# My Life Thus Far.... Toronto and beyond



## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Okay, it's been a long time since my old Hot off the Press photothread, so maybe time to start a new one. I'll post current photos, and also some old memories too. Not only life here, but other places I go, too. Today it turned cold and I do believe we had a light frost downtown. Last week I was a bit lazy and I missed the peak of the colours.. only took a couple off the balcony. Look at the difference a week makes:


Last week:












Today:













Last week:













today:
















Anyway, the temperatures dropped and it felt cold and damp. Went out on my bike in search of beautiful Autumn colours. Not as resplendent as last week, but there are still gorgeous colours there for those who look:














First stop, I checked out Manulife's beautiful tribute to our Canadian war veterans. As my dad fought in WWII, I like to take some time around
this year to pause and think about the sacrifices that were made on our behalf by brave soldiers:
























































































































Frost can't have been that deep:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Looks fairly modern, but actually it is well over a century old, and quite
a revolutionary stripped down design for it's time:


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Many lovely Autumn impressions, and "Remembering the Fallen" with the
flags planted into the ground covered with golden Autumn leaves, that is 

an impressing and touching sight...


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

Welcome back, TB!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos, TB :cheers:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, guys!! :hi:


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## Jan (Jul 24, 2002)

Very nice! TO looks very colorful in the autumn. Especially like the first ones, with the contrast between low- and high-rise!


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## capricorn2000 (Nov 30, 2006)

nice shots of the contrast like 'before and after' and the carpets of fallen leaves and the flags in observance of Remembrance day. 
Thanks TB and welcome come!


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Great to have you back posting, Greg!

I love the change in scale between domestic and skyscraper that you find in Toronto. Would you mind if I used a couple of your photos for the purposes of illustration on another SSC thread? Credited, of course!


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Great autumnal set from Toronto! Do please post more!


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## CB31 (May 23, 2010)

Nice pics.

Toronto :heart:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

openlyJane said:


> Great to have you back posting, Greg!
> 
> I love the change in scale between domestic and skyscraper that you find in Toronto. Would you mind if I used a couple of your photos for the purposes of illustration on another SSC thread? Credited, of course!


Thanks so much, everyone!! Sorry I didn't check in for a few days, but I didn't think anyone would be looking at my pics! :clown:


Of course, Jane! Please feel free! We are lucky in downtown Toronto as we have many lovely Victorian residential streets and areas that are walking or a short bike ride from the
central business district. I live on one of those charming old streets and they feel like leafy little oases in the heart of the city. I have taken some more pics since, but haven't had time to post them. We had a bit of a slushy snowfall this evening; I looked off my balcony and it looks pretty but it is messy and slushy out:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Chicago got the snow yesterday, and New York City has been shut down by two inches of snow today! 
It is not abnormal for this sort of thing to happen in November in this part of the world. Too bad it hadn't happened on this
upcoming Sunday, as it is the 114th annual Santa Claus Parade here in Toronto. Astonishingly in this high tech day and age, 
the parade is still immensely popular. Half a million people crowd downtown to see it, and University Avenue is lined with throngs
of excited children waiting to see Santa on his sleigh at the end of the parade. Unfortunately this snow will mostly be melted
by then, but it would have been perfect. 




A few more photos I took at the beginning of the week:


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Lovely pics! Especially loved the flowers and the beautiful melancholy 

of the Autumnal parks. :applause:


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Lovely shots of Osgoode Hall!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks! I love the little park around Osgoode Hall. A few more pics from that day:






























































and a few from today:


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

I actually like this tower.


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Autumn has made a fairytale of this gardens! Wonderful pics! :applause:



Taller said:


>


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates, TB :cheers:


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## lezgotolondon (Aug 31, 2010)

Beautiful pics










How can this be surviving?


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

It is a decorative perennial plant here and would not survive the winter; they get planted in the spring and die when we get a hard frost. In the summer here you will see tropical flowers like Hibiscus in the gardens but they are not meant to survive the winter. We are the climatic borderline for flowering Japanese Somei-Yoshino cherry trees; any colder than here and they will not bloom. 























Magnolias grow here, but the tulip type:
























The only place in Canada that the Southern Magnolia will grow is in Vancouver or Victoria. Cactus will grow here and survive the winters, but they must be types that are native to Ontario:




























We have Rhododendrons and Azaleas, but they do not grow as lushly and luxuriantly as they would in the UK or coastal British Columbia. This is as tall as they grow here in Toronto:






































There are many unexpected things in Toronto that you would not think
to find here; for example every October the salmon swim upstream to spawn:

























This city is like an onion; you have to peel back the layers to get at the core. People who visit only for a few days just see the tip of the iceberg! And no, we
don't really have icebergs here!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

The Royal Ontario Museum's University Avenue side:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Those statues are from Northern China, and were bought by the first director of the Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology of the Museum, Charles Trick Currelly, in 1922 from the Austrian government that had them outside their building in Beijing:
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9KVZ_Royal_Ontario_Museum_northernmost_Chinese_Lion_Toronto_ON
























The Rotunda just inside those doors is exquisite, with it's groin-vaulted ceiling covered with tiny gold, and other colours mosaic tiles.
In 1933 they imported thousands of sheets of Venetian glass, and painstakingly cut out more than a million tiny mosaic tiles and affixed
them over an eight month period to the groin vault, and was intended to recall the splendours of the Byzantine and Eastern European world.
I took this quote from the link below:
_
"Each of the sixteen pictorial images on the ceiling and adjacent niches symbolizes a different culture throughout history. In this photo, we see a magical elephant representing India; a three-clawed dragon, representing China; a heraldic griffin of Gothic art; and a Mesopotamian ziggurat"_
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/jonathan.cohen/29959185




























Light clearly is streaming through in my 2007 photo:

























I've got photos somewhere of the beautifully inlaid marble floor
but can't find them. If you are interested how they restored this
84 year old entrance, read the following CBC article:










https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toro...newly-restored-84-year-old-entrance-1.4445018


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Beautiful flowers, and I love these jumping salmons! kay:
Gorgeous museum with many interesting details!


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

Yeah, love the salmon run pics.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks, all! If I get a chance I go out to Old Mill to watch them jump the ladder on the Humber River, but it is kind of hard to get the timing perfect.
Last night we walked downtown to have dinner; nice clear night. Went down Yonge Street, which is an eclectic mix of Victorian/Edwardian/mid century and high rise architecture:

























































































































and coming back we walked up Church Street:
















a new "Nerd Bar" opened in an old 1870's house; certainly has lots of
atmosphere! 















Some of the old turn of the century apartment buildings in my neighbourhood:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Love those victorian homes with the coloured lights within. So cosy!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Once again great, very nice updates, TB :cheers:


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

I'm excited that you brought back your ongoing thread!


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Phantastic night shots, Taller, Better! :applause:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thank you!!! 



Some of Toronto's old clock towers:



the old CPR railway station:
















Old City Hall


























St James Cathedral:



































Soldier's Tower at the University of Toronto:














St Lawrence Hall:
























and of course every old firehall had a clock:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Wow! Lots of clock towers. I love them.


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Great to see so many familiar scenes afresh through your lens! That's an especially nice photo of the old firehall on Yorkville Avenue.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks!! 


Yesterday I set out on my bike in the light rain to capture some of the Christmas lights, and some of the festivities around town. I'm just going to post them pell-mell in no particular order. One thing you have to give credit to Canadians for, neither rain, sleet, hail or snow will keep them indoors on a Saturday night! 











































































In Canada we turn the fountains off before Old Man Winter comes along... :shifty:
















































































































I'm pretty sure I can figure out which famous glass blower made this sculpture


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Despite the light rain, myself and what felt like about two million other people tried to cram into Nathan Philips Square at City Hall for the beginning of 2018 Cavalcade of Lights.. a month long festival of lights leading up to Christmas. Lots of singers, bands, ice skating (this is Canada and everyone ice skates ) culminating in fireworks. Who doesn't love fireworks, even if it is raining? So crowded that I couldn't even get into the actual square and close to the skating rink for about 20 minutes after the fireworks ended.






























Our City Hall was designed in the 1950's to look very futuristic, by
Finnish architect Viljo Revell and has held up very well over the past 60 years:



























































Ka-BOOM







































































more later....


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Various pics from earlier in the week. Firstly on Yonge Street:







































































New tower going up beside old banking building:


















































And at the end of my walk, up near my neighbourhood looking down 
Yonge Street toward downtown:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates, TB :cheers:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

The new tower has quite a nice curve to it on one side. Do you have any images of what it will eventually look like?


