… on view in a mural on the side of 401 Games on Yonge. It was painted by Jasmine Pannu and it features a number of characters that gamers and fans of anime might recognize… such as Picachu, Charizard, and other Pokemon characters…. and Wizards, sorcery, and flaming dice. I am sure that some of you have a much better idea about the source/name of some of these images!
below: The Monopoly Guy aka Milburn Pennybags, or Rich Uncle Pennybags.
Were you an Edmonton Oilers fan? Did you jump on that bandwagon? On the night of the 7th game of the Stanley Cup playoffs were you glued to the TV? Or are you wondering what I’m talking about?!
I usually watch hockey games now and again, especially during the playoffs but I found that watching the Edmonton-Florida series was just too stressful. Instead, these long June evenings are great for walking! A little bit of Yonge Street, Uptown Yonge, was my stomping grounds the evening of the last game.
A few scenes from Yonge between Eglinton and Sherwood, in no particular order…
below: Old and new. I like the way the evening light catches the architectural details along the rooflines.
below: Playing peek-a-boo. The new pushes from behind.
below: Seating!
below: Northwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton, Yonge- Eglinton Centre with its updated glass facade.
When the Yonge Eglinton Centre was built in 1968, Eglinton was the last station on the TTC subway line. The Y-E Centre was a large development, and was the tallest building in the neighbourhood. There was a shopping centre, a cinema, an office tower, two tall residential towers, most of which still remain. Eglinton is no longer a gateway to suburbia; it is Midtown. The Y-E Centre is just another tall building in a sea of them.
below: The new entrance to the Eglinton LRT (unopened of course) with the Canadian Tire headquarters behind. Southwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton.
Lament for the Eglinton LRT. Metal fences and torn cloth. In tatters and disarray. Still not opened.
Maybe one day I will be able to walk somewhere in this city and not run into another hole in the ground. Note the usual – facades being saved, single houses that stubbornly remain.
Bus stop all tied up in knots.
below: With some paparazzi stalker vibes I’m afraid.
… Back home in time for most of the third period…. Sad to see Edmonton lose, but why is there hockey this late in June?
This is a walk that started with the Sherlock Holmes wall behind the Toronto Reference Library that I noted in a prior post. After a brief stop at Balzacs, we continued south on Yonge to Dundas. With all the new development on Yonge there was a lot to see. For the most part this is a documentation of the changes on Yonge Street and perhaps one day it will be part of “A history of” the area.
below: Asquith Ave, looking towards Yonge with the Toronto Reference Library on the right. New condos rise above the old brick facades from the 1880s.
below: Looking south on Yonge Street from just north of Bloor. Bloor Street West now gets lost in the canyon between tall towers. The one on the southwest corner of Bloor and Yonge is planned 91 storeys but is now between 1.2 and 1.6 billion dollars in debt. The ONE. Now with an uncertain future. The project was taken over by a court-appointed receiver back in October.
below: Looking east on Bloor from Yonge.
below: What was once new is now old.
below: The old Church of Scientology building remains empty and derelict. It’s boarded up at street level and many of the windows are cracked. The building has been empty since 2010. Back in 2014/5 there was talk that the organization was going to totally renovate the interior and exterior of the building; there are renderings online of the proposed changes. At that time they owed the city close to $100,000 in back taxes. “This building is designed in the International Style, with a clean facade and balanced proportions ” is the beginning of a description of the property on the ACO (Architectural Conservancy Ontario) website as it apparently has a heritage designation.
below: Vapes, vibes, and cannabis. A brief summary of downtown Yonge Street?
below: The northwest corner of Yonge and St. Joseph Street. Bake Code, Sacred Seed, and Pay2Day. Richmond Hill’s number one cake store is coming to the store on the south end. The pictures look yummy!
below: Southwest corner of Yonge & Wellesley
below: Same corner as the photo above, but from a slightly different angle to show the new curvy condo on the south side of Wellesley.
below: More condo development. This time on the north side Wellesley just west of Yonge. Centre Court.
