This is almost a drive-by pic as I was driving along Dandforth Ave in the east end of the city, an area I don't often go to and I spotted The Allenby Theatre and quickly pulled over. This Art Deco beauty was constructed in 1935 and was hugely popular until being renamed The Roxy in the 1970s. It became famous in the city for showing the Rocky Horror Picture Show and did well for many years until finally closing. In 2007 it was given historical protection and so it avoided being torn down but it no longer operates as a theatre. The facade and box office have been restored but the rest of the building was changed and it is now a Tim Horton's outlet (the famous Canadian coffee & donut shop). I intend to go back one day to check out the details and have a look inside.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
These are the tracks from the Up Express which is a train running from Union Station in downtown Toronto out to the Toronto Pearson International Airport. At this point in the Weston neighbourhood the tracks are first covered by these pipes and then head underground for a short distance. I'm not sure if these pipes are supposed to buffer the sound or what their purpose is.
I'm not sure if there is any significance to any of the symbols in this mural but the wings certainly catch your attention. It is found on the front of Brooklyn Bar which is a bar/nightclub on Queen St W. The artist for this one is "Duro the Third".
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
This Gothic Revival building was constructed in 1890 as the Ossington Avenue Police Station but now houses a day care centre. The building has heritage protection and looks as if it is being well maintained.
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Last Saturday I showed you a flashy male Cardinal and I thought I would show the delicate-looking female this week. They are so lovely in their soft tones of brown with a red tinge. She was picking around for seeds among grains of ice and salt along a walkway at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
We finally got some weather last week which wasn't terribly freezing so it was time to get out for a walk. This older house in the Seaton Village neighbourhood was looking quite impressive in the sunshine with a bit of snow on the roof to give some atmosphere.
I've shown you this library before but I thought it looked so nice with the snow on its roof and dormers that I would show it again. There was nothing inside that I wanted to read.
I've always liked these large free-standing Corten letters that spell out the name Kinton which is a Japanese Ramen restaurant on Bloor St W in the Koreatown district. Ramen is a type of noodle soup which you can get with all kinds of delicious additions. I've never eaten here though.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I took a walk by the house where Meghan Markle lived for several years before her recent move to London and her engagement to Prince Harry. She had been renting the home in the Seaton Village neighbourhood while here filming her TV show and would often be seen walking her dogs. Once the prince arrived on the scene it was not unusual to see black security cars parked nearby. The owners put the house up for sale in December after she had moved out.
This mural features the Northern lights viewed from a pine forest and was done by the artist Smoky whose work I have shown many times. The building on Bloor St W belongs to the Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre which offers essential services for vulnerable community members and houses a fully accessible shelter for 30 men as well as their Loft Kitchen which serves food and trains youth at the same time.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I spotted these three sculptures during a warmer weather walk in the fall. They are found on an interesting courtyard which is several feet above the sidewalk at Yonge St & Front St and so it seems they tend to get ignored. It was hard to get a pic because of the reflective surfaces which tended to make them disappear. And there was no info around with the artist's name!
Looking out on a cold winter day and seeing a male Cardinal in all his glorious red is a real treat!
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
This is another warmer weather pic taken along Dundas St W. When trying to get a pic of the barber pole in this window I realized what a great reflection there was of St Helen Church across the road.
This is a very common style of infill housing in the city - a boxy facade with flat roof which provides a roof top deck. This one seems to be clad in copper panels which will look great after they have weathered.
Most of the entrances to our subway system are simple sets of stairs that lead down from the sidewalk but this one at the Queen's Park entrance is quite sleek and modern. I think it was rebuilt as part of the major construction that took place beside it a few years ago. Obviously another pic from warmer times!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I'm into my archives for some pics since I haven't been out wandering very much. I found this beautiful urn on the grounds of Exhibition place and then I seemed to keep finding more of them as I kept walking. It reminds me of a sunny day in the autumn!
This crossfit gym has had a lot of problems with people tagging their walls so in the fall they repainted and had this great mural of the Toronto skyline painted over the solid section of their wall. There is a large garage door in that section which they insulate and cover with panels so it will be interesting to see how the mural looks in the spring when the door is exposed again. The artist for this one is Chris Perez.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I took this pic just before the snow started flying here. This is the entrance to a restaurant in a well preserved cottage at the foot of Casa Loma. As you can see there is still quite a hill to maneuver in order to get to the door but they make it look very inviting. This used to be called the Corner House but is now Flor de Sal and apparently the food is quite good.
This last piece of the mural which I have been showing this week features a raven, bear and buffalo all of which are important to First Nations culture. The sidewalk by this mural was very narrow forcing me to divide up the sections in order to see all of the features.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
If you go back to Monday's post of the whole mural, read the comment from Nelly who was involved in the mural and she explains all of the symbolism of the images.
The next section of the mural features an eagle in flight as well as an eagle feather which has special significance for our First Nation people. The beaver from yesterday is wandering over to the bark canoe. I'll show you the last section tomorrow.
This is the next section of Monday's mural with the wolf leading us into the pic. I really wish that I knew all of the symbolism of the images used but this one seems to be filled with the natural world showing the geese, the heron and of course the noble beaver. There are a couple of more sections to show in the next days.
The runner on the right of yesterday's post leads us into the next section of this mural which features what I think is a tobacco plant and a raven. The wolf will lead us into tomorrow's section of the mural. I couldn't avoid my shadow!
I will start on the left side of yesterday's mural and show this section that features an Eagle Dancer. All of the images on the mural reference the indigenous cultures that were original to this area but I unfortunately really don't know enough to explain them all. A good reason to have more of these images around. Another section tomorrow.
I showed you people working on this mural back in October (HERE) and I did go back to see the final work. The mural on the upper floor turned out to be a fellow painting over a previous mural but the lower one is a beauty. There are so many details in it that I will be showing it to you for the next few days. The mural was designed by Phil Cote and is filled with indigenous symbolism.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.
I took this pic this week through the window at the Veterans Centre at Sunnybrook looking out towards the gardens and ponds. Those are icicle lights but could be real icicles since it is so cold here!
All of the snow and cold weather we have been having has brought the birds back to the bird feeders finally. The Goldfinchs in particular were having a good feed this week.
Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.
It is not just the custard that is frozen here - it has been extremely cold for the last couple of weeks. I spotted this sculpture by Patrick Amiot outside a gallery in the Yorkville neighbourhood a while ago. He is a Canadian who now lives in California and uses recycled materials to make his sculptures which all have a comical aspect to them.
It has been so cold and snowy here that I thought it was time to remember some of the flowers of summer. What a treat it would be to spot these begonias now. I think I need a trip to a greenhouse!
This bright storefront on Bloor St W is a real attention getter. It seems that Exclaim is a publication for the music industry and this is their office housing all of their web presence as well.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I took this pic just before Christmas and since then we have had a major snowfall but it has also been extremely cold so I haven't been wandering too far outside for the last week.
The January theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community is Photo Of The Year which can be your favourite, your best or the most interesting to you. I chose this pic from last summer just because there is something intriguing about it - there is a bit of a story there and I also like the image!
Click HERE to see more Photos Of The Year from around the world.
Last Saturday I showed you a flashy male Cardinal and I thought I would show the delicate-looking female this week. They are so lovely in their soft tones of brown with a red tinge. She was picking around for seeds among grains of ice and salt along a walkway at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. 
