Hot Off The Press!! New pix of Toronto - Page 14

Taller Better · #**261** Posted: **Apr 26, 2007, 4:24 AM**

Thanks guys! I love those crowded sidewalks. I like to jostle and be jostled!!

salvius · #**262** Posted: **Apr 29, 2007, 7:51 AM**

Wonderful pics TB. Keep 'em coming!!!

Taller Better · #**263** Posted: **May 2, 2007, 3:48 AM**

Some pix from this past week:

Finally! Spring is in the air. Three weeks late, but better late than never:

Last weekend the weather was lovely and sunny, so I rode my bike about downtown, capturing some random scenes...

an old Coat of Arms from a Victorian government building... probably a Post Office:

The Birkbeck building, an Edwardian beauty that is currently undergoing restoration. It appears that at one point some cretin painted the trim on this stone building:

One of the oldest surviving Post Offices in Toronto, this beauty at No.10 Toronto Street is one of my favourite buildings in the city. Built in the 1850's in a classic Greek revival style, it has perfect proportions and a classic simplicity:

Let's visit another one of the grand old Toronto hotels! This was the first luxury hotel built in Toronto... The King Edward, which was completed in 1903. The owner, of the Gooderham family (who owned the largest distillery in the British Empire), daringly built it on the East side of Yonge St, in an attempt to draw development in that direction:

The "King Eddy", as it is affectionately called, still puts on a grand show:

Now some panoramic shots taken at the top of an office building sprouting up from Eaton Centre, near the Yonge/Dundas intersection. First a shot of the entertainment/shopping complex going up at the corner. Most of this exposed side will be covered in a festive array of advertising:

The entire Yonge/Dundas intersection will be entirely unrecognizable to someone who has not seen it in a decade.

to the East, which is a residential suburb called Scarborough:

Taller Better · #**264** Posted: **May 2, 2007, 3:55 AM**

Now the view south to the Business district:

a view to the north, along Yonge Street:

and a telephoto zoom of the same view:

condos going up everywhere:

a bird's eye view of the old St Michael's Cathedral:

a late Georgian townhouse that was originally a mid century rectory for the Anglican church next to it. This nestles comfortably behind the Eaton Centre:

and this is the 1840's church, Holy Trinity:

and finally, my favourite late Georgian townhouse in Toronto.. the lovely McKenzie house from the mid 1800's:

Taller Better · #**265** Posted: **May 2, 2007, 4:01 AM**

and finally some experimenting with night shots with my new camera:

Here is one of the most delightful little museums in Toronto, the newly renovated and terribly chic Gardiner Ceramic Museum. A perfect jewel box!

Its neighbour across the avenue, The Royal Ontario Museum:

and a few shots snapped on Bloor Street last night:

and finally some baby raccoons up in a big old tree across the street!

Thanks for taking this little tour with me!!

psychosomatic · #**266** Posted: **May 3, 2007, 12:15 PM**

great pics as usual TB. Have you ever checked out the toronto hydro building? its gotham city detailing would probably make for some killer shots.

Taller Better · #**267** Posted: **May 3, 2007, 12:37 PM**

Do you mean the old Toronto Electric building on Carleton? You are right, it has some nice 30's art deco styling....

psychosomatic · #**268** Posted: **May 3, 2007, 11:01 PM**

yea thats the one

Jaborandi · #**269** Posted: **May 4, 2007, 2:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taller Better

Some pix from this past week:

The Birkbeck building, an Edwardian beauty that is currently undergoing restoration. It appears that at one point some cretin painted the trim on this stone building:

Excellent photos as always TB!!!

Does anybody know what's up with the Birkbeck Building? Only a couple of years ago it was cleaned, but I think it was dirtied up for a movie shoot and left that way. Is it actually being restored? The oval boardroom inside is really worth checking out if the building is open as in past years for Doors Open

Taller Better · #**270** Posted: **May 4, 2007, 5:29 AM**

^^ Funny you should mention that, Jaborandi... last summer I nosed about in the building, but sadly it was close to 5pm, closing time. It now houses provincial government offices for protection of Heritage Buildings. I was quizzing one worker about the building and the state of the finishes (as he was shooing me out of the door and looking at his watch). He curtly snapped that they KNOW the building looks like crap; they just haven't had a chance to renovate it yet-goodbye-slam! LOL!

