Royal York hallway

 

Location: Royal York Hotel

Date photo taken: 20 November 2025

As someone who lives in Toronto, the inside of our city's hotels is not something I'm all that familiar with. The lobbies, sure, especially those ones that connect to PATH, but not the floors that have the rooms. So when friends visited recently and stayed at the Royal York, I couldn't resist the urge to look around a bit. For those who are curious, here's the 10th floor hallway of what was once the largest hotel in the British Commonwealth.

Automated Treat Machine

 

Location: TD Terrace, 160 Front St. W.

Date photo taken: 19 December 2025

This is one of the cutest things I've stumbled across in quite some time. It's a scaled down version of a bank machine but the little green paw prints and the canine content on the screens should tip you off that this isn't meant for regular customers. That and the treats that drop into the bowl when the motion sensor is tripped. The Automated Treat Machine was previewed at TD's Tech & Innovation Day conference in May 2024 and later that summer, was installed in the branch on the ground floor of the new TD Terrace building. Next time you're in the neighbourhood with your dog, you might want to pop in to make a withdrawal.

Love Hands

 

Location: King Street east of Bay

Date photo taken: 10 June 2024

This installation for Pride is located on the north terrace of Commerce Court West. It's more than just a fun piece celebrating Pride however, it also channels the power of social media to fundraise for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.  If you happen to visit it, take a snap, share it to Instagram and tag @commerce.court. If you do, QuadReal and Commerce Court will donate $2 to the 519 Community Centre. Hopefully, all those toonies will add up to some serious support for the 519 and their programming.

Yonge Street artifacts

 

Location: Inside 3 Brewers at Yonge and Dundas

Date photo taken: 30 December 2023

These detailed figurines and the more mundane - but still fascinating - items below them are part of a large display hanging on the left wall as you enter the 3 Brewers brewpub on Yonge Street. Displayed are a tiny fraction of the almost 18,000 artifacts unearthed during an extensive archaeological investigation of the property begun in 2006. They are remnants and reminders of the many uses to which the site has been put over the years, starting with a shoemaker in 1843. The buildings now sitting at 275 and 277 Yonge Street were commissioned by John Bugg in 1868 and, according to a City report, "are significant as early surviving examples of the low-scale commercial buildings that are associated with the historical development of Yonge Street." Kudos to the building owners, Prime Properties, for collaborating on the installation of this display, for funding the archaeological assessment and excavations which made it possible, and for the restoration of the building exterior.

Lantern of Love and Peace

 

Location: Nathan Phillips Square

Date photo taken: 14 December 2023

This year the Cavalcade of Lights in Nathan Phillips Square includes a number of softly glowing Chinese lanterns. Most are large spheres adorned with flower patterns, like the ones pictured here, but there is also a much larger, more intricate dragon boat. The lanterns were hand crafted by artisans from Zigong in China’s Sichuan province. They're presented at City Hall thanks to a partnership with Woodside Square Shopping Centre in Scarborough. Last year they hosted a large outdoor Lantern Festival and they've brought it back this year. While you can visit during the day, the lanterns are lit from 4:30 to 9 pm daily. 

Metropolis

 

Location: City Hall

Date photo taken: 1 April 2015

Just inside the main doors of Toronto City Hall, on the east wall, is this large scale work by David Partridge. It's really worth a visit. This image shows the central portion, and it really doesn't do the piece justice. 

The winner of an art competition held in 1974, this "nailie", as it is sometimes called, is the artist's interpretation of a great city, or metropolis, with its central core, its ravines, and its suburbs. It's called a nailie because it's constructed of over 100,000 individual nails, made of different materials and hammered to differing depths. The effect elicits comparisons to both the topography of a city, and to the individuals that inhabit it. As an added bonus, the durable materials allow for perhaps greater interaction than a piece of public art would normally afford. William Denton, as part of "Listening to Art", even drops a coin down through the nails and records the sound as it pings its way to the bottom (jump to about 10:50 to catch the sound).

Water Refill Station

 

Location: PATH, under Bay Adelaide Centre

Date photo taken: 7 September 2023

Noticed this in PATH today and it gave me hope. It's a small thing perhaps, installing a water station, but it's enabling every person who chooses to opt for a refillable water bottle and encouraging those who are still just thinking about making the switch. Plus I love how they're trumpeting its presence with this lovely water scene. This installation is part of Breaking the Plastic Habit, a program by Brookfield Properties, which aims to influence positive change across their Canadian properties.

First World War uniform

 

Location: 426 University Avenue

Date photo taken: 8 November 2018

Did you know that Toronto has literally dozens of museums? As today is International Museum Day, I thought I'd feature an exhibit from one that is perhaps lesser known. This is an Artillery Dress Uniform on display at the Royal Canadian Military Institute Museum (RCMI) on University Avenue. RCMI is an independent member-supported organization but their museum is open to the public, by donation, and tours can be arranged on request. Their collection has over 12,000 artifacts and archival materials, including the seat from World War I flying ace Baron von Richthofen's plane, making it one of the largest museums of military history in Canada. 

Nathan Phillips' sundial

 

Location: Nathan Phillips Square, north west corner

Date photo taken: 1 November 2019

While not immediately obvious, at least to me, this sculptural piece on the north west corner of Nathan Phillips Square is a sundial. Designed by engineer and geophysicist G.R. Johnson, it's six feet in diameter and made of brass. It was a gift to the people of the city from former mayor and namesake of the square, Nathan Phillips. He served the city as alderman for 28 years and then as mayor for eight more, from 1955 to 1962. The international design competition held for the new city hall, which sits adjacent to the Square, was undertaken during his tenure and he was still in office when construction began. Phillips wanted to show his gratitude for being allowed to serve, and he wanted his gift to be something that would be artistic, unusual, functional and permanent and this sundial was the result. It was presented in April 1969.

Norman Bethune

Location: Queen's Park Crescent W. just north of College
Date photo taken: 8 July 2014

This statue, located on the paths leading to the University of Toronto Medical Sciences Building, is relatively new. It was unveiled at the end of May and pays tribute to Canadian physician, humanitarian, and U of T alumni, Norman Bethune. This year marks the 75th anniversary of his death and this statue is part of the university's Bethune Legacy Celebration.

Bethune is depicted wearing traditional Chinese clothing and a stethoscope, which recalls his time spent in China training their medical practitioners and treating the sick and wounded during the Second Sino-Japanese war. This statue, and other Legacy iniatives, were funded through a donation from two Chinese businessmen, Zhang Bin and Niu Gensheng. The sculpture was created by Toronto sculptor David Pellettier.

Literary note: Norman Bethune and his mobile blood banks make an appearance in Matadora, a recent book by Toronto author Elizabeth Ruth.