside down, wearing white sock

mailbox at number 1519, beside an image of a woman lying on her back

markings on a sidewalk in pink and red


large yellow arrows on the pavement in a parking lot

backyard garden with overhead vines

bright orange leaves on a tree in front of an apartment building

brick residence, fall colours outside

window of Jesse's filipino foods restaurant

reflections in the window of an audio equipment store

looking in the window of Shakira Beauty Academy, with some reflections of trees and cars outside

halloween decoration, life sized skeleton sitting on a chair on a balcony

two metal boxes on sidewalk painted with street art

Not every neighbourhood has a large bowling pin (as public art). Backstory – the condo that this pin sits in front of was built on the site of the old O’Connor Bowling Lanes (1951-206).

very large white bowling pin sitting in the middle of a large raised garden, as art

Of all the similarities that this neighbourhood shares with others in the city, not many of the others can claim to have a cookie outlet….

entrance to Peek freans cookie outlet, one car parked in front, mostly glass front to the building

And even more unique,  it’s also the home of the Peek Freans Biscuit factory.  There was a lovely sweet vanilla-ish smell in the air the day that I walked around.  Peek Freans has a long history in England dating back to the 1850s.  In 1949 they established their first bakery in Canada, here on O’Connor Drive.

entrance to peek freans cookie factory, a yellow brick building

Although the company has changed hands numerous times since then, the East York factory still produces cookies (and other items such as Oreos and Wheat Thins) for Mondelez Canada.

looking across O'Connor Drive towards Peek Freans cookie factory

Back in 1953 when this photo was taken there wasn’t much else around!

black and white photo of Peek Freans cookie factory in 1950s, on O'Connor drive, not much else is around it ,

source: City of Toronto Archives, fonds 1128, series 380, item 39

.

tops of storage silo towers at peek frean cookie factory

below: A couple of the metal boxes painted by D. Drew.

orange painting on a metal bell box, car parked behind it, boarded up business in the background with for sale sign on it, painted by D. Drew

forest sunset scene painted on a metal sidewalk box

man walking dog on sidewalk, past fall coloured trees

orange traffic cones stored in pink container

clear bottle with yellow liquid, partially full, sitting on a yellow concrete wall

side wall of a white brick building

looking in a window with flat rectangular ceiling lights, reflections of hydro pole and lines outside

balcony wth black railing on a grey brick building, blue sky with a cloud, transformer on hydro pole, with some wires

row houses on the corner of O'Connor Drive and Skopje Gate

After I wrote this blog post I asked google for a list of streets in Toronto named after American cities.  I got this answer: “Toronto has a number of streets named after American cities, such as Chicago Street, Dallas Street, and Milwaukee Avenue. These streets often have historical connections or reflect the city’s relationships with other North American metropolises.”  I had never heard of these streets in Toronto!  Maybe I missed something.

My next move was to look for Chicago Street in Google maps.  “There is no street named “Chicago Street” in Toronto” was the answer.  I also struck out looking for Dallas Street (which is when Google tried to direct me to Yonge Street).  The answer when I searched for Milwaukee Street was the best of all – “There is no “Milwaukee Street” in Toronto; however, there is a street called Ossington Street, often mentioned in lists of the city’s coolest streets, and a retail store named The Milwaukee Road located at Yorkdale Mall).   The next time you walk down Ossington, you can think of Milwaukee!

 

from Dupont to St. Clair West

Posted: November 12, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, public art, stores, transportation
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Enter if you Dare!

halloween decorations, including hand written sign that says enter if you dare, skeletons, fake cobwebs, yellow caution tape, all behind a little white picket fence

 

A late October walk on a sunny day – starting at Dupont station which is just north of Bloor on Line 1 (That’s the University side of the Yonge-University Line for those of you who, like me,  haven’t mastered the TTC numbering system yet!).  We walked a few blocks on Dupont before going under the railway tracks to Bridgman, then took a quick turn on Albany to get to Davenport.  A short block later we were on Bathurst.   Vaughan Road veers left off Bathurst just south of Bloor.  We meandered  a bit north of Bloor before walking back to St. Clair West station.

below: A bright and sparkly flower blooms on the southbound platform of Dupont subway station.   This is one of the mosaics designed by James Sutherland in the series “Spadina Summer Under all Seasons” found around the station.

mosaic flower, very large, on the wall at track level, by platform of Dupont subway station

below: More Dupont station flowers to greet subway travelers, this time on the concourse level.


mural picture seen inside dupont subway station, concourse level, on tiles

below: Taking the escalator up inside the dome at street level.

on escalator up to surface level, dupont subway station, looking towards glass dome roof of station entrance

looking through glass doors of dupont station entrance, a woman is coming in, stores across the street

below: There is a Nick Sweetman mural of birds that wraps around the curve of a bench.

mural by Nick Sweetman, above a curved bench at Dupont station, a blue jay, nuthatch, evening grosbeck, and more

below: The curve matches that of the domed entrance to the station on the southeast corner of Dupont and Spadina.

bikes parked outside Dupont subway station, beside glass dome over entrance, beside bench with Nick Sweetman mural

elevator structure at dupont subway station

below: Casa Loma in the distance, on the hill beyond the tracks. This is the view on Spadina north of Dupont.

railway underpass on Spadina, with casa loma on a hill in the background

looking through railway underpass, traffic including school bus is stopped at a red light at dupont

below: Northeast corner of Dupont and Spadina

stores on northeast corner of spadina and dupont, pedestrians people waiting to cross at traffic light, D and D gift shop, country style, and XC Art Restoration, Subway restaurant

below: Big rounded arches, rooftop terraces in the back, and two turrets, all at the corner of St. George Street and Dupont.

large multi unti old brick residence, three storeys, two turrets

below: Looking north on St. George, towards Dupont, 1904.  Working on the street.  The house with the two turrets is already there.  The duplex on Dupont at the top of the street still exists too.

old black and white photo from 1904 of St. George street looking north to Dupont.

below: The duplex (176-178 Dupont) is difficult to see because like so many other older residences on main streets, an addition has been added to the front to facilitate a store or a restaurant.   At the moment,  176 Dupont is a Mexican restaurant, even though the says Pastrami (close enough!).

the first a in pastrami is missing, in a sign above a restaurant.

vines growing on concrete wall that has street art painting on it, side of railway underpass supports

below: Bruno Men’s Hairsylist and his quaint little sign.

Bruno mens hairstylist sign on building on spadina

below: On Dupont, east of Spadina is this mural by Catherine Cachia

mural on the side of a residential building on Dupont, big circular flowers, by Catherine Cachia

below: Cozy and euphoric.

cozy coffee and euphoria stores

below: Bete Suk, Ethiopian Coffee shop

front window of Bete Suk, Ethiopian store and coffee shop on Dupont

below: Northwest corner of Dupont and Spadina, and another domed subway entrance.

bus shelter and dome of dupont subay station entrance on northwest corner of spadina and dupont,

below: Looking west on Dupont

looking west on dupont from in front of dupont subway station, red and white TTC sign.

below: Another, much clearer, example of the transition of houses to businesses by building additions in front, are these two – Krispy Kreme and the faded Modern Laundry & Dry Cleaners.

peaks of original houses can be seen over the top of the boxy additions to the structure to make space for stores, krispy kreme donuts on one side, a dry cleaners on the other

below: West of Dupont, there are still some garages covered in street art.