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Yes, it is a smart looking tower, and the project seems to be paying for the restoration of our oldest musical auditorium in the city, Massey Hall, behind it. Also it adds life to the east side of the street, and is across from the block long Eaton Centre.. So it is a win-win situation. One of our members was invited up this past summer to see the project, and he took the following stunning photos from the partially built structure. Have a look:
https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=150890197&postcount=372




http://urbantoronto.ca/database/projects/massey-tower-condos


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Great looking tower, and fab photos.


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Great set of Xmas displays, especially in that indoor mall with the Chihuly. And nice set from Yonge Street. Very glad they're renovating Massey Hall.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ That is one of my favourite indoor spaces in Toronto; it was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

These photos I took on a splendid hot day this past September.
I rode my bike downtown in what is known as "Old Town", and then nipped across to the islands, on the ferry.







































Berczy Park behind the Flatiron Building, with its wonderful new dog fountain:































Father Time on the Hockey Hall of Fame building, which used to be an old Bank of
Montreal:
















This is one of the few Georgian structures left in Toronto; the Daniel Brooke building was built in 1833 and suffered some damage in the Great Fire of 1849, but thankfully missed the next Great Fire of 1914:


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Beautiful park on last pic, funny dog fountain , and I particularly love this pic kay:



Taller said:


>


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

St Lawrence Hall was built in 1854 after the devastating Great Fire of
1849. 














The Flatiron Building (1889), built a decade before the more famous
one in NYC:















































The contemporary Novotel Hotel, built to echo the shape of the 
nearby Flatiron:















The Grande Dame of local hotels, The Royal York:















Front Street:
















Union Station:






































Old and New:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Such a fabulous mixture of buildings. And I love that black clock tower. There is just something about clocks and clock towers that I find so civilised.


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Fascinating update, Taller, Better! kay:
This skyscraper reminds me of a knife. I wonder if this association was in the
intention of the architect(s), or was it accidentally?



Taller said:


>


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, everyone! ^^ That is called the "L Tower", and was designed by the architect Daniel Libeskind, who also designed the crystal additions to the Royal Ontario Museum on Bloor Street. It does look like a machete, doesn't it?

I love clocks and clock towers too, Jane! Hearkens back to a time when no one had a mobile phone in their pocket, or even a wrist watch.


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Taller said:


> Thanks, everyone! ^^ That is called the "L Tower", and was designed by the architect Daniel Libeskind, who also designed the crystal additions to the Royal Ontario Museum on Bloor Street. It does look like a *machete*, doesn't it?


Daniel Libeskind - great name, great work!
The tower looking like a machete, yes, or, when we see the L-shape, then
like a jack knife. Did they use much metal for this tower?
For me this is the place of the orisha Ogun in town. 
I always have associations to these old African religions... 


Here I found another "knife pic" of this fascinating building:


http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2016/05/esplanade-touring-changed—and-changing—street


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

He has done some interesting buildings, like the new One World Trade Center in New York, The Jewish Museum in Berlin, and the Imperial War Museum in Trafford (which is part of Greater Manchester).

I LOVE your analogy with Orishas Ogun, the hunter/warrior and God of Iron... brilliant of you to draw that comparison! I'm sure if he were to build a tower, it would have looked like the L Tower! :yes:


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Very interesting tour! I wasn't aware of the Daniel Brooke building--a very handsome structure.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ I love it, too. Not too many of those old Georgian buildings survived the two fires and this one has always been put to good use and not allowed to deteriorate.


The many faces of the University of Toronto, which received its royal charter from King George IV (who was one wild and crazy guy) in 1827 as_ King's College_.
It is a lush, quiet green oasis right in the heart of the city, and is walking distance from where I live. Let's start with a 160 year old commemorative statue for the Crimean War.
Our Canadian winters are harsh for soft marble statues and this one really looks worn by time. Poor Britannia's hand seems to have fallen off at some point:














The very Victorian looking Victoria College, originally Wesleyan Methodist but now secular liberal arts studies:
























Trinity College, which is part of the University of Toronto. On the left you can see the Trinity College Chapel, which was built by the well known
English architect Giles Gilbert Scott. Some of his other designs included Liverpool Cathedral, and the famous British red telephone boxes. Italian
stonemasons were brought in to construct the Early Gothic style chapel by ancient building methods, using only stone, brick and cement. The
only steel used in the building are hidden girders holding up the slate roof.
Trinity College, Toronto - Wikipedia 





































The Hart House Quad:












A statue of Hermes in the Hart House Quad. He was the ancient Greek God of Commerce:















More of the Hart House Great Hall:














Pre-Raphaelite stained glass window in that über-romanticised style:



























































The "hart" above the Provost's Lodge entrance to Trinity College. "Hart" is an archaic word for "deer", and comes from the Old English word "heorot".























Every time I see these two stone bas relief boys huddling together, I wonder if it is to represent the two princes who were murdered in the Tower of London in 1483:














Trinity College, inspired by 17th century Jacobean architecture which makes a nice alternative to Neo-Gothic.
























Emmanuel College for theological studies:













The Queen Alexandra Gates, opened in 1901 in honour of his mother by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Prince George and Mary. He was, of course, later to become
King George when his father Edward VII died. The lamps are intended to represent serpent heads, which was a popular Edwardian motif. They are the entrance off fashionable
Bloor Street onto Philosopher's Walk, a foot path which cuts through the St George campus of the University:













The Royal Conservatory of Music, 1886, which received its royal charter in 1947 from the same King George VI, who opened the above gates when he was a Prince.















Trinity College Quad:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

The tour through the University of Toronto, continued:


Knox College for post-graduate Theological studies, created by the Free Church of Scotland:




































The rib-vaulted cloisters of Knox College:














As you enter Knox College and look up you will see the elaborate groin vaulted ceilting:















Hart House Great Hall is particularly charming, and modeled after the one at Christ Church College, Oxford University. Very Harry Potteresque:












































Devonshire House, which are the student residences for Trinity College:














An ancient piece of French stained glass that somehow found its way to here:
























I know how you feel...
























Convocation Hall, probably inspired by the Royal Albert Hall:










]


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Wow! Straight out of Oxford; especially the great hall.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

It's a lovely campus, isn't it? And yes, modeled after the Oxford Christ Church College Great Hall. Here is the original, of course from whence the
dining hall in Harry Potter was inspired. This is not my photo:










http://www.intelligentcatering.co.uk/christ-church-college-oxford/



This 1949 stained glass window (in either University College or Hart House) was long before Harry Potter, but looks like him nonetheless:













Also from 1949, some things never change in Canada....












The Great Hall of Trinity College seems to have been perhaps loosely inspired by Oxford's Magdalen College Great Hall: 

Trinity College Great Hall:












Magdalen College Great Hall, and again, not my photo:









https://www.quora.com/What-should-I...versity-of-Cambridge-and-University-of-Oxford



University College was built in 1854, and was considered to be one of the finest structures in Canada at the time. When Oscar Wilde stopped in Toronto in 1882 on his North American tour, 
he was astonished at the grandeur of University College: 














It created a stir back in Britain, as there was some surprise that such a fine edifice had been built in the distant colony. An article from the Illustrated London News of 1859:






















The entry portal is still considered to have some of the finest examples of stone carving in Canada:

























Other fine stone carvings in the Memorial to students who died fighting in the Wars:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

I've attended summer schools at a few Oxford colleges, and the dining halls are fab. 

Toronto has so many English features. I like Canadian cities.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Definitely there was a strong English influence in early Toronto. John Graves Simcoe, who settled Toronto in 1793, studied at Eton and Oxford. 
The English rather ruthlessly dominated the political landscape of Upper Canada (now Ontario) from the 1810's to the 1840's; a group known 
as the "Family Compact". The so-called _"Gentlemanly capitalism"_ was a common feature of British colonies at the time. 
It was not really a family, but rather a very closed brotherhood of aristocratic men who called all the shots. This dominant ruling 
without representation was greatly resented by the Irish and Scottish population of the time. The oligarchy was finally crushed after an 1837 
uprising and rebellion lead by the indomitable Scot immigrant William Lyon Mackenzie. Thankfully, this finally lead to responsible government
for Upper Canada, and more fairly represented the local population.










https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...hUKEwj0n8DuqJHfAhWmpYMKHYRZCTAQ_B0wDXoECAQQEQ


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Compact
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Canada_Rebellion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyon_Mackenzie

William Lyon McKenzie's house:












An early casualty between two young members of the Family Compact, whose disagreements resulted in the last known public duel in 1817 between
Thomas Ridout and Samuel Jarvis (whose family was handed 130 acres of public land where downtown Toronto is now as a perk from John Graves Simcoe). Poor 18 year old Thomas lost, and years later the ne'er-do-well Jarvis and his shifty family became the object of the wrath of the revolutionary
William Lyon McKenzie. Here is Ridout's gravestone at St James Cathedral:
























By the way, here's a peek inside the chapel of Trinity College, which was designed by Sir architect Giles Gilbert Scott. It is charming in it's austere
simplicity, and a peaceful oasis to sit and contemplate:


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Interesting tour of U of T! The portal to University College is particularly fine.


