Can never get enough shots from the CN Tower. It's a good way to monitor the rapid changes going on in the city with all the construction. Thanks a bunch!
Actually I go up the CN Tower at least once a year so maybe I'm due for a visit :)

2,000 posts!:)

By the way, nice pictures from the CN Tower. Did you look for Niagara Falls and Rochester? Did you see them at all, and try to take pictures?

your pictures are pure awesome, that's all i can say, i keep wanting to go out there with my camera and take pictures but i have so much going on right now, and i don't have much access to rooftops and elevations for nice panoramic shots.

But maybe next weekend I'll go out and take some.

Also Has anyone ever thought of the CN tower shadow is a time teller; you can tell the time by which building it's pointing too.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/Summer%202008/New%20Summer%202008/IMGP5252ifromskypod.jpg

your pictures are pure awesome, that's all i can say, i keep wanting to go out there with my camera and take pictures but i have so much going on right now, and i don't have much access to rooftops and elevations for nice panoramic shots.

But maybe next weekend I'll go out and take some.

Also Has anyone ever thought of the CN tower shadow is a time teller; you can tell the time by which building it's pointing too.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/Summer%202008/New%20Summer%202008/IMGP5252ifromskypod.jpg

No, I hadn't - but now that you mention it, it is a rather grand sun dial!!

Was too hazy to see far into the distance, xzmattxz; I think it has to be a crystal clear day to see Niagara Falls or Rochester.

Very nice pics folks (Jaborandi & T.B.) :okay:

Very nice pics folks (Jaborandi & T.B.) :okay:

Oh, that's TB's pix. My sole involvement is to look and enjoy!

Not true! You once helped me get some smashing photos of downtown! :)

It's always good to see your city from a different angle. I make it a point to go up the Rialto here at least once a year.

Superb captures there TB.

Great photos !!!

But I really think they should do something with the concrete "stem" of the CN Tower, perhaps cover it with a new clean coat of white paint?

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/Summer%202008/New%20Summer%202008/IMGP5361i.jpg

White paint will be nice.....

What about titanium or steel? Commerce Court looks great clad in metal. The CN Tower would look dynamite in a similar cladding. Definitely more sexy than concrete.

You guys are nuts.

^^ :lol:


Why is exposed concrete so rarely cleaned on buildings? Almost all concrete buildings discolour, and I don't recall seeing one cleaned to the original concrete colour.

naturally, we should cover the CN Tower in graffiti. That's how concrete get's refinished.

Graffiti? I dont think so
You guys are nuts.
:lol:

naturally, we should cover the CN Tower in graffiti. That's how concrete get's refinished.

here here!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/Summer%202008/New%20Summer%202008/IMGP5252ifromskypod.jpg

the city central looks so densed !

You will enjoy the view from up there when you come and visit, Alibaba! :)

Bump for more Toronto.

Hey, Xzmattzx, thanks! I'll post some more pics after I visit the new Art Gallery of Ontario this weekend!
I had a particularly nasty computer crash and my hard drive wiped out. Luckily I had backed up most of my photos, but it will take some time to download them and separate them into their old folders. Dang! Hate those crashes!!

This new art gallery of Ontario should be great...

naturally, we should cover the CN Tower in graffiti. That's how concrete get's refinished.

If it was nicely done, that would look damn good.

TB - More T.O. please :)

You will enjoy the view from up there when you come and visit, Alibaba! :)

take me there...!

TB what's up? Your fanclub is waiting for some new photos ;-)

Thanks guys.. I was quite rattled by the darned computer crash, and it took me some time to get my files and photos restored. Having done so, I am now ready to get out and take some more photos!!! I appreciate the support! :cheers:

:cheers: ^^

yeah more photos sil vout plait...

^^ please..... (parakalo) :)

^^^ please... (prosze) ;-)

Perhaps, we need to let him recharge his batteries. A photo thread and ever vigilant mod is a lot of work for one person. I'm sure the photos will resume eventually. It's nice that we haven't forgotten about this thread. It's certainly been missed.

I've been stalking the hood looking for you - I figure if I can't see new pix, then I can at least see you. No luck so far - perhaps I should station myself outside your building and just call your name over and over and over and over

over & out

Aren't you having computer problems? I can relate now, I'm also having major problems and I can't work on new threads like I want to.

Where Taller, Better is... ?

Hey guys, sorry about the long absence... I needed a bit of a break from the photography, but think now am back into the groove! Last Saturday night I wandered through the city a bit, snapping some pictures on my way. I'll call this entry: "After the Blizzard"! The temperatures on the night before I shot these pictures plummeted to a bone chilling
-17.7c, and it was about -13c when I did this photo tour!!!! Hope you enjoy:

First I started down at City Hall, to watch the fireworks that are part of the Cavalcade of Lights. Toronto City Hall is illuminated in green, and you can see Nathan Philips Square bustling with people outdoor skating:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5504i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5505i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5508i.jpg

when suddenly, at 8pm on the nose the singing entertainment ended, and the fireworks began:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5567i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5569i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5594i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5599i.jpg

When it is over, it is time to head for Dundas Square:

the night is extremely cold, and we had had a lot of snow dumped on us in the past few days. These Polar Bears seem to be quite enjoying it all!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5621i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5630i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5627i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5631i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5634i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5638i.jpg

Walking north on Yonge Street, I look back at Yonge/Dundas:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5642i.jpg

the window of this Waffle Shop is open, and it is hard to walk by and resist the
heavenly smell of the waffles! :D

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5645i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5649i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5657i.jpg

I'll spread this out a bit into a few entries.

by now I've reached College Street:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5659i.jpg

A Toronto institution since the 1940's- Fran's Restaurant. Still the best place to
get a real old fashioned chocolate or strawberry milkshake!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5662i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5666i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5668i-1.jpg

They spread salt on the streets to melt the ice, but this is hard on the feet of dogs, so some owners put little booties on them. This dog has a heavy fur coat of his own, and probably doesn't need another coat as I am sure he enjoys the cold weather:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5674i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5679i-1.jpg

I turn East on Alexander Street to head toward the gay Village. I first pass one of the largest gay live theatre organizations, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5682i-1.jpg

Canadians are a hardy lot, and it takes more than a blizzard to keep them at home on a
Saturday night:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5685i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5688i-1.jpg

Everything is so pretty and peaceful after a snowstorm:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5691i-1.jpg

The Maple Leaf Gardens, which is the old home of our local hockey team, The Maple Leafs:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5694i-1.jpg

One more entry, as I hit Church Street.

You know you have hit the gay village when you come upon the bronze statue of Alexander Wood (1772-1844), who was one of Toronto's earliest and most notorious gay citizens. He was a prominent local merchant and magistrate, and became embroiled in a gay scandal in 1810. He found himself having to hot foot it back to Scotland to ride out the scandal for a couple of years, but then came back to Toronto (then known as York). He owned much of the land that is now the gay village, and two streets are named after him:"Alexander" and "Wood" Streets. In the early 1800's, a gay man was referred to as a "Molly", so this patch of land was known as Molly Wood's Bush. He is now a local gay hero figure! :)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5697i-1.jpg

we head North on Church Street:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5702i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5705i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5706i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5709i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5710i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5714i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5719i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5722i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5724i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5726i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5729i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5732i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5733i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5735i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5740i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5741i-1.jpg

we are now on the north side of Wellesley, walking up Church Street:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5752i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5760i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5768i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5770i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5772i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5776i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5778i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5779i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5782i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5786i-1.jpg

I need to cut back to Yonge Street, so I turn west on a pretty little sidestreet buried under snow:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5788i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5790i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5791i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5793i-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5797i-1.jpg

and one last photo before I switch my camera off and get my frozen popsicle fingers back into some nice warm gloves!!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5800i-1.jpg


I leave off with a couple of photos of a rather spectacular Gingerbread House that I spotted!! Everything you see is edible. Enjoy!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5493iGingerbreadHouse.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5496i.jpg

Yay! The Toronto pictures are back! Just in time for Christmas, too.

Welcome back Taller, Better :cheers:
Very nice pics of course :okay:

Nice christmas gift TB ;-)

Great update! It's funny, I've never lived in Toronto and yet I've been to most of the bars in those pictures. And several times at that! :lol:

You know you have hit the gay village when you come upon the bronze statue of Alexander Wood (1772-1844), who was one of Toronto's earliest and most notorious gay citizens. He was a prominent local merchant and magistrate, and became embroiled in a gay scandal in 1810. He found himself having to hot foot it back to Scotland to ride out the scandal for a couple of years, but then came back to Toronto (then known as York). He owned much of the land that is now the gay village, and two streets are named after him:"Alexander" and "Wood" Streets. In the early 1800's, a gay man was referred to as a "Molly", so this patch of land was known as Molly Wood's Bush. He is now a local gay hero figure!