 

white car parked beside a garage with a street art on the side of it.

below: This is 390 Dupont Street, part of which is now a coffee shop/vintage clothing store.  I am not sure what the history of the building is but when I tried to research it, I discovered that there is a condo development being proposed for the site.

commercial building, coffee shop on ground level

below: This is the neighbouring property, 388 Dupont.   Two years ago when I walked this stretch, there was a blue and white development notice sign in front of the building (Dupont Street Scenes).   When the application for redevelopment was first filed (2020), it was for an 11 storey building involving 374 to 388 Dupont.  By 2023 the plan had evolved to 12 storeys and now included 390 Dupont as well.  Because the site is adjacent to the CP Railway corridor, a train safety derailment wall along the entire back wall is part of the plan.

old car wash on dupont street

below:  Although there is no posted notice of planning applications for this building, it appears to be empty.  The front door is boarded up and there is a No Trespassing sign in the window.

two storey older brick building, boarded up front door, seems to be empty

below: Two years ago this building was in the early stages of construction.

new condo under construction, balconies are white, with curved ends
below: Another theme that occurs over and over again on the streets of Toronto – the jumble of different eras. Very old brick houses and new glass and steel towers mixed together along with ages in between.   The smaller older structures dwarfed by the newer ones that tower over them.

old grey house, old brick building painted bright red, new condo development, in a line along dupont street

below: The Troy Lovegates mural of 10 faces on Howland & Dupont is still there and still looking vibrant.  If you are interested, there are more images of this mural elsewhere in this blog. 

mural by Troy Lovegates at the corner of Howland and Dupont, 10 faces cover the exterior wall of Fat Pasta restaurant

 below: Running parallel to the railway tracks, and just north of them.

parking lot with tall hydro transmission tower and lines running through it

empty parking lot, with row of condos in the background

below:  The north side of the CP Railway corridor shows signs of its more industrial past.   This building with its curved glass sidelights and other small Art Deco finishes, sits empty.   Previously it was home to a plumbing company but they have moved to new quarters elsewhere in the city.

curved glass sidelights around a metal frame door, brick building, number 316, now empty

 below: Tarragon Village mural by Elicser Elliott

Tarragon Village mural by Elicser Elliott
Tarragon Village mural by Elicser Elliott

below: There is also this mural, just around the corner on Albany, “You are not alone”. It was painted by Julia Prajza and Bareket (bkez).  ‘You Are Not Alone Murals’ is a public mural project with over 100 murals completed.  Their goal is to “inspire artists to create murals in their communities–sparking hope, connection, and conversations about mental health.” (quote taken from their website, youarenotalonemurals.com).

mural on the front of a building, wrapped around the front door, in cursive, text says You are not alone

below: An intriguing series of photos in the windows… but I couldn’t get a closer look at them.

private property, no trespassing sign on chain link gate, in front of driveway, beside building with old pictures displayed in boarded up windows

below: A large red heart and an even larger blue spruce tree.

large blue spruce tree growing in the front yard of a house with table and chairs in the front yard, also a bench with a large red heart on it

older house with trees growing in front, front door and enclosed porch have been tagged;

in magenta, stencil graffiti that says you grow girl

below:  The paintings along the concrete wall on the west side of Bathurst have all been defaced.

front end of a white truck in view, driving past a mural painting of an orange car, mural has been tagged in large fat green and white letters

below: Another touch of Art Deco in the neighbourhood

stairs and entrance to an art deco style brick apartment building with curved corners

below: Bathurst Street houses

2 single family homes on Bathurst street

below: Playing in the playground

autumn foilage on tree at edge of playground

below: Store fronts on Bathurst

store fronts on Bathurst

Green Farms store on the corner, Bathurst Street

store fronts on Bathurst, one is empty and for lease, another is knit o matic

below: Looking north up Bathurst where Vaughan Road exits left. Vaughan Road was built in the 1920’s along an older trail that follows a now underground creek.  From here, it runs more or less diagonally north and west to its northern end at Dufferin and Eglinton.

looking north up Bathurst to where Vaughan Road veers left

below: Choice laundry in the old brick building, on Vaughan Road.

Choice coin laundry and dry cleaning, , with a young man sitting outside

below: Also on Vaughan Road, Zoomiez Doggie Daycare and Vaughan Road Pharmacy.

vaughan road pharmacy, brick building on vaughan road, beside newer building with is home to zoomiez doggie daycare

a face has been added to a hydro pole, plastic face parts nailed to the wood

below: We met a couple of strangers.  They weren’t very talkative though so we kept walking….

two life sized skeletons sitting outside with drinks in their hands

vacant lot behind black chain link fence

large apartment building in background, top of a porta potty in the foreground,

hole in the ground for condo construction, crane,

piles of supplies for construction, building materials, behind an old house

below: The gateposts on Strathearn Road mark the entrance to the former village of Forest Hill.  Forest Hill was incorporated as a village in 1923 and then annexed by the City of Toronto in 1967.

two large stone gate posts for a gate in a boulevard between two lanes of traffic

two large trees in front of a single family home, 2 storeys, both trees full of red leaves for autumn

bungalow single family home, white garage door, brickwork is checkerboard light and dark brown,

older stone house with brown wood addition, ivy covers on of the walls, stone chimney, large blue spruce tree growing beside the house

below: There is a metal plaque at each end of the Glen Cedar pedestrian bridge over the Cedarvale Ravine.  This is the one at the south end.  The text is taken from the lyrics of “Anthem”, a song by Leonard Cohen.  The first bridge here was built by Henry Pellatt (the same man responsible for Casa Loma) in 1912. It became a pedestrian bridge when it was modernized in 1989.

brass plaque embedded in the concrete of a bridge railing

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your prefect offering.
  There is a crack,
a crack in everything
it’s how the light get’s in
[and yes, the plaque has an apostrophe in gets]

glen cedar pedestrian bridge in late october when the trees were in their autumn foilage

red, range, and yelow oak leaves, autumn colours, from Glen Cedar bridge

below:  Home is where our story begins.

graffiti words on dark grey metal railing of bridge, background is path and trees below the bridge, words say "home is where our story begins"

graffiti, black drawing on white, signed, also words toxic city on drawing

large gnarly old tree beside a two storey brick house

path through a ravine with some sunlight coming down through the large trees that are on both sides of the trail,

below: At Bathurst and St. Clair – Da Best Pilipino Bakery and Deli

on Toronto education workers building, a green sign that says Da Best Pilapino Bakery and Deli

cracked concrete sidewalk, metal drain cover

below: Waiting to cross Bathurst Street

looking east on the north side of St. Clair on Bathurst

below: Looking east on the north side of St. Clair, from Bathurst.  St. Clair West subway station is just a few meters away.

looking east on the north side of St. Clair on Bathurst,, fence around a construction site

below: There was once a gas station on the northeast corner of Bathurst and St. Clair West.  Now it is a vacant lot with a few alien creatures like this one lurking about.

large digger on construction site, with glass and steel condos in the background

passenger in a white truck, window down, elbow out, as it drives around a corner

plastic halloween decorations, a flying orange ghostly creature with a black witch's hat on

below: Happy Hallowe’en pumpkins!  The frog’s not so certain though.

two jack o lantern pumpkins for halloween decorations, on a front porch

 

With thanks to Nancy who walked with me that day.

