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  #1  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2017, 4:27 AM
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hkskyline's 2016 in Frozen Toronto

A walking tour in the middle of Toronto's winters is not for the faint-hearted. The sunniest day usually means it's also bitterly cold. I tried the challenge with a decent journey through snow-covered sidewalks from Yorkville, the luxury shopping district, to Casa Loma, the crumbling castle a few subway stations to the north.

























The city centre actually is not so dense. There are plenty of lowrises and hence lots of room for intensification.













The current streetcar fleet is being gradually replaced and retired with a new order from Bombardier being slowly delivered. Streetcars run on 11 routes over 82km, carrying 250,000 passengers a day.









The 420 new accessible Toronto Rockets are being phased in to replace aging rolling stock from the 1970s. Unlike the older vehicles, all the cars are connected to better spread the passengers throughout the train.



However, the network hasn't expanded much in the past few decades.





Meanwhile, elsewhere downtown, the same old ... food courts, office buildings, coffee ...





















More on my website : http://www.globalphotos.org/toronto.htm
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  #2  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2017, 10:19 PM
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It's always nice to see Toronto covered with snow.
Great tour, enjoyed!
Congrats and greetings from Madrid, Spain.
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  #3  
Old Posted Mar 3, 2017, 12:44 PM
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Designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell after winning an international architectural competition in 1957, New City Hall opened in 1965 after 4 years of construction and $25 million. Chosen as the winning entry from submissions from 42 countries, Revell saw this building as an "eye of government", with the 2 arched towers serving as 'eyelids'.

Did they get the sign idea from Amsterdam?





The Toronto model is probably out of date with so much construction happening downtown.



Mackenzie House was the last home of Toronto's first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie. Mackenzie was a rebellious political newspaper publisher, who used his work to criticize his opponents and argue for responsible government, and leading the failed Upper Canada rebellion in 1837. This house was bought by his supporters and gifted to him in 1859 after retiring from public office.

The house itself is quite narrow, with the ground floor being a living and dining room combination.





Upstairs, there are several bedrooms, including the room where Mackenzie died.







The basement consists of the day room and kitchen. With a huge stove, this is the warmest floor on a cold winter day.



Next to the visitor's entrance is a re-creation of his publishing studio, where you can create a little souvenir with the printing press.





Toronto's first post office opened in 1833 and still maintains that function today in addition to a few rooms of exhibits. However, over the years, the building also served as cold storage until the 1950s and lay abandoned by the 1970s.





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  #4  
Old Posted Mar 4, 2017, 10:30 PM
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Great pics!

Toronto isn't conventionally attractive, but I find it fascinating to compare/contrast with the American pattern of development. Toronto did a lot of things right in the postwar era.
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  #5  
Old Posted Mar 5, 2017, 2:29 AM
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Great pictures! I don't think the density is too low. Not every neighborhood has to be 10-20 story buildings. Houses and lowrises are nice too. I think Toronto has a good balance between density and space, and single-family dwellings and apartment buildings.
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  #6  
Old Posted Mar 6, 2017, 12:18 AM
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Nice collection of pics! This winter season in Toronto has been mostly mild and snow free, I guess you were just lucky to be here at the right time to experience some real Canadian style winter conditions on your visit.

I agree with xzmattzx regarding the density of the city centre, I think it has a good balance and even within the low-rise residential areas it feels nicely mature, urban and lively. The 5 square mile downtown area does continue to densify at an alarming rate and presently has a residential population of over 200,000 people with a density of over 40,000 ppsm and growing every year.
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Old Posted Mar 7, 2017, 3:22 PM
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Nice, yet cold walking tour. A huge difference, it was really hot during my visit last summer!
Mackenzie house seems nice. Visited Casa Loma, really amazing.
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  #8  
Old Posted Mar 29, 2017, 4:35 PM
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Once the Austin family's home, Spadina House opened as a museum in 1984 and was last restored in 2010. The original structure was built in 1866 and many extensions have been added since. Many other prominent Toronto citizens called this part of town home, with Casa Loma being the biggest across the street.





























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  #9  
Old Posted Mar 29, 2017, 9:34 PM
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Is that Toronto model at city hall? It hasn't been updated in about 15 years.
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  #10  
Old Posted Mar 30, 2017, 2:45 AM
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada.....eh?
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  #11  
Old Posted Mar 30, 2017, 11:36 AM
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hkskyline hkskyline is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gresto View Post
Is that Toronto model at city hall? It hasn't been updated in about 15 years.
Yes, @ City Hall. Seems they missed the condo boom.
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  #12  
Old Posted Mar 30, 2017, 7:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hkskyline View Post
Yes, @ City Hall. Seems they missed the condo boom.
Sheesh, you'd think they could afford a couple of Grand to contract someone to update the model.
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  #13  
Old Posted Apr 12, 2017, 1:54 PM
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Several alleys just off Queen Street West have been decorated with all sorts of graffiti. They are still back alleys, so there is a lot of garbage lying around and cars parked, which are not so pleasant compared to the more pedestrian-friendly art alleys in Melbourne.

































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