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

I love old buildings.


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

So many lovely old buildings, great shots! :applause:
About that touching relief with the two boys: You could send a mail to the University -
they probably will know more about it.


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## capricorn2000 (Nov 30, 2006)

beautiful, I really appreciate your putting some description/annotation to some of the historical structures, some of them I passed by(from my visit), took couple of shots but I've totally no or limited knowledge about them and thanks for that Greg.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

There wasn't a tremendous amount of snow; but it was accompanied by a very cold blast of Arctic air. Looks like it is going to remain cold for the next two weeks, at which I'm off to Mexico where it will be nice and toasty hot!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

A lot of snow, TB; very nice photos btw


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Nice snow pix ... I walked down that section of Wellesley only last week. A very good time to get well out of town. It was -20C, feels like -27C, in Dundas today!


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Love these snow pics, Taller, Better! kay:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Well, February was a snowy month, but Spring is just around the corner. March came in like a lion, and I got some lovely snow photos today. When the weather is around 0c, you get the most beautiful snow... big fluffy snowflakes. My neighbourhood looked like a Winter Wonderland today. Except quite slushy as it is melting. I went on a stroll through my 'hood:










































I would not like to be underneath one of those icicles when they fall off 
the eaves:






























Shivering in the snow......


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Trudging through the snow is hard work, and my stomach was 
rumbling, so I stopped in here for a very late breakfast:
































I nipped in and nabbed the table by the fireplace...




























Being weak with hunger, I made short work of this:
















Later, I finally got a chance to check out the new "Nerd Bar" on Church Street; it's quite fun and had a rollicking crowd on Sunday afternoon:































































Going downstairs to the loo is quite fun:





































Looks eerily like an ossuary in Parisian catacombs:











https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/halloween-sleep-paris-catacombs-creepy-180956950/




In my neighbourhood is the oldest china shop in Toronto; Hockridges which is nearly 120 years old:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

My neighbourhood has a bit of this, and a bit of that.
Definitely something for everyone:


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Cold and refreshing weather...nice.


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

I really enjoyed your updates, Taller, Better! :applause:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates, TB :cheers:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Does that sign really say _'Fat Bastard Burrito'?_ Or is it Bastari? I prefer the former.....


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Nice pictures from your weekend! How was that nerd bar? What made it a nerd bar, and not a regular little pub?


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

@Openly Jane, it is Fat Bastard! :lol:

@Matt; it was fun and the bread pudding was delicious. It is called Nan's Bread Pudding as the recipe was from the chef's grandmother.
The bar has a lot of board games available, and references to so called "nerdish" activities like Dungeon's and Dragons, etc..
I believe the name Stormcrow is a reference to:_"Gandalf, also called Stormcrow by Théoden, King of Rohan, in Tolkien's legendarium"_
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormcrow

But all in all it seems to have a Hallowe'en theme.











Next time you come to town we should go there. I went back this evening with a friend and we had dinner. I had French Onion Soup, and Fish n' Chips:


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Great snow set from Toronto! I can feel the chill off the Lake. I shall definitely have to check out the comfort food in the nerdiest bar in Canada next time I'm in town.


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

I want that meal from the last pic right now.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Interesting food photos, TB :yes:


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Taller said:


> Next time you come to town we should go there. I went back this evening with a friend and we had dinner. I had French Onion Soup, and Fish n' Chips


Sounds good!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Spotted on a bike ride today:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates, TB :cheers:


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Nice shots with very early signs of spring. Do you know what that little stone building is in #98.8?


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, guys! Sorry I have been so lazy posting photos. I'll post more when I get back from Mexico!! At the moment, light snow and 0c:


Photos from today!









































































I'm dieting, but a peek in the window can't hurt!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

When it is cold and slushy outside, desperate times call for desperate measures...


























Ahhh... steaming hot and spicy Gamjatang (감자탕 - pork bone soup) .













All is well with the world!


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Toronto looking atmospheric in the snow.

That food shop selling British food items and products is full of nostalgia....some really old fashioned brands in there.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates, T.B. :cheers:


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## paul62 (Jan 27, 2012)

:applause:Very good shots.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

openlyJane said:


> Toronto looking atmospheric in the snow.
> 
> That food shop selling British food items and products is full of nostalgia....some really old fashioned brands in there.


I know! Tunnock's Teacakes and Snowballs! And lots and lots of Curly Wurlys!! 
I still love Tunnock's Caramel wafers and the coconut covered logs! And Club, and Blue Riband, and Penguins, and and and....


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Nice shots of the unreconstructed part of Yonge Street. Ah, Penguin Bars and Pontefract Cakes!


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Lovely updates! kay:


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## Petesphotography5 (Feb 27, 2019)

awesome update TB keep them coming my friend!!!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Taller said:


>


Nice shot, TB


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, everyone!!! kay:



Why-Why said:


> Penguin Bars and Pontefract Cakes!


I love Penguins and enjoy them more than the Australian Tim Tams (which are easier to get over here). My...speaking of old fashioned treats, 
Pontefract Cakes... I'd not thought of those in years. They are black licorice, aren't they? If I remember correctly they are from the north of England. 

Last month I was downtown one day in the area south of Front Street. Most of this area was completely empty 12-15 years ago and now it
is a bustling residential/business community. This is the arena where both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors play their games.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Moving slightly north, we arrive on Front Street, a very pretty stroll in the summertime with a number of iconic local buildings. Here we see the
handsome Beaux-Arts style Union Station, which is Canada's busiest rail terminal and handles upward of 250,000 passengers daily for both 
commuter and cross Canada rail travel.Lots of information here about the station:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Toronto)




































I didn't go inside that day, so I rummaged amongst some old photos I had taken in past years to give 
you an idea what it is like. Completed in 1927, it is the most opulent railway station in the country. 








































The Great Hall, with its grand coffered barrel-vault ceiling:
























The design is rather austere, but very formal and grand in scale. I remember when I looked at this photo later that
evening, I noticed the slightly ominous-looking figure standing behind the window in the photo below. The first thing that ran through 
my mind was Michael Myers, or Freddy Krueger! :













A frieze travels around the perimeter of the interior with the names of
many Canadian cities carved into the limestone:














The rear entrance to the Station shows the new fretted glass
roof of the train shed above the tracks:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Now, back to some more snaps I took last month:

Looking across Front Street at the head office tower of the Royal Bank of Canada. The two towers were built in 1976 and 1979, and look as fresh and
sparkling as the day there were completed. The glazing contains 71 kilograms (156 lb) of pure gold.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Bank_Plaza 















Unsuprisingly, it catches the sunlight rather spectacularly at different
times of day:




































Also across the street stands the lovely old Grande Dame of Front Street, the Royal York Hotel. When built in 1929, it was the tallest 
structure in Toronto; in fact at 124 metres it was the tallest building in the then British Empire. It houses an astonishing 1363 guest rooms
and suites. Nine senior members of the Royal Family have either stayed or visited the hotel, beginning in 1939 with King George VI and the Queen Mother, to Prince Harry
and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The Queen has her own Royal Suite, and naturally the entire floor is blocked out for her when she visits. More information here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairmont_Royal_York
























As I did not go indoors that day, again I delved into my past photos for
an idea of what the interior looks like:















The clock was a gift from the Royal Family to the hotel:








































































I hope you enjoyed my little tour! :hi:


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Superb shots of old and new buildings! :applause:
The skyscrapers with that beautiful field of clouds look great.
Compared with's yours our Wienerberg skyscrapers are "dwarfs".


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates once more, T.B. :cheers:


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## Ysh (Nov 22, 2005)

Very interesting photo, and beautiful city


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks everyone! Much appreciated. I'll take more pictures today, and when I get them organised I'll post some photos from my trip to Mexico.


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Great photos and great city!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thank you!!! :hi:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Some great juxtapositions and contrasts. I like that about Toronto.

Pontefract is an historic market town near Leeds.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Ahh... thanks Jane, and also for the explanation of the name of Pontefract cakes. Yorkshire is beautiful.