back to Ossington

Posted: May 8, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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Ossington Avenue is an interesting street to walk with it’s numerous stores, restaurants and coffee shops.  But there is another fascinating world hiding behind the main street in the numerous lanes and alleys in the area.  A few weeks ago I presented some images from these alleys (Behind Ossington, 15 April),  but I barely scratched the surface of what is there.

on Ossington Ave., older buildings that are now stores. one is painted olive green, another is white, and third is red brick. at the end, is a building with large yellow and blue vertical stripes, a bench is on the sidewalk

For this blog post, I have assembled more of the photographs that I have taken around Ossington since January of this year.  It gets a bit long because I decided not to chop it into smaller pieces, so grab a seat and let’s get started!

a bench beside a green wall in a snow covered parking lot, door beside bench has love U! written on it

below: A whimsical Uber5000 painting on a garage door.

uber 5000 mural, green biplane with 3 yellow birdies, including one standing on a bomb. dog standing on one of the airplane wings

below: Hearts on fire, burning love, and the fireman that is trying to extinguish the flames – in a mural created by D. Terra Stencils.

stencil,ural by D. Terra stencils, a crouching fireman holds a hose and shoots water upward towards a big red heart

below: One of the cutest raccoons that I have ever seen, also painted by D.Terra Stencils.

mural by D. Terra stencils, of a young raccoon, green leafy background

below: Some more cute raccoons of a different sort go camping in a mural by Emily May Rose

Emily May Rose raccoons go camping, with a grey and orange trailer, a yellow umbrella, and a folding chair too

two grey Emily May Rose raccoons play in a pile of dirt, while drinking canned drinks

below: … and some more raccoons!

Emily May Rose raccoons in a painting on a fence in an alley

below: …. and even more!

in an allley, wall and door, raccoons by Emily May Rose and text graffiti too
toronto alley near ossington with street art on fences and garages

below: Smaller black stencil graffiti on a white garage door – an iconic image of Marilyn Monroe as well as a Kung fu Panda.  The other woman gets a splash of bright red.

black stencil graffiti on a white garage door, portrait of Marilyn Monroe, and kung fu panda image, as well as another woman's head and face

below: A trumpet player and a gun fight.

black stencil graffiti on a white garage door, a man playing a trumpet, also two men in a gun fight with one standing over the other who is lying on the ground.

below: Bikes on the stairs with a colourful bird keeping a watchful eye.

in an alley, exterior stairs to a small balcony, bike parked on stairs, mural of a bird painted on wall beside the stairs

below: A tribute mural celebrating Canadian Black designers.

mural in an ossington alley, black background, text that says Designers of Canada, with three portraits, on the lower level of a three storey red brick building

below: An old square brick building, garages and fences with graffiti, old trees, and a row of houses at the end of the lane – this captures the look of a typical Toronto lane.

looking down an alley, garages with graffiti on the right, fence on the left, at the end, a semi divided house that is different on either side, also at end of alley, on right, a larger red brick building (old)

below: Home patio, outdoor living urban style.

exterior of building, concrete block painted a dark yellow,, white door, and black window, with 2 small chairs and a table, and a stool, immediately outside the building

below: “Stop and enjoy”.  I like how the poster below the stop sign says “mediocrity” which makes the overall message, “Stop and enjoy mediocrity”.  A bit snarky.

stop sign on a pole in an alley, beside a garage door with street art on it. text graffiti on the stop sign so that it says stop and enjoy

in a laneway with street art murals on all the garage doors

part of a larger mural, a face in the sun, eyes closed, some vines are growing over the face

older drawing on garage, man's face, coconut tree with palm leaves,

below: The tail end of a fishy mural.

a small alley near Ossington, cars parked in alley, one side has building with mural on it, the other is a house with grey siding cladding

below: This aquatic themed mural dates from 2016 when a group of artists painted many murals in the area, all with the Great Lakes as their theme. They were part of Pangeaseed Foundation’s Seawalls for Oceans project. Some artworks have survived better than others. Love letters in paint is a post from 2016 that show most of them in their original form.

fish mural by shalak attack

below: The Swiss army knife was also a Pangeaseed mural

street art mural with a big red swiss army knife in the center

below: Where possible, Jimmy’s Coffee shops have exterior walls painted with images of famous Jimmys including the one on Ossington. Jimmy Carter, James Dean, the guitar of Jimmy Hendrix and two muppets representing Jim Henson Gonzo and Elmo

images of famous Jimmys on the side of Jimmys coffee shop on Ossington, Jimmy Carter, James Dean, the guitar of Jimmy Hendrix and two muppets representing Jim Henson gonzo and elmo

black and white image of Jimmy Hendrix singing and playing guitar, pink background, mural

below: A Jimmy of a different kind, a fantastic cacaphony of colours and shapes in a mural by Jimmy Chiale

mural of abstract shapes and colours by j. chiale

below: Close up of part of a mural, a young man wearing a black mask over his eyes.

close up of a street art painting, a young man in a black mask over his eyes

photo taken in a snowy parking lot, of the backs of some houses, fences, backyards,

below: Rowell Soller

rowell soller mural on a garage door

below: Two paintings on two different garages that look like they were done by the same artist.  The signature appears to be Soul R. and the top painting is from 2017.

mural of a turtle swimming in the water, in light shades of brown, blue garage

mural of a turtle swimming in the water, in a wall in an alley, with a pile of empty boxes and containers on the ground in front of it

below: 2022 Christina Mazzulla, for the Golden Turtle Restaurant.

mural, pink flowers, a fish, and a sea turtle

on the side wall of a house in an alley, mural, pink flowers, a fish, and a sea turtle

below: “You are stroger than you think”

a house being renovated, plywood over downstairs window with graffiti on it

below: Nick Sweetman has used shades of blue and purple to create this wonderful northern scene with a bear and moose combo.

a large bear and a moose, in a mural on a garage door in an alley, painted by bruno smoky or shalak attack

below: Totally blue.   The other colours have faded?  Or were never there in the first place?

gate in alley, double wide, at the end of a driveway, all in blue

below: More garage doors painted by D.Terra Stencils

alley near Ossington with lots of garage doors covered with murals, street art, urban art

below: On a bright yellow background, an image of Jean Michel Basquiat, one of the original creators present-day street art.

garage door painted yellow, then a portrait of Jean Michel Basquiat often considered the founder of street art

below: .. and beside Basquiat, a levitating woman

mural on an alley garage door by D.TErra stencils, a levitating woman, lying on her back up in the air, long hair hanging down.

below: Written in Portuguese is “Nem às paredes confesso” which translates to “I don’t even confess to the walls”.

mural on red background, musicians, one singer and one instrument player

below: Portuguese words, and nearby a Portuguese flag

street art painting of the Portuguese (Portugal) flag

mural, portrait of a man on a purple background

below: Boxers – Muhammad Ali and an opponent

boxing mural

below: The last D. Terra Stencils is this rendition of Ren and Stimpy

ren and stimpy from Nickelodeon TV in the 1990s, in a mural

trimming trees in an alley, man in lift above the lane, truck, some garages with graffiti and street art

little bits of metal on a wood utility pole

exterior door in an alley, covered with street art

part of a larger painting, a small character peaks its head out from the middle of a puffy orange letter O

below: The next four images are of the same mural in a snowy laneway parking lot…  starting with DAM DOG ketchup bottle

parking lot, in winter, box with street art on it beside a wall with more painting

parrt of a mural, smiling skull with a chain through one eye socket, and slightly yellow bottom teeth,

below: Parking for Animals

from a larger mural, young man in multi colour sunglasses, with a can of spray paint in his hand

close up of part of a mural, finger on the top of a spray paint can

below: These little ceramic animals have been walking in this alley for at least ten years.

