Fire hydrant

Location: Glen Manor Dr. E.
Date photo taken: 1 May 2013

Fire hydrants are everywhere in the city. You see them everyday, but unless you're looking for a parking space, you never really notice them. If asked on the spot - and without the benefit of the above picture - could you even say what colour they are? This post was inspired by my recent trip to France. There, fire hydrants look quite different. They're red for one, but more than that, they have a sleek, streamlined look. While I appreciate the aesthetic, I'm partial to our more classic shape. In reading about our fire hydrants, I discovered this National Post piece that describes Toronto's system for colour-coding the caps of the hydrants and how it helps firefighters do their job. Who knew?

Bell Box - Viviana Astudillo

Location: Princess St., south of Front
Date photo taken: 16 September 2013
Image #9 in the Bellbox Series

This mural of Salmon is by Viviana Astudillo and is another in the series of painted Bell boxes across the city. It was painted in September 2013 as part of the Bell Box Murals Project. This summer, StreetARToronto's Outside the Box program is hoping to have local artists paint another 64 traffic signal boxes. Applications are closed and painting will take place between June 22 and 26 so keep your eyes peeled for artists at work.

Community Stewardship

Location: Riverdale Park East
Date photo taken: 13 May 2015

The Community Stewardship Program is a volunteer program run by the City of Toronto's Parks, Forestry and Recreation department. This is a great program for anyone interested in learning more about Toronto's green spaces or who just wants to spend more time in the great outdoors. Participants have the opportunity to get their hands dirty for two hours each week in one of six naturalized park spaces within the city. These are spaces that feature "wild" areas rather than traditional mown and planted areas. They provide habitat for wildlife and often include water management features as well. No prior knowledge is necessary - the program provides lots of on-site training, a range of special workshops throughout the season and each team works with an experienced volunteer leader. Plus volunteers are invited to a year-end corn roast!

Pan Am Path Underpass Mural

Location: Humber River Recreational Trail, where it passes under the 401
Date photo taken: 29 May 2015

The Humber River Recreational Trail has gotten a lot more colourful over the past few weeks. That's thanks in part to the masses of flowers that are blooming along the route but also because a large portion of the trail has been incorporated into the Pan Am Path. From May to mid-August, a series of events is scheduled along this city-spanning path to engage citizens in both art and recreation. Over a nine day period in May, the western side of the underpass was painted with one long mural by a group of three artists, then the weekend of the 23 saw the east side tackled through a graffiti jam attended by a who's who of Toronto street artists. This mural is by vuducatz.