Posts Tagged ‘Yonge Dundas Square’

a December morning walk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

below: The Christmas tree arrives at Yonge Dundas Square

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

below: Multicoloured shiny balls on this Christmas tree

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

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

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

below: Hockey and rainbows

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

below: Another typical tree scene

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

below: Christmas shopping 2022.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

below: Gingerbread Lane at the Royal York Hotel

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

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

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

old black and white photo of building the royal york hotel

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

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

a little bit of Yonge

Posted: September 28, 2022 in history, locations, old buildings, people
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Walking up Yonge Street on a grey damp September day – from Adelaide to Dundas

below:  Southeast corner of Adelaide & Yonge: the (sort of) dome shaped entrance way with the stained glass roof is under renovation.

a couple walks on the sidewalk, along Adelaide, near northeast corner of Yonge, construction on the southeast corner, renovation of entranceway to office building

below: Walking his bike up Yonge Street

a man walks his bike on the sidewalk, northbound on Yonge street, east side, north of Adelaide

below: Looking north up Yonge Street from Richmond

looking north up Yonge street from Richmond

below: Looking west on Temperance Street towards a wall of glass

lookingwest on Temperance Street from Yonge street, a young man is crossing the street, a wall of glass condos rises in the west

below: Dineen Coffee on the ground floor the old building on the northwest corner of Yonge and Temperance streets. The coffee company took its name from the building – the Dineen Building, once home to furriers W. and D. Dineen Co. (until the 1930s). The building was built in 1897 and was added to the City of Toronto Heritage list in 1973. Ceilings in it were made of bronze and aluminum plates; this was the first time that aluminum was used as a building material in Canada.

Dineen coffee, an old building on the northwest corner of Yonge and Temperance streets.

below: Dineen Building, 1927.  The 2012 restoration was very faithful to the original facade.

vintage 1927 black and white photo of the Dineen Building in Toronto, source, TPL, Toronto Public Library

Source: Online,  Toronto Public Library Archives. Unknown photographer for the Toronto Star newspaper.

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Yonge street on a rainy day, two people with black umbrellas walk past mado, an empty storefront

below: Streetcars on Queen West under the redesigned pedestrian walkway.

TTC streetcar on Queen Street at Yonge, outside Eaton Centre

below: Looking north from Shuter Street.  Since the late 1970s, the west side of this block has been dominated by the Eaton Centre.  When the mall was first completed, it destroyed any street scene that had existed there.  Subsequent alterations have improved this block at street level a bit.

below: Looking north up Yonge Street from Queen back at a time when the new Eatons store at the north end of the Eaton Centre was built (at Dundas, completed 1977) but the old stores on the west side of Yonge hadn’t been completely demolished. This photo was found online on blogTO – here’s the link to their site if you are interested in the history of the Eaton Centre construction.

1970s faded colour photo of Eaton centre development, found on blogTO website, original photo from Toronto Archives, people crossing Yonge street in front of construction, one tall building in the background, as well as new Eatons building at north end of Eaton Centre

hand written sign on ground leaning against an information and map stand on Yonge Street, poster says Iran needs help

a young man walks south on Yonge, over a metal grid in the sidewalk that is an air vent for the subway that runs underneath, picnic benches for a patio beside the sidewalk, traffic, construction signs on the street including a large arrow directing traffic into the righthand lane

store signs on Yonge Street, Burger King, a tailor shop, vans, and Ed Mirvish theatre

below: Massey Hall, Shuter Street

a man is eating as he walks past ads for a bank and financial security, Massey Hall sign in the background

below: Reflections in the windows as you approach Dundas. I’m not sure what the relevance of “drunk elephant” is!

a man walking towards the camera, beside a large store front window with reflections, including the words drunk elephants

below: Tourists in the city; cameras out at Yonge Dundas Square.

people standing on the upper level of a double decker bus, hop on hop off tour bus in Toronto that is covered with Harry Potter ad, at Dundas Square with large billboards in the background with ads for Disney - the rebellion begins, poker stars casinos epic games, and Andor

looking towards Yonge Dundas Square on the southeast corner of Yonge and Dundas

people walking with umbrellas on wet sidewalk on Yonge, at Edward, going south towards Dundas