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Great tour of Union Station and area! One day, hopefully in my lifetime but probably not, the current reconstruction of the station will be finished. As for pontefract cakes, they are indeed coin-shaped pieces of soft black licorice from the Yorkshire town Jane mentioned.


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## Petesphotography5 (Feb 27, 2019)

loving the new photos my friend! the hotel has a nice bar next time I'm downtown will try to get a pic of it


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks, guys! Pete, I'm of exactly the same mind; I want to get pictures of the new lobby with the rather glamorous bar/lounge. The interior shots I showed were from a number of years back.


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## Petesphotography5 (Feb 27, 2019)

Taller said:


> ^^ Thanks, guys! Pete, I'm of exactly the same mind; I want to get pictures of the new lobby with the rather glamorous bar/lounge. The interior shots I showed were from a number of years back.


 when the weather gets better will go ;-)


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Had a nice bike ride to Allan Gardens today, and snapped some nice spring flower photos for Easter. Happy Easter to all those who celebrate it!!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates and well done


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Sakura Cherries are blossoming!


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

*Beautiful Blossom trees!*


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed great, very nice spring photos


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks, guys!!
Spring is in full bloom and everyone is happy to see the end of Old Man Winter!
I went for a bike ride today, and this is what I saw:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Lovely, very nice spring photo updates


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks!!!


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## Petesphotography5 (Feb 27, 2019)

sweet update T.B. keep them coming bro!!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed great, very nice spring photos; keep them coming, T.B.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

The other day I had a lovely bike ride through one of Toronto's older neighbourhoods, Rosedale. It is very close to downtown, and the area was settled in 1821 as a large estate for a prominent local family. They called their estate"Rosedale". The estate was broken up in 1864, and then laying out of streets and development began. Most of the houses I show today were built between 1880 and 1930. Rosedale is situated between 3 huge ravines, which are protected land. Because of this and because most streets meander about in circles or curves, there is very little outside traffic. Thus, even though it is in the shadow of downtown it remains a leafy, quiet residential neighbourhood. It remains one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Canada, and is considered the area for the "old establishment".
It is a fine place to ride a bike on a hot summer day, and the weather here has definitely taken a turn to hot. This little stone house is one of my favourites. I'll bet it stays nice and cool in the summer heat. Toronto was predominantly a city of brick buildings, so houses built entirely of stone were a minority. Lots of stone facing, but not as many stone houses:





















The lilacs are probably 2.5 weeks behind as we had a very cold April and early May, but they smell glorious:






















If you look to the southwest you can see the Yonge and Bloor area called "Yorkville". Although now we consider Yorkville to be part of downtown, in 1830 it was a village north of the small town of Toronto (which at that time had a population of 2860). As Toronto grew, Yorkville was absorbed into the town, and became Toronto's first residential "suburb".












and to the east you can see the Rosedale Valley; part of the ravine system:












Lot's of sprawling, comfortable homes built for big Victorian families:





















The picturesque "English Cottage" style favoured by architects who had followed in the footsteps of the Arts and Crafts movements, are fairly common in Rosedale and North Toronto. This one was designed by a local architect Eden Smith who was a great adherent to the movement.











A house like this should have had ten children running around in it:











May Street is one of my favourites, and one of only a handful of brick streets left in Toronto:











I would be quite happy living in this quite sensational Georgian Revival / Neoclassical style pile;
in fact I'd take to it like a duck to water:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Craigleigh Gardens, bequeathed to the City by the family of Sir Edmund Boyd Osler, a local businessman, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and a benefactor of the Royal Ontario Museum:














































Another of my favourite streets in Rosedale is Beaumont, which is situated right on a very picturesque ravine:

























another of my favourite Rosedale houses; this one in a French style:


























always plenty of raccoons on this street:

























If you look on the other side of the road, you can see down into the ravine:













Some very exclusive modern homes have been built part way down the hill-side:



























Moving on to other streets, here is a house that was built in the Greek Revival style. This style was hugely popular in the United States during the 19th Century after the Revolution. For political and cultural reasons British styles like Georgian became unpopular in the USA, whereas the style remained massively popular in Canada. However, the Greek Revival style was less popular here in Canada, but you occasionally see examples. By the way, near the end of the 19th Century, Georgian Style homes came back with a bang to the United States, but they were given the new name "Colonial Style", so as to remove any uncomfortable reference to the British King.

















































That is a sample of the leafy delights of Rosedale, but as it is a huge neighbourhood this was all I could handle for one day. On my way home, I passed other places like St James Cemetery, with it's pretty 1850's St James-the-Less Chapel:












Then through a part of Cabbagetown called St. James Town. It is a far less affluent
neighbourhood and has some of the only so far non-gentrified old row-houses left downtown:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates, T.B.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Some beautiful houses there, and even in the more modest houses a couple of sets up the Spring gardens are beautifully kept.


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## Skopje/Скопје (Jan 8, 2013)

Amazing tour!


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Very enjoyable tour of Rosedale! My favourite is that lovely stone house in your first two pictures.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ I adore that little house; it is so cosy looking!
Thanks, guys! @ Jane, yes both neighbourhoods are nice in their own way. Cabbagetown started out life as the area many of the poor Irish immigrants settled in the 1840's so it was most definitely working class. But there are all sorts of houses there; tall, short, worker's cottages, etc... That area is highly prized nowadays of course for it's stock of Victorian housing and close proximity to downtown. Rosedale, on the other hand, started out posh and has stayed that way over time. Rode my bike back yesterday to another part of Rosedale; it is a big neighbourhood. Our weather has been sunny and very hot; over 30c by day, so nice weather to be out on a bike. I started my day near the present-day Castle Frank subway station, which is close to downtown. The area was named "Castle Frank" around 1794 by John Graves Simcoe, the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. He built himself a little summer log cabin near the Don River, and gave it the tongue-in-cheek name of Castle Frank, in honour of his three year old son Frank. Not much of a castle, but they loved their little house. Here is a painting his wife Elizabeth did of it:













__





Castle Frank


Castle Frank was a concession of land in the colonial town of York, purchased by John Graves Simcoe in the name of his son, Francis, in 1793. A log house later ...




www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca





To this day, the area is still traversed by lush ravines:













One of the earliest developers of Rosedale was Edgar John Jarvis, who built himself a home in 1866 that he called:"Glen Hurst".












Here is an "Old and New" photo, with the original 1866 gate post and a new tower at Yonge and Bloor in the background:












It is now the site of a prestigious old Girl's School, called Branksome Hall:













The oldest standing home in the Castlefrank neighbourhood is an 1834 villa called "Drumsnab". It had been built on top of a little conical shaped hill called "Sugarloaf Hill" after the way sugar was stored in hard conical lumps at the time. In Northern England, these hard cones of sugar were called "drumsnabs" It was kind of hard to get a proper photo of it, as it is at the end of a private lane that I was not allowed to ride down:












I rode my bike north on Castlefrank Road, and around various side streets:






















_"Stockbroker Georgian"_ was the term given to suburban houses that were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's in the Georgian Revival style. It was extremely
popular, of course, and there are countless local examples... but none better than the Gerald Larkin House, of 1926. Gerald Larkin was the wealthy heir of a tea merchant, who was both a philanthropist and fine art collector. "Georgian Revival" was never intended to be a letter-perfect copy of the older original Georgian style, but rather an artistic interpretation of it, and this house most closely follows the Neo-Georgian aesthetics:































The message was one of sophisticated restraint, and definitely less over the top than the one I showed last time that had been built by his
exuberant mother Mrs Peter Larkin:
































This appears to me to be a very old Copper Beech, but I may be wrong:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Can't beat Mother Nature, though:












The area is one of peaceful, idyllic bliss... little lanes like this make you feel like you are way out in the country, rather than a stone's throw from downtown Toronto:


































The original owner of this estate, T.H.Wood pulled out all the stops and made himself quite an impressive home:













and the old coach house:

































This house was built probably in the 30's and must have surprised the more conventional neighbours with it's severe Art Deco lines:
























Big old family homes, everywhere you look:



































The very pretty Rosedale Presbyterian Church:













The more the merrier; you cannot beat the Victorians for enthusiastic and over the top architecture! "More is More" was their motto:


































Anyway, that wraps it up for today, and I think as it is a fine hot sunny day I may cycle to a neighbourhood that I've not been to in a number of years, Wychwood Park.
Thanks for joining me!!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates once more, T.B.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks, Chris!!! I Didn't get as far as Wychwood yesterday; perhaps today. It was a scorcher yesterday at 32c, so I decided not to push myself. However, I did ride around the downtown neighbourhood known as The Annex, and then up to Casa Loma, before a pleasurable coast home down the winding Davenport Avenue. Started out with the massive old Gooderham house near the St George Subway Station:






















