Happy New Year!

Location: The Bay Queen Street
Date photo taken: 23 December 2015

Whether you get all decked out to ring in the new year or celebrate in your pjs, have a wonderful New Year's Eve and a healthy, happy and productive 2016.

Distillery District Christmas Tree

Location: Distillery District
Date photo taken: 23 December 2015

The Toronto Christmas Market in the Distillery may be over for another year, but many of the decorations, including the stunning Christmas tree, are still place. This massive tree is kept securely in place by a substantial metal and concrete base, a permanent fixture which extends over four feet into the ground and which most of the year sits quietly hidden, covered over by bricks.

Happy Holidays!!

Christmas at MetroCentre

Location: MetroCentre, 225 King St. W.

Date photo taken: 16 December 2015

Usually holiday displays for me are all about the lights, but for this display at MetroCentre, the lights are only part of it. I love how the elongated structure of the lights mirrors the decorative column which is normally the focal point of this space. Lovely.

Castlefield & Caledonia Design & Decor District

Location: Corner of Caledonia and Raitherm Roads
Date photo taken: 10 September 2015

The Castlefield & Caledonia Design & Decor District is not something I had heard of before stumbling into it and seeing these signs. The area is centered around the intersection of Caledonia Rd. and Castlefield Ave., which is slightly north west of Dufferin and Eglinton. As the name suggests, the area is populated with a wide range of design and decor businesses from rug and tile stores to designer outlets and general home stores. Back in 2007 the City of Toronto released a plan for the district which would help provide a framework for future development in the area. The vision for the neighbourhood was "to ensure the area retains the conditions that originally drew the design and décor businesses to the district" including low rents, large open buildings and an industrial look and feel. Some recommendations in the document included the retention of key industrial structures (the Bell communications tower and the gantry structure from an asphalt plant), improving access to the Beltline park, and the creation of gateway entrances and branded signage for the whole district.

Nelson Mandela Tributes

Location: Richmond St. E. just east of Church St.
Date photo taken: 1 December 2014

Harlem Restaurant on Richmond St. E. has turned the door to their patio space into a Memorial Wall. For years it boasted a tribute to Michael Jackson but it currently pays homage to the great Nelson Mandela who passed away in December 2013. The work was done by local artist Naia.

In 2014 the City of Toronto recognized the importance of Mandela's life and legacy by ceremonially dedicating a stretch of University Avenue to his memory. Now between Front St. W. and College St., University Avenue street signs also bear the name of Nelson Mandela Boulevard.