Interesting story. I wonder if Woody's was named after him as well!

That is a good question! Maybe it was.
Thanks for the nice comments, guys, and I will take some more pictures over the Christmas break! :)

Beautiful pix as always :)

Thanks for the new photos TB! Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas Greg...

We wish you all the best, healthy and prosperous new year 2009


be good and enjoy your white chrissie up there

Thanks Guys! Had a wonderful Christmas, and hope you all did too! More pics closer to the end of December.....

:eek: Wow! So much of amazing Toronto photos. :okay:

Happy New Christmas and a Merry Year 2009 to you and all your family and friends TB.

We'll throw an extra 'shrimp' on the barbie for you down here during our 30 degree festive season!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5791i-1.jpg



http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5797i-1.jpg

and one last photo before I switch my camera off and get my frozen popsicle fingers back into some nice warm gloves!!



:eek:

I would like to see that much snow but maybe just for a day or two. Btw, really nice and really 'hot off the press' pics.:)

LOL! Most of that snow is now gone, as we had a bizarrely mild spell. On Dec 27 the temp soared to 14.2c, which is very mild for us for Christmas time!
I took many new pictures and will post them soon!

Great pics...Toronto looks pretty nice in snow. Too bad that it's gone now.

Very nice pics Taller, Better and merry christmas btw :cheers:

Great pics...Toronto looks pretty nice in snow. Too bad that it's gone now.

What is too bad about the snow being gone?

I hate snow!

One thing we know for sure, there will be lots more snow before the winter is finished! :)

I'll put a few entries of some junky stuff just so I can get a new page for my Niagara-on-the-Lake Pics! ;) On the way home from Niagara-on-the-Lake there was a big traffic jam, so we scooted through Hamilton to get onto a different highway home. I snapped a few pictures out of the car window:

This run down old building could be fixed up nicely for a pub!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6341i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6336i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6340i.jpg

Some snow pictures from over a week ago:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5829i.jpg

carrying home the Christmas tree!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5826i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5824i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5821i.jpg

Some more winter pics from a week ago!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5819i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5818i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5814i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5812i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5809i.jpg

and some pictures I took of Toronto as we drove back into the city:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6342i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6346i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6348i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6352i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6353i-1.jpg

I had done a picture thread in this section this past summer on a visit to the very beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=584874

I had a chance to visit it for a few days over the Christmas holidays. We drove down on
Boxing Day (which is the day after Christmas). Much of the snow had already melted by the time we got there, but there was some. Settlers came to this town starting around 1770, and it was an important battle site for the War of 1812. It is an extremely pretty town, and quite touristy due to the picturesque buildings. I'll start with some night pictures that I took:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5884i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5888i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5895i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5896i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5897i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5904i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5906i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5907i.jpg

The Royal George Theatre, home to the annual Shaw Festival, a celebration of works
by the great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5909i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5911i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5914i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5925i.jpg

I wandered about the town, and the temperatures that day soared to over 15c, which is quite mild for us for weather after Christmas. The snow rapidly melted:

an old graveyard that seems to have been started in the early 1800's:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5938i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5941i.jpg

One of the oldest churches in Ontario, St Mark's Anglican from 1804. It is a very simple
church, made in a Norman style:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5947StMarksAnglican1804NormanSt.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5949i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5935i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5952i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5957i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5959i.jpg

the lake looked cold and grey, and there were high winds later. Looking across to
the American fort:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5965i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5968i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5970i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5972i.jpg

my friend's house is quite close to the lakefront, and interestingly some artifacts were
found in the garden. There was some old children's marbles, a broken clay pipe, and a cannonball from the War of 1812:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6318i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5866Cannonball.jpg

I'll spread out the entries a bit!

The American forces briefly held Niagara-on-the-Lake during the War of 1812, and burned down almost every building in town when they withdrew (including the school and most churches, sadly). Thus, most buildings in Niagara date only as far back as that war.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5989i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5974iTheOldBankHouse1817.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5978i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5993i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6000i.jpg

The Queen's Royal Park:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6001i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6003i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6005i.jpg

the weather was mild for joggers!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6014iDec270815cmild.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6015i.jpg

"At the sign of the Pineapple"!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6018i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6019i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6020i.jpg

there are a lot of photos, so I will split them up some more!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6021i.jpg

the 1845 Courthouse:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6024NiagaraCourtHouse1846.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6031i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6033i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6038i.jpg

The Angel Inn (1816) is reputed to be the oldest continuously operated pub in Canada.
There are some in older buildings, but none that have been operating as a pub since that far back. I took some pictures by day, and later will show it at night when we went out for drinks!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6040.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6051i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6053i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6054i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6055i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6058i.jpg

We headed out that evening for the Angel Inn:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6245TheAngelInn1816.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6240i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6246i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6249i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6253i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6258i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6261i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6263i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6264i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6267i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6269i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6270i.jpg

and another pretty building beside the pub:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6235i.jpg

This was another fun little pub we visited.. this time The Irish Harp:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5850i.jpg


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5860iTheIrishHarp.jpg

and finally just a couple of more buildings in the area:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5852iDec2708NiagaraontheLake.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5853i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5857i.jpg

Hope that you enjoyed the tour, and will someday be able to visit this charming United Empire Loyalist town! :D

Niagara-on-the-lake! Ontario has some beautiful small towns, and this is definitely one of those jewels! I can remember going on field trips here when I was in school, but it's been a few years since I've been back.

Interesting shots Taller, Better :)

Thanks guys! Happy New Year to everyone!! : )

:dance:

Great pictures. I like Niagara-On-The-Lake, but I've only been there in the Summer. It's interesting to see it at Christmastime, and at night as well.

Happy New Year Taller,Better :cheers:

:dance::dance:

All the best in 2009 everyone!! I just made it to Nathan Philip Square (our City Hall) for the midnight countdown and snapped a few pics. The fireworks display is not huge, but they spread it out over a month and do one every Saturday night in December, along with a show of live entertainment. I missed most of that but the crowd seemed to be having an amazing time. There were performances from the cast of a couple of musicals running at the moment... Queen : The Musical, and The Jersey Boy's, as well as some local singers such as Suzie McNeil, Kreesha Turner, Shiloh, Danny Fernandes, Dru, Tristan Avakian. Despite temperatures of -15c, the crowd was jam packed into the square, with 40,000 people showing up to party .

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6396i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6401i.jpg

this is the stage at Nathan Philip's Square, approaching from behind and the side:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6357i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6413i.jpg



http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6364i.jpg

because I was late I stood near the back. This was the stage up at the front:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6371i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6372ii.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6383i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6392i.jpg

I missed the finale of the fireworks, because a woman onstage recited Auld Lang Syne near the end of the fireworks and I thought they were over, so turned around to leave! Then bang it happened when I did not expect it! :lol:

Some great new pictures in your thread! :) Happy new year ;)

Happy new year, it looks like a great party :-)

Nappy New Year! That looks like a great time. The fireworks in between City Hall remind me of when the Phillies won the World Series, and fans shot fireworks from the street, and the fireworks were bouncing off of buildings.

Wow, didn't think it would happen but I'm really starting to miss toronto...

Wow, this is one of the best pic threads here. Makes me want to move to Toronto! Or at least visit once.... :)

Welcome to the forums! The nice thing is, our cities are so close together than you can come back and visit any time! I am hopping over to Montreal for a little visit this month! :)

Welcome to the forums! The nice thing is, our cities are so close together than you can come back and visit any time! I am hopping over to Montreal for a little visit this month! :)

Don't forget your camera if you know what I mean! ;)

Good to see that this is back up and running again :) Great as always mate

Great work again TB. It's kind of surreal to see the streets I walked around and the shops I shopped at represented in your thread.

Your thread is the best photo exploration on Toronto I've ever seen. I spent most of 2008 there and as a born and raised Montreal snob, I was amazed at how much I ended up loving it! Thanks for taking me back...

It is true, in this country we sometimes discover that much of what we had "learned" all our lives about another city turns out to be quite false when we keep an open mind and visit it! :cheers:

Wow, a flurry of activity in this thread all of a sudden!

I like the NOTL pics, it's a cute town.

Toronto its very nice city... :) btw your pics/shots flar are awesome ^^

Really nice work Taller. NOTL truly has some great Georgian architecture.:cheers:
Maybe I should have snapped a few pictures while I was staying in Chemanius B.C. last week. ;)
It's known worldwide for it's murals.
More like a run down Stratford than NOTL you know.