There are more rainy day photos of people at Yonge and Dundas in the next blog post.

rainy day people

Posted: September 26, 2022 in locations, people
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Hanging out and Yonge and Dundas and trying to stay dry

two young women standing in the rain at the corner of Yonge and Dundas, a Hop on hop off tourist bus behind them, large red planters in the square, one woman with a blue umbrella, the other wearing a bright yellow rain jacket with hood up

a man on a blue motorbike, in the rain, silver coloured helmet, scowling at the weather, woman behind him has hair blowing in the wind

two men talking to each other as they stand beside an electric billboard advert with bright yellow background, other people waiting under scaffolding for the rain to stop

decorated bus shelter, large picture of a hand reaching out, a man in the bus shelter with a microphone, another man walking past with hood up because of the rain, third man with gold and white striped umbrella

people getting off a streetcar on Dundas, in the rain, hurrying to try to stay dry, a woman with an umbrella stands on the sidewalk

people crossing yonge street in the rain, two sharing an umbrella, one holding a white box and hiding under the fur lined hood of her green jacket

a woman in a red jacket with a white umbrella and black purse, walks towards TTC streetcar doors that haven't opened yet, a man holding up his pants is also waiting for streetcar

a young couple share an umbrella and walk hand in hand together as they cross Dundas Street in front of the red planters at Yonge Dundas square

a man in a blue hoodie grimaces as he walks in the rain, behind him, a woman with a red backpack gets onto a streetcar TTC

woman with red umbrella and long beige coat walks in front of a car, in the rain, at Yonge and Dundas,

a man in shorts and sandals with a blue umbrella stands beside a woman in black boots and long coat, under shelter while it rains, waiting for a green light to cross Dundas Street

three young woman standing together beside a lit electric advertisement

people crossing on the diagonal at Yonge and Dundas, kids with pink rain coats, woman with pink umbrella, family with large rainbow umbrella, man with a broken umbrella

man in grey hoodie walking with head down in the rain as he crosses a wet street

people with umbrellas walking in the rain at Yonge and Dundas

people crossing yonge street in the rain, one with brown and white animal print umbrella and wearing a covid mask

a young man holding a blue umbrella

two people in cheap flimsy red ponchos in the rain, walking on Yonge street, behind a man with an umbrella

go for the photography, stay for the love

Posted: August 1, 2021 in events, locations, people, public art
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Yonge and Dundas and thereabouts

below: Part of a large relief sculpture on the wall of the northwest entrance to Dundas subway station of life sized figures on their way –  Terra cotta artwork by William McElcheran from 2015.

part of relief sculpture at Dundas subway station, a man holds on to his hat as he hurries along

below: Ryerson Image Centre,

photographs of famous Canadians on the outer wall of Ryerson Image Center, with woman sitting on the concrete surrounding the reflecting pool by the entrance to R I C

There is a photography exhibit outside the Ryerson Image Centre showcasing three winners of the New Generation Photography Award, Chris Donovan, Dustin Bron, and Curtiss Randolph.

below: ‘Boy in the Window’ by Chris Donovan

a black and white photo by Chris Donovan with reflections of a boy in a window and street scene below, on display outside Ryerson Image Centre

below: A second, “Objects in Mirror” also by Chris Donovan

black and white photo of cars, Chris Donovan, on exhibit

below: ‘AC 2019’ by Dustin Brons

below: ‘Horizon 2017’ by Curtiss Randolph.  First in a short series involving a staged drama at this intersection.

a coloured photo of a corner of an intersection with a gas station on it, Horizons, houses, apartment building in background

below: The statue of Egerton Ryerson is gone.  There is graffiti on the walls where the statue once stood.

place where statue of Egerton Ryerson once stood, a single tree, graffiti on the walls of the building

below: On the Bond Street side of the Ryerson building is another photography exhibit.  This is Maximum Exposure 26, an annual exhibit of pictures by Ryerson’s School of Image Arts students.   There are 28 very diverse photos included here.

large collage pf photos on wall of Ryerson Image Centre, Maximum Exposure 26, work of graduating students

below: Food Pantry.  Take what you need; Donate what you can.

