I was taking a short-cut last week to avoid a traffic jam when I spotted this vintage Coca-Cola sign but couldn't stop so I headed back this week to get a pic! It is in surprisingly good shape and hasn't been tagged like the top of the building next door but the really good Thai restaurant which was beside it is now gone and I think more condos are coming to this space so it may disappear from sight.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
I have always liked the facade of this building, the Gerald Larkin academic building, at Trinity College at U of Toronto. Winter is a good time to see the 3-storey high limestone fins that line this south side of the building before the leaves on the trees come out. I have shown you the arcade which they enclose before (click here).
The CDP theme for May is "Squares".
This "Railway Heritage Mural" is found suitably painted on a the wall of a railway underpass located on St Clair Ave W. The artist is a local, Marcelo Pinero, who incorporated the street art style into this historic mural that was completed in 2012.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
The CDP theme for May is "Squares".
I took this pic a week and a half ago when we had what is hopefully our last snow of the season. This is St Anne's Anglican Church which is located across the street from the Cadbury factory I showed on Wednesday. The church was designed by architect Ford Howland and constructed in 1907-08 in a wonderful Byzantine style. The church is well known here in Toronto for its interior which was decorated in the 1920s by the Group of Seven, who are famous landscape artists from the 20s and 30s whose work can be found in many collections and museums. I find it unfortunate that most churches seem to be locked up now during the day but apparently there is a tour of the interior here every Sunday so I will try to get there one week.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click here for more religious buildings.
I happened upon this fountain, with its canoe skeleton and bullrushes, last week while wandering along St Clair Ave. This lovely landscaped parkette belongs to a quite nice rental building and I plan on going back to see how the fountain and reflecting pools look when the warm weather comes and the water is flowing.
This very cool bike shelter was installed a few years ago by the entrance to the St Clair West subway station. I could find no info on the designer of the shelter but they did a fine job! I took this pic last week on Good Friday when there were few people out and about and very little traffic of any kind. And you can see how grey our world still is - no leaves on the trees yet and empty planters!
This fence looks like one you might find out in the countryside but it is actually to be found near Spadina & St Clair, just north of Casa Loma, and the tall condos give a hint of its urban location. The hill is part of the containment for one of the main water reservoirs in the city and I think the fence was installed to protect the natural regeneration that is being encouraged there. The hill was a busy place last week with many birds poking about among the grasses. On the flat top of the reservoir there are tennis courts, a dog park, a running/walking path, and just nice open space.
Taking part in Good Fences. Click here for more fences.
Imagine having a huge chocolate factory right in your neighbourhood. That is the case with the Cadbury factory which is in the Dundas & College St area in Little Portugal. The factory is nestled among the houses and the rich smell of chocolate wafts through the air. I was by last week and caught this pic of the entrance to the Cadbury Museum & Tour Centre and thought I would be able to go in and find the answer to the old question - "How do they get the caramel into the Caramilk bar?" - but it was closed! Loved their caramel question mark!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
This car drove past me last week and I was lucky enough to get a pic when they stopped for a minute! It was the colour that first caught my eye and then of course that suspension! A '64 Impala and probably looking better than when it was new.
This is a close-up of the mosaic found on yesterday's church. It was done by Italian artist Vincenzo Vanin who lived in Canada in the 1960s and early 70s and did several mosaics here.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
This is St Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church - Residence, found near Bloor St and Ossington Ave. I could find no information about the church and have no idea what the "residence" means but I do love the structure with all those copper-coverd domes and crosses. There was a cornerstone saying that it was constructed in 1964. I took the pic this week when we had snow and will show a close-up of the mosaic tomorrow.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click here for more religious buildings.
Happy Easter to all who celebrate it!
Just the kind of thing that catches my fancy, I spotted this scene while wandering about in the St Lawrence Market area.
If only picking out an Easter outfit was as easy as playing with the paper doll clothes of the 50s! A nicely shaped mirror gives a cool reflection and a bit of a selfie.
Taking part in Weekend Reflection. Click here for more reflections.
I was in the grocery store in mid January and spotted a rather beat-up box containing an Amaryllis bulb that was a leftover from Christmas. For $1 I brought the wee thing home and began watering it and first a few leaves appeared and then a flower bud on a stem about 2" long rather than the usual 1' one. Lo and behold, it has opened and it is a beauty. I will baby the bulb all year and see what it can do next year!
This is one of 2 rainbow towers that mark each end of the commercial area of Church Wellesley Village which is the main LGBT enclave in the city and also ground zero for all of the activities of the annual Pride Week. This year Toronto is the host for World Pride taking place in June so the restaurants and stores in the neighbourhood will be super busy. I haven't seen the towers at night but I've seen pics and they are beautifully lit up with the rainbow colours glowing!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
I have shown you Casa Loma many times from up top on the other side where the entrance is but this is the south side that looks down over downtown Toronto. Once the leaves come out on all those trees the Casa almost disappears into the greenery but before that happens we will get a show of Daffodils that cover the grounds right down to the stone wall.
