Flower
Toronto’s landscape gardeners do a phenomenal job keeping St. James Park beautiful all year round.
Posts from the ‘Toronto’ Category
May 27
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Bond Street and beyond
A co-op building on Richmond St. East
Another day, another walk. Today I decided to peruse Bond Street where a number of old historic buildings nestle beneath old maple leaf trees. Toronto is awash in modern and historic buildings, and you can’t walk very far without confronting the juxtaposition of old meets new. Toronto could do more to preserve these haunts, but the ones that have been protected are impressive and proud pieces of architecture. I am struggling to keep my camera straight! Practice makes perfect, yet perfection is far.
The oldest post office in Toronto
The Spire on Adelaide and Church
St. James Church
St. Michael’s Hospital
Saint Michael’s Choir School
Mackenzie House
William Lyon Mackenzie was Toronto’s first mayor, and this was his house
St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church
St. George’s Church has a large dome in the back that I didn’t photograph. Shoot me.
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May 16
Ralph Bissonnette
On Monday night, not far from where I live, a young man riding his skateboard was struck by a taxi car and killed. Police have charged the driver with second-degree murder.
The name of the victim was Ralph Bissonnette. He was only 28.
This afternoon, while I was walking to meet Raquel for lunch I passed the spot where Ralph died and found that a collection of flowers and cards had been left by people affected by the young man’s death. I noticed that the wind had blown over the yellow pot and I knelt down to fix it. As I did a young woman stopped and said to me, “It’s horrible to have to see that here.” Of course, I agreed.
According to The Toronto Star, Bissonnette was from Quebec. He worked in kitchens in different parts of the world, including as a line cook at Club Med in Florida, various restaurants in Quebec and a jazz bar in San Diego.
A few years ago he settled in Toronto, working at local restaurants including Rosewater Supper Club. He was an avid skateboarder and cyclist who was living with his girlfriend at the time of his death.
Witnesses told police that there was an altercation between Ralph and the taxi driver only moments before the accident, and it is suspected that road rage was a contributing factor in his death.
A completely avoidable situation. Ralph woke up on Monday morning for the last time. Only he didn’t know it.
Rest in peace buddy.
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Lunch with Raquel at Sugar Beach
Raquel and me, after the morning rain
Sugar Beach is an urban beach park located on Lake Ontario and across from the Redpath Sugar Refinery. It opened in 2010. Roughly a ten minute walk from my apartment, I spend a lot of time there, and its surrounding area, which includes Sherbourne Common. Raquel and I have met a couple of times this week to have our lunch under the pink umbrellas and to chat about life. Unfortunately for today the weather was a bit on the chilly side after a rain storm washed across the downtown core early this morning. Only yesterday the beach was full of sunbathers. Here are the photos from today’s excursion.
The rain from my balcony only moments before lunch
Nerd alert!
Raquel
My face is red!
Raquel enjoys some rays!
Everyday a different ship
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Yonge-Dundas Square
Originally I posted this without any text. To be honest I’m not sure what I think about Yonge-Dundas Square. It’s an advertisement for our consumer driven Western philosophy. But the area where the square occupies was once dilapidated and unloved, until a major renovation, that took approximately ten years, rejuvenated it in to what it is today. The intersection is one of Canada’s busiest, serving over 100,000 pedestrians daily, and 56 million annually. I could highlight the many attractions and shopping centres that revolve around the square, but I figure the best thing you could really do is check it out for yourself, and then, decide if you ever want to return!
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The Evergreen Brick Works
Evergreen Brick Works, is an old industrial site located near the Don River valley. It operated for nearly 100 years and provided bricks used to construct many well-known Toronto landmarks, such as Casa Loma, Osgoode Hall, Massey Hall, and the Ontario Legislature. The original factory closed many years ago, and has recently been converted into a city park which includes a series of naturalized ponds. The buildings have been restored and opened as an environmentally focused community and cultural centre by Evergreen, a national charity dedicated to restoring nature in urban environments.
The last time I visited the area was six years ago, and my has it certainly changed. There were so many people out and about enjoying the warm weather that I was a tad overwhelmed. Salvation came in the form of a killer soy smoothie! Here are my photos from today’s journey.
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Canadian Opera Company mural
Canadian Opera Company administration offices — side entrance
The Canadian Opera company is the largest opera house in Canada and the third largest in North America. The photo you see above is the company’s administration offices, the performance centre is located on Queen West, about ten block away; I posted a photo of it weeks ago.
At the back of this building are two murals depicting Canadian aboriginal people. I’ve tried to find some information about the art work but have not yet succeeded (my research skills suck). Regardless, I wanted to share them with my readers because they’re stunning pieces of art. At least that’s my opinion.
Mural in the back of the Canadian Opera Company administration offices
2nd mural at the back of the Canadian Opera Company administration offices