below: A new park on Wellesley, Lillian McGregor Park, named for Dr. Lillian McGregor (1924-2012), of Whitefish River First Nation, who was a nurse and a community leader. She received many awards including the Order of Ontario and she was the first Indigenous woman to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto.
below: Artwork by Winnipeg artist, a crane by Kenneth Lavallee in Lillian McGregor park.
below: Spotted along the way, two shiny small pieces of graffiti – shine shoes sir. By Rocky Zenyk.
below: But does it work?
below: Kiokii And, Unicorn Beauty, and ABC Books.
below: Menu in the window – potato noodles and ramen and more.
below: If Chinese cuisine is not your thing, there is always tandoori chicken or palak paneer nearby. “Come and enjoy your festive season with our specials”.
below: And then for something different…. for dessert you can try ‘chilled mango sago cream with pomelo’ or ‘the bath teddy bear’, or many other different taste sensations. I think that I need to start stopping at more of these places and actually sample some of these foods!
below: Kobi Korean restaurant and Metro Cigar along with one industry that is booming along with Toronto’s construction craze, the toilet rental business!
below: At the intersection of Gloucester Street and Yonge is this new red creation, a sculpture by Albert Paley
below: 33wallflower33 graffiti
below: Available…. one shiny red Christmas elf costume complete with silly hat. She doesn’t look very happy having to wear it!
below: A cheerful little bear welcoming you to College Park
below: Construction, and one lane blocked, near College
below: Looking north on Yonge towards College Street.
below: Different architectural styles.
below: .. with a closer look at some of the brick and stone details
below: More old architectural details seen on exterior walls along Yonge Street
below: Southeast corner of Yonge & Gerrard, now an empty shell surrounding a hole in the ground.
below: Reflection of the old Charles Tavern tower, now part of a new condo development.
below: More construction, northwest corner of Yonge & Elm where the facade of a building on Elm is being preserved.
below: The Zanzibar remains standing amid all the changes happening around it.
below: Reflections at Yonge and Gould (looking north)
below: Another view from Yonge and Gould, this time looking south to Dundas Street.
below: If you look closely at the photo above, there is a store on very right that looks like the name starts with Fun. This is Funduk, and if you look in the window, this is what you might see… Top row closest to the window is Special pomegranate with hazelnuts. Beside it is almond paste with raspberry. What choices!!
I’ll end this post with a selection of the small graffiti that I saw
below: Be a hero … or
below: Ride a broomstick … or
below: Comment on Republicans …
below: …. And wash it all down with an ice cream cone.
below: Looking west on Bloor towards Yonge. The pink flags fly in front of Holt Renfrew. One Bloor East with it’s curvy vertical lines and 76 storeys dominates the sky. The blue structure is the top of ‘The One’ at 1 Bloor West – It may be short now but it won’t be for long. There will be 82 storeys once it’s completed (maybe in 2023?)
A few minutes at Yonge and Bloor in mid-July
below: Hoardings on the south side of Bloor Street
below: Construction. Blank whiteness on The One as it slowly rises.
below: Hanging Ukrainian flags on the southwest corner of Yonge and Bloor.
below: South side of the intersection. At least the facade of the older buildings on Yonge Street are being preserved.
below: Looking south on Yonge from Bloor.
below: Looking east on Bloor from just west of Yonge Street. Rising 88 feet above the sidewalk is the metallic ‘Safe Hands’ sculpture by Ron Arad.
below: Anti-Putin protest, northeast corner
below: Waiting for a green light, northwest corner (more construction!)
Just a few more pictures of walls, with or without doors and windows. Some are from familiar places and others are more obscure.
below: Sad grey door on a grey concrete wall
below: Textures and patterns in paint on brick.
below: Parking for hot dogs
below: Ryerson University blues
below: Red and purple, the now closed Love Cafe at Dundas and Sherbourne
below: Customer parking only
below: Strong verticals in metal
below: Another ridged metallic wall… this one with no standing in front.
below: blocked in
below: Paint slowly peeling away to reveal more underneath
previous wall posts:
The other day I heard rumours of a subway protest – i.e. a protest over the potential uploading of the responsibility for the TTC from the city to the province. On the 27th of March there was a “day of action” at 40 subway stations during the morning rush, starting at 7:30 a.m.
below: Walking toward Eglinton subway station with the sun shining from behind me. Golden glass.