Yesterday was FOUL weather. Started out nice and snowy, but warmed up somewhat and wound up being cold rain. Ugggh.. I was determined to take some photos, so soldiered on regardless. The first daylight shots are not as crisp as they should be, as I did not notice I had the ISO set at 1600.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6455i.jpg

by this time the rain had started, and everyone was trying to shovel the sidewalks:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6458i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6462i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6463i.jpg

These old Victorian buildings look beautiful in the snow:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6467i.jpg

From the 1850's, St Michael's College and St Basil's Church:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6469iStMichaelsCollegeandStBasi.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6471iStMichaelsCollegeandStBasi.jpg

the temporary sales offices they build for condos nowadays are very elaborate:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6473UShowroom.jpg

a little walk about the campus of St Michael's (which is now part of the University of Toronto):

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6476iStMichaelsCollegeandStBasi.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6479i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6480i.jpg

Some lovely big old homes (also mostly now part of the University of Toronto) along
Queen's Park Circle:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6486iQueensParkCircle.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6487iQueensParkCircle.jpg

Queen's Park in the winter:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6488iQueensPark.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6492i.jpg

the old Christie House is being renovated for its new owners:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6493iChristieHouse.jpg

I stumbled upon this interesting old building in a back alley. I had never seen it
before. I am assuming it is an old coach house:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6494i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6496i.jpg

Now I move over to Avenue Road, and by this time the drizzle has become light
rain.. (ugggh):

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6500i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6498i.jpg

It gets dark quite quickly:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6502i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6504i.jpg

Turning off Avenue Road, onto Bloor Street:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6509i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6512i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6513i.jpg

Bloor Street is undergoing a massive improvement programme:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6515i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6517i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6519i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6523i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6531i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6534i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6539i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6543i.jpg

and one final entry of my pictures along a very cold, wet Bloor Street.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6546i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6549i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6552i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6558i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6561i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6564i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6568i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6574i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6583i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6601i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6584i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6609i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6618i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6619i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6624i-1.jpg

Yay! Better TO winter photos than mine! My winter shots of Toronto are dreary. Nice to see these.
I love Bloor street. Do you have any photos of what's going on at Yonge and Bloor? Have they torn down that corner and replaced it with Burj Dubai yet??

I intend to get some more outdoor shots today. Thankfully it is a bit colder so I won't have to balance an umbrella over me as I shoot photos! LOL! Bloor and Yonge is completely flattened out now, and they are waiting for final permits from the City, and also they have to wait till the Bloor Street improvements pass their building so they can set up the access for the construction vehicles (they need to close down part of Bloor/Yonge, and right now there is only one lane of traffic open in either direction). They are expecting to commence construction when both those things allow. :)

Great pictures. Yes, cold rain is the worst. At least you get snow a lot of times, though. Here, warm air coming up the coast almost always warms things up just enough so that temperatures are above freezing, and so cold rain is typical weather here.

Those are some nice houses at the University and along Avenue Road.

What exactly does that store called 'r.u.' sell? Was that a women's neoprene cat suit in the window? Regarding commencement of 1 Bloor East, wouldn't it make more sense for them not to wait for the Bloor Street Improvement project since they're probably going to wreck any improvement made during the construction phase.

Good question... I don't know if it is an Art Gallery, or a clothing store. I suspect an art gallery. It is on Avenue Road, sort of across from Whole Foods.

A lot of snow :cheers: - very nice shots :)

Love the Bloor updates, Greg.

Have you heard what the economy is doing to Yorkville? Hazel is closing already!:lol:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6512i.jpg

I miss this brand in Poland

Great pics as usual, i'm still waiting for polish village ;-)

I miss this brand in Poland

Great pics as usual, i'm still waiting for polish village ;-)

Calvin Klein? Seriously? I realize that it's a well respected brand, but I've always considered it a rather generic and ordinary label that is surely in every corner of the world by now. Sort of like a Ford car or a Toyota.

Are you waiting for your papers? I think you should just hop on a plane and make Toronto your new home. We've got a nice big Polish community here as well. Tell all your friends to come as well.

I just like cK, but in my city (population ca. 175 000, metro 220 000) only brand worth buying is H&M - no cK, no southpole, no hilfiger, no newyorker... I forgot Levi's jeans, is avalible in malls, but regular jeans costs around 110$CAD!! Sic!!

Are you waiting for your papers? I think you should just hop on a plane and make Toronto your new home. We've got a nice big Polish community here as well. Tell all your friends to come as well.

I'm not waiting for a papers yet, right now i'm sending my resumes for as many job ads as i can hoping for succes and doin some job experience in here - soon i'll be eligible co come to Canada as skilled worker without certified job offer. Sure, hoppin on a plane sounds easy, but it's not a responsible decision - i can enter Canada only as a tourist - I can't work without permission...

Granted, I'm not familiar with how the process works between Canada and Poland. I know it's far simpler between Canada and places like the US, Australia, or UK. It sounds like you're doing things the right way.

It sounds like you're doing things the right way.

I hope so!! I think this is the way to make a dream come true :)

Btw i took another look at your halifax photothread - this giant MacDonald Bridge looks awesome!!

Love the Bloor updates, Greg.

Have you heard what the economy is doing to Yorkville? Hazel is closing already!:lol:

Wow!! I had not heard that! That is too bad. It was the ne plus ultra of
women's clothing stores.

Nobody likes cold rain, but I think cities look great when they're wet.

Wow!! I had not heard that! That is too bad. It was the ne plus ultra of
women's clothing stores.

I think it's foreshadowing the departure of another Hazel we know nearby.;)

Did you get any pics of Cole Haan? I heard they relocated to Chanel's temporary space in anticipation of their renos.

You know, I was going to, but the temporary location looked so lonely and sad that I just couldn't bring myself to photograph it. They had a cut out "Cole Haan" signage lettering for the window that was just stuck on the glass with adhesive strips. My god their old location was screaming out for renovation. The whole interior and especially that nasty wood on the exterior needs to be completely changed.

By the way, there have been some swirling controversies of late regarding overhead wiring. I am a fan of the way it looks, especially streetcar wires, but many people can't stand it. I stumbled upon one of my favourite all-time photos tonight that I took a few years back of Queen Street, that really says "Toronto" to me! :)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6978.jpg

Yikes!! :)

Hhehe! I know it looks shocking to some but I kind of like the random spider web look of it! :D

Holy sh*t, Taller. Those poles do need some more mechanical on there though. A bulky transformer there, some generators, and perhaps, our sewage pipes would look good hung up there too. They look so bare. :|

Wow, name for this photo - Toronto has power!!

Wow, name for this photo - Toronto has power!!

It's almost fitting when you realize what an electricity junkie Canada is. We're #6 as a nation in electricity consumption ahead of far larger nations like India, Brazil, the UK, and France. We almost passed Germany last year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_electricity_consumption

^LOL that has a lot to do with our climate.

Many homes in rural areas use electricity for heating whether it be the primary source or supplementary to something else.

^LOL that has more to do with our climate than anything.

Many homes in rural areas use electricity for heating whether it be the primary source or supplementary to something else.

That's what Canadians like to think, but the truth is that we're simply energy hogs. If this was merely a climate issue, you'd see Finland and Sweden right up there with us. Ontario actually uses more electricity in the summer than the winter. People like to label the Americans as the energy hogs of the world, when it's actually us.

An insatiable appetite by consumers, massive aluminum and oil sands industries, and cheap power, puts Canada way out front as the #1 energy consumer on the planet for any country over 5 million population. We're used to cheap electricity and many of us simply use it like it's free. I'm guilty of it. I live alone and have 8 things on right now. I'd better go turn some of them off. We use more than double the amount of energy per capita as the Brits. It's not even close: 8301 kg of oil equivalent vs. 3918 kg of oil equivalent! The Americans are at 7795 kgoe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_energy_consumption_per_capita

^I think on the whole you have missed something here.

Iceland, Finland and Norway all exceed our energy usage on a per capita basis. In Norway's case it is over 130% and Iceland is about 150% what ours is. Sweden is not to far below us too.

Sweden also has this super neat practice of local heating plants that help decrease their winter costs.

World Resource Institute data is usually very solid. Any way, I don't want to crash Taller's photo thread, so I'll leave it alone.

^Good call. I shall follow suit.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6978.jpg
Too many cables :nuts:

LOL! I know it looks shocking, but I love that picture! :D

Holy sh*t, Taller. Those poles do need some more mechanical on there though. A bulky transformer there, some generators, and perhaps, our sewage pipes would look good hung up there too. They look so bare. :|

The more the better in my opinion. :)

I just love cluttered, messy, dirty cities. Context permitting of course, something like Bloor or University would look bad in that regards, but its perfect for the likes of Queen, and it just wouldn't be "Toronto" without them. That said, I know I'm certainly in the minority here and the overhead lines serve no tangible benefits, so I suppose they should be removed.