little flat ceramic animal shapes, a turtle a small dinosaur, glued to a wall in an alley, beige with green and pink dots,

below: T-bonez stands alone, maybe waiting for the light to turn green?

t bonex sticker on a yellow box (for crossing signal). urban ninja squadron, visual noise,

T bonez sticker from visual noise and urban ninja squadron

close up of an old turquoise section of street art on wood fence, with red spray paint circle and double cross

on a wall painted very deep but bright red, outside in an alley, torn bits of paper remain where posters have been partially torn off

box on a wall, covered with stickers that are mostly in black and white, with red spray paint tag on top of it all.

below: And what’s this? Even more raccoons?! Toronto’s “beloved” trash pandas are everywhere!

raccoons in an alley mural, one sitting on a trash can, drinking, raccoons are trash pandas

part of a mural, painted by Emily May Rose, of a greenish grey raccoon, or trash panda, sitting of the top of a metal garbage can, holding a bottle with an XXX label.

some Parkdale doors and windows

Posted: March 31, 2025 in doors, stores, windows and walls
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below: Have a seat!  Let me show you a few interesting and colourful doors and windows that I have seen along Queen Street West.

2 wood chairs outside a coffee shop

below: We’re all in this together. Recognize the font? the style?  It’s a throwback to Honest Eds.

sign in window that says we're all in this together

outside wall painted bright blue, window,

below: Passing in front of Bone & Busk store.

Front window with two corsets, one white, and one red, of bone and busk store on queen west

below: Art frames the windows

part of a street art mural that frames the windows in a store, reflections in the window

below: Facial time, with love from Pepe!

old black mailbox on a white wall, with poster above showing a woman getting a facial, black scrawl graffiti below the mailbox

below: An abstract painting of a musician in hot reds and oranges covers this door.

dark wood door frame, abstract painting in hot colors, reds, orange, and some yellow, covers most of the door.

below: Welcome, but closed.

metal gate in front of door of store with closed sign, also a sign that says welcome

below: Luigi plays Tetris

in the window of a store, a figurine of Luigi from Mario brothers, with a toy tetris game

below: Grocery Coffee

from across the street, front of Grocery Coffee with a table and two chairs outside

reflection of woman looking at pastries for sale in a bakery window,

two men talking outside a tattoo parlour on Queen West, both wearing toques

below: In a quiet niche, a guitar player finds a place to play.

man plays a guitar in doorway of closed restaurant and cafe, guitar case on ground, pictures in window

a woman walks past Lee's Variety on Queen West, store is painted red, with large window in front,

below: Advertising their wares, phone accessories, backpacks, incense sticks, cat dog food, ice, beer, and key cutting… and many more inside!

window of convenience store, key cutting, with ads on boards outside on sidewalk

below: T.dot Variety

t dot variety store with a tree growing in front of it

below: Gumby lies in the window of Tammy’s wearing white boots and pink thong.  Not the Gumby of your childhood!

rainbow coloured bench in front of Tammys window, Gumby with white boots and pink thong, holding a microphone,

below: Mailboxes and stickers

2 doors on a building, the one on the right is covered with stickers

below: A peachy scene

doorway alcove painted with abstract person's butt in the shape of a peach

green door, with 2 green milk crates sitting on the doorstep

below: Mary stands outside a window of Our Lady of Lebanon Church

part of a dark red brick church, with arched window, white statue of Mary in front of the church

looking in a restaurant window, plastic pink flower, with reflections of street

I have chosen to focus on the content or the character of the windows and doors at street level. There is at least one, and probably more, stories that could be told about the doors and windows of Parkdale from an architectural perspective (commercial, and then residential…). I will leave you with a couple of examples but I will have to save the rest of the subject for another post.

upper level of 2 storey building, brick, with six windows, and pattern of yellow bricks,

toronto city street sign, Queen Street West, Parkdale, showing the upper level of the buildings across the street

Cliffcrest

Posted: January 28, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, history, locations, transportation
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blue and white Scarborough street sign, Kingston Road, in Cliffcrest

Cliffcrest is a neighbourhood in Scarborough that includes a section of Kingston Road between Brimley and Bellamy Roads.  The southern boundary is Lake Ontario including the  eastern portion of the Scarborough Bluffs.

below: At the corner of Kingston Road & St. Clair is one of the Scarborough Heritage Trail murals funded by Mural Routes.   It is “In The Way of Progress” and shows  a Kingston Road radial railway car at Stop 17 with Scarborough High School (later changed name to R.H. King Academy) in the background.  It was painted in 1996 by Phil, Jennifer, and Jamie Richards.

mural on the side of a building by a parking lot on Kingston Road, Scarborough scene, old rail car public transit stopping by old high school, at stop 17, cow lying down near rail car

below: 1922, Kingston Road looking west towards St. Clair with Scarborough High School near the intersection.

Source: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1488, series 1230, Item 2064

In 1893 the Toronto and Scarborough Electric Railway, Light and Power Company started running a one car train along Kingston Road.   The tracks went as far east as West Hill.  A couple of years later, this line became part of the Toronto and York Radial Railway (TYRR).  The TYRR had four branches radiating from the city, one to the west, 2 northward, and this one east along Kingston Road.  The stops on the Scarborough route were numbered, starting at Victoria Park Avenue.   Stop 17 was at St. Clair East & Kingston Road.

below: This 1922 photo is actually from a bit farther west, at Victoria Park.  What I wanted to show was how the railway tracks just ran between the road and the sidewalk.  Very simple infrastructure! Not too feasible in a city, but in 1922 this neighbourhood was more rural than urban (and they still got transit!)

1922 photo of Kingston Road, looking west from Victoria Park

Source: City of Toronto Archives, Series 71, item 1607

below:  You can’t see it in this photo but the mural above is on the wall of Stop 17 Variety (by the parking lot on the right).

small tree in front of a store, Stop 17, Variety, on Kingston Road,

below:   From 1973, forty years ago – looking at the southeast corner of Brimley and Kingston Road.  The bus is northbound on Brimley.

black and white photo by Richard Glaze taken in 1973 at the corner of Brimley and Kingston Road, found on Transit Toronto website

Photo Credit: Richard Glaze photo 1973, Transit Toronto website.  If you are interested in anything to do with transit in Toronto, check out their website.  They have an extensive collection of photographs, maps, and documents.  They also feature all the latest news about slow downs, route changes, and service advisories (among other things).

The same motel is still on that corner of Kingston Rd and Brimley.  I don’t have the exact replica photo but this is what the Hav a Nap Motel looks like now.

Hav a Nap motel, sign in front of motel, Brimley and Kingston Road
below: Moving slightly west, photo taken from approximately the corner of Brimley and Kingston Road.

entrance driveway to Hav a Nap motel showing some of the buildings, Brimley and Kingston Road

Once upon a time, Kingston Road was a major east west route in and out of the city.  There were many motels along here.  Their heyday was the 1950s and the bigger, fancier ones are long gone, leaving behind some of the smaller ones.

below: As a shoutout to these motels and their stoy is this sidewalk box decorated with images of old motel signs. The Americana and the Roycroft signs can be seen on this side.

sidewalk box decorated with images of old motel signs, Kingston Rd and Brimley, Americana Motel

below: The Americana Motel still exists in the Cliffcrest neighbourhood (close to Brimley).  The Roycroft is farther east, beyond McCowan.

