Scotia Plaza Christmas Tree

Location: Scotia Plaza Atrium, 40 King St. W.
Date photo taken: 30 November 2018

Happy holidays!

Christmas Windows

Location: The Bay, Queen Street windows
Date photo taken: 10 December 2018

Back in October American toy seller FAO Schwarz announced that it was coming to Canada for the first time, just in time for Christmas. They opened pop-up shops in Hudson's Bay stores across Canada and at the Queen Street flagship store, the Christmas windows are branded with FAO Schwarz. The windows, much the same as those unveiled last year, are delightful. They range from fantastical scenes like this one to steampunk visions to views of the city.

Chimney Sweeps

Location: above Young People's Theatre, 165 Front St. E.
Date photo taken: 23 November 2018

I love this rooftop treatment, advertising the current production on stage at Young People's Theatre. Mary Poppins, which has been on stage since November 5, has broken all sales records for this 53 year old company. Onstage until January 6, they've added extra shows over the holiday season so there may still be a chance to catch it. Even if you're not seeing a show, it's worth checking out the building if you're in the neighbourhood. The front windows contain displays of costumes from the 2017 production of Beauty and the Beast.  I particularly love the Mrs. Potts.

RUNT Critters

Location: 1600 Gerrard St. E. at Rhodes

Date photo taken: 20 February 2016

Back in the 1980s Lee's Palace commissioned a mural for the front of their Bloor Street building. The job went to a young artist who was working as a waiter and a Toronto icon was born. Despite the passing of years, Alex Currie, who goes by either RUNT or Al Runt, has stayed true to his style, which he describes as "naiveté, with fart jokes." This detail is not from the repainted Lee's Palace but from an east-end mural - it covers the front and part of the side of the storefront at 1600 Gerrard Street East. 

Road Side Inn

Location: King St. between Church and Jarvis

Date photo taken: 21 November 2018

This is one of eight small display boxes that have appeared along King Street recently. Installed by Open Field Collective, each features a small work of contemporary art. The exhibits change every six weeks, showcasing new artists and new works. This installation, titled "We Used to Eat Here", is by Spencer Barclay, an artist who works in miniature. His scenes are incredibly detailed - this one includes graffiti, and a working train signal lamp.

28 Playter Crescent

Location: Playter Crescent at Playter Blvd.

Date photo taken: 4 December 2017

Image 9 in the Remnants Series

This house, tucked behind its own stone wall and surrounded by mature trees, is in the heart of the neighbourhood north and east of Broadview and Danforth known as Playter Estates. Captain George Playter was a United Empire Loyalist who settled in York in 1793 on a large tract of land which stretched across the Don Valley. This house was built on part of that land in the early 1870s by John Lea Playter, a great grandson of Captain Playter. Originally a dairy farm with market garden, the city soon began to encroach on the property and the family subdivided the land in the early 1900s. This house remained in the Playter family until 2006. After the sale the house underwent massive renovation and while the look of the house has changed, if you look closely you can still see the hallmarks of the traditional Ontario farmhouse.

Traffic Signal Box - $10 Face

Location: Corner of York and Wellington
Date photo taken: 4 September 2018
Image #11 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

In 2018 the Financial District BIA partnered with StART’s Outside the Box program to decorate a selection of traffic signal boxes in the downtown core. They put out a call to artists and from the more than 50 submissions received, chose 5 finalists. Dean Martin was one of those finalists, and this is one of two boxes he designed. Viewed up close, the graphic appears to be simply a pattern of circles, but as you move away, the image resolves into a portrait. Each box features two individuals who have at some point graced the Canadian ten-dollar bill. In his artist’s statement he explains: “… The individuals we choose to feature on our currency are also reflective of nation building; of who we are and how we see ourselves. This perception however, has evolved greatly over the years and nowhere is it more apparent than in the diversity of those we seek to acknowledge and celebrate… This is meant to be more than a one-way journey that simply re-evaluates yesterday’s values versus today’s. It is about standing far enough back to see that character and contribution manifest in different ways and that it can come from anyone, a feature of Canada that make us the envy of the world.” More of his statement can be read here.