The more the better in my opinion. :)

I just love cluttered, messy, dirty cities. Context permitting of course, something like Bloor or University would look bad in that regards, but its perfect for the likes of Queen, and it just wouldn't be "Toronto" without them. That said, I know I'm certainly in the minority here and the overhead lines serve no tangible benefits, so I suppose they should be removed.

Do you know when most European cities buried their overhead wires? In fact, some poor Eastern European countries buried theirs over 40 years ago. I think it's embarrassing to Toronto and Canada.

Where would we hang our shoes without wires??

You know, I was going to, but the temporary location looked so lonely and sad that I just couldn't bring myself to photograph it. They had a cut out "Cole Haan" signage lettering for the window that was just stuck on the glass with adhesive strips. My god their old location was screaming out for renovation. The whole interior and especially that nasty wood on the exterior needs to be completely changed.

By the way, there have been some swirling controversies of late regarding overhead wiring. I am a fan of the way it looks, especially streetcar wires, but many people can't stand it. I stumbled upon one of my favourite all-time photos tonight that I took a few years back of Queen Street, that really says "Toronto" to me! :)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6978.jpg

Whenever I think of unsightly overhead wires, it is always at this location, Great photos btw!

LOL! I know it looks shocking, but I love that picture! :D

In fact, i love it too :D

The more the better in my opinion. :)

I just love cluttered, messy, dirty cities. Context permitting of course, something like Bloor or University would look bad in that regards, but its perfect for the likes of Queen, and it just wouldn't be "Toronto" without them. That said, I know I'm certainly in the minority here and the overhead lines serve no tangible benefits, so I suppose they should be removed.

I couldn't agree more... it is all in the context. Queen Street wouldn't be Queen Street without them. On streets like Yonge or Bloor it makes no sense. Many of these wires have been buried already.... the majority of the wires people see now are streetcar wires, and they aren't going anywhere. I've got lots more pictures to edit and post when I get home! I am in Montreal now but coming back very soon.:cheers:

That old picture of Queen st.'s a gem, TB. Moar!

Do you know when most European cities buried their overhead wires? In fact, some poor Eastern European countries buried theirs over 40 years ago. I think it's embarrassing to Toronto and Canada.

So, do I. It's as antiquated as not having introduced traffic lights yet.


I just love cluttered, messy, dirty cities. Context permitting of course, something like Bloor or University would look bad in that regards, but its perfect for the likes of Queen, and it just wouldn't be "Toronto" without them.

Do you realize you're associating comfort with familiarity? You're used to parts of the city looking like a dump, so it should remain looking like a dump. Perhaps, people in shanty towns like their houses made of from scraps found in the garbage dump too. What's wrong with that. It just wouldn't be a shanty town if they started building their houses with bricks.

So, do I. It's as antiquated as not having introduced traffic lights yet.



Do you realize you're associating comfort with familiarity? You're used to parts of the city looking like a dump, so it should remain looking like a dump. Perhaps, people in shanty towns like their houses made of from scraps found in the garbage dump too. What's wrong with that. It just wouldn't be a shanty town if they started building their houses with bricks.


OUCH. That's harsh, but I can't help but agree...

Well, my favourite area of downtown is Kensington Market, and it is the dump to end all dumps. Queen St is a dump, and I love it too. I can deal with a few wires here and there and it doesn't bother me one iota...in fact I'd say when it comes to sanitizing, bleaching and scrubbing up, be careful what you wish for, or we will wind up with Disneyland. Modernise, sanitise and standardise. I'm just surprised the feelings run so deeply about the wires. In any case, in an effort to avoid this thread spinning off into an argy bargy about wires, I will try and get busy to organize some new photos to post!! :)

Well my last comment on the matter is that I think it burns some people up because it's Canada resting on its laurels. Seems sometimes that once Canada was declared "best" a few decades ago, it kind of stopped trying and has slipped behind many other countries that are still investing heavily in infrastructure and cutting edge technology. Considering that we're still one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it just doesn't seem necessary that we struggle with crumbling and outdated infrastructure across the country.

Anyway, bring on the photos!! I'm refreshing regularly waiting for the Montreal batch!

Do you realize you're associating comfort with familiarity? You're used to parts of the city looking like a dump, so it should remain looking like a dump. Perhaps, people in shanty towns like their houses made of from scraps found in the garbage dump too. What's wrong with that. It just wouldn't be a shanty town if they started building their houses with bricks.

Perhaps I just like dumps, familiarity or not?

Like I said earlier, I like my cities dirty, messy, and chaotic. I'll take a Hong Kong or Sao Paulo over a Paris or Geneva any day (no offense meant to people from those places, they're just not my personal preference).

Perhaps I just like dumps, familiarity or not?

Like I said earlier, I like my cities dirty, messy, and chaotic. I'll take a Hong Kong or Sao Paulo over a Paris or Geneva any day (no offense meant to people from those places, they're just not my personal preference).

No, in fact, like most Canadians, you embody a Canadian's biggest flaw: why fix it if it works? Canada has been on cruise control since the early 80s and it is not showing any signs of innovating itself, growing and being a leader once again. Even economically we've been passed by several countries in the last few years.

I'm from Belgrade, probably the most chaotic city in the Balkans. Big, brash, loud, party central.. But there's a certain discipline. No unsightly wires to hang above beautiful buildings, no transformers from the 1800s hanging above streets either. That was done away with in the late 50s! I don't see the point in being proud of a city looking like a dump; unless of course, you live in one.

Well my last comment on the matter is that I think it burns some people up because it's Canada resting on its laurels. Seems sometimes that once Canada was declared "best" a few decades ago, it kind of stopped trying and has slipped behind many other countries that are still investing heavily in infrastructure and cutting edge technology. Considering that we're still one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it just doesn't seem necessary that we struggle with crumbling and outdated infrastructure across the country.

Anyway, bring on the photos!! I'm refreshing regularly waiting for the Montreal batch!

I just said something like this a few weeks ago.

It is true that we seem determined to ignore the pressing needs of so many areas in this country.

I agree about Kensington Market. It's a total dump but I love it as well. There is a risk you could sanitize too much of the city and chip away at its personality.

Perhaps I just like dumps, familiarity or not?


I suppose you do.

OUCH. That's harsh, but I can't help but agree...

I'm not one to sugar coat things. People sometimes don't like what I have to say, but tend to appreciate honesty. My women friends actually do want me tell them if they look fat in their dress. I'm the only person that will tell them the truth. They know I'll still love them. ;)

This topic just won't die! And maybe it shouldn't.
Perhaps we should create a photo thread dedicated to infrastructure, what works and what doesn't, that would be open to all to post images from their city.
A Melbourne person, for example, could post a small expose on the tram system and see how it stacks up against others in the world, etc.
Anyone like the idea?

Excellent idea! I suggest to put it in Citytalk and Urban Issues:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9

I've got lot's more pictures for this thread coming up very soon!

Love the rain photos! They remind me of Melbourne (except for the snow).

As for overhead wires I'm all for them. All though I can see how they don't work on some streets - on the old High streets of Melbourne they give the whole area a generous dose of chaotic as well as almost rustic charm.

Keep up the good work TB.

Taller, I imagine a lot of people are glad you've resumed this photo thread. I'll wait patiently for some more photos. I always check.

I've been twice and still have the Concourse and 1st floor to do. I did do a bee line for the Rubens the last visit when I realized I was running out of time and exhausted yet again.

Well, my favourite area of downtown is Kensington Market, and it is the dump to end all dumps. Queen St is a dump, and I love it too. I can deal with a few wires here and there and it doesn't bother me one iota...in fact I'd say when it comes to sanitizing, bleaching and scrubbing up, be careful what you wish for, or we will wind up with Disneyland. Modernise, sanitise and standardise. I'm just surprised the feelings run so deeply about the wires. In any case, in an effort to avoid this thread spinning off into an argy bargy about wires, I will try and get busy to organize some new photos to post!! :)

I really can't understand this love affair that Torontonians have with Kensington Market... because like you said, the place is a dump. If I had friends visiting from another city I would be ashamed to show them the place... it's about as bad as taking someone to an auto wrecker for the day to entertain them... Please explain the appeal of Kensington.

Now Vancouver's Granville Island is a different story... now that's cool.

I think it is difficult to explain that, Oceanmdx.... I don't know how well you know Kensington Market. It is not a pristine, well scrubbed market like Granville or St Lawrence Market, but is truer to its roots, and far, far more eclectic. I know it is not for everyone, and that is ok as I don't want to see it turned into Queen Street Part Deux. Kensington would never in a million years work in Vancouver.

I think it is difficult to explain that, Oceanmdx.... I don't know how well you know Kensington Market. It is not a pristine, well scrubbed market like Granville or St Lawrence Market, but is truer to its roots, and far, far more eclectic. I know it is not for everyone, and that is ok as I don't want to see it turned into Queen Street Part Deux. Kensington would never in a million years work in Vancouver.