This mural decorates the side of a building that borders a city parking lot in the Hillcrest Village neighbourhood which is a lovely well-treed older area centred around St Clair Ave. St Clair is peppered with restaurants and small independent stores along here and is also the site of a controversial streetcar line that is totally separated from car traffic, something that divided the opinions of homeowners and the businesses as to its effect on traffic movement. So it is fitting to see the front of a #512 streetcar in the mural!
Taking part in MondayMurals. Click here for more murals.
This beautiful Annex home underwent an extensive renovation just a while back and a fabulous job was done on the restoration of the exterior. It has become one of my favourites in the neighbourhood so I thought I should catch it before the leaves come out and block our view.
My 1,500th post - who would have thought!
I showed you a fellow sleeping by a fountain a couple of weeks ago and if you look carefully that is him on the left side of the fountain. I thought I would give you a bit of context and show the whole area. This is Sam Pollock Square, located in Brookfield Place which is also the site of the Hockey Hall of Fame which I showed a while back - Sam Pollock was the longtime manager of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. The square, as well as the atrium in Brookfield Place, was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and is one of the most beautiful indoor spots in town.
There is something about objects lined up in a row that is very appealing and I recently spotted this row of screens and quite like the effect. There is a tall planter with a boxwood in it between each pair and the I-beams at the top go longer to the left to form the support for a glass canopy leading to the entrance of a newish condo building on Bloor St in the Annex. I'll return in the summer to check out the rest of the landscaping in the courtyard at this location.
I found this wonderful tall display of Coca Cola products just inside the entrance to a local grocery store. I am not sure if the plans came from Coke or the store itself but I love the wackiness of it!
I showed you the large Guinness clock on the side of P.J. O'Brien Irish Pub last week and thought I'd show you the front today. It would be hard to miss those vibrant colours even in the dark! I've never been in but have heard lots about it so will have to head down for a pint soon. It is located in the St Lawrence Market neighbourhhod and is right across from the mural that I showed on Monday.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
One nice thing about winter is that with the leaves off the trees you get a peek at things going on in backyards that would otherwise be hidden. That is the case with this fabulous modern addition to a traditional Annex neighbourhood home. It is still under construction and a few weeks from now will be all but invisible from the street. What a great contrast with the old copper covered turret and weathervane!
I happened upon this great mural on a wall looking out onto a parking lot in the St Lawrence Market neighbourhood. It is a wonderful collage with painted areas as well as pasted parts. I love it but could find no signature for the artist other than 'city art project'. I'll have to keep digging around for info!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
This bronze sculpture, titled "U.V. Ceti", can be found on Wellington St across from the FlatIron building which I showed you this week. The name apparently refers to a star system - not sure of the connection. Done by Canadian artist Andrew Posa and installed here in 1982, it is one of several pieces done by Posa around the city so I will be on the hunt for more! When the warm weather comes there is actually a fountain around the piece.
I was coming down the stairs by Casa Loma a week ago just as this train with its bright clean red engine crossed along the overpass above Spadina Rd. Everything is so drab and grey here that the red was a real eye-stopper! If you continue down the street with you eye, that little strip of darker blue is Lake Ontario and hopefully it will soon be fine weather for walking along the lakeshore.
There is a fabulous show of the photography of George Steinmetz going on in the atrium of Brookfield place so if you are in Toronto, try to get there before it closes on April 17. I happened upon it by chance and was totally blown away. In the reflection you see me last week still bundled up in my big down coat and fluffy hat, as well as the galleria of the atrium behind me.
Taking part in Weekend Reflection. Click here for more reflections.
Last week I visited the One Of A Kind Spring Craft Show which is an annual event here along with the Christmas version that takes place in November. Always one of my favourite booths is that of "Atelier Tout Autre Chose" where you will find this wonderful colourful footwear handmade by Denis Lapointe & Catherine Gineste from Quebec. You can buy shoes off the rack or they will even custom make a pair for you if you have special requirements. I have a pair of their shoes which I love - red of course!
I found this sign and clock on the side of P.J. O'Brien Irish pub near yesterday's post in the St Lawrence Market neighbourhood. I hadn't seen it before so it was a pleasant surprise indeed. Those people to the left were a couple with a English Bulldog and a photographer with cases of very fancy camera equipment and they were setting up for a walk-by shot past the clock. The clock was not showing the correct time!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
The CDP theme for April is triangles and the most famous triangle in Toronto is probably the FlatIron Building at the intersection of Church, Front & Wellington Streets. It was designed by architect Derek Besant and constructed in 1892 for the Godderham & Worts distillers to be used as their office which they did until 1952. It continues to be used for various offices although the bottom floor which is slightly below grade is a pub.
Taking part in Theme Day. To see more triangles from around the world click here.
