Nature Man

Location: Croft St.
Date photo taken: 29 August 2013
Image 16 in the Mural Series

Croft Street is one of Toronto's hidden treasures. While there are a few homes here, it's technically a lane so it's pretty quiet in terms of traffic. It's also a very colourful place thanks to the many garages which have been covered with murals. This is a detail from one of my favourites, and I thought that this cold snap in the dead of winter was a great time to share it. It was painted back in 2006 by Viviana Astudillo as part of a larger anti-graffiti program targeting Croft St. She was still a teenager at the time.

Glenn

 

Location: Outside the Glenn Gould Studio, CBC Building, Front St.W.

Date photo taken: 27 March 2013

 

If you're not paying attention, it's easy to walk right by this statue, mistaking it for a living, breathing person taking a rest on the bench. The life size bronze sculpture of legendary Canadian pianist Glenn Gould was created by Ontario artist Ruth Abernethy. He appears appropriately bundled for our current weather, but those familiar with Gould's eccentricities will know that he often wore warm clothing even when the weather didn't warrant it. He was also a recluse who hated being touched, but today anyone can take a seat beside him, rest their hand on his knee, or rub his shoe for luck.

 

If you're a fan of Glenn Gould or want to learn more about him, you can download the Tiny Guide To Glenn Gould's Toronto which highlights some of Gould's favourite places in the city. It was produced by the Glenn Gould Foundation.

 

 

Fireplace

Location: SW corner of Queen and Victoria
Date photo taken: 1 December 2014
Image #2 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

Another in the series of traffic signal boxes painted in 2013 as part of StreetARToronto's Outside the Box program. This one was done by artist Emilia Jajus. With the weather being so cold lately, this seemed like the perfect time to post it.Unfortunately it had already been tagged by the time I got around to taking a picture of it, but it's still a welcome site on chilly days!

Snapshot - Queen Street East

Location: North side of Queen Street East, at Hamilton Street 

Date photo taken: 21 December 2014

Image 2 in the Snapshot Series

This Snapshot shows the north side of Queen Street just west of Broadview. This short stretch is in for some changes. The windows of the building on the left are papered over, the tenant Dark Horse Espresso having moved to the new Streetcar sales centre just down the street. The Broadview Hotel, the building at the right with the peaked roof, which until recently operated as Jilly's strip club, has been purchased by Streetcar and is currently undergoing renovations. What exactly it will become has not yet been announced but the company assures those in the community that this historic building is in good hands. And finally, the streetcars on Queen Street are set to be replaced by the new sleek models, but not until 2016/2017.