Americana Motel sign in yard of the motel, red brick buildings,

americana motel on kingston road

below: Henry’s Motel

Henrys Motel on Kingstson Road, newer condo in the background

below: The sign of things to come.. and yes, it’s a condo with retail at street level.

redevelopment notice for property at the corner of Kingston Road and St. Quentin

old building, cafe, on Kingston Road with painting in the covered windows, redevelopment notice on front, snow on ground

Scarborough house on St. Quentin Ave., birch tree in front, snow covered front lawn

below: The north side of Kingston Road, just east of Brimley – it looks like changes are happening here too.

north side of Kingston Road, east of Brimley, long fence or hoardings, with apartment buildings behind.

Brimley Road is also the main access for Bluffers Park at the foot of the Scarborough Bluffs.

yellow traffic sign in a residential neighbourhood that says no access to Beach or Bluffs sat and Sun and Holidays from May 1st to Sept 30th

below: Dairy Queen at Kingston Road and Harewood is closed for the winter

looking across Kingston Road to a Dairy Queen and another storefront that is two 2 storey brick building. sign says Horizon

below: An alley runs behind the south side of Kingston Road

path laneway with snow, behind houses, with wood fences between lane and backyards

a big red handprint painted on a wood fence, as seen in an alley

snow covered lane, back of stores and buildings on Kingston Road, two storey, exterior stairs, porches, balconies, doors, and windows,

jumble of wood, dead leaves, caught between chainlink fence and wood fence

in an alley, many ladders leaning against a tree behind a building

curved porch and front steps in front of a house where some of the rocks are painted bright colours

fake street sign on a wood fence that says beach bum blvd

rowhouses on Kingston Road three storeys high, with trees in front,

renovated and enlarged modern house in between two older brick bungalows

winter street scene in Scarborough, single family homes,

older brick 2 storey home, with garage at side, large snow covered front lawn, large trees beside house, dormer style windows on top floor

below: Mailbox with a porpoise (or two)

in front of a house, a mailbox that looks like a dolphin is holding it up, smaller baby dolphin sits at parent's feet

below: On the side of a Wild Wings restaurant.

mural in brown tones, on side of wild wing restaurant, back to camera, adult male cowboy walking beside younger boy, with cowboy hats and chaps, younger one has a lasso

dark blue cars, in snow, parked at used car lot on Kingston Road, ASD Auto sales

plastic santa claus stands outside a restaurant window, with words printed on window: burgers, souvlaki, steaks, chicken

below: Carusos Fruit Market, Groceries, Hardware & Gift Items

front of Caruos Fruit Market, Groceries, Hardware and Gift Items

Other Scarborough Heritage Mural posts:

1. Heritage Murals – Kingston Road, 2014

  • The Half Way House’ by John Hood, 1990. (Midland & Kingston Road)
  • ‘The Bluffs as Viewed by Elizabeth Simcoe c. 1793’ by Risto Turunen, 1992.

2. Cliffside Murals, 2017:

  • ‘Spooners Garage’ by Phillip Woolf, 1992.
  • ‘H.M. Schooner, Onondaga c. 1793’ by Jeff Jackson 1992.
  • ‘Cliffside Golf Course’ by Dan Sawatzky, 1991.
  • ‘The Half Way House’ by John Hood, 1990. (Midland & Kingston Road) (repeat)
  • ‘The Bluffs as Viewed by Elizabeth Simcoe c. 1793’ by Risto Turunen, 1992.(repeat)

3. Heritage Trail Mural 8, 2014

  • “Building the Addition to the Wesley Methodist Chapel, Highland Creek, Winter” by  John Hood , assisted by Alexandra Hood and Zeb Salmaniw, 1994.1867”

4. Scarborough Bells, 2020

  • scenes from early Scarborough, painted by painted in 2012/2013 by De Anne Lamirande.  Under a railway overpass.

5. Birch Cliff, Kingston Road, 2021

  • On the side of Legion 13 on Kingston Road is this large mural. Painted in memory of Max Silverstein, by John Hood with help from Alexandra Hood and Asif Khan, 1991. Restored in 2010 by Blinc Studios. “Scarborough Rifle Company marching to the Niagara Frontier, June 1, 1866.”
  • “Mitchells General Store” by Phil Irish, 1998.

 

 

 

Out with the Dragon, In with the Snake

Posted: January 25, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations, stores
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As Chinese  (or Lunar) New Year approaches, I thought that I would give you a quick tour around Chinatown as it appears in January after a little snow.  Most of the pictures were taken in the vicinity of Spadina and Dundas.   Some shots are ‘iconic’ views, others not so much.

below: This girl has been carrying her soup bowl for many years!  She has appeared on many Instagram pages and on many other sites.  She may even be on your phone.  The “BEST” is a more recent addition!

the word best is written on the sidewalk with an arrow pointing to restaurant with a large statue of a chinese girl dressed all in red holding a large white and red bowl. she is winking

below: Spadina Avenue

chinatown stores, with lots of signs, spadina at glen bailie

bikes chained to fence, in snowy alley, with street art on the wall and an ad too

part of a chinatown mural, elderly person in a blue cap with small child

below: Cute little red stuffed snakes for sale.

little stuffed toy snakes in bright red, for sale at a store in Chinatown

below: Yes, there is a very large black bear that patiently sits beside the door of one of the stores on Spadina.

large sculpture of a black bear sitting outside a chinese store, evening, lights on inside

below:  Looking in the window of a Vietnamese store – boxes of things, band-aids, cotton balls, eye care massagers, and many brands of green tea.

looking through front window of an Asian store, window is full of merchandise

crossing Dundas at traffic lights to northwest corner of Dundas and Huron

below: The east side of Spadina

looking across spadina avenue, trees in median, winter, line of stores on the other side, lights on, late afternoon

below: Yin Yang mural – Yin and Yang, two interconnected forces that are complementary yet opposing.  Together they are dynamic system that is greater than the sum of the two parts.

a yin and yang circle and dots mural in blues and oranges, on a brick wall,

below: On the wall to the left is part of a mural that features the Great Wall of China.

chinatown alley with mural of the great wall of china on one side, back of houses and garages at the end of the alley, snow, winter,

alley scene, back of houses, parking spaces, fence, snow, graffiti

  below: Behind Dundas

man pushing a cart along lane, in snow, with garages on his right, some with street art, utility pole with street light, tall buildings in the distance,

sign on orange wall that says no graffiti please

 

alley in chinatown, winter, snow, one building covered with street art

mural on a building in laneway in chinatown, black man, with pink boxing gloves,

below:  “The Herd-Boy and the Weaver-Girl”, a mural that illustrates a story.  It designed and painted by Allan Bender, John Nobrega, and Stacey Kinderwas  (2017)

outdoor patio, in winter, with snow on tables, beside a large mural, chinatown,

From Mural Routes website: “A very long time ago, when the King of the Sky created the heavens, he decorated it with stars and asked his beautiful daughter to help him by weaving the clouds and mists. It was a long task and when the king noticed his daughter looking tired and drawn, he ordered her to take a break and go out to play among the stars. The princess headed down towards the Milky Way to bathe, whereupon she came across a handsome herd-boy grazing his water buffalo by the banks of the stream. To this day, on the seventh day of the seventh month of every year a great King sends a flock of magpies over the Milky Way to form a bridge to ensure the return of his daughter. The weather must be clear on this evening or the lovers cannot cross the celestial river to meet each other. If it rains the pair must wait another year. On a clear night you can see their two bright stars together in the sky. If it rains it is said that the drops falling to earth are the tears of the Weaver-Girl Princess.”

