Tahlequah

Location: Laneway south of D'Arcy, east of Beverley
Date photo taken: 4 September 2018

This mural, the second to be featured from Womxn Paint's 2018 laneway event, is by sisters Chief Lady Bird and Aura. It is a tribute to Tahlequah, an orca mother living off the Pacific coast of Canada, who mourned her dead calf by carrying it with her for 17 days.

The next #womxnpaintto mural jam is happening soon, this time in North Etobicoke. Watch for artists at work on Finch between Kipling and Islington on the weekend of July 12-14.

Tetris

Location: Yonge Street
Date photo taken: 23 February 2017

A not great picture of a simple but oh so awesome window treatment on Yonge Street, posted to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the release of Tetris. Crazy! Yes, it was originally released in June 1984. This window belongs to the Riddle Room, a game cafe which also offers 4 different escape room experiences.

What's this?

Location: Distillery District
Date photo taken: 7 June 2019

Three huge, glowing white forms, humanoid but alien, have landed in the Distillery District. We are all encouraged to interact with them. One is even called Poke, but only gently please. These figures are part of a larger art project known as Fantastic Planet, the creation of Amanda Parer and Parer Studios, the ones responsible for the huge bunnies that intruded upon Brookfield Place back in 2016. The inspiration for the project was the stop motion film of the same name from 1973. Toronto isn't the only city these figures will be visiting. Over the summer they will also make appearances in Bilbao, Central Queensland and L.A. They'll be hanging out in the Distillery until July 31.

Ka'Wine & Dine

Location: Queen Street East

Date photo taken: 2 June 2019

Last week, Toronto made history. The first NBA finals game ever played outside the United States was won right here. It might have taken 24 years, but the Toronto Raptors are in the finals. A huge factor in this impressive achievement is Kawhi Leonard, who the Raptors acquired last summer. The problem is, he's a free agent after this season and most reports indicate he wants to return home to California. Sports fans in the city want him to stay here. Ka'wine & Dine is one of the creative ways businesses across the city are showing their love. By placing one of these decals in their window, they are promising to provide free meals to Kawhi for life if he stays here next year. Other businesses have taken the campaign and added their own twist (the one by the Adult Safe Hockey League is one of my favourites). If you're not a business, you can still show your love by making a donation to a charity supported by the "Give back for Kawhi" campaign.