Free food pantry, shelves with glass covered doors for food to exchange, it is almost empty

below: In the alley behind the Lutheran church and Ryerson.

alley behind Ryerson Image Centre with large murals of green bike and blue bike, also with a person asleep in the alley by the church

below: Peace, hearts and respect written on the green bike.

below: The old white building on the northeast corner of Victoria and Dundas is still there and the mural by Emily May Rose with its cute raccoons survives.  If only the real raccoons were as lovable!

below: Looking east on Dundas.  There is talk of renaming Dundas Street.

below: Yonge Dundas Square is now filled with hearts.  There are pink heart shaped seats to sit on and pink hearts on the ground too.  Each heart on the pavement has something about Toronto to love – street art,  endless streets to explore, the Jays, great architecture, always changing, and more.

a man stands beside his Christian religious display at Yonge Dundas square while he talks to two men about Jesus

below: Keep looking up!

Yonge Street, looking up at banners on metal poles, tops of some highrise buildings,
below: Another part of a large relief sculpture on the wall of Dundas subway station

 

emerging

Posted: July 8, 2021 in people
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We’re getting outside to enjoy the summer while still maintaining some distance as the COVID numbers drop…  a few of the restrictions have been lifted and life is little less constrained. Patios are filling up again and a larger selection of stores are open. The following photos were taken downtown on a sunny day a week or so ago…. as I re-learn how to take candid shots of people!

man lies on the grass, reading, his red bike leans against a tree beside him, activity on Queen Street in the background

a mother and daughter, both with long black hair, sit in front of the toronto 3 d sign, leaning in together, smiling, a pigeon stands by their feet

a young boy teases his sister as she is lying in the center of the O of the Toronto 3 d sign, mother is taking a picture of daughter. mother's back is to the camera

a young poses for a photo at Nathan Philips Square, people around the Toronto 3 d sign in the background

a black man in black baseball cap and T shirt and bright yellow shorts is taking photos with his camera. in background is a wedding shoot of Chinese bride in a long red dress

a man is drawing while sitting on the sidewalk, he has paintings and other artwork for sale, his reflection is in the window behind him. another man stops at the intersection to tie his shoe laces while waiting for the red light to turn green. Dundas Street

an older man in blue shorts and balding hair sits on a walker with a yellow grocery plastic bag on each handle. out of focus close up of man in red top in the immediate foreground

three people at Yonge and Dundas. One is a woman standing with her bike waiting for the red light, second is a woman in cropped white tank top taking a selfie, and third an older man with white hair, white beard and white mustache.

a black woman being video'd, a woman in a wheelchair with a sign leaning against her knees that says Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven John 14: 6 Sign at the back says Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it from eternal destruction.

traffic, cyclists, construction cones, patio, on Dundas looking towards Bay street

a couple, from the back, waiting to cross University ave., with a group of people waiting on the other side as well

a young man with a mask and a Nordstroms shopping bag stands in front of the H B C windows with 5 mannequins modelling clothing

4 people in line to get into store at Yonge and Dundas, all keeping the 6 fet or 2 metres apart for covid restrictions. woman in red tank top is pushing a baby stroller, a couple stands together, woman in blue dress and black mask and a man in black, with advertisement behind him showing image of a woman in a white dress

people waiting in line. first woman has mask, glasses and a red head scarf. she's with a man carrying a yellow plastic grocery bag, other women in the line behind them, at Yonge and Dundas

an older man in a brown shirt crosses Yonge street traffic while pulling a green basket on a dolly. people in masks walking on the sidewalk, a Beck taxi parked on Yonge, a bare chested man by the bus stop, other people

a man waits for his order from a food truck Steve's catering with images of cartoon fries and hamburger on the side of the truck, S. Kazanis truck, menu also on side of truck, today's special hot dog three dollars and sausage four dollars

two people passing each other on a sidewalk, a man in red raptors shorts on a scooter and a woman with a long yellow top pulling a shopping buggy

a mother in black and a daughter in an orange dress sit by the large red planters in Yonge Dundas square with a lot of pigeons on the ground in front of them

an Asian couple at the ice cream truck, men walking on the sidewalk, Yonge street at Dundas

a very shiny metallic green mercedes sports car with no front licence passes through an intersection as a couple walk past