bench in front of a wall with street art, snow, people passing by on sidewalk beside it

stores and buildings on east side of spadina

merchandise for sale outside a store, red and gold chinese new year items, snow on shelves, winter

front of a store in chinatown, goods on display outside

below: The next two pictures are parts of a mural by June Jieun Kim.

window of a store, with mural on wall below, woman in a pink cap and a scarf around her shoulders

mural of a chinese dragon under windows of a store

delivery truck in alley that dead ends at huron street, orange square house at end of alley

below: Pho Hung, Vietnamese restaurant at Spadina and St. Andrew, northwest corner

large red brick building on northwest corner of spadina and

below: Huron and Grange, southeast corner

block of row houses with stores at ground level, including T and C hair salon, southeast corner of Huron and Grange

below: Bay and gable houses on Huron

upper storey of a row of bay and gable houses on Huron St., one in red, one in pink and a light grey one

below:  Looking south on Huron towards the downtown core

looking south on Huron st., just south of Dundas, towards downtown. winter, snowy. large trees.,

backyards and houses seen from a wintery snowy chinatown laneway

looking down the space between two houses, graffiti on the fence, snow on the ground, multiple exterior staircases

north side of Dundas, chinatown, three buildings including Asian Legends restaurant

outside wall of a restaurant, pictures of menu items on plates, also lights in the shape of a basket of steamed dumplings, a bowl of ramen noodles, and a drink with a straw and a slice of lemon

outside asian store, door open, ceramic pots for sale, clearance sale sign in window

signs in chinatown, on dundas, spa, printers,

canadian flag on sign for canadian souvenir store on spadina

many signs on businesses in chinatown, dundas street

dundas at Jean Lumb Lane, south side, man on sidewalk pushing baby stroller, snow,, winter,

dundas in chinatown, after dark, people on sidewalk, reflections on the wall, pink sign over door that says spa

below: Shopping on Spadina

woman in side store, seen through glass in door

below: Lucky Moose Food Mart after dark

night time, moose market on dundas street, lit inside

below: Summer Sun Spa, and others

below: Yunshang Rice Noodles

night time, yunshang rice noodle restaurant on dundas, with food delivery cyclist outside on bike

below: Happy Lamb Hot Po, Zao bar and grill, and one that I can’t read.

night time, 3 large signs lit, one for happy lamb hot pot and another for zao bar and grill, third is in mandarin language only

below: Spadina and Dundas after dark

night time photo of Spadina and dundas, looking east on Dundas, traffic, pedestrians, lights, signs, snow,

Happy New Year!

Namaste, Merry Christmas, and more…

Posted: December 18, 2024 in locations, stores, transportation
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Another visit to Little India late one afternoon in December.  In December darkness descends early but with darkness come lights.  Some things are hidden but others are revealed.  Shadows shift and details blur. 

below: “Namaste!  Warning, This Store is protected by Karma.  Steal from here and you’ll soon find out why Karma’s a Bitch.”

sign in store window, with picture of buddha, Namaste, Warning,

below: Christmas lights on poles, and greenery with bows – it must be December in the city!

greenery and white bows in a planter along the sidewalk on gerrard, little india, utility pole beside it is wrapped in Christmas lights

sign painted on side of coffee shop, in large capital letters, you are here. with a decorated christmas tree beside it

seemingly cross eyed santa claus doll in a store window, skinny santa

below: I doubt that it says “Merry Christmas”!  … Nor does it say, “Namaste”.

sticker with arabic writing on it, on a utility pole that is wrapped in christmas lights

below: Love wins, regardless of the season.   A few of the characters on the exterior of a building painted by Al Runt.

two of the many characters painted by Al Runt on the exterior of a building on gerrard east, a sign in the window of the building says love wins

in store, man behind counter, looks out door as photo is being taken of mannequin in the window

portions of saris and other garments in store window, green beaded cloth, bright patterns,

below: A cash register on the counter and shelves crammed full of stuff – mostly household things – mugs, pots & pans, and the like.

looking in the window of a store, cash register on the counter, shelves full of stuff,

below: Looking in gallery windows too

GAS gallery window with large painting on display

north side of Gerrard

below: Baldev Paan – paan, ice cream, soft drinks, and bitcoin.

store in Little India, Baldev Paan, light green painted exterior, many signs in window,

below: Running for the streetcar

streetcar on gerrard,

below: Rana Gems, India Paan, and a restaurant with tacos and mariscos (seafood, en español) as well as a Christmas tree in the window.

2 store fronts on gerrard, India Paan, and both are two storey older buildings, picture taken late afternoon, lights on inside stores

below: Small, smaller, smallest?  or Big, bigger, biggest?  Biggest pencil? Yes!  …..  Karma’s Kitchen is squished in between two larger buildings.

three stores in little india, tall grey building, middle sized blue Neelams store, and short single storey restaurant,

below: More on the south side of Gerrard, Karmas Kitchen again, Sultan Jewellers and, the now empty, Alesha Beauty Salon and Spa.

early evening, three buildings on the north side of Gerrard, Karma Kitchen restaurant,

small metal table on sidewalk outside restaurant, list of food on wall, like lassi, sev puri, panu puri, and gol guppa, evening, street scene

below: Pretty in pink

exterior of restaurant, painted pink

below: Looking through the window

looking through window into restaurant with a large image of a woman in pink on a wall

below: Dancing among the flowers

part of a mural in Little India, two people dancing, woman in purple sari, man in pinkish orange outfit

decorations on a glass door, entrance to a store, lit inside, darker outside, evening

saris hanging up in window of clothing store

mannequins in store window, with sign that says everything must go, also a sign advertising 22k gold

mannequins in a window, evening, yellowish light inside

below: Shiny beaded fringes and reflected lights, playing with windows.

reflections of stores and lights in a window with saris and clothes with shiny beads on fringes, metallic threads,

part of a mural, a woman's portrait on a door, with colourful designs around her, leaves and flowers, stylized

advert posters on exterior wall, faded, both women,

mailbox with white necklace like dangly thing, with fake orange flowers at the end

bicycle parked in front of Lazy Daisy Cafe on Gerrard, bus shelter,

below: Harry’s on the northeast corner of Gerrard and Coxwell

TTC streetcar at Coxwell and Gerrard, in front of Harrys Burgers restaurant

below: Coxwell Variety

coxwell variety store signs, and people on sidewalk

below: Northwest corner of Gerrard and Coxwell

people walking north on coxwell from gerrard

below: Are YOU a Communist?

poster on a pole, Are you a Communist? Now get organized

sidewalk tree planter painted orange

Happy trails!  and a Merry Christmas….  Joyeux Noël …. Feliz Natal … Feliz Navidad to all!

a couple pushes a stroller past of striped bench on a sidewalk, in front of stores

Good morning, Bloor west from Christie

Posted: November 2, 2024 in general Toronto
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On a warmer than usual late October morning….

