Posts Tagged ‘Yonge St.’

the second half of the band

Posted: September 18, 2017 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Last November I blogged about a large 22 storey mural on Yonge Street just below College (music makers on Yonge ).  This mural was by Adrian Hayles and it includes many Canadian music icons.   Recently, Hayles has created a matching mural of the same size on the other side (south side) of the building at 423 Yonge Street with portraits of more Canadian musicians.

tall mural, 22 storeys tall, on the side of a TCHC apartment building in Toronto, by Adrian Hayles, portraits of Canadian musicians such as the band Rush, Carole Pope and others

Rush, Goddo, the Band, David Clayton Thomas, Lonnie Johnson, Selome Bey, Carole Pope, Cathy Young, Jay Douglas, Kim Mitchell, Mandala, and John and Lee and the Checkmates are all shown in the mural.  It is best seen if you are walking north on Yonge Street although some trees partially block the view.

Canadian musicians on a wall, mural by Adrian Hayles,

part of a music mural, a trumpet player, male, with graying hair,

part of face and hands on a mural with a nesting pigeon beside it. It looks like the hand is reaching for the pigeon.

music mural,

bottom part of mural, guitar player and band dressed in white suits with black stripes, black pointy toe shoes, wall is behind two orange and black cones.

The mural was commissioned by the Downtown Yonge BIA,

dyke march 2017

Posted: June 25, 2017 in events, people
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person with rainbow face paint, rainbow rimmed sunglasses and a rainbow flag draped over her back

It’s Pride weekend here in Toronto with its many activities including the usual parades.  Yesterday was the Dyke March.

people walking in the dyke march, colourful clothes, floral shorts, polka dot top, sailor hat, flags, beads,

a woman is on another person's shoulders so she's above the crowd walking in the dyke march. She is holding a sign that says happy pride

a mother leans over her young daughter who is sitting in front of her on a bike, Small rainbow flag is on the handlebars

below: As in previous year, the motorcyclists led the parade.

dykes on bikes motorcyclists at the start of the parade, dyke march, at Yonge and Bloor

a small white dog with a little hat on its head, head resting on person's shoulder.

leather pants and belt, with a person's hand on bum (with black fingernails). harness on top with nothing under it, partially bare back

waiting for the dyke march to begin, two people by their motorcycle, one is in leather shorts and has angel wings made of rainbow coloured feathers

laughing women holding up a banner in support of trans people

people walking in the dyke march. one is holding a young girl who is wearing a pink dress, one is bare breasted

torso from the side of a person in a lacy black bra with a large tattoo on upper and lower arm. Upper arm tattoo is a woman's head with the words live deliciously written under it

a volunteer wearing a yellow tshirt stands in the middle of yonge street facing the dyke march parade that has stopped just up the street, people are lining the sidewalks to watch the march

a woman drummer, She is wearing a tshirt that says no a la homofobia. walking in dyke march

a muslim woman in a black head scarf takes pictures on her phone at a dyke march. a woman in a bikini top is clapping as she walks toward the camera

dykes on bikes stop in the parade for a photo op. one woman is topless with a bicycle painted on her chest.

a young woman in the dyke marching is holding up a sign that says Humber, we are proud

two women, in profile, watching the dyke march on yonge street, pink sunglasses

long haired woman holding rainbow flag, wearing sunglasses

a middel aged man in a tie dyed shirt with a big happy face in the middle of it, stands by a police car as he watches the dyke march

a group of people sittingo n the sidewalk on Yonge street as they watch the Dyke March. One woman is topless, two women are on cellphones

people on roller blades at the start of the dyke march. a woman holds a sign that says my pride includes the police

a woman in rainbow scarf, and police hat, holds a sign that says thanks first responders

women in a dyke march, one is holding a sign that says kittens against trump

three women walking together in the dyke march

a young man with a flower garland in his hair (paper flowers)

a couple - one is a purple wig and sunglasses and the other in a straw hat with sparkles glued to her face in the shape of a thin beard

Festival of India parade

Posted: July 18, 2016 in events
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Many people walked and danced, clapped and chanted, as they paraded down Yonge Street on Saturday to start the annual Festival of India weekend.