The area is right beside Yorkville, so is a stones throw from Yonge and Bloor intersection. It was an extremely popular place to live just before the turn of the century, so dozens of huge, solid Richardsonian Romanesque style houses in the neighbourhood built mostly between 1880 and the early 1900's. Many of them are now occupied by businesses, and some of them were long ago acquired for Fraternity Houses due to the close proximity of the University of Toronto. The area has long been popular for University students to live, and I encountered a charming incident yesterday of a young fellow giving his phone number to his neighbour, an elderly lady, asking her to call him if she needed help carrying groceries home.































































A Neo-Gothic style house:












A 1920's Art Deco style medical building:























The Church of Christian Scientists:





















An endearing aspect to the neighbourhood are the old 1960's apartment buildings built by
a rather eccentric local architect named Uno Prii.. He followed the beat of his own drum, and constructed futuristic "George Jetson" style apartment blocks. His work has been looked at alternately humorous or ahead of it's time over the years. Definitely it is a love it or hate it situation, but I tend toward loving these "space age" apartments from half a century ago:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

With that done, time to head north to Casa Loma:
























At the foot of the hill, there is a modern take on Neo-Georgian style townhouses:
























You can see Casa Loma in the background:












Casa Loma (Spanish for "House on the Hill") was built around 1910, by a financier named Sir Henry Pellatt who first made a fortune by harnessing the water power of Niagara Falls to create electricity.. then lost it all by some bad investments. The poor old fellow spent a King's ransom on his house, but only got to live in it for 9 years before he was forced to sell due to back taxes. He built it at the top of an escarpment that holds a commanding view of the city toward downtown. Once you climb up the steps you reach the top of Austen Terrace, which looks down upon Spadina Avenue as it goes downtown:






















Casa Loma would be difficult to describe, architecturally... as it is a mix of several things. I guess basically it is Neo-Gothic, but they threw in a Scottish Tower and a Norman Tower just to cover all bases!  When it was built, it was by far the largest residence built in North America; it is enormous. The house is a bit of a mishmash of styles, but certainly was ambitious; again, an exuberant case of love it or hate it. It had been covered by scaffolding for a few years so finally all the repair work has been completed:












































The Norman style Tower:













The Scottish Baronial style Tower (shades of Balmoral):












The old man built his stables first, before the house. Thankfully he must have decided not to continue the red brick for the main house. They are pretty much the most grandiose stables I've ever encountered, and the interior of the horse barn is wonderful to visit; you can tell that old Sir Henry (who was a military man) loved his horses. Truly, a horse's home is his castle:



































And, just to keep you on your toes:











Mission accomplished, I headed home.. . a much faster ride as it is downhill!


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Very nice update!
Beautiful houses and the area looks so green and peaceful.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates; well done


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## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Idyllic! I enjoyed your updates very much, T.B.! :applause:
So many interesting old buildings, and wonderful nature and garden impressions!


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Some mad victorian follies there..... but generally I'm getting house envy. It is like an "Ideal Home' magazine.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, everyone! Yes, it's quite the mixed bag of housing in those areas. Industrialists and stockbrokers made money very quickly back then, and having a lot of money does not always equate itself to good taste so some of the results are a bit over the top to say the least!


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Very enjoyable set from Rosedale and the Annex, with fascinating commentary. I like the Larkin House and that severe Art Deco house best in the first set. Didn't know about Uno Prii, so thanks for that. And Casa Loma ... such an apparent anomaly, yet it speaks volumes about the mindset of Toronto's wealthy classes a century ago.


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Keep the wanderings coming!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, guys!! Here are some photos I took from yesterday and today....






















In the last photo, you can see a new white mid-rise building. Yesterday I rode my bike past this new
development:
































You can see the streetcar wires above:














Today, I rode my bike down Jarvis Street to the Dundas East area. Both areas have been
a bit downtrodden in the past few generations, but slowly gentrification has been taking hold. Jarvis was once a very wealthy residential street, with plenty of big old homes. Some of them now are still rooming houses, and others have been spruced up. This one is quite handsome:













On Dundas East, there is an old corner shop (what we call "Convenience Stores") that was closed many years ago, and left as was. It is a bit of a time warp as to what corner shops used to look like. Now it seems to be filled with a choking collection of cacti which seem to be trying to break through the windows.
























The entry door, complete with neat, old fashioned net curtain:






















The cacti almost look like an old painting:













Part of downtown's history; Filmores.. an old strip club:














as you can see, gentrification is knocking on the door:














and a few random photos from last week:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

and last Friday, I toured the Queen Street East area, just before River Street. I rode past the site of the old 1877 Dominion Brewery:























Across the street is old terraced housing for the employees of the brewery:












and Bright Street, which was also built for the workers to live on:























and in the Yorkville, Bloor Street area:


The old Royal Conservatory of Music:


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Very nice update!
I love so much diversity of architecture in Toronto.
The new building, despite not being very tall, has a great design.


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## Petesphotography5 (Feb 27, 2019)

Taller Better said:


> I would be quite happy living in this quite sensational Georgian Revival / Neoclassical style pile;
> in fact I'd take to it like a duck to water:


Great pics as always my friend! where is this house ?!?


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks, guys! That gem is on May Street in Rosedale, one of my favourite in the city because it is one of only a handful of old brick streets left.
Turned out to be a sunny hot late afternoon and a clear evening. Full moon outside my window, and we can clearly see the Man in the Moon!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates once again, T.B.


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Great photo of the moon!


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Very fine set! I must check out those cacti in the Dundas East convenience store! And I liked the shots of the streets round the Dominion Brewery, and of Filmores Hotel. Toronto is gentrifying so quickly that these doomed holdouts from bygone days come to seem strangely valuable.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

So true! Thanks for checking out my pics!

Decided to travel up the new extension of the TTC subway Line One. This takes the length of Line One to 67 km. 6 new stations opened last year, and I post some highlights of my day:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

And when I got off the subway near my home... one shot upward:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Really great, very nice updates; great metro stations


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Some really cool new stations there.


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Great tour of the Subway Line One. I loved the layout of the stations.


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## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Great set! That York University station in particular is quite something. Here's hoping the pandemic won't damage such a worthy and needed investment in public transit in the longer term.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Gratteciel said:


> *Great tour of the Subway Line One.* I loved the layout of the stations.


Indeed  ...i would like to see more, if it possible


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, everyone!!
I've taken advantage of the beautiful weather of late to ride my bike along the Martin Goodman Trail, that opened the year before I moved to Toronto. This trip was done to show people that there is a lot of green space on our waterfront, and that there are a lot of mid-rise residential projects near the water. Wikipedia describes it:


> The *Martin Goodman Trail* is a 56-kilometre (35 mi)[1][2] multi-use path[3][4] along the waterfront in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It traverses the entire lake shore from one end of the city to the other, from Humber Bay Arch Bridge in the west to the Rouge River in the east.[2] The Martin Goodman Trail is part of the 730 km Waterfront Trail around Lake Ontario.











Martin Goodman Trail - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org





















Martin Goodman Trail


This nice gentle paved trail has great views of the waterfront and is popular for biking, walking, and running. Accessibility: There are multiple designated handicapped-accessible parking spaces in the parking lot with access aisles just south of Park Avenue and Beech Avenue. The trail surface...



www.alltrails.com





The trail is used by pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders, long boarders, and people in motorised wheelchairs and scooters.Two days ago, I started at the foot of Yonge Street, and rode the bike path east to Tom Thompson Park, which is about 5.6 km. Tourists almost never go out this way because they head for Harbourfront to the western side. I took photos of that yesterday, but will post them on a different day.,This part of the waterfront is an area for Torontonians to live/work and play. I'd say about half of what I rode was more or less urban, and the other half felt like being out in the wilderness. There are parks and green space all along open to the public for free. I did not go further east, this time, to the bigger beaches like Kew Beach or Balmy Beach, but did visit a few of the smaller ones like Cherry Beach. To start my trip, I enjoyed a gyros at Alexandros, which is what I do every time I am in that 'hood! 






















First stop will be Sugar Beach, and the residential buildings of that area:




































































































































































Now, back out on the bike trail, heading east:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

In the 1920's, the waterfront was heavily industrialized with a huge workforce visiting there every day. This building used to
be a Bank of Montreal back then:













an old late Art Deco industrial building:














Remnants of the past:






















I stopped in at Polson Pier, which has a lovely view of downtown:























A big nightclub on the waterfront:














For part of the trip I went to the other side of the road and took a more natural path:













An old Bascule-style bridge that can raise up to allow boats to pass under:













Next stop, Cherry beach and an ice cream cone! There are a number of little beaches that dot the shoreline, before you
reach the bigger beaches. Cherry Beach is popular with locals in the area. The lifeguard station:
















































Yeah!!