Canada 152

Posted: July 2, 2019 in events, people, waterfront
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Happy Canada Day!

below: Canada Day merchandise for sale at Yonge Dundas Square

on a table outside, piles of Canada Day merchandise for sale, hats, cowboy hats, flags, etc

front of Queens Park buildings, parliament buildings, on the grass a couple stand by a tree, looking at group under a tent, Canada Day celebrations

below: Great sign!  We’re on a picnic because Doug Ford is out to lunch!

a group of people on the grass at Queens Park, with a sign that says we are having a picnic because Doug Ford is out to lunch

a young girl runs with a kite that her father has just let go of

below: A Canada flag in a heart, face paint to celebrate the day.

a woman in a purple and yellow clown hat apples a red maple leaf Canadian flag face paint on a girl's cheek

a mother and son pose in one of the o's in 3 D Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips. Mother is dressed in red and white and is holding two small Canadian flags

one woman takes another woman's photo with an ipad in front of the Toronto 3 D sign

a balding black man sits on the edge of the pool at Nathan Philips square, taking a picture of his dog who is in the water. Dog has Canada flag bandana on

a red head girl in a large advert on a building beside a man in red adjust a microphone on the top of a red double decker tourist hop on hop off bus

below: Under a red umbrella.  There were quite a few performances at Yonge Dundas square, all of which were celebrations by different ethnic groups.

three women in red under a red umbrella watching a Canada day celebration

two womenin national costume, or traditional clothes of another country, walk through Dundas Square, an Asian man is looking at them with a strange look on his face

a group having their picture taken at Yonge Dundas Square, one Asian man and four women. Three women are in costume as they are about to perform on the stage in that square, Canada Day celebrations

two black women walk past a man sitting in a chair with a large red and white Canadian flag umbrella. he is giving away free quran books on the sidewalk by Yonge street, traffic passing by on the street behind them

a woman weth pinkish hair carried a half watermelon with a straw and a little green paper umbrella in it, she is the middle of three people standing in Yonge Dundas square

a young woman in a red and white Canada t shirt holds a small white dog with a red leash and red outfit

a small dog with a red scarf around its neck stands on a man's shoulders as he talks to another person

four people walk past a man sitting on a stool, all dressed in red and white with flags and Canadiana

a crowd of people at a TTC stop on Queens Quay

cyclists and pedestrians on Queens Quay

people in a yellow plastic paddle boat on a man made pond near the waterfront, a fountain is spraying them, they are paddling past a group of people on sitting on the edge of the pond

the CN Tower peaks out between two tall buildings, in front are Canadian flags and flags from all the provinces

Turbanup 2019

Posted: June 10, 2019 in events, people
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Turbanup with its bright and colourful fabric was back at Yonge Dundas Square again this year.

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, a famil group with some with turbans and one person having a black turban wrapped on their head, to the side a young girl doesn't look very happy about this

an older man with a beard and an orange turban, is tying a yellow turban onto the head of another man who has a large tattoo on his neck

a woman holds a yellow sign that says Ask me why sikhs wear turbans

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, woman taking a selfie as her head is wrapped in a blue turban

 

orange turbans

piles of colourful fabric on a table At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square,

a woman watches another woman getting a turban

a policeman getting a black turban at Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square,

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, a man in beard and red turban wraps the head of young person in a blue turban, in the chair behind is a female police officer having her head wrapped in a purple turban

young person in blue turban

a woman in a bright yellow T-shirt, sitting on a chair, taking aselfie of her with her new red turban

an older woman having a magenta turban wrapped around her head

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, people having turbans tied on their heads with purple fabric