I agree with Oceandmx.. I do not understand, in a million years, the appeal of Kensington. Sure it's alive, but the disgusting smells, and appearance assures that I rarely visit, unless I'm pulled by a Kensington lover.;)

I'll get the thread back onto photos. I've put together a few that I took visiting the newly renovated Art Gallery of Ontario. The architect doing the complete overhaul was Frank Gehry, and I think he did a superb job. Unfortunately we are only allowed to take photos in the public spaces, and not inside any of the actual galleries.... so I did the best I could. The newly opened complex also boasts a $320,000,000 art collection donated by the Thompson family. This has proven to be a boost to the collection!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6826i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5481.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5478.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5477.jpg

Let's go inside!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP5462i.jpg

I love how he turned the handicapped access ramps into a work of art!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6694i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6695i.jpg

the gift shop:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6698i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6700i.jpg

we enter the Walker Court, and gaze at the rather marvellous Allan Slaight and Emmanuelle Gattuso grand
staircase:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6704WalkerStaircase.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6706i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6717i.jpg

as we look up, we can see how superb the craftsmanship is, and the loving use of wood:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6718i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6719i.jpg

on the second floor we look down through the arcade at the Walker Court:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6722i.jpg

Lot's of interesting sight lines and unique perspectives:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6723i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6728i.jpg

from the top, we look out over the city:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6739i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6747i-1.jpg

The cladding on the back of the building is a gorgeous blue titanium:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6748i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6752i.jpg

the movement for a permanent Art Gallery in Toronto began in 1872, when the
Ontario Society of Artists began pushing for a proper Art Museum. Their big break
came in 1909 when Harriet Smith left her family home of The Grange to be used as
an Art Museum. The Grange is the oldest brick building left in Toronto, and was built in 1817 when Toronto was still the town of York. It is a charming Georgian house, built with hand-made red bricks (there was no brick foundry west of Montreal at that time).
There is currently an archaeological dig going on at the Grange, so it is in a state of flux at the moment. I will admit I am not pleased with the current state of the house, as they have removed all the period furniture from the main floor into storage, and made a "Member's Lounge" instead. I gathered that there has been considerable opposition to this move, and that possibly changes would happen once the archaeological dig is over.
I for one wrote them an objection to the current use as a lounge and espresso bar on my comment card, and am very hopeful they will revert it back to its historically furnished main floor:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6762i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6764i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6766i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6770i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6772i.jpg

a peak through a window to a room where the archaeological action is happening:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6787i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6794i.jpg

the "Member's Lounge":

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6795i.jpg

The Grange, as it appeared in the 1800's:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6774TheGrange1817.jpg

this is what the first Art Museum looked like, when built onto the back of The
Grange back in 1909:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6781iAGO1914.jpg


I'll split this into another entry or two, so stay tuned for more piccies! :)

Great pictures! Is the brick house hidden underneath more modern buildings, or can you see what the exterior looks like?

The top floor Galleria Italia is really spectacular... I know it has already been photographed a lot, but here are my attempts to capture its beauty! :)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6801i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6804i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6807i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6816i.jpg

Let's go back outside, and walk around to the back part of the building... we approach
it through Grange Park, and can see The Grange nestled up against the new AGO structure:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6658i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6661i.jpg

It is a fine looking old Georgian house, as timeless and elegant today as it was in 1817:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6666i.jpg

Some of the neighbours of the Art Gallery of Ontario:

the tower of the long ago burned St George the Martyr Anglican Church (1845):

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6660iStGeorgetheMartyr1845.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6676i.jpg

despite its questionable paint job, this is a handsome old Italianate villa... it is easy
to date, not only due to the style of building, but also from the pocked stonework done
on the keystones above the windows. It must have been built in the 1850's:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6679iDeepQuongManor1855.jpg

a handsome, but rather run down strip of Victorians directly facing the front of the new
AGO. They are somewhat underused at present, but my guess is they will be smartened up considerably over the next decade:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6686i.jpg

Great pictures! Is the brick house hidden underneath more modern buildings, or can you see what the exterior looks like?

Hey there! Sorry I was posting when you wrote, but I have shown some photos taken from the rear.

This is completely random, but one more entry with some shots I snapped downtown of things that caught my attention. Here is the Princess Margaret Hospital on University Avenue:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6627i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6632i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6633i.jpg

here is our only other remaining brick house from the old Town of York... this handsome Georgian building, Campbell House, was built in 1822:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6636CampbellHouse1822.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6639i.jpg

on a cold winter day I am much cheered up by a Mexican restaurant!!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6645i.jpg

this is a handsome 1880 building which originally housed one of Toronto's
poshest shops: "The Golden Lion", where society could buy their clothing
and housewears. In a City of Toronto Heritage survey of 1938, the style of the
building is referred to as "Vernacular Italianate", and I suppose that describes it
as well as anything. It is now a rather cosy little pub:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6653i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP6655i.jpg

Well folks, that is it for today! Hoping you enjoyed my little tour and thanks for coming along!! :cheers:

Great pictures. It's interesting seeing the two oldest brick buildings in Toronto.

The appeal of Kensington Market is say the same as the appeal for the East Village in New York (slicing away maybe a decade and a half). It's not as gentrified as Queen West (even west Queen West) and it resists gentrification (and mostly because it's still home to successive waves of new immigrants and that tends to keep the place "real"). It's real bohemia versus say the safe American Apparel version of it (where there don't exist bad odors or roaches etc.). It's changed since the 80s to be sure but not enough to erode what it is and once was.

It's one of the primary places I would take tourists to Toronto when I lived there.

Nice photos btw.

Oh Kensington Market! I'm not sure what it's appeal is, but I love going. Part of it has to be the sponteneity. You never know what you are going to see, find, or... smell :colgate:

That is very true, Gerrad. It is difficult to explain the allure of places like Kensington (which have become extremely rare nowadays in North America), and it boils down to either a person likes and feels comfortable there, or they don't. I do, and so do a significant portion of the people I know who live downtown. Those who do not feel comfortable in Kensington Market have many, many other options to shop. A market like Kensington is not for everyone, and not for every city. And that is just fine with me, as I have no desire for it to be gentrified to make everyone feel comfortable. In some ways it reminds me of being off the beaten track in towns in Brazil, or Mexico. It is shabby and rundown, but I prefer it to shopping at American Apparel and Starbucks any day of the week.

how can people not like kensington market? it's such a unique and vibrant neighbourhood. there's such a great variety of people and places all in one small neighbourhood. every store has a different smell depending on what it's selling: cheese, spices, fish (probably the bad smell everyone's talking about). it's so eclectic and full of life.

i guess it's the people who like the more mainstream areas who don't like kensington. personally, i'm not into the brand new condo areas with monotonous glass and steel buildings. they're boring and sterile, lacking character and originality.

kensington market is unlike anywhere else i've been and that's why i love it. maybe the fact that it puts certain people off is why it resists gentrification so well. i hope it continues to do this.

I agree with Oceandmx.. I do not understand, in a million years, the appeal of Kensington. Sure it's alive, but the disgusting smells, and appearance assures that I rarely visit, unless I'm pulled by a Kensington lover.;)

To each his own I guess. Kensington is always at the top of my list of places to show to tourists who tend to be connected to the arts. Yorkville, the mecca of vacuous consumerism and pretension on the other hand, is near the bottom along with suburban shopping malls.

I honestly don't know how people could not like it.

If you are going to like it for any reason, like it because it is different.

The appeal of Kensington Market is say the same as the appeal for the East Village in New York (slicing away maybe a decade and a half). It's not as gentrified as Queen West (even west Queen West) and it resists gentrification (and mostly because it's still home to successive waves of new immigrants and that tends to keep the place "real"). It's real bohemia versus say the safe American Apparel version of it (where there don't exist bad odors or roaches etc.). It's changed since the 80s to be sure but not enough to erode what it is and once was.

It's one of the primary places I would take tourists to Toronto when I lived there.

Nice photos btw.

It is where I take people (mostly friends of my fiancee) who make a common and ill informed comment defaming Toronto in some silly way when they come to visit. This little trick works well when people say "Toronto is average" or "Toronto has no personality".

Well said: to each his own.

I have a few friends who are in love with Kensington, but the majority of mine - we chill in Yorkville.

^There is nothing wrong with that.

Although in more recent years I have reduced how much time I spend there as just standing in the street makes me feel like I'm maxing out my CC.

Great tour of the AGO and surrounds TB. I especially love the various shots of the Walker Court. Thanks!

great pictures as always.

Kensington Market is basically the place that clothed me for a good stretch of the 80s. It was a good place to go if you wanted to look like a refugee from the set of After Hours or Something Wild.