Lots and lots of public parkland:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

In the background you can see the old 1951 Hearn Generating Station; it is no longer used as that, and is now used for art
festivals and making of films:

























Once we move on from Cherry Beach, the bike paths go through kilometres of beautiful, peaceful public land that feel like you are miles out of the city in the countryside.
























Wild roses everywhere:






















There are literally hundreds of little hiking trails leading off of the bike path if you feel like going by foot off the beaten track:







































































The sign up ahead says.... Snakes!! But don't worry, these are not the type to hurt humans. And I don't think I've actually seen one as they stay in the remote parts:













Peter Rabbit:























Anyway, I finally reached Tommy Thompson Park, but by that time in the 30c heat I'd had enough exploring and decided to leave that lovely park to check out another day:













By the time I worked my way back home, I'd cycled well over 20 km and was ready to put my feet up for some rest and relaxation!

Another time I'll post photos of yesterday's adventure when I checked out the harbourfront section close to the CN Tower that the tourists go to.
It is beautiful too, but in a more manicured way.


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Excellent pictures! I love finding little spots that feel like the countryside when you're in the middle of a city.

The waterfront east of the Harbourfront is really growing up, it seems.

I am really, really hoping that the border opens up for some of the summer. I want to get back to Canada! I want to go to our family cottage, and explore the great province of Ontario, and give my business to my favorite neighbors!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates once more, *T.B. *


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Great update, Taller Batter!
Public art and modern buildings coupled with the lake and all that greenery ... Wow, I love it!


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## Skopje/Скопје (Jan 8, 2013)

^^

I second that.


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## paul62 (Jan 27, 2012)

Some good people and activity shots too.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks for checking out my photos, everyone!!
Ok, some highlights from last week's bike ride along the touristy part of Harbourfront. For anyone in the future viewing these photos, they were taken during the Covid-19 Quarantine so there are no tourists, and no one is allowed yet to sit in outdoor patios or restaurants. Things look quite different on a normal summer day:
























There is a special wetlands section for wildlife:
















































































wild marsh lilies:













Continuing along the boardwalk, there are marinas:












Probably my favourite part of Harbourfront is the gorgeous Music Garden designed by
cellist Yo Yo Ma and landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy. These two are not my photos:










Toronto Music Garden










The Toronto Music Garden, created by JMMDS in collaboration with eminent cellist Yo-Yo Ma, is a three-acre public park… | Music garden, Landscape nursery, Landscape


Back to my photos, as we go up the steps from the boardwalk:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

The old Canada Malting Silos from 1928, but no longer in usage and awaiting repurposing proposals:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

There are three curvaceous Wavedecks, which are playful wooden boardwalks:

































Water taxis:




























































another urban beach, like Sugar Beach. This one is called H2O Park:




























Martin Goodman Trail along Queen's Quay:


























Canoe rentals:























Sad to see everything empty, but can't be helped in times of pandemic:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

And to round off the set, here are some photos from past years when tourist season was in full swing:


















































































































































































And that's all, Folks!!


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Great update!
Pozole is also one of my favorite traditional dishes in Mexican cuisine; I almost always order it with chicken, because it is less indigestible than pork.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

I love that soup!!! I wish I had not ordered Enchiladas afterward as they did this thing that a lot of Mexican restaurants do here; put a pile of 
chopped lettuce on top. 










Started out rainy but cleared up in late afternoon. Today:





































A construction site near me:
















Driving yesterday near Hamilton; the countryside is unbelievably beautiful right now:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates from Toronto!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, everyone!!
I explored a neighbourhood new to me recently... Baby Point (pronounced Babby Point). After I stopped for a wood fired Montreal-style bagel.. toasted with cream cheese.
It was good but not as tasty as the last place I went to on Yonge St:






































also stopped at the Bathurst subway station and picked up some of their amazing Jamaican patties. It looks like an unlikely place to get a good patty, but it is very
well known and many consider them to be the best in the city:
























Also got a sausage roll, even if they can't spell it right:











They aren't great at spelling eclairs, either! 












also found a shop new to me that sells British goodies. I stocked up on some dee-lish things:






































Even Brighton Rock! 




























Who on earth would put Marmite into Peanut Butter????!?!!?















Wrong, on so many levels... 



Took a friend for afternoon tea last week:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

I agree with you about the marmite/peanut butter combination..... though my son regularly enjoys it ( he claims). Personally don't think Marmite belongs in squeezy containers, either. Why?

The english language can be quite tricky to master and to spell because it is often non-literal; but you would think that if a business can be bothered to get signs professionally printed- you'd think they'd at least get it checked first. I've even seen tradesman's vans in Britain with incorrect spellings on them. Don't get me started on punctuation.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates; well done


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

openlyJane said:


> I agree with you about the marmite/peanut butter combination..... though my son regularly enjoys it ( he claims). Personally don't think Marmite belongs in squeezy containers, either. Why?
> 
> The english language can be quite tricky to master and to spell because it is often non-literal; but you would think that if a business can be bothered to get signs professionally printed- you'd think they'd at least get it checked first. I've even seen tradesman's vans in Britain with incorrect spellings on them. Don't get me started on punctuation.


I suppose it is particularly difficult for an adult to pick up English as a second language (or in many cases for children to learn it properly as a first language), but it can be frustrating for the consumer. I'm as lazy (or even confused) as the next person and sometimes forget proper punctuation and grammar, but a particular bugbear for me is when retail signs don't use the plural form. As an example:_ "Plum $1.99/lb"_. Even worse is a fingernail salon called _"Pretty Nail"_. I always wonder if they just paint one nail, and tell you to be on you way!  In the English speaking world today, it seems that the norm has become to drop the possessive apostrophe for a shop or store with a family name:_ "Smiths Grocery"_, or _"Selfridges_". In Canada there was public pressure in Québec decades ago to drop the possessive apostrophe as that plural form is not used in French; therefore a store previously called _"Smith's"_ often became _"Smith" _in Québec, and _"Smiths"_ in English speaking Canada. However, McDonald's uses the apostrophe everywhere in Canada:

















OMD Retains McDonald's Canada Media Business


It's the latest market to be awarded in the fast-food giant's ongoing $2 billion global media review.




www.mediapost.com





Most churches have retained the apostrophe in cases like _"St. Mary's"_, or _"St. Basil's"_ , but there are towns in Ontario called _"St. Catharines "_, or _"St. Marys"_, which can be confusing._ "The Cathedral Church of St. James"_ in Toronto is often referred to as _"St. James Cathedral"_, but I think it should be _"St. James' Cathedral"_.

When I was young, our teacher gave us a fun little example of the importance of punctuation. First she told us to make sense of:

_"Jack while Mary had had had had had had had had had had had the teacher's approval"._

It turned out to be:
_"Jack, while Mary had had "had", had had "had had"; "had had" had had the teacher's approval"._

I put the italics in to indicate the change in intonation and to make it a bit clearer, but it made us think about the importance of proper punctuation, and how complex and sometimes ambiguous the English language can be. In Canada, the use of collective nouns with plural verbs varies from user to user but usually we follow the North American standard.

Marmite never caught on in Canada, so I don't use it as I find it _very_ peculiar tasting, bordering on nasty. I grew up with and adore peanut butter but I cannot imagine mixing it with Marmite!  The British shop I went to even had frozen Warburton crumpets from Bolton, but they taste pretty much the same as crumpets made here:











I just realised that I couldn't stop myself sampling the strawberry jam one before I snapped the photo! LOL!











If they are going to import something from Bolton, I wish it were Carrs Pasties instead. However, they sell delicious locally baked bridies which have become very difficult to find here:


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Everything looks very tasty! Now... I'm hungry.