 

a woman having a black piece of fabric twisted in front of her head in prep for having a turban made for her

two young boys in turbans, one in blue and the other in white. The younger boy, in white, has a red mask face painted around his eyes

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, 4 young men standing behind a barricade, all with turbans, one with a hoodie over his turban

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square,

an older woman in a light blue turban smokes a cigarette

An older woman in a beige sari sits on a chair outside, three women stand behind her, beside a table with piles of fabric in oranges and reds

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, a man in a purple and white turban wraps another person's head in the same colour of turban

3 D Turbanup sign at Yonge Dundas Square, in front of it a young woman in a black turban is helping a balding man with a yellowish green turban

a young person in a black T-shirt is directing a woman sitting to get the best pose for a photo, woman is having a pink turban wrapped around her head by another woman at Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas square

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, young person looking bored, standing behind table with orange sign above head that says free ice cream cones

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, an older woman with a white cloth over head head and a kirpan sword at her side

a sikh man in bears and orange turban carries a tray of cups of mango and rose milkshake

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, an older woman is sitting in a chair, talking (gesturing) with her hands while a Sikh man with a long beard and orange turban wraps her head in a pale orange turban

a woman with a light orange cloth draped over her head and around her shoulders and body takes a selfie

the back of a woman with white bra straps showing and a large tattoo on ther shoulder. A man pulls a length of pink fabric as he wraps her head in a pink turban

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, a sikh man with a pale orange turban wraps a pink turban around the head of a woman who is seated, and frowning

a mother in son in bright turbans, mother in pink and son in orange, sit by a table piled with orange and pink fabric

a young boy in a red turban gives a thumbs up sign

downtown Saturday

Posted: June 3, 2019 in events, people
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This blog post wanders from Burger Mania at Yonge Dundas Square to the Riverside Eats & Beats StreetFEST and onward to the Riverdale Art Walk  out Queen Street East, with a few distractions along the way.

thre people sitting at different tables in a coffee shop

a man with glasses and hair that is shaved on one side of his head is offering another man a rice krispie square, he is holding it to the man's mouth

a woman in long overcoat and hat is talking to and gesturing, with a woman in a white head scarf and top

a man selling rice krispie squares and other desserts, outdoors, Yonge Dundas Square, from E and R Sweetery

under a red tent roof, people preparing food

a woman in a red shirt and sunglasses walking with her son who is also wearing sunglasses, south asian ethnicity

under a tent roof, a man is cooking burgers

a large inflatable pool floatie in the shape of a pink flamingo sits on the ground at Yonge Dundas Square, in front of a bar selling drinks

a young Asian woman is taking a picture of a small burger with her phone

family group - mother and father laughing, baby in stroller, Asian, at Yonge dundas square

people sitting on a bench by large red flower pot in Dundas Square. Man at end, balding with grey hair, is reading a newspaper, two people are eating

a woman sits at a high table with three small burgers on it, two dogs are beside her on the ground but looking up

a young man is being grabbed and held on to by two security guards and they are removing him from Yonge Dundas square

a topless man with a bag on his back skate boards at Dundas Square

a woman is laughing as she talks on her phone and walks up Yonge Street

a couple walking together on Yonge, passing the Stag Shop. He is wearing pink pants and a white jacket. Both have white hair.

below: Yonge Street was closed to traffic between Queen and Dundas Streets because a large crane was parked there temporarily while heavy objects were lifted onto the roof of the Eaton Centre.

a large crane is on a truck in the middle of Yonge street, downtown, with tall buildings on both sides including the Eaton Centre under renovation on the right

three workmen in orange safety clothing use a crane to lift heavy objects off a flatbed truck

a police man in a bright yellow jacket stands in front an orange cone and yellow police tape to block off Yonge Street. He's directing traffic, to make cars turn on Queen street. A woman with orange hair is walking across the street , just went in front of the police man

a man in a kiss t-shirt is talking, a black man is waiting for a streetcar behind him, streetcar is just arriving.