hear comes the sun poster in a store window on bloor west

… when the early morning sun played with the autumn leaves in Christie Pits park

trees in autumn foliage, reds, golds, and oranges, in christie pits park

painting on a cement box in christie pits park, black bird head, with text, land back to natives is justice

a man walks by a fruit and vegetable store on bloor street

Of course, late October means Halloween with pumpkins and other spooky things.

display of small pumpkins, outside in sun, at a market, orange with green bumpy bits

below: This guy hasn’t had his coffee yet!

halloween decoration in front of coffee shop, inflatable orange pumpkin with scary face, also two green arms,

As I started putting together this post, I learned that Doug Ford wants to tear up Toronto bike lanes starting with those on Bloor, Yonge, and University Ave   He has named them in his latest wannabe Toronto mayor action, namely Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024.

stickers and notes on door of bike shop

Ford claims that bike lanes add to the congestion on our streets (and makes his commute to work difficult).  You will note the traffic chaos here this morning! The vans on the far side are (legally) parked.  I suspect that Ford once sat in a traffic jam on Bloor and noticed that cyclists were moving faster than he was.

a female cyclist rides a bike in a bike lane on bloor street, one car is driving past, some other cars are parked across the street

man in plaid shirt riding a bike in bike lane

But I don’t want to get bogged down with politics and the antics of politicians, so I will leave you with a few scenes for Bloor West (approximately) between Christie and Lansdowne.  There is some Halloween, some stores, some construction, some people, some architecture, some of the usual stuff!  Maybe even a few things that will take your mind off politics!

below: Bloorcourt

bloorcourt sidewalk art, heart shapes around the letters, in front of a convenience store, painted by Victor

bloorcourt banner on a utility pole at dovercourt and bloor, with crane in the background, for construction on the northwest corner of that intersection

below: A little bit of history…. small tiles in the doorway of number876

floor, exterior, outside of doorway of store on bloor west, covered with small multi coloured tiles, plus green tiles making the number 876

below: Banjara parking lot payphone with its own Heritage Plaque thanks to the Toronto Sign Reimagination Unit, aka Jode Roberts.

empty small telephone booth with a plaque on top

In the summer of 2015, a coin-operated telephone was installed here, replacing three long-standing Bell payphones.  This payphone served hundreds of residents, offering a vital communication link.  To make a call, users had to insert metal coins through a slot.  However, the phone mysteriously disappeared sometime in the past year. 
The coin-operated payphone was patented by American inventor William Gray in 1891.  Its use peaked around 2005, with nearly half of Canadians reporting regular use and over 150,000 payphones across the country.  By 2015, more than two-thirds of these payphones had been removed. As of 2021, only a few hundred functioning payphones remained in Toronto.   This plaque commemorates the payphones in this parking lot and their gradual disappearance from the urban landscape. 
Heritage Plaque courtesy of the Toronto Sign Reimagination Unit, 2024

 

a woman sitting on a bench, outside, beside a small store, leaning on grey fence with sign on it saying pizza, as well as an arrow pointing right

looking in a store window, mannequin hand in front of a design on a t shirt that is a raccoon popping its head out of a garbage can, trash panda

chairs stacked in corner of patio, outside, some leaves have fallen on the chairs

below: Bloor and Brock

Pizza Pizza on the southwest corner of Bloor and Brock, also stores on the north side of Bloor,

bloor west, north side, at brock, blue collar bakery, bar neon, old laundromat, man walking past on sidewalk,

below: Part of a mural by Jimmy Chiale

part of a mural by Jimmy chiale, many shapes and colours, abstract, mostly blues, some faces,

man standing outside a door of a store

jumble of signs outside of a store

window of a business on bloor street, massage, neck and shoulder etc., red words on the glass that are starting to peel off, plant in window,

bloody no trespassing banner, as halloween decoration, in a store window display, with reflections of the street

hoardings beside construction site, along with scaffolding and protection that covers the sidewalk

below: Amazing!  He’s a cumin being! Good things!

decorations in a window display, store, paper hearts in different colours, each with one or two words like amazing, good things, , also note saying he's a cumin being.

below: Angel Mary

white statue of angel mary, praying, in a store selling beauty and hair products

below: Very large Italian flag by Vito Vesia Upholstery

large italian flag hanging against exterior wall of a building

envelope sticking out of the top of a rusty mailbox that is mounted on a blue metal gate

below: By Dufferin station

people waiting outside subway station, both women on phones, one standing beside a large suitcase

below: Bloor & Lansdowne

looking west along bloor at Lansdowne, front of TTC bus, people waiting to cross street, discount store on the northwest corner,

below: Scrawl on a TTC bus stop pole.  At first I thought that it was a biblical reference, but when I checked, I found that Daniel 5:5 is “Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote”.  I doubt that has anything to do with gullible Christian hippies, right?

graffiti writing on TTC bus stop pole that says Daniel 5.5 gullible Christian hippie

big orange cartoon face, with white cap, mural on a garage in an alley
an alley in bloorcourt, murals on garage, staircases, brick buildngs,

close up of a painting on exterior of garage in an alley, blue star with a man's face in it, front end of car with licence plate 007

mural of lighthouse on a red brick wall, bottom part has been tagged over with a lot of yellow paint

below: “Remember to Love! Go call your mom, say I love you and thanks!”

sticker graffiti on a Canada Post mailbox

graffiti stickers on the back of street signs

With thanks to Bill, Jeff, Paul, and Barry who walked with me that morning – and a shout out to the woman who said, “That’s so cute” when she learned that we were walking together.  Cute?

pedestrians crossing street, man on bicycle waiting for green light, bus stop pole, lowrise brick apartment in background

walking on sidewalk, west on bloor,

a short walk up Church Street

Posted: July 18, 2024 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, old buildings, stores
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Northbound, starting at King…  where this large mural still shines.  Piliriqatigiingniq was painted in 2015 (see link for more info)

part of a mural on a large white wall, a pink animal with blur antlers, also two windows in the wall

below: A yellow parking lot attendant booth, a throwback to an older, less digital age.  Back before machines and parking apps on your phone changed our lives.

old yellow parking lot attendant booth in a parking lot on church street

below: Looking west on Court Street through to Toronto and Victoria Streets (and beyond).  A wide range of sizes and styles all mixed up together.

looking west on Court street from church street, highrises

looking west on Court street from church street, highrises

below: The omnipresent condo construction and ubiquitous summer roadworks can be found here too!

a woman carries two bags full of shopping as she walks on a sidewalk beside a blue construction fence in downtown toronto

below: Lots of glass on the northeast corner of  Church & Lombard –  This section of Lombard is also Gilda Radner Way.

new construction on the northeast corner of church and lombard, also called gilda radner way

below: The view on Lombard, looking east from Church. Lots of midrise buildings.

lombard street ooking east from church, new construction on the northeast corner, row of midrise apartments on the south side

below: Crossing Lombard.  Looking north up Church Street

people crossing street

below: Church & Richmond, northeast corner.

church and richmond, northeast corner, ttc streetcar headed north, wild wings,

below: Church & Richmond again but from a different angle, south side of Richmond with McVeighs Tavern on the southwest corner.

church and richmond, southeast, people on southwest corner, streetcar headed north,

below: Flags flying over the entrance to McVeighs (“since 1962”) – a little bit of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador.

below: West on Richmond.