The parade is similar to an annual procession (Ratha Yatra) that has occurred for centuries in the city of Puri, India as part of a Hindu festival associated with the god Jagannath.  Here in Toronto, as in Puri,  three chariots constructed to look like temples are pulled through the streets in a procession from one temple to another.    Each chariot carries a richly decorated representation of a god, first is  Jagannatha (another name for Krishna or God) and then his brother Baladeva and his sister Subhadra.   The chariots are pulled by people and the procession symbolizes the pulling of the Lord into our hearts.

In Puri, this Ratha-Yatra procession continues to attract over a million people every year.  In Toronto, the numbers aren’t quite that high!

a police car drives slowly in front of a parade as it makes its way down Yonge Street

people walk behind a yellow horizontal banner that reads Festival of India, Join us at Centre Island.

two women in sarees are pulling on a large rope in a parade. In the foreground, a man is pulling on another rope.

a group of young South Asian women walking in a parade. One of them has her face decorated with paint. In front of them is a group of young men in yellow tops and white bottoms, one has a drum.

South Asian, Indian, women, in long colourful sarees dancing as they move down Yonge Street in a parade

some older people dressed in white riding high in the chariot float in the Festival of India parade, others walking in front and pulling ropes to make the chariot move.

South Asian, Indian, women, in long colourful sarees dancing as they move down Yonge Street in a parade, lifting their skirts a little bit as they move

people walking in front of one of the chariots in the Festival of India parade in Toronto

a large blue wheel that is holding up a chariot float in the Festival of India parade, people walking beside and behind it as they walk down Yonge Street

lifting the red rope that separates the parade from the traffic, women dancing and clapping and walking as well as other people, pulling ropes to pull the chariot in the parade

playing in the streets

Posted: August 16, 2015 in events
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Open Streets,
Yonge and Bloor Streets,
Sunday 16th August 2015

 

looking south on Yonge St. from Bloor street on a morning when no cars allowed. There are people walking on the street. There are also two kids with pink balloons.

Two men wearing red T shirts are riding their bikes on Yonge street, passing a woman who is using chalk to draw a floor on the street

A young boy is playing with a hula hoop in front of a sign that says Give It a Try

below: Slow bike race

A man is riding his bike as slowly as possible and still stay within a narrow path as part of a slow bike race. Other people are standing beside their bikes and watching him

A man is skateboarding on the street

A group of adults and kids are doing the limbo with a long rope on the street on a day when the road is closed to traffic.

A couple is pushing a stroller up Yonge St. past some of the stores. No cars on the street

A few people walk on the streets, two bikes also, the bikes have pink balloons attached to them, they are on Yonge Street, just south of Bloor in front of the construction on the west side of Yonge, the lower storey of old brick stores is boarded up, the upper storeys are still visible

A young man is standing in a doorway beside a hair and nails shop on Yonge Street.

Two women are jogging, and other people are walking, on Yonge street on a Sunday morning at Open Streets Toronto so there is no traffic.

#OpenStreetsTO

kissing in traffic

Posted: July 26, 2015 in events, locations, people
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The intersection of Yonge and Dundas as a location for a few wedding pictures!

A quick google search shows that it’s not the first time a couple has chosen this location to shoot a few wedding pictures but it’s the first time that I have encountered it!   Yesterday afternoon….

The bridegroom in his black suit dips the bride in her white wedding dress in the middle of a pedestrian crossing across Yonge St. at Dundas in TOronto.
A bride and groom are standing on the corner of Yonge and Dundas streets in Toronto. They are talking to a woman in a white dress who is organizing the wedding photo shoot.

A bride is standing in the middle of an intersection in downtown Toronto, wearing a long white wedding dress, she has her arm up and is beckoning to the groom.