I really can't understand this love affair that Torontonians have with Kensington Market... because like you said, the place is a dump.

I'm very glad Kensington Market is there, but have to admit that I'm never too keen to point tourists in that direction. I do make exceptions here and there. London's Camden Town is a similar place, but manages to feel less 3rd world. It's almost blasphemous to say in Toronto, but I was horrified the first time I saw Kensington Market; same goes for Chinatown. I love both of them for their uniqueness, but they're basically shantytowns.

It's not the nature of the place that's the turn off, it's the built form it occupies. People shouldn't confuse the criticism for a criticism of what these areas represent. For me, it's the modesty and squalor of the buildings, not the nature of the retailing.

^^ i guess you've never seen a real shantytown.

last year i visited a friend in london who lived right near camden town. it's an interesting place, but it seemed 100% gentrified and somewhat geared to the tourists. it seemed more like toronto's disillery district than kensington market. (although obviously camden has it's artistic, bohemian history and the distillery district was an abandoned industrial area)

kensington is still a real market where people buy their groceries and inexpensive clothes. it's an area where you find any income level, culture, style of dress - moreso than most of the rest of toronto, which says a lot.

it's probably the squalor that keeps gentrification out of such an amazing area. i hope it stays this way. toronto already has a yorkville, a king street, a yonge & eglinton - all nice and clean.

^^ i guess you've never seen a real shantytown.


I haven't, but also don't see it as something to aspire to. I like the atmosphere of Kensington, but it's an utter dump. I never understood why areas of Toronto looked so unsightly and dreadful. I suppose it's because a sizable proportion of the population likes the look of squalor. I'm quite astonished at this revelation, to tell you the truth.

Well said isaidso.

Ok, I guess we've flogged poor old Kensington to death! In other words, I am VERY hopeful we can get back to my photothread and leave Kensington behind. Perhaps we will simply have to allow others to have their opinions and leave it at that. As my mother would have said "There is no accounting for tastes"

First stop, R.C. Harris Water Filtration Plant. This Art Deco gem, built in 1932 is, architecturally speaking, one of Toronto's most important utility installations. It is definitely off the beaten tourist track, but has been used in the filming of many movies. It was closed off to the public for a couple of years due to a complete restoration, and was looking as fresh as the day it was built after it was unveiled this past summer. By the way, it is still fully functional, and provides 45% of the water for Toronto and the Region of York. The intake pipes go out 2.6 km to the bottom of this very deep lake, giving our city remarkably clean, fresh water. Often on a cool summer evening I will come and lie on these slopes and just enjoy the view of the dusk settling over the lake.... Sit back, relax and enjoy the tour! :cheers:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2322iAug1808.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2323i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2324.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2330i.jpg

From the bottom of the hill, the plant looks somewhat castle-like..

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2364i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2328i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2340i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2334i.jpg

the Art Deco detailing is delightful, and frequently astonishes the visitor:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2383i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2384i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2331i.jpg

The stylised water fountains (which no longer flow with water), were, of course, to symbolise the purpose of the structure:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2338i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2362i.jpg

On the lakeshore, if we look to the east, we can see the Scarborough Bluffs in the distance:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2378i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2375i.jpg

I'll make one more little entry, with some photos of The Beach around this area.

Let's walk along the beach a bit.. it is such a hot day that I had to make an emergency pit stop to a convenience store to buy an ice cream cone in an attempt to cool down!!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2386i.jpg

walnuts the size of plump limes:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2388i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2393i.jpg

This area is called Balmy Beach, and many lucky homeowners have beach side properties..

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2395i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2401i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2403i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2410i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2418i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2419i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2421i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2430i.jpg

Your intrepid reporter has worked up a powerful hunger and thirst, so stops at a beach
cafe:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2432i.jpg

Time to walk back up the hill to Queen Street, and the area known as "The Beach":

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2441i.jpg

a strange tree/plant combination:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2442i.jpg

very typical homes in The Beach. Most have long balconies on the second floor,
as you would typically find in a small beach town:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2444i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2446i.jpg

we reach Queen Street!!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2452i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2453i.jpg

a typical old Beach's apartment building:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2454i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2455iAshbridgePark.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2457AshbridgePark.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2459ashbridgepark.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2462i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2466i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2468i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2471i.jpg

by now I am riding the streetcar back to the downtown:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2472i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2473i.jpg

and I get off at Yonge Street!!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2474i.jpg

Thanks to everyone for sharing that bit of summer with me on this frosty cold
Canadian winter day! :cheers:

Great pictures. That view from the hill in the first picture is wonderful. I'd sit there and waste away an afternoon or evening as well if I lived there.

Even though The Beach is in Toronto and isn't too far from the central neighborhoods, it seems quiet enough that it reminds me of the little beach communities along Lake Erie that I am familiar with, like Crystal Beach and Ridgeway.

If I get up to Toronto this Summer, I think that The Beach is at or near the top of my list of neighborhoods to see.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2328i.jpg


Perhaps I saw too many James Bond films in the 60's, but the Harris Filtration Plant always reminded me of one of those anonymous places in Switzerland masquerading as a respectable and industrious building but in fact is hiding the unspeakable things they do to unsuspecting school girls. That fact aside, I love the filtration plant and it is so lovely to see some warm season pix when we really need them. I'm not sure if they still have weekly tours or if it is still open for Doors Open but the interior is a real treat.

^^ LOL! I can just imagine Dr Evil and Mini Me safely ensconced in this castle scheming up ways to ransom money!
You are not far off the mark, Jaborandi! It played as "The Centre", a nefarious think tank in the television series "The Pretender", amongst dozens of other film and tv shows! :lol:

Well, I have these unwanted images in my head of young school girls being forced to sing The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music while wearing dirndls in unfortunate shades of blue. I won't even go into the sounds of lament made by cold lake water corralled into holding tanks!

Or being strapped into a chair and being forced to listen to the theme from Titanic on and on and on and on and on.. forever (if not longer)!!! :lol:

Nevertheless, your evocative pix of the Beaches in summer is a timely reminder of why we willingly put up with this soul numbing winter nonsense of which I have had enough!!! You remind us of how heavenly the warmer seasons are in Toronto. You give us the hope to hang in and the opportunity to employ metaphysical thought to justify freezing cold, dirty messy snow and salt stains on any item of apparel which comes in contact with the reality of winter just so that we can bask in the heat and lazy days of summer - and complain about the humidity.

Nevertheless, your evocative pix of the Beaches in summer is a timely reminder of why we willingly put up with this soul numbing winter nonsense of which I have had enough!!! You remind us of how heavenly the warmer seasons are in Toronto. You give us the hope to hang in and the opportunity to employ metaphysical thought to justify freezing cold, dirty messy snow and salt stains on any item of apparel which comes in contact with the reality of winter just so that we can bask in the heat and lazy days of summer - and complain about the humidity.
nicely put :-)

That first photo really made me feel for home. Funny thing is, Ive always been a west side guy and Ive never spent much time east of Yonge st...unless it was with my parents driving along the DVP or Lakeshore or Queen.

To get out of the car and walk - what a difference it makes! The east side of Toronto is an amazing world and Ive missed out on it for nearly 20 years of my life

Funny how that happens...but thanks, Taller, for the photos...really wonderful!

Cheers, m

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2331i.jpg

The stylised water fountains (which no longer flow with water), were, of course, to symbolise the purpose of the structureIt is like a monument to water and a protective fort at the same time.

But it is sad that the water doesnt flow in the fountains. We should pay to maintain beautiful things.

Cheers, m

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2432i.jpg

TB if I were you I would be going to get my cholesterol checked.

LOL! Yes, that fish sandwich and onion rings lunch was really scraping the bottom of the barrel! But when I get hungry sometimes I over-ride my common sense. While in Montreal last weekend I was photographing Chinatown around lunch time, and was starving. I made the mistake of sticking my nose into one of those All-You-Can-Eat lunch buffets. My common sense told me they are crap and run a mile from it, but the Ever-Optimist inside me thought perhaps this time it might be different. It wasn't. It was ghastly and practically inedible! :lol:

@Allurban, I too was surprised that the water no longer runs, especially seeing as the place has just undergone a two year complete restoration. Very odd, and the fountains look sad without water.

Beautiful pics - very green ^^ :)

The Harris Filtration Plant among other things was the site of the mental hospital in In the Mouth of Madness.

Standing in front of the Harris Filtration Plant on a hot summer day and blue skies, you don't feel like you're in a northern country at all. When I went the first time, it felt like northern California.

A little tid bit about Balmy Beach Club. Like the Argonaut Rowing Club, they also formed a football team that preceeded the Canadian Football League. They've appeared in 4 Grey Cups, winning in both 1927 and 1930. They folded in 1957.