reflection in the glass of a door and window of a Burger King restaurant, of a woman witting on the sidewalk pan handling

a couple holds each other on the street

Riverside Eats and Beats

a man playing a fiddle, smiling, wearing a blue cap and a blue plaid shirt

below: Soundcrowd was practicing for their performance at The Opera House that evening.

a choir onstage with a man with microphone standing in front of them

in a store window, two mannequins with no heads waering gold close fitting dresses, in front of window is a rack of clothes on the sidewalk, with two women looking

a group of women talking, outside

 

Riverdale Art Walk at Jimmy Simpson Park.

a large bed of pink and white tulips in front of a white tent (roof only) with paintings on the side that are for sale, Riverside Art Fest

a woman holds a small white dog while she talks to a man, in front of a white tent with artwork on the walls for sale. Two women inside the tent are looking at the dog and smiling

two paintings on easels outside a white tent. One is an airplane at an airport and one is a barn in snow

a framed portrait of a woman on a metal grid, people standing behind it including a man with a white shirt with bright red and black blotches

large images (photosgraphs) in red, black and yellow, for sale

small artwork hanging on a white tent wall, light is coming from behind so they are silhouetted

a boy in a fedora sits cross legged on a high stool while looking at a phone. He is in a tent with artwork on the wall that is for sale

at an art show, an art piece made of metal, images on metal

3 churches and Church

Posted: February 18, 2018 in construction, doors, nature, old buildings
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I was meeting a friend at Queen and Church for walkies and coffee last Monday. I was there a few minutes early so of course I took a few pictures while I was waiting. I had come across King Street because the streetcars tend to be faster on King these days. Plus, it was a nice day for a walk.

below: Looking north up Church Street from Richmond.

looking north on Church St. from Richmond Street, stores, street, people, street scene,

below: Metropolitan United Church is on the NW corner of Queen and Church. Even if you aren’t religious, there is something inspiring about the architecture. In this case, the setting adds to the grace and beauty of the building.  Usually there are people around but it was surprisingly quiet that day (too cold outside?)

front of Metropolitan United Church, with the snow covered park in front, snow, large trees, red door

below: Take a few more steps towards Metropolitan United and then turn around. This is the view that awaits you. The intersection of Queen and Church from a different angle.

looking at the intersection of Queen and Church, through the park, with yellow building and other stores in the background

below: As I walked back to the intersection, this man walked in front of the streetcar. I think that he called himself either Cowboy Bob or Cowboy Bill.

man in long coat and hat stands in front of a TTC street car with his arm up in the air.

below: Church #2. Jarvis Street Baptist Church.

Jarvis Street Baptist Church, from diagonally across the intersection

below: Yes, there are a lot of churches in this section of downtown. This is the third (and last for today’s blog) but there are many more. Grace Church through the trees.

park, in winter, with large mature trees, in the background is Grace Church, brick building with green roofed steeple

below: A stop at Allan Gardens conservatory for warm and a washroom. If this picture is looking a little fuzzy around the edges, my camera lens kept steaming up faster than I could wipe it off.

inside shot at Allan Gardens conservatory, with two people looking at the plants, glass roof, large yellow flowers

below: Every Christmas, the conservatory at Allan Gardens is decorated with many amaryllis plants. The other day, many were looking a little worse for wear. These buds were a few of the exceptions. At some point (soon?), the Christmas plants will be switched out for spring plants.

close up of two small red amaryllis buds at the bottom of a red and white amaryllis.

below: Barrel cacti in differing sizes in the Allan Gardens conservatory.