Ratha yatra

Posted: July 20, 2015 in general Toronto
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The 43rd Annual Festival of India started with a parade down Yonge Street from Bloor to Queens Quay on Saturday afternoon.

The parade is similar to an annual procession that has occurred for centuries in the city of Puri, India as part of a Hindu festival associated with the god Jagannath.  Here in Toronto, as in Puri,  three chariots constructed to look like temples are pulled through the streets in a procession from one temple to another.    Each chariot carries a richly decorated representation of a god, first is  Jagannatha (another name for Krishna or God) and then his brother Baladeva and his sister Subhadra.   The chariots are pulled by people and the procession symbolizes the pulling of the Lord into our hearts.

In Puri, this Ratha-Yatra procession continues to attract over a million people every year.
In Toronto, the numbers aren’t quite that high!

parade going down Yonge St. using just the southbound lanes. A policeman on bike keeps the traffic out of the way. A float is being pulled by people walking in the parade. Part of the Festival of India in Toronto.

float in a parade for the Festival of India, or the Chariot Festival, a Hindu celebration, in downtown Toronto

 

below: Many people used ropes to pull the floats down Yonge Street.

people are using a long thick rope to pull a float down a city street for a parade.

below: Other people danced, walked, sang and chanted Hare Krishna mantras.

Some women in saris and men in traditional Indian clothes, dance and walk in a parade down Yonge St. as part of the Festival of India
Some women in saris and men in traditional Indian clothes, dance and walk in a parade down Yonge St. as part of the Festival of India

The back of a T shirt that a man is wearing. It has all the words of the hare Krishna mantra on it.

 The festivities continued on Centre Island for the remainder of the weekend.

Pride Parade 2015

Posted: June 30, 2015 in events
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Toronto Pride Parade,
Bloor St. and Yonge St., June 2015

fun & games,
smiles & laughter,
community involvement
pride parade pics in no particular order

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - Toronto mayor John Tory walks in the parade while holding a large yellow and orange super soaker

Toronto mayor John Tory walks in the parade armed with a super soaker.

 

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - Cyndi Lauper is wearing a white frilly dress and hat as she rides on top of a float for the musical KInky Boots. In the background a photographer leans out the window of a building to get a better view of the parade.

Actress Cyndi Lauper rides on the ‘Kinky Boots’ float.

 

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a man in a spiderman costume stands on a garbage bin so he is above the crowd on a sidewalk watching the parade

Spiderman makes an appearance too.

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people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a man is holding a purple sign that says "Proud of Our children"

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a couple of members of the triggerfish waterpolo team stand behind a banner with their team name on it. They are wearing bathing suits only

Elizabeth May, wearing a green garland wrapped around her neck and helping to hold a green banner walks in a parade along with some other people

Elizabeth May, leader of the federal Green Party.

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people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a few people have found a higher vantage point from which to watch the parade. One man is wearing white frilly underpants and white angel wings. On his stomach is written God 'heart' you

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a group of asexual people walk past holding sings, "trans asexuals exist" and "it's not that you're not sexy, it's just that I don't care"

A group from the University of Toronto marches in a pride parade. They have a large blue banner with pink lettering that says Out in Law.

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a group of parade marchers pauses so that one man can show the camera that he's got a bare ass

Two men stand on an exterior ledge of a building, one storey up from ground level. Two rainbow flags too.

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - one of the parade marchers, while holding a French flag, stops to lift his leg over the barricades

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a group of four men in colourful and outrageous drag stop to pose for a photo

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - the #HIVanonymous characters in complete white costume stop to pose for a picture in front of group that is preaching anti-gays messages

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - the #HIVanonymous characters in complete white costume stop to pose for a picture in front of group that is preaching anti-gay messages

Anonymous characters because #HIVanonymous

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A group representing lawyers walks in the pride parade including a boy in a yellow rain coat. One of the men is carrying a sign that says We're lawyers, we'll get you off.