@psycho, thanks for reminding me about that great building. I should do a thread on Art Deco buildings.

Taller Better · #**271** Posted: **May 7, 2007, 10:51 PM**

I was able to get up on the roof of an apartment building near where I live,
and snap some 360 degree photos on Sunday:

Taller Better · #**272** Posted: **May 7, 2007, 11:07 PM**

I was a bit nervous this year at how the Japanese Cherry blossoms would be after the severe cold snap we had in February. This past weekend they are in bloom, and I must say I am quite relieved. Not as grand a show as last year (see the first page of this photothread), but still a very respectable show. These particular Japanese flowering cherry trees are the earliest to bloom (late April/early May) and are called Somei-Yashino and were donated by Japan to Toronto in 1959. I was lucky this year to go on a Sunday, and there were many hundreds of Japanese people out enjoying the sunshine and the glorious
blossoms...

Young love in Spring!

a day for kites.....

and the inevitable end of every kite:

I came upon what appeared to be a Japanese model posing for a group of professional photographers, but I have no idea who the pretty girl was:

Grenadier Pond, which was the landing site of Governor Simcoe when he first
approached Toronto in 1793:

Waterloo_Guy · #**273** Posted: **May 7, 2007, 11:10 PM**

Wow! Thanks, TB. That's a view to hold on to.

Taller Better · #**274** Posted: **May 7, 2007, 11:11 PM**

A small motorized "train" runs through High Park. A nice idea as it is a huge park:

Taller Better · #**275** Posted: **May 7, 2007, 11:20 PM**

Back downtown for some shots around the campus of the University of Toronto:

Convocation Hall, which always reminds me of Albert Hall in London:

The equestrian statue of King Edward VII, who opened Queen's Park way back in 1860:

Poor King Edward would have fainted had he foreseen what had happened in this park the day before. As I have posted on a separate thread, it was the ninth annual Marijuana rally:

Moving on to other parts of the campus, a little closer to Bloor Street:

a pug obsessed with bocce:

and finally, a billboard for the new gay FM radio station!

Taller Better · #**276** Posted: **May 8, 2007, 3:51 AM**

I may as well throw in a few leftover shots of a few older buildings that caught my eye on my bike tour. The first, the St Leger House, is an 1880's high Victorian style house in High Park, close to where the cherry blossoms are. It is on the very romantically named Gothic Street:

Next, Oakham House, on Church St near Ryerson University. Built in 1848 in the then
popular Gothic Revival style:

and a Catholic Church that I have photographed a few times (as it is in my 'hood)- Our Lady
of Lourdes...

and finally, a little restaurant that I stopped by after my photographing the blossoms..
who would have ever thought there would be a New Zealand restaurant on Bloor Street
near High Park? Who knew?

OhioGuy · #**277** Posted: **May 8, 2007, 6:14 AM**

Taller Better, these photos from the top of the apartment building are wonderful! I really love Toronto.

Taller Better · #**278** Posted: **May 8, 2007, 2:04 PM**

Thanks, Ohioguy! Nice to see someone enjoyed the pix... the response in SSP for my pix has dwindled to almost nothing so thanks for the nice words!

psychosomatic · #**279** Posted: **May 8, 2007, 6:52 PM**

all i can say is thank god for you and your camera (and toronto too i guess). i love climbing that tree in front of the japanese model (im the modern day tarzan). especially when there are models around.

Taller Better · #**280** Posted: **May 9, 2007, 2:38 PM**

Lol!

Anyhow, thanks for the nice feedback, guys. I might wind up this SSP thread and concentrate on the SSC one, as
the feedback here has been drying up for awhile. Maybe this thread has run its course, but I will definitely keep my
SSC Hot off the Press thread going this summer if anyone is interested! Thanks to all people who left me nice messages
here!