looking east on richmond street from church street

a lane off church street

below: A stretch of Church Street was known for its pawn shops and many still remain.  Here we have Simon’s Pawnbrokers as well as two “exchanges”, Five Star Exchange and Toronto Exchange.

pawn shops on church street

big red pawnbroker sign on a building

below: Balconies old and new.

below: Can you tell where this picture was taken?  A little bit of Toronto love on a mailbox on the corner of Church and ???

graffiti sticker on a Canada Post mailbox, I green heart Tdot

below: Peeking over the mail box above is the yellow of the old Shwarma King on the northeast corner of Queen and Church.  It is now being demolished.

northeast corner of Queen and Church, yellow tower on yellow building now being demolished

scaffolding and hoardings in front of a few buildings on church street, awaiting demolition and redevelopment

below: The side of Metropolitan United Church.

below: The north end of Metropolitan United with St. Michaels Hospital behind it (just south of Shuter).

below: More of the mural as well as St. Michaels Cathedral on the other side of Shuter Street.  The mural is “Paint Your Faith” by Elicser, Chor Boogie, Mediah and Siloette

Church and Shuter, St. Michaels cathedral with St Mikes hospital in the background

below: St. Michaels RC Church in the foreground, looking north along Church St.

below: Many more facades that have been preserved during redevelopment.

older brick buildings whose facades were saved when redeveloped and condos built on top

below:  205 Church Street with its green awning; Its neighbour may be feeling the squeeze, just south of Dundas.

house between two larger buildings

below: Looking east on Dundas

looking south on church street

below: Northeast corner of Church and Dundas.

below: Westward along Dundas towards the Bond Place Hotel and its tall blue mural celebrating health care workers and their dedication during the COVID pandemic  (and since?)

looking west on Dundas from church street as a white bus passes by, Bond Place hotel, with a large vertical mural dedicated to health care workers.

below: mmm

Proudly Parkdale

Posted: July 11, 2024 in abstract, construction, graffiti and street art, locations, old buildings, stores, windows and walls
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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… a little bit of Queen Street West

sticker on the window of a restaurant that says proudly parkdale

no parking sign, and parkdale village street sign for Queen st w, on a pole

parkdale architecture, old bay windows, oval glass,

below: These late-19th and early 20th century commercial buildings along Queen Street West with their display windows are part of the Parkdale Village Heritage District.  The 2022 draft plan for this district describes this row as  Edwardian Classicism style.  The plan is more than 160 pages long but in case you are interested in the history (and politics?) of it, here’s the link: Parkdale HDC plan (a pdf )

row of brick apartments and store fronts at ground level.

below: South side of Queen West, looking west from Jameson

queen street west, south side of street, west of jameson, row of three storey brick buildings, stores,

below:  A broom for $8.99.  $7.99 will buy you a pair of crocs or six tall glasses.  Chili sauce, lights shaped like lotus flowers or Buddha, wicker baskets, espresso makers, mixing bowls, and frying pans also available!

looking in a store window with many items on shelves, boxes of things, shoes, crocs, a broom,

below: Lightning alert! It’s a potato, no, it’s a cloud!  Or maybe a lightning bug!  Small metal street art by Rocky Zenyk

small metal street art by rocky zenyk screwed onto a wood utility pole, blue background, orange cloud and 5 streaks of lightning emanating from the cloud

sign in a restaurant window that says we're all in this together

people walking past an empty store front in parkdale

on a corner, TTC streetcar approaches a stop, with TD bank in background and people waiting for the streetcar

orange lilies growing in a planter on the sidewalk on queen west, street car in the background

a young woman and her phone, waiting in a bus shelter in parkdale

below: Where the aliens hang out on a hot July day!

exterior of small building painted made to look like an ice cream store with big window and awning, aliens are buying and eating ice cream, also an alien dog on a leash

below: Scaffolding in front of the church – Epiphany and St. Mark Anglican church.   The octagonal belfry is being repaired and restored with the help of a 2024 Toronto Heritage Grant.  It is considered to be Gothic Revival style.  The cornerstone laid October 1880 and the first service in the church was held in January 1881.  The gateway was added much later.

Church of the epiphany, St. Marks, with scaffolding over the entrance

below: Hope over the entrance to the community garden at Masaryk Park

community garden in a park, with sign made of wood that says hope, over the entrance

below: Arty metal panels line the south wall of Masaryk-Cowan community center.  Bonar-Parkdale Presbyterian Church is in the background.

metal 2 d sculptural shapes on brick wall, exterior, presbyterian church in the background, highrise on the left

below: Notice for redevelopment of Parkdale Library and Masaryk-Cowan community centre site.

blue and white city of toronto development notice for queen west and cowan, redevelopment of parkdale library and masaryk cowan community centre

part of mural celebrating 136 years of sunnyside beach

below: Queen Fresh Market

Queen Fresh Market on Queen West, with fruits and veggies and plants for sale, displayed on sidewalk

below: A unique building topper – North side of Queen, at Dunn.

Queen West, old buildings in Parkdale

below: $25,000 winning ticket sold here! Hopes and aspirations… and Canada Dry.

window of a convenience store in parkdale, atm machine, coke and sprite ads,

below: More details on brick buildings on Queen West.

three storey red brick buildings in parkdale, on queen street west

below: Standing alone

3 storey red brick building in parkdale, standing on its own, now Daol Korean restaurant on the ground floor

people standing on sidewalk waiting for a green light, older brick apartment building behind them

below: Tiny Cafe

tiny cafe, a small yellow building with a red and white sign, large window in front, beside an alley in parkdale

upper part of a house with a large canadian flag as well as some paintings on display

balcony on a high rise apartment building that has a large Canadian flag

below: Murals and street art in an alley.  Butterflies and monochrome daisies

street art mural in a parkdale alley

below: Emily May Rose mural in an alley – women, we come in many shapes and sizes.

street art mural in a parkdale alley

below: Hello Kirsten on the far left

street art mural in a parkdale alley, hello kirsten

below: A mural painted by Chief Ladybird.  Mother and child finding peace in the city.

street art mural in a parkdale alley, seated woman holding baby, by chief ladybird

street art mural in a parkdale alley

mural on a garage door in an alley, curvy line drawings of women faces and heads

street art mural in a parkdale alley

below: Face in the alley

below: And more faces, Picasso like faces and body parts.

mural on brick wall in laneway, parkdale, round characters, faces mostly, in many colours

below: Muisca

street art mural in a parkdale alley

below: Elicser – so many faces merging into one.

street art mural in a parkdale alley, multiple faces in one, by elicser lliott

below: Monica on the moon – “Over the mountains; Under the stars”

street art mural in a parkdale alley, person on a motorcycle with text over the mountains and under the stars

street art mural in a parkdale alley

graffiti on a door in an alley, shape of a large blue bird in profile

below: A few reminders of Parkdale’s grander past on the quieter side streets – lots of old trees and some houses that remain as they once were.

pale yellow brick parkdale house with picket fence, gravel driveway, large front yard, and old garages in the back

maroon brick house with white gingerbread trim, attached to another brick house, orange colour, and beside a larger white brick house

beige brick house with red front door, between two other houses that re obscured by trees and large shrubs

two storey house behind a metal gate

brick house with curved porch with white trim and white railing

brown metal gate in front of a walkway to the front of a house

below: A little bit of religion and a little bit of social justice at the end.

build social housing poster

man in white clothes, standing on sidewalk, by dollarama store

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