A group of men dressed up as different fruits, banana, kiwi, blueberry, apple and orange

Fruit having a wonderful time in support of Communityone Foundation

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people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a man in drag - long pink dress, pink socks and pink shoes laughs while posing for a picture with a large black person in skimpy costume who is also laughing
Toronto fire truck in pride parade, rainbow flags decorate the fire truck

A flower head band has fallen to the ground and is beside two people's feet, both of whom are wearing sandals.

part of a group photo taken after the pride parade. Group is Conseil scolaire viamonde, le success s'exprime en francais, an association of French schools in Ontario

A woman in a blue jacket poses beside two scantily clad women with light lime green hair

#lovewins Two young women in sunglasses walking in the pride parade join hands and make a heart shape with their fingers

A group of people holding a large rainbow coloured banner that says #oneteam. Some of them are taking selfies

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - three people pose for a photo. One in a multicoloured wig, one with a green hat and one with flowers in her hair

A crowd of marchers cheer - people at a pride parade on a rainy day -

people at a pride parade in the rain

people at a pride parade in the rain - three guys posing for a photo, one is in a banana costume

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - from the back, a threesome poses for a photo, the woman on the left is staring at the assless chaps of the man beside her

people at a pride parade in the rain - boy in ornage raincoat and sunglasses standing in front of many balloons

people at a pride parade in the rain - three Asain guys, two under an umbrella, and a third wearing a salmon coloured rain poncho and holding up a sign that says "brown queer proud'

people at a pride parade in the rain - a man in an orange Tshirt holding a sign that says "I'm proud to have a gay agenda, NDP"

people at a pride parade in the rain - a topless man in a pink hat who is helping to hold a sign that says "Get Real" Others around him are also wearing pink hats

A young woman making a face at the camera as she holds a sign that says "get real" - people at a pride parade in the rain

people at a pride parade in the rain - two guys in drag with high heeled boots and wigs, with lots of feathers on their heads, are posing in front of a crowd who are behind metal barricades.

people at a pride parade in the rain - a man dancing and holding a mic, with a funny look on his face, on a float from the Peel Regional Police, called the Heat, there are lots of balloons beside and above him.

“The Heat”, Peel Regional Police

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people at a pride parade in the rain - some women holding signs promoting the Human RIghts Commission. they are holding rainbow flags as well

group of people holding up a blue banner that says Facebooks LGBT employee group

people at a pride parade in the rain - close up of a man in a red and black leather mask that covers his whole head, behind him and slightly blurry are two soldiers, navy guy in white on one side and army guy in greenish uniform on the other side

people at a pride parade in the rain - a person dressed in a long frilly pink and white dress pushing a walker on which there is large stuffed monkey

people at a pride parade in the rain - three young women holding squeeze bottles of paint, they are covered with paint that they have squeezed onto themselves

people at a pride parade in the rain - a young woman smiling from behind a lot of balloons that she is holding.

Three young men making peace signs as they pose for a camera

people at a pride parade in the rain - an older man in a superman costume walks along a sidewalk past other people who are walking on the road in preparations for the parade. Most of them are holding umbrellas

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a policeman helps with crowd control along the barricades of the parade route
pride parade goes on behind blue metal fence, in the rain, near the end of the parade

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - the back of a woman with short black hair. She has a tattoo across the back of her neck that says Elizabth as well as a temporary colourful tattoo that includes the words #for a colourful city

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a group watches the parade from the balcony of a bar

Man wearing black rabbit ears, dressed in black leather, and holding a large carrot at a pride parade

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - man is red mask and red wig as well as white gloves has his hand over his mouth as he begins to throw a kiss towards the camera

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - a nude man poses in the middle of the road while he takes a selfie. Onlookers watch.

You don’t need clothes to take a selfie!

people at a pride parade on a rainy day - an older man in a flowery wig and flowery top along with a bulky necklace stands in front of a crowd, close up shot of head and shoulders

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