Reminds me of warmer, less blustery times. TB - are you affected by the blackouts in TO?

No! I just heard about it this evening. I think it is St Clair/West end. Crappy to have no power in this cold weather.

No! I just heard about it this evening. I think it is St Clair/West end. Crappy to have no power in this cold weather.

Ah. Apparently a lot of the residents have gathered in the malls to stay out of the cold. The manager's welcomed them in and pledged to keep the mall open for extra hours if the power doesn't come back before official closing time. That's the Torontonian spirit :)

Your intrepid reporter has worked up a powerful hunger and thirst, so stops at a beach
cafe:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/IMGP2432i.jpg

"I like it here"...a suitable book, certainly. :)


No! I just heard about it this evening. I think it is St Clair/West end. Crappy to have no power in this cold weather.

Yeah, apparently everything from Jane to Spadina, and Queen to St. Clair...27 sqkms, with at least 200,000 people.

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.vancouversun.com/news/toronto+power+outage+could+last+hours/1182250/1184322.bin?size=620x400

Photo from Global via UT.

It lasted a whole day, too, in places... was a problem with faulty water sprinklers that flooded a transformer building waist deep. Yoikes!! I'm glad I was warm and dry! :)

We have had a non-stop light, fluffy snowfall for about the past 24 hours, and everything looks like a Winter Wonderland! I took my camera with me on my dog-walk around my neighbourhood!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7358i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7361i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7355i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7369i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7366i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7372i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7375i.jpg

the fanciest convenience store in my neighbourhood! :lol:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7377i.jpg

handsome old apartment buildings that sadly have lost their cornices somewhere along
the line in the past 100 years:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7379i.jpg

For anyone who remembers the old 1960's Hitchcock film Psycho will probably imagine they see Norman Bate's mother peering out of the attic window!! ;)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7382i.jpg

a nice warm pub to sit and while away a snowy afternoon!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7385i.jpg

Great pictures. Toronto looks great in snow. I wish we would get snow down here at least once this Winter.

Looks like a lot of snow. Great stuff!

Too much snow, and it won't go away because it's been too cold!

I've always wondered why most (not all) Toronto rowhouses don't have any kind of divider between the units.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7361i.jpg

In Hamilton, most (not all) rowhouses have some kind of brick ridge along the roof between houses.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k28/segaert/strathcona/00254.jpg

I really noticed this when I visited Cabbagetown where there are a variety of styles (not just the Second Empire type like the Toronto pic above) and dividers were rare. Just one long roof in most cases.

I am not sure about that, and hadn't noticed any with that brick ridge before. The type of terraced housing shown in the first picture was very common in the UK in Victorian times. In fact, many of them had a shared attic space, believe it or not. There is a brick firewall between the units, which I believe is what raises above the roof in the Hamilton examples, and appears as a ridge. I suppose it was the builder's way of giving a clear property division.

Nice updates :)

I might take a walk down to your neighborhood soon after seeing these pictures. I live around dupont and spadina so maybe that isn't too nice of a walk until summer :lol:
Subway then. Either way nice pics that really show off your hood.

Thank you! Cabbagetown looks the best in winter... so romantic with all the brick houses and cottages. I'll take some pics of it very soon.

Flar, further to that little ridge on the roof that separates houses. Today while walking the dogs I looked up at some various rowhouses and I saw some. Especially on rows of houses that looked like they were not built all at the same time. But mostly they don't exist here.

^^Yeah, I've definitely seen a few with the ridges in Toronto, and also some without in Hamilton. I think I've mentioned this before, but despite being only 60km apart, these two cities have quite different Victorian architecture. If I had to characterize the Victorian architecture in the two cities, I'd say Toronto is more British and Hamilton is more American. That may account for the difference.

It is a bit bizarre, seeing as the two cities are so close. One wonders why there are differences in the architecture. I can guess that maybe Hamilton had more Scottish settlers, thus the increased use of stone for buildings. The English were pretty used to building mostly with brick (London was almost entirely brick after the Great Fire in 1666).
As for the style difference, I don't know what would account for that.

snow is so pretty, especially right after it falls. everything seems so quiet when it's covered in snow. i wish we could have warm snow. or even if it never got colder than -5 in the winter, that would be good

I wish it'd snow here in Melbourne on occasion (well it has about twice in the last 50 years). So beautiful.

^Here I have a solution for you, we can switch places.

If I never see snow again, it will be too soon.

Lovely pix TB. Thanks :)

nice and lovely pic

Went to the panorama bar 2 nights ago with a few friends and we were all deeply impressed at the view of downtown. Seriously, I've never eaten anywhere with such an awesome view. The lit up CN tower, the sea of highrises in both directions (North and South); truly awe-inspiring. I wish it had been Summer so that we could've gone outside.

I always dress warmly so that I can sneak outdoors and take pictures!! ;)

Weather in Toronto these days must be really cold... :runaway:

A high of -12 degrees C today :)

-12 degrees C :nuts:

hello from Madrid. I found this site few days ago and i find it´s great!!! I was in Canada some years ago and i love it.

All the pics i´m seeing are really awesome. Talle, Better thanks a lot of for your pics report. They are just great!!!. Thanks very much for sharing them with all of us.

Thanks to everyone! I will take more photos very soon! :)

I will take more photos very soon! :)


Yes, i think everyone counts on that ;-)

If i can ask you a personal favor - can you take some photos of downtown and subway - especially museum station?
Thanx

Thanks to everyone! I will take more photos very soon! :)
:)

Yes, i think everyone counts on that ;-)

If i can ask you a personal favor - can you take some photos of downtown and subway - especially museum station?
Thanx

I actually posted lots of photos of the Museum Subway station on opening weekend. One of my projects is to go through every page of my photothread and catalogue what is there, so I can easily find things... but as yet I haven't done this. So, I don't know the exact page, but it is in my photothread from this past year! :cheers:

Yes, I saw the whole thread, as far as I remember it was about 40th page, but maybe you can add few more... ;-)

I remember those pics too :) i cannot remember where (which page) are...

some on 61st ;-)

More on 65 ;-)

some on 61st ;-)

More on 65 ;-)

Damn, you really did go through the whole thread.

I was just looking back at some of TB's Summer pictures, since Summer>>>Winter. There are some nice pictures of the Toronto Islands around page 81 or so.

You wouldn't happen to remember where the pictures of the Harbourfront area are?

Damn, you really did go through the whole thread.

Guilty as charged ;-) And enjoyed it! And willin' to do it again :-D

Some Harbourfront on 5th and 9th

Guilty as charged ;-) And enjoyed it! And willin' to do it again :-D

Some Harbourfront on 5th and 9th

Thanks. I've gone through his entire thread twice, but the last time was back in the Spring. I think I'll go back through again pretty soon.

Wow! Stingu you know my thread better than I! LOL! I have gone through about thirty pages and made little notes for myself, but need to go through the whole thing and index it roughly. It is so nice of you guys to take an interest in the thread! Thanks! :cheers:

Welcome :)

Stingu you know my thread better than I!

not exactly - since search engine here is broken (or something - it doesn't work anyway) google helps to find exact page with proper keyword ;-)

But I go through this thread again, I don't know when, cause last time it took me about month, I can't even imagine how much work and time you put in to build this one of the best photothread on this forum!

You're going to have to do a collection of your greatest hits TB.

LOL! You make me sound like Paul Anka! :lol:

LOL! You make me sound like Paul Anka! :lol:

The resemblance is uncanny. :)

http://www.paulanka.com/images/gallery/lg_05.jpg

From his very swish website. (http://www.paulanka.com/flash/main.html)

OMG!! I need another cup of coffee.....



:lol:

^^ :lol: :D

Thank you! Cabbagetown looks the best in winter...

I don't know ... from what I've seen, houses in Cabbagetown have some of the best maintained front yards and gardens in the city, a feature that's all but obscured under the winter snow.

Well, you have a point... Cabbagetown looks stunning in Spring with the gorgeous gardens, but there is just something about little Victorian brick cottages covered in snow that is picturesque.. very Dickensian! :)
I've been appallingly lazy, folks, as I am changing computers over to a super-duper-ultra-mega thing my friend is going to hook up for me. Lots of bells and whistles and four drives; all sorts of things I haven't the slightest clue about. Then I will get back into some photography!

^^ No problem Taller, Better :)

Well, you have a point... Cabbagetown looks stunning in Spring with the gorgeous gardens, but there is just something about little Victorian brick cottages covered in snow that is picturesque.. very Dickensian! :)
I've been appallingly lazy, folks, as I am changing computers over to a super-duper-ultra-mega thing my friend is going to hook up for me. Lots of bells and whistles and four drives; all sorts of things I haven't the slightest clue about. Then I will get back into some photography!

