Yonge St. | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘Yonge St.’

Pride Parade 2022

Posted: June 27, 2022 in events, people
Tags: Bloor St., costumes, crowds, dancing, dogs, flags, hugging, parade, people, placards, pride, Pride Parade, rainbow, signs, spectators, tattoos, trans, umbrella, watching, Yonge St.

Dancing in the streets. Pride 2022.

Photos from Dyke March 2022

Dyke March 2022

Posted: June 26, 2022 in events, people
Tags: abortion, banners, bikes, bubbles, coat hanger, crowds, dyke, dykes on bikes, fun, march, motorcycles, parade, people, poster, protest, Yonge St.

And we’re back! After missing two years because of Covid, Pride is back in Toronto.

Hot! ( 30+ C and sunny) but it didn’t seem to slow anyone down!

way up Yonge Street

Posted: April 14, 2022 in construction, history, intersections, locations, stores
Tags: Arzon Super Market, businesses, Centerpoint Mall, Communist Party, construction, Cummer Ave., development, graffiti, Happy Nowruz, multicultural, Newtonbrook, Papa Cafe, posters, Seoul Plaza, signs, stencil, stores, Tirgan, Ukraine, vacant lot, Yonge St.

between Steeles and Drewry/Cummer.

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

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

black and white photo of yonge street looking south from Cummer

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

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

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

old black and white photo of yonge street,

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

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

below: Yonge Street is also Provincial Highway 11.

below: It is a major transportation/transit route.

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

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

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

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

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

below: Looking south from Moore Park Ave

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

below: Pro Ukraine stencil graffiti.

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

an alley near Yonge and Sheppard

Posted: November 5, 2021 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: #showloveTO, Andre Kan, cruz, Erica James, Eugene Lee, frog, Ian Gabriel, Jieun June Kim, June Kim, KJ Bit, luvs, muisca, murals, Nick Sweetman, Nixo, Planta Muisca, Rowell Soller, Sheppard, snake, sparrow, Yonge St.

Just over a year ago, I found two murals in a lane near Yonge and Sheppard, one by Rowell Soller and the other the work of @rowdyradrat aka Ian Gabriel.

below: “Make me smile” is still written here. Street art by rowdyradrat

below: Rowell Soller’s painting of a man’s profile is now joined by Spooky Boo, a striped ghost-like figure by Jieun June Kim.

below: Two animal stickers, a cat and a tiger (or is it two tigers?), both by Jieun June Kim.

Since then, other street art has appeared in the same alley.

below: another piece by Jieun June Kim

below: A little blue bird by KJ Bit (who helped organize the painting of many of the murals back in June of this year).

below: Straight lines on blue, geometric and abstract, painted by Erica James aka Nixo

below: Construction in the background

below: A tricolour jaguar, in yellows, blues, and reds, by Nick Sweetman

below: A little sparrow with a rusty coloured cap, by luvs

below: Another luvs painting – the woman on the left – beside a snail and a blue dog with a very long pink tongue by cruz

below: A snake among the plants in purples and oranges, by Planta Muisca

below: On the right, colourful blobs and splashes in motion painted by Andre Kan

below: frog and snail

below: …. and last, another frog. This one was painted by Eugene Lee

emerging

Posted: July 8, 2021 in people
Tags: 3D Toronto sign, bikes, city hall, cyclists, food truck, Mercedes, people, pigeon, posing, scooter, sitting, summer, walking, Yonge Dundas Square, Yonge St.

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!

a Midtown circuit

Posted: March 1, 2021 in construction, locations, old buildings
Tags: Avenue Road, buildings, construction, Crosstown, davisville, Eglinton Ave., heritage, history, houses, John Davis, reflections, Starbucks, stores, T.G. Crown, Yonge St.

Yonge, Eglinton, Avenue, Chaplin.

Some habits die hard and some rules aren’t meant to be broken including the unwritten rule that a photowalk begins at a coffee shop. Was it the best. coffee. ever.? I’m not sure. It was good; it would have been even better if I’d been able to drink it inside! Also good is the fact that there are independent coffee shops that are still open and I hope that they survive (and thrive?) until the summer.

below: Long north up Yonge Street from Lola (L O L A Lola), towards Eglinton. Back to Midtown.

below: Yonge and Manor Road, looking northeast. One of the remaining Midtown buildings that date from the original development about 100 years ago. In 2016/2017 a massive list of buildings in this area was put forward as considerations for “Main Street Block” heritage designation including this one at 2075 Yonge at the corner of Manor Road East. In the resulting report, mention is made of “the three-storey scale, the glazed commercial storefronts with apartments in the upper floors, and the elaborate Tudor Revival styling typical of those dating to the interwar era in North Toronto.” I haven’t done any more research to determine if any of these buildings were actually added to the heritage register.