4 barrel cacti of differing sizes in a semi-circle in a conservatory, glass house, with some succulents in front and some taller cacti behind

below: And just around the corner from Allan Gardens there is this painted cactus (or is it a succulent?) standing in the cold.

a metal telephone or traffic box on the sidewalk that has been painted with a picture of a cactus.

below: This part of Church Street is now in McGill Granby Village. There is even a lovebot on the pole.

street sign for Church St., with the top part being McGill Granby Village

below: “Enough is enough”, a large Church Street mural.

large mural on the side of a two storey building, with metal fire escapes on the side of the building as well. Mural is enough is enough, rainbow flag and other things

below: On Church Street, another redevelopment victim.

old, large, three storey red brick house with boarded up windows, about to be redeveloped, people walking past on the sidewalk, winter, street scene,

below: And just up the street, another.

an older two storey house house boarded up with construction hoardings in front, looking at it through a park with large trees, winter

below: Trucks, construction, and condos. Ho hum. Been there, done that.

large truck parked on a street with tall buildings behind, and a large billboard with a KFC ad on it

below: One set of construction hoardings has been decorated with kids’ paintings.   Bright and cheerful.

white construction hoardings with childrens paintings on it. a painting of a soccer ball, kids playing, words too

below: Through the layers

looking in a window, people sitting inside, looking through the window on the other side as well, a large tree is reflected in the window too

below: Icicles!

older yellowish brick building with green bay window, with icicles on the eaves of bopth roof and window

below: Trudeau senior looks down on the world.

a large black and white picture of Pierre Elliott Trudeau in the window of the Ryerson Image Center, with a tree in front of it, some snow on the tree

below: The guys over the entrance to the Chang School at Ryerson are wearing little puffy white hats.

stone sculpture of the door of the Chang School at Ryerson, two men with interlocking arms, looking at each other, wheat, apples, and other produce in their hands, covered with snow


below: As we walked past Yonge Dundas Square, I stopped, took another look, and then said: “Isn’t that a new sign?”. My walking partner replied that she wasn’t sure. Neither was I.

Yonge Dundas Square, men working on sign

I happened to walk past Yonge Dundas Square again yesterday, and yes, there is a new sign. A big one.

below: “It’s OK to be scared, just take a deep breath” as the fourth panel of the new sign is installed.

a large crane is putting part of a new light sign in place at Dundas Square, large billboards and lighted signs behind, people walking past, street scene

below: Working on the new sign. That billboard on the left, 98.1 CHFI is all Christmas music? Still? In February?

two men on a lift are working on a new elevated sign at Dundas square

C’est too for now friends!

rise for a cause

Posted: August 22, 2016 in general Toronto
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close up of a phone tucked inside a sandal, beside an orange yoga mat. People around are doing yoga outdoors,

5th annual yogathon at Yonge Dundas Square

A banner that says Yogathon rise for a cause hangs over a crowd who are standing with their arms in the air as part of the activity

A smiling woman outside, with sunglasses on, in a crowd of people

a group od people outside, all with bums up in the upward dog position (I think). All doing yoga in a yogathon

a young Asian man with his arms up in the air, doing yoga positions, with a large group of people

a young Asian woman with big sunglasses, palms together and fingers spread, doing yoga with a group of people outdoors

group of people on their mats doing yoga outside together

a man stands in the middle of a group taking a picture, the rest of the group is on the ground, on their yoga mats, doing yoga at a yogathon, outdoors,

a woman with her eyes closed in the downward dog yoga position as she participates in a yogathon with many others, outside

young black woman, close up of head and shoulders, with arms raised doing yoga

bare feet on yoga mats, legs in leggings, photo cropped so there are no bodies in the picture

a woman with her hands up at chin level, palms facing outwards

a group of people practising yoga outside

young asian man in sunglasses and white t-shirt

Two men, one in focus in the foreground and one fuzzy in the background. they are both wearing orange t-shirts that say yoga warrior on the back.

back of a woman's head, long braid down her back, arm up in air as she does yoga

people standing on yoga mats, hands together, palms pressing together looking like they are praying

a man in red shirt and blue pants is standing tall, others around him also standing in yoga position, a boy is sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and looking at something in his lap

a young boy is staring at something (it was a man and his dog, but those aren't in the picture)

#riseforacause | #yogathontoronto | #riseforacausetoronto

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