Okay, we will forgive you this time. :nuts:

LOL! Maybe today I will take some pics. So far it seems to be a nice day.

LOL! Maybe today I will take some pics. So far it seems to be a nice day.
Nice day is always a nice day... ;)

Nice pics around here :okay: Are you a local Taller, better ?

Thank you sir! I am indeed. Live in the thick of it right downtown and love this city! :cheers:!

Just a few snaps I took at the Royal Ontario Museum today

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7659i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7660i.jpg

and some ice sculptures advertising the ROM's Diamond exhibit:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7665i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7666.jpg

and the entrance to a local clothing shop, Club Monaco:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7668JPGi.jpg

TB, thanks a lot for those fantastic pics. I really enjoy them. Many thanks for sharing them with us. For those we know Canada, love it and live far from there, its a great & beautiful gift you give us nearly every week. I know the effort you are doing, but please keep us updated of what's happening over there. Spring is coming...
Thanks a lot from Madrid (Spain)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7665i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7666.jpg

Very nice pics Taller, Better :cheers: those sculpture looks very nice too

Very nice pics Taller, Better :cheers: those sculpture looks very nice too

^^ indeed, really splendid !!

I saw somewhere recent pics about that exhibition, i think in another thread about Toronto... it was more great than this :cheers:

I visited Toronto twice now and I have to say your pictures make me want to go there right now :)

Spring is arriving. Will we be getting some new pictures in the near future? I need my Toronto fix.

In the meantime, I think it's time for me to go back and look at your thread from the beginning once again.

I think it's time for me to go back and look at your thread from the beginning once again.

I think ive already done that 3 or 4 times.:lol:

I think ive already done that 3 or 4 times.:lol:

I've done it once besides the initial perusal, but a third look is a great idea. There's lots to rediscover.

I done twice, in fact i "discover" something which i like very much
http://img344.imageshack.us/img344/3086/april0106anightshotsunionstati.jpg

In the first time seeing that pic few months ago, i was trying to understand where i have seen that pic (somewhere else). Great photo Taller, Better btw :okay:

The same statue stands in Sarajevo as a gift in 1995 to represent the multiethnicity of Bosnia.

Italians weren't too original in their gift-giving.;)

A few random shots from yesterday, starting with the Oddfellow's Hall. Tomorrow I hope to get some interior shots there to post! :)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7676iOddfellowsHall.jpg

College Park:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7682iCollegePark.jpg

some Yonge Street streetscapes:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7684i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7687i.jpg

cutting over Grosvenor Street to Bay Street we go past a Fire Hall:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7689i.jpg

then we travel south on Bay Street:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7691i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7704i.jpg

Looking north up the Bay Street Canyon:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7711iBayStreetCanyon.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7713iBayStreetCanyon.jpg

and finally looking north around Dundas Street:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7716i.jpg

Looking south down University Avenue, from Queen's Park:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7719i.jpg

on the University of Toronto campus:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7727blackandwhite.jpg

Looking south down Yonge Street, at night:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7750i.jpg

time for bed!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7746i.jpg

Yeah, a new photos!!! - TB - you've made my day ;-)

Thanks Stingu! And you've made my day by leaving a message! A few more pics I took today of our annual St Patrick's Day Parade. The history of the Irish in Toronto is long and storied.. and has played a major role in the development of our city. Some claim that before 1793 Toronto was called Dublin, but I am not sure if that is true. However, Irish eyes were smiling today as the weather cooperated.. a lovely early Spring day of 10c and sunny.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7757i.jpg

and of course, it wouldn't be a Toronto St Patrick's Day without Pipe Bands:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7759i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7762i.jpg

a vintage Toronto police car:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7764i.jpg

20 of Ireland's 32 counties were represented in our parade today (26 counties are in the Republic of Ireland, and 6 in Northern Ireland). The first that came along was were some of my ancestors hailed from:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7771i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7773i.jpg

Lovely Clydesdales:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7775i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7781i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7783i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7789i.jpg

these two danced a gay jig:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7790i.jpg

These were the only Irish Wolfhounds I saw in the parade..... but I saw dozens of
Boozehounds ;)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7794iIrishWolfhounds.jpg

marching bands galore:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7799i.jpg

the land of the little fairies:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7804i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7805i.jpg

I'll split this up into a few entries.

St Patrick himself put in an appearance... he must be like Santa Claus to hit so many parades all over the world! :D

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7808iStPatrick.jpg

You can always count on the Shriners to be good sports and show up for parades:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7811i.jpg

Believe it or not they were dancing to the Village People's YMCA :hilarious
I loved the tummy rest:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7813ShrinersdoingYMCA.jpg

now this is truly Canadian... a Philippino marching band celebrating St Patrick's Day! :D

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7817i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7815i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7827i.jpg

and naturally you need a Beauty Queen or two for any parade!!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7829i.jpg

The good folk of Cork appear pretty excited by Obama's visit there, and he showed up a
couple of times in the parade today:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7831i.jpg

naturally they insist he spells his name O'Bama! :D

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7834i.jpg

the Toronto Transit Commission was there for the celebration as well:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7837i.jpg



Montreal lays claim to the oldest continuous St Patrick's Day Parade in North America
(a claim sometimes disputed by some American cities); the story is that they has been a St Patrick's Day parade every year in Montreal since 1824, which is pretty impressive. The Toronto parade is not anywhere near as old, but the two parades are very similar. The parades of Chicago and New York are also sort of similar, but I think bigger and a bit more pomp than ours. Anyhow, I return now to today's parade here in Toronto:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7841i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7844i.jpg

Toronto's Rose of Tralee:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7847i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7849i.jpg

some doggies pretending to be Irish:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7851i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7854i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7856i.jpg

another O'Bama, this one with a winning smile and some rather unconvincing body guards!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7859i.jpg

One of my favourite local breweries, Steamwhistle:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7863i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7869i.jpg

I believe these were the wives of another Shriner's group, whose theme is,
oddly enough, "Hillbilly":

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7881i.jpg

all in good fun, of course:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7891i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7885i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7882i.jpg

the Pride of Dublin:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7901i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7904i.jpg

some flower girls selling their primroses:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7907i.jpg

more pipe bands:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7909i.jpg

The biggest contingent was, as is for most North American St Patrick's Day Parades, the Firefighters:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7913iFirefighters.jpg

a slightly dishevelled looking Leprechaun:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7915iLeprechaun.jpg

a spiffy old Fire Truck:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7916i.jpg

the local chapter of DeLorean car owners (they were manufactured in Northern Ireland in 1976):

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7923i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7926i.jpg

would be a pain if the door hydraulics system went on the blink:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7928i.jpg

Lots of Irish bands today:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7932i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7936i.jpg

a more respectable and trustworthy looking Leprechaun, with a proper
Shillelagh:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7945leprechaunwithshillelagh.jpg

dancing girls

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7948i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7949i.jpg

No St Patrick's Day Parade would be complete without a Chinese brass band. After
all, everyone has a bit of Irish in them around March 17 ;)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7960i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7962i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7963i.jpg

and a traditional Irish Dragon:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7968i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7973i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7975i.jpg

an approximation of the Popemobile:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7978i.jpg

and the parade ain't over before the City of Toronto cleanup crew arrives!!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP7981i.jpg

thanks for joining me on this fine Spring Day!! Éirinn go Brách!!

Nice pictures. We had our parade here, but I missed it since at the end of our parade is St. Patrick's Church, where everyone drinks the day away with money going to that church. It got sloppy later on, but it was still a great time. Our parade is nothing like your though.

Nice parade ;-)
Btw you reminded me about St Patrick's Day - it's tommorow, almost forgot and miss my chance once a year to get green and drink green beer

Wonderful photos Taller, Better :cheers: St. Patrick parade is very nice too

Some random pics I took while cycling, and nosing about downtown yesterday, on a glorious sunny St Patrick's Day. This is a new office tower being built:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8081b.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8082i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8086i.jpg

Still the tallest office tower in Canada, built in 1978 and clad entirely in white
Italian marble.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8087b.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8089i.jpg

My favourite high rise in Toronto, Mie's van der Rohe's Toronto Dominion Tower, built
in 1967:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8094i.jpg

part of a complex of five buildings on a large plaza:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8092i.jpg

a closeup of the amazing detailing on the building. Mies used steel I-beams up the corners of the tower to emphasize that this is a steel building:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8098i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8099i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8100i.jpg

And our beautiful Beaux-Arts Union Station, built during the difficult period of
1914-1921:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8102i.jpg

another of my favourite towers in Toronto, the Royal Bank Tower:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8105iedit.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/WINTER%202008/Winter%20Part%20Two%202009/IMGP8108i.jpg

Very nice shots Taller, Better :) Toronto downtown looks great

Superb as is customary for you now.