below: Northwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton. Still mired in Crosstown construction.

below: Walking west on Eglinton through a maze of cones and detours.

below: Looking back towards Yonge and Eglinton.

below: Consulting.

below: Part of the pedestrian detour on the north side of Eglinton takes you through Eglinton Park. This photo is from May 2020 so you can’t see the ice and snow that was there a few days ago!

below: View of the city, looking east towards Yonge Street from Eglinton Park (May 2020)

below: Decorated hoardings at Eglinton Park.

below: Rendered drawing of the future Avenue Road Crosstown station.

below: Avenue Road Crosstown station as it is now.

below: What it looked like in early May last year. Not much change is there? I was disappointed to see how Eglinton Avenue looks just the same as it has for years. At the surface it appears that there has been no progress. I’d love to be able to see what was/is happening down below as I know that the work didn’t stop for Covid.

below: No running, no diving. Sigh. Although it makes sense that there’s no diving in the shallow end, it’s just another reminder that this has been a year of “no”.

below: One of the many architectural styles on Avenue Road

below: Chaplin Crescent views

below: And back to Yonge Street – For lease, a former Starbucks at Yonge and Davisville. This is one of 25 locations in Toronto that closed at the beginning of February and one of the approximately 300 closed across Canada. This was always a busy place but maybe it was dependent on commuter traffic as it is by the Davisville subway station. The list of 25 closed Starbucks’ is heavy on mall locations and those on the heavy commuter routes.

The building started its life in 1894 as J.J. Davis’ general store and post office built on land owned by John Davis — the same Davis that gave the name to the tiny community of Davisville. When I was researching the building, I found the following three photos. First, J.J. Davis Store, ca 1900. Home of the Davisville Post Office 1894-1913.

below: The same corner, 1951. Note the old bus on Davisville (and all the people waiting to get on it!). The Chaplin Groceteria is now the Fresh Buy Market but the building is almost exactly the same 50+ years later. The hydro lines have been buried since 1951.

below: I have been trying to reconcile the information that I found online:

The J.J. Davis Store was built in 1894,
The first post office was in Davis’s store,
John Davis died in 1891.

Then I found the photo below. It was taken in 1981 and is of a building, Host Rent a Car, at the corner of Yonge & Imperial (one block north of Yonge & Davisville). The library notes: “In the 1870s, this was the site of T. G. Crown’s Grocery, Flour and Feed Store and the first Post Office in Davisville.” Davisville Village Walk, North Toronto Historical Society, 1984, p. 5. Therefore, two stores (that still exist) and two “first” post offices … and a mix-up somewhere.

I like the fact the T.G. Crown’s store was on Imperial street!

The above three black and white photos are online, from the Toronto Public Library

With many thanks to Karen for accompanying me. Sorry, no photo – totally forgot…. We’ll have to make good on our vow to walk again!

around Yonge and Bloor

Posted: August 25, 2020 in construction, events, history, old buildings, public art, reflections
Tags: clock tower, construction, covid, dog, drinking coffee, fleurs de villes, flowers, Gillie and Marc, hockey player, library, Love Negotiation, mannequins, Manulife centre, mask, Patrick Amiot, people, rabbit, reflections, Scollard Street, sculpture, Starbucks, stores, William Sexton, Yonge St., Yorkville

…

below: He may be sitting on the bench but this hockey player is prepared. He’s practicing social distancing and he’s got his mask on just in case. He’s also a reminder that the NHL playoffs for the 2019-20 season are being played in a bubble here in Toronto at the moment… but the Maple Leafs didn’t make the cut. After having to take a few months off because of Covid-19, the NHL scheduled the playoffs in only two cities, Toronto and Edmonton. Games started at the beginning of August and are scheduled to finish the first week of October. There is talk that maybe the 2020-21 season can begin after that but like everything else these days, who knows.

below: ‘Love Negotiation’ on Scollard Street by Gillie and Marc. Dogman and Rabbitgirl share a few minutes over coffee. They too are outside are are socially distanced… or perhaps they have been isolating together are have escaped their tiny downtown condo for a bit of fresh air. ” Rabbitgirl and Dogman invite the world to sit with them symbolically at their Table and take the first step to understanding and loving each other. The sculpture is where we sit, discuss, and solve problems. The world has reached a crisis where our differences are causing hatred and division.”

below: The William Sexton houses on the NE corner of Bay & Scollard are being preserved and incorporated into a condo development. They were built by Sexton in 1890 in a style similar to the Queen Ann Revival style. Although it looks like one large brick house, it is actually a row of 4 houses. In 1974 they were added to Toronto’s Heritage Register. That was also the last year that all four were used as residences.

below: A slightly fuzzy 1974 photo of William Sexton houses.

below: Another hole in the ground. I liked the bits of orange and black hanging around.