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## Petesphotography5 (Feb 27, 2019)

love the update my friend, however the sunsets and autumn photos are awesome!!!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates, T.B.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, everyone!
I took advantage of a nice sunny day to go by subway to the Humber River, to watch the salmon leaping over a ladder on their way to spawn. I got off at
the Old Mill stop:























The first European to explore this area landed here in 1615; Étienne Brulé was sent by Samuel de Champlain to explore much of early Eastern Canada where he lived with the Hurons and learned their language. By 1720 the French had established a small trading post here, but a permanent settlement did not occur until 1793 when Governor Simcoe laid out the town, and had the King's Mill lumber mill built on this spot. The mill was burned or replaced four times, and in 1881 after the fourth mill was burned, it was abandoned. By 1914, one of the old mill buildings was turned into the Old Mill Tea Room, and it has been a going concern since. The ruins of the old mill were incorporated into newer buildings, all following a Neo-Tudor style. I've shown photos of the Old Mill in the past, but here are a few more:

Old Mill, Toronto - Wikipedia





Étienne Brûlé - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org












History of The Old Mill Toronto | Beautiful Historical Hotel in Toronto


The Old Mill and the Valley in which it sits, have long been a part of Canadian Heritage. Read our varied and interesting history here



www.oldmilltoronto.com









































































































I walked down to the Humber River; people were fishing and watching the salmon run:

























It was fun watching the huge fish try to fly up and over the ladder:


































All in all, a very good day out!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks for checking out my photos!  
Yesterday I rode my bike yesterday to catch some nice Fall colours. 













































I looked over the edge of the bridge here, down into the ravine. The area was covered with wild grapes that had grown 20-30 feet up the trees (and eventually
killing the trees in the process):


































If I could have reached the grapes I'd have picked some:


































































The very 1960's Castlefrank subway station:




































































I didn't make a turkey dinner this year, so on the way home stopped at my local pub to pick up turkey dinner to go... 
























and pumpkin pie, of course!!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates once again


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Nice pictures! I love your wanderings! The British place and foliage were wonderful.

Those wild grapes (fox grapes?) remind me of the big sand dune near our family cottage in Port Colborne. It's a sure sign of the Great Lakes to me!

Happy belated Thanksgiving to you!


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## Petesphotography5 (Feb 27, 2019)

great update indeed Greg!! all the food pics are making me hungry hehe


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## Déa_ (Nov 4, 2009)

Food, fall colors, great pics..Perfect!
Thanks for sharing with us...🤗


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Muito obrigado, Déa_ ! Had it not been for Covid-19, I would be in Brazil right now, on the beach in Natal! 
We had to cancel our tickets, unfortunately, but another time will come!!



xzmattzx said:


> Nice pictures! I love your wanderings! The British place and foliage were wonderful.
> 
> Those wild grapes (fox grapes?) remind me of the big sand dune near our family cottage in Port Colborne. It's a sure sign of the Great Lakes to me!
> 
> Happy belated Thanksgiving to you!


Thanks!! I believe they would be either Concord, or Coronation Blue Grapes. Had I been able to pick them, I would have. I _*love*_ wild grapes; they come into
the grocery stores in October and we go through baskets of them. You may be thinking of the derogatory term _"foxy"_ which is used to describe the flavour of wine made
from our wild grapes. The grapes do NOT make good wine, but are superb for making jelly or jam, eating, or juice. In Ontario it has been against the law to make commercial table wine from
wild grapes since the 70's. That got rid of all the horrible wines produced before that time from Concord, Blue or Catawba. There used to be a humorous description of cheap North American
plonk made from wild grapes:_ "Come alive for a dollar five"!!! _

For people in Europe, if you have perhaps eaten candy or gum that is "grape" flavoured (I've had grape Mentos), and they probably do not taste like any grapes you are familiar with. The artificial flavour for "grape" was created in the States and is based on the flavour of wild grapes in the Northeast of North America. Welch's grape juice (well, the one in North America at any rate) is the perfect example of it. Grape candy and gum was very popular in North America, and there is more of it still in the USA than here. For some reason it has kind of fallen from favour amongst the current generation. In Britain, purple sweets are probably black current flavour, not grape.



Petesphotography5 said:


> great update indeed Greg!! all the food pics are making me hungry hehe


Thank you, Sir! A compliment coming from one of the finest photographers to have ever graced the Toronto forums!!


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## Déa_ (Nov 4, 2009)

What a pity! And for sure you would be tanned! 🤗 
I haven't visited Natal yet, but it is one of the destinations on my list. Hopefully everything will be settled soon and you can come here. Be very welcome! 🙂


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

We would like to see more Taller, Better


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## elliot (Dec 19, 2003)

Fabulous shots TB! Love all your posts, but damn your fall photos (light/colour) are sublime.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks so much, everyone!!! I'm not convinced about the photos being wonderful, but I am convinced the little puppy is the sweetest little guy!


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## lezgotolondon (Aug 31, 2010)

Didn’t know about this thread, great photos


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

lezgotolondon said:


> Didn’t know about this thread, great photos


Thanks, and welcome!!!



elliot said:


> Fabulous shots TB! Love all your posts, but damn your fall photos (light/colour) are sublime.


Gosh, I don't know how I missed this, but thank you for the compliment!


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

We would love to see more photos of Toronto, TB!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Gratteciel said:


> We would love to see more photos of Toronto, TB!


Me too!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks everyone and sorry I've been lazy all winter! Hibernation, and all that, so I'm never very inspired to take pictures in winter. Anyhow, here are a few.

Bay Street:












A black squirrel (who I gave some bread to), and a grey squirrel. They are sometimes unkindly called tree-rats! 





















Some cool old apartment buildings in my neighbourhood:





































































































Old Victorian buildings on Yonge Street being restored:












This one is one of the older ones, from the 1860's:












Yonge and Bloor streets:












Look up:












This lockdown has been brutal for small businesses/restaurants and bars in Toronto. We have had one of the longest lockdowns in the world and bars
are struggling to stay alive, just by selling booze for takeout. With any luck, they should be opened up in a week or so. We are so fed up with lockdown:












and this afternoon I rode my bike down to the St Lawrence Market. I got there just as they were closing so didn't have much time to look around:























an Ontario winery:












And I had just enough time to get some Fish n' Chips!


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Thank you TB
Great update, as usual!


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## lezgotolondon (Aug 31, 2010)

Winter can be really beautiful with snow and Toronto has plenty of it isnt'it?

also never posta photos on the internet that may leade bad people to track where you live.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

lezgotolondon said:


> Winter can be really beautiful with snow and Toronto has plenty of it isnt'it?
> 
> also never posta photos on the internet that may leade bad people to track where you live.


That is actually very good advice..thanks! 🍺



Gratteciel said:


> Thank you TB
> Great update, as usual!


Thank you, sir!! Even though Spring is coming and it is slowly warming up, I wish I were in sunny Mexico right now!! 🍺 🥳


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates, T.B.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thank you!! A week ago I rode my bike from downtown to the Church/Wellesley area. I started at Yonge-Dundas Square:























The old HMV record store is now a large marijuana store:

































The old Maple Leaf Gardens, which was home to the Maple Leafs hockey team:












































and into the Church - Wellesley gay village. Very quiet until the bars and restaurants open next week:
































Alexander Wood is something of a local gay hero. He arrived in Toronto (then York) in the 1790's and he owned much of the land that is now the gay village.
He was a bit notorious in the community, and his property was rather rudely referred to as Molly Wood's Bush; "Molly" being a pejorative term for a gay man in 
Regency times. To this day, the village is sometimes called "Mollywood", as a play on words. Alexander Wood got himself into a gay scandal and had to hightail it back to Britain to let things cool down before he could move back. Two major cross streets in the village still bear his name... Alexander Street and Wood Street.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates from Toronto


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## Petesphotography5 (Feb 27, 2019)

thanks so much for the update my friend!!


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Great update TB!


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Beautiful pictures, especially the trees look nice in these pictures. Have been to Toronto a few years ago and absolutely loved it!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

First cherry blossoms have begun to open; I hope we do not get a frost:






















Magnolias































































































































Filming a movie:


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Great pictures, as usual!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates once again


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks guys!!!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

April showers bring May flowers:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

A mishmash of photos from today and yesterday, starting in downtown's Cabbagetown, said to be the largest enclave of
Victorian houses in North America. First, Magnolias:


































White picket fence!!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)




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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Here is the granddaddy of contemporary highrise office towers in Toronto.. designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at 56 storeys, and built between 1964 and 1969.