I couldn’t find anyone at Eglinton station (was I too early?) but there were 4 people handing out leaflets inside Bloor station. I also saw this guy with an OPSEU flag by Wellesley station.
So much for the idea of a blog post about this day of action. But it was a beautiful morning so I enjoyed the walk down Yonge street. I don’t often walk here that early and I was surprised how quiet it was. The light was also interesting.
below: A mix of old and new architecture, looking south towards the old St. Charles tavern clock tower that is being incorporated into a new development.
below: Near Yonge & Bloor. Preservation of an old building… and very big crane.
below: Looking north from Dundas under a watchful eye.
below: Looking north from Queen Street. The Eaton Centre is on the left in the foreground. Play the game of ‘name that building’ or ‘I remember when’.
below: This was the largest group of “protesters” that I saw. It was more of an information session than a protest, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
below: People headed to work as I started home.
Pictures from the annual Pride Parade down Yonge Street – my apologies for the large number but everyone is just so photogenic and engaging!
Today. Wonderful
and Shiny.
I am not usually a morning person but how could I resist not getting up and moving on this gorgeous spring day? With my metropass in my back pocket….
… and my walking sandals on (Yes! Sandals!) I headed out to explore the day.
(early enough to beat the crowds!)
The early morning criss cross shadows and reflections.
The soft greens, and almost yellows, of new leaves.
The flowers – tulips, daffodils and hyacinths – that have spring up in planters around the city.
Oh no. The geese are back (or did they never leave?).
The dogs are still waiting for the water to be turned on.
On Yonge Street (near Wellington), there has been too much water. The street has been closed while water main issues are straightened out (it has since been opened).
While Yonge was closed anyhow, workmen install a new sign at the corner of Yonge & Wellington.
Also needing fixing – yesterday’s wind storm left a lot of damage around the city including this very large tree that lost a very large branch. Actually the whole tree has come down.
Lots of wires were down too.
Not everybody was up with the sun this morning.
I hope that your day was shiny and bright too!
I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
below: The reigning champ and I!
Yonge Street was quiet this morning
In a small park near the SE corner of Yonge & Finch,
in many languages but with one voice,
a memorial wall to those who lost their life, or who were injured,
in yesterday’s tragedy.
There were many reporters with their cameramen at the site this morning. It was rumoured that Mayor John Tory was coming. I had an appointment, which is why I was in the area, so I couldn’t stay. As it turned out, both Tory and Kathleen Wynne (Ontario Premier) paid the memorial wall a visit.
British mural artist Phlegm has been painting a large mural on the side of 1 St. Clair West. The first time I saw it, was on the 14th of July when it looked liked this:
below: The white background of the mural was painted first.
I have been watching it, checking up on it every couple of days. At first I took photos fairly frequently because I had no idea how long it would take before the mural was finished.
below: 19th July
As it turns out, there is a lot of detail in the mural! It slowly took shape.
below: 21st July
below: Fast forward to today…. the mural is almost finished. …
but wait! Isn’t that the CN tower on the shoulder?
below: Hey! It is the CN tower. And isn’t that the Gooderham/flatiron building? And that building with the little dome, isn’t that on Yonge street?
below: There’s the ROM and its ‘crystal’ too! This is the ‘bottom’ of the figure and in this photo two things become clearer. First, the scale of the project and just how big the mural is becomes apparent. Second, the mural is of a person coming out of the earth, being pulled out by the roots almost. But is it a person? Or is it a living city?
below: The head part – play ‘spot the building’! Is that old city hall?
below: Scalliwags is on one of the knees along with a lot of trees.
below: And last, the feet with more roots at the heels
This project is also a part of the STEPS Initiative program.
This post also appears in a blog about street art. Phelgm’s Progress.
as I walk Toronto 