below: Reflections of the clock tower on the Yorkville Firehall, the oldest firehall in the city, in one of the newer glass walls across the street.

below: Looking east on Yorkville Ave towards Yonge Street and the large Toronto Reference Library.

below: The Starbucks on Yonge Street just north of Bloor is now closed. The sign in the window says “thanks for your loyalty over the past 20 years.” For those of us who still remember Albert Britnell’s book store at that location it is a bit of a shock to realize that 20 years has past.

below: Yonge Street at Hayden

below: looking northwest from Charles Street on the east side of Yonge. The older black and grey building is the CIBC tower on the NW corner of Yonge & Bloor. The cranes are working on the SW corner of that intersection.

below: Condo construction at the southwest corner of Yonge & bloor continues.

below: One of the entrances to the Manulife Centre on Bloor Street. It was decorated in flowers as part of a Fleurs de Villes event.

below: Inside the Manulife Centre there were many mannequins decorated with flowers

As the summer winds down but the covid lingers on, stay safe and stay sane

downtown in the time of Covid-19

Posted: April 29, 2020 in construction, locations, old buildings, stores
Tags: 3D sign, cars, construction, covid-19 alert, facade, Justus Becker, mural, people, pictures, pigeons, playground, reflections, sidewalks, sitting, social distancing, StART, stores, streetcar, subway, Yonge St.

below: A lonely ladybug and bumblebee await the return of the kids. Playgrounds still closed because of Covid-19.

below: Barriers around the pool in front of the Toronto 3D sign at Nathan Phillips Square. A perfect spot for a quiet picnic.

below: New mural on Charles Street – painted September 2019, by Justus Becker (from Frankfurt Germany) as part of the 2019 StART mural exchange program. One lens of the glasses is reflecting Toronto while the other lens mirrors Frankfurt.

below: Behind College Park (777 Bay Street)

below: If plants die on city property and no one is there to notice, does it really matter?

below: Two big rats anthropomorphized into a cute little Chinese couple on a Canada Post box. They appear on some of the stamps issued by the post office in honour of the Year of the Rat. The rat is the first of the 12 animals in the 12 year cycle of the old Chinese calendar. The rat also represents the hours of 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., in other words, both midnight and the beginning of a new day. Perhaps we are approaching midnight and our new day is just around the corner?

below: Is this seat taken?

below: Who can resist Unicorn Beauty?

Social distancing can be challenge even when most people are staying home. The way that the city and construction sites manage the sidewalks downtown barely worked before. Now, the confinement of the sidewalk space makes it impossible for two people to pass and still comply with safety guidelines. With some awareness, along with the ability to walk on the streets, it is possible to give everyone ample room. There is a debate going on about whether or not to close some streets, or at least close some lanes to traffic, to provide more space for walkers. Those on the “no” side such as the Toronto Public Health, claim that it just encourages more people to be out when they should be at home; it undermines “directives against people congregating in groups”.

More recently, a program called CurbTO has begun whereby some curb lanes are opened to either pedestrians or to parking for curbside pickup from stores. But even here, it’s not necessarily for walkers, but for people lining up to get into stores. It’s going to be a very different situation once pedestrian and traffic levels start to return to what they were in the old days and there are going to have been some infrastructure adaptations.

below: Navigating the sidewalks while still complying with what governments and health officials are suggesting. Note the poster on the wall “We are all in this together”.

below: It’s not often that traffic stops on Yonge Street for pedestrians and their pets.

below: On the southeast corner of Yonge and Gerrard, the facade of an old building is being preserved.

below: Brick and roofline details.

below: I was impressed by the engineering that is involved in keeping these old facades intact while the interior is gutted.

below: Talking to the polaroid guy.

below: No standing takes on a new meaning

below: Looking south on Bay Street from Queen.

below: Richmond Street construction, west of University Avenue.

This was my first time on the subway since mid-March. There were very few people there so it was easy avoiding them but once again, safely re-opening a city is not going to be easy. The packed buses and subways are going to be problematic.

below: Only some subway seats can be occupied.

chicken squabble

Posted: September 6, 2019 in events
Tags: Chick Fil A, LGBQT, people, placards, police, protest, restaurant, signs, Yonge St.

or maybe chicken fight. ‘Fight’ seemed a little too violent whereas ‘squabble’ seems to minimize the protesters concerns. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth perhaps. I am referring to the scene outside Canada’s first Chick Fil A restaurant here in Toronto – at Yonge and Bloor of all places.

In case you are unfamiliar with the backstory – Chick Fil A is still a family business (the Cathy family) yet it is the largest chicken restaurant in the USA as well as that country’s third largest fast food restaurant. There are more than 2300 Chick Fil A’s south of the border.

The controversy started a few years ago when the Cathy’s came out against same sex marriages and their family foundation donated to organizations that were anti-LGBQT.