Photo courtesy of CHUCKMAN'S PHOTOS ON WORDPRESS: TORONTO NOSTALGIA 








PHOTO – TORONTO – AERIAL PANORAMA OF DOWNTOWN – TORONTO-DOMINION CENTRE FIRST TOWER COMPLETE – TWO ORIGINAL BUILDINGS OF CENTRE COMPLETED 1969


Visit the post for more.




chuckmantorontonostalgia.wordpress.com





I remember it being built and we were all agog of how tall and severe it looked! Now, it is probably my favourite tower in all of Toronto, and very similar to van der Rohe's
Seagrams building in New York:








































It wasn't all alone for long, however.... a plethora of other towers have joined it in the past 50 years:



















































































This neighbourhood didn't exist 15 years ago:


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Wow... Great city and wonderful photos!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates from Toronto; well done


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Lovely images, made all the more lovely by the Spring sunshine and blossom.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

We would like to see more


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, everyone! 
It was cool today, only made it up to 9c. But, the sun eventually did come out! 










































































First Azalea of the season:











Grape Hyacinths:












The 2012 addition that was done for a second entrance to the Castle Frank subway, designed to complement the original 1966 entrance:











































I like spotting these old 1889 cast iron manhole covers around town. This one is in really good shape:













Magnolias look beautiful right now:













Milkman's Lane, near Craigleigh Gardens... more beautiful in the summer and the Autumn:


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## Sydlicious (Oct 8, 2018)

Hey TB  you still going after all these years  I love cabbagetown - stunning pics mate. Just one question, is there a reason why there is hardly any street trees in the CBD ?


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Hey, Syd! Nice to hear from you!!! I wish you would come for a visit and we could go for a drink somewhere. Do you mean the Bay Street business core with all the banking towers? Well, it is pretty densely built up so it is kind of like Wall Street:














__





Subscribe to read | Financial Times


News, analysis and comment from the Financial Times, the worldʼs leading global business publication




www.ft.com





or the Square Mile in London:














__





Bloomberg - Are you a robot?






www.bloomberg.com






So it is pretty no-nonsense jam packed with buildings and every square inch of space is at a premium. They do have the usual planted trees that are mostly pretty small, but being as it is still very early Spring here, none of the leaves would be out and it would be hard to see them, of course.The landscaping and planted trees are mostly in the plazas and squares of the banking buildings. When they were built in the 60's and 70's, the city required the towers to have large plazas to try and keep it from becoming
completely built up, most of which were behind the buildings and usually can't be seen from Bay or King Street. Here are some pictures from last summer:






































































The street trees look pretty small to me:












I've never really paid attention to be honest; if you get away from where the headquarters of the banks are to nearby places downtown then there would be
plenty of trees. I'll pay more attention next time!!!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

When I got up at 9am, there was a Winter Wonderland outside!!! This type of snowfall is not uncommon for early Spring, here, but is the first snow we've had for well over a month and hopefully the last:






















But by lunchtime, it had pretty much all melted:
























I had intended to get out and take some photos of the light fluffy stuff, but I was too late. However, I did get a few snowy shots, and I got some good exercise on my bike:


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## Sydlicious (Oct 8, 2018)

Thanks for that TB ... yes, the business core  I was just wondering if Toronto is also greening their streets ( to combat a warming climate ) ... Melbourne is quite lucky that they have very wide streets, therefore lined with massive trees - even the little laneways are having on-street parking removed and replaced with trees .... I have noticed this about many European cities and towns as well i.e. very few street trees. I must say that it is very difficult getting good pics of buildings from street level in Melbourne, especially when looking up - all you see is leaves lol ... thanks for the reply TB, much appreciated and I love your pics


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Sydlicious said:


> Thanks for that TB ... yes, the business core  I was just wondering if Toronto is also greening their streets ( to combat a warming climate ) ... Melbourne is quite lucky that they have very wide streets, therefore lined with massive trees - even the little laneways are having on-street parking removed and replaced with trees .... I have noticed this about many European cities and towns as well i.e. very few street trees. I must say that it is very difficult getting good pics of buildings from street level in Melbourne, especially when looking up - all you see is leaves lol ... thanks for the reply TB, much appreciated and I love your pics



It was great to hear from you; brings back many old Skyscrapercity memories from the good old days!!! I'd say it really depends on the area downtown. Certainly for the last generation or so, any new trees planted in the downtown core have to be planted in concrete containers above, or below the surface. They do not want roots from the trees destroying underground services like plumbing, electrical, communications, subway, etc.. so new plantings are very closely controlled. Older downtown streets like University Avenue, Queen Street/King Street/Church Street, Front Street, etc... have huge old trees because they were planted long before any such rules.






















This is a brand new downtown residential neighbourhood, and the tree boxes are large enough to provide for decent sized trees:













Typically, new sidewalk trees can be pretty spindly looking:











But the old streets have big trees:





























































































I live in a downtown neighbourhood that is about 1.5 km from the CBD, and the streets are mostly very green:


















aerial view of downtown Toronto, evening light


<p>aerial view of downtown Toronto, evening light</p>




taf.ca





You just have to get away from the congested business section and you'll find loads of trees! 














__





Living Shangri-la Toronto – new asia






www.newasia.ca
























Toronto's low-income and racialized communities have fewer trees: U of T researchers


An afternoon walk along Toronto’s Harbourfront neighbourhood was the genesis of Jacqueline Scott’s doctoral thesis at the University of Toronto. “I saw a sign for a camping trip and out of sheer boredom decided to give it a go,” she says, adding that the weekend in the woods changed her life.




www.utoronto.ca


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Hope the cherry blossoms won't be impacted by the sudden cold and snow.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

hkskyline said:


> Hope the cherry blossoms won't be impacted by the sudden cold and snow.


I was nervous, but it didn't actually get cold enough, and snow doesn't hurt anything. I just checked the 24 hour Cherry Blossom Cam set up by the City for virtual viewing of the High Park Sakura Cherry orchard and all is well:

















Cherry Blossoms


Cherry blossom trees are located in parks and other locations throughout Toronto. Take part in the centuries-old tradition of hanami, the Japanese term for flower viewing. Called sakura in Japan, these cherry blossom trees bloom at the end of April to early May. Follow High Park Nature Centre as...




www.toronto.ca


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## Sydlicious (Oct 8, 2018)

Taller Better said:


> It was great to hear from you; brings back many old Skyscrapercity memories from the good old days!!! I'd say it really depends on the area downtown. Certainly for the last generation or so, any new trees planted in the downtown core have to be planted in concrete containers above, or below the surface. They do not want roots from the trees destroying underground services like plumbing, electrical, communications, subway, etc.. so new plantings are very closely controlled. Older downtown streets like University Avenue, Queen Street/King Street/Church Street, Front Street, etc... have huge old trees because they were planted long before any such rules.


Thanks for that TB - yes, the good old days  back when I was in Cape Town, then Auckland, then Melbourne and now I am a beach bum living in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland  Oi vey, we are so much older now, and wiser 

Thanks for the info and pics - the landscaping is stunning - Toronto can teach Melbourne a thing or three  Have a great day mate


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Great photos TB!
I have always admired the care Canadian cities take in landscaping. All this despite the extreme weather.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks, everyone! Yes, harsher winters do pose problems for gardening unfortunately... so it is nice to see people make an effort. It's easier in Vancouver and Victoria, where winters are milder. Yesterday was cool for us but turned out nice and sunny. Went for a bike ride through Rosedale:





































































Magnolia and weeping Rosebud Cherry blossoms:




































































All white flowers... tulips and daffodils:














As most of you have probably guessed, I'm not much of a fan of modern houses, but I liked this one:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

And the day before yesterday, I went down King Street East and Queen Street East to check out some side streets with old terraced row-houses built to house workers mid to late 1800's. Mostly small cottages. King Street East and Queen Street East are now gentrifying, but had traditionally this very working class neighbourhood has been home to some of Toronto's poorest people for 200 years. Queen Street East still has some low-economic stretches, especially around Moss Park:












The old Dominion Brewery from 1889:

























St Paul's Catholic Church, whose parish was home to poor Irish immigrants who immigrated to Canada because of the great famine back home.
The area is still known as Corktown. It was unusual to see an Italianate church when it was built, as most other churches in the city were Neo-Gothic:
























Little Trinity Anglican Church, also in Corktown, is the oldest remaining church in the city, from 1844. Fires were common in many churches back then,
and new churches had to be built to replace older ones. This one luckily escaped the Great Fire of 1849 which swept through old Toronto.





































Sadly, these rowhouses were "modernised" in the 1960's:


























Bright Street, which at some point the houses were also "updated" with stucco over the brick:


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

And the day before that, three days ago, I checked out the Cherry blossoms in High Park, and Bellwood's Park:

High Park has the oldest Somei-Yoshino Sakura trees in the city. Both Toronto and Vancouver in the late 1950's were given gifts on behalf of the Citizens of Tokyo for their support of Japanese-Canadians after the War. Cherry trees don't have a really long lifespan like hardwood trees such as Oak or Maple, so I'm sure some of the old timers will eventually be culled and replaced:




























































































In Bellwoods Park the trees are younger:



































































Bellwoods Park is home to some albino white squirrels that visitors have reported many times over the years. I've never seen them, personally, but they have been around
for a long time. There is a statue erected in their honour!!













and graffiti:


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