Spiders

Location: Niagara - King West neighbourhood

Date photo taken: 26 October 2017

Spiders are big for me this Hallowe'en.  Not sure why. So here's a pic from a few years ago. I want to know where that giant spider lives the rest of the year.

If you want a good Hallowe'en read, I can recommend Web by John Wyndham. While not his best work, it's creepy and it sticks with you. 

Display of early ceramics

Location: 351 King St. E.

Date photo taken: 13 February 2019

This collection of early ceramics represents some of the finds uncovered during the extensive archaeological excavations carried out a few blocks away, in the lot at the corner of Front and Jarvis. Four other recessed display cases feature other finds, such as coloured bottles and an early light bulb. Easy to overlook, the displays can be found in the pedestrian pass-through on the ground floor of the Globe and Mail Centre on King, just west of Berkeley. Reassuring signage near the door proclaims "Open to the Public - Archaeological Display in lobby." 

Tiger at the Vet

Location: south wall of 170 Main Street, at Gerrard

Date photo taken: 20 February 2016

In October 2012 a new mural appeared at Gerrard and Main. It featured figures engaged in martial arts, which was fitting given that the building was the home of DeSantos Martial Arts, owned and operated by Veronica DeSantos, taekwondo and karate master and a member of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. When the gym moved up the street, the mural stayed. Some adjustments have been made to the doors however. The original mural elements have been painted over and each door now sports a fierce creature - a tiger in this case - along with a yin and yang symbol comprised of a dog and cat, the logo for the building's new tenant, Main Street Veterinary Clinic.

Sumach Silhouette

Location: Sumach Street, north of Eastern

Date photo taken: 23 July 2016

Running up the curve of Sumach from Eastern Avenue is a long fence-like sculpture filled with images of Toronto, past and present. Starting with forests and indigenous structures near Eastern, as you move north you begin to encounter settler ships, log houses, carriages and eventually the buildings that would come to define the city. While some call it the Sumach Silhouette, the official name is Site Specific. It was commissioned by Waterfront Toronto and created by sculptors Scott Eunson and Marianne Lovink. It consists of complimentary panels of corten and stainless steel, with lighting between the two, making this piece even more dramatic after dark.

Adelaide Court House

Location: Basement of Terroni, 57 Adelaide St. E.

Date photo taken: 31 July 2019

The building that currently houses Terroni on Adelaide once served up something very different than pizza. The three-storey structure, fronted by four commanding pillars, was built in 1852-3 to serve as the County of York's third courthouse, and it is one of the few pre-Confederation buildings still to be found in the city. The basement still boasts the cells that once held prisoners awaiting their time in court, although today they house washrooms and wine cellars. How many people who eat in the lovely back garden know that Toronto's last public hanging occurred in that very courtyard? The building also has ties to Canadian culture, having served as an early home of The Arts & Letters Club of  Toronto during a key ten year period, which saw, among other things, the formation of the Group of Seven.

Inside Out Project

Location: East wall of the school near Broadview and Dundas

Date photo taken: 14 August 2019

Running down the entire eastern wall of this school on Dundas Street East is a double row of large black and white photographs. The portraits were facilitated by the Inside Out Project, a global program designed to engage people with art and their communities. 

High Strung

Location: King Street just west of Jarvis
Date photo taken: 13 August 2019

This fun and colourful new seating area on King Street is one of several new “parklets” that have popped up this summer along the King Street Transit Priority Corridor, which is the stretch of King between Bathurst and Jarvis. The parklets are installed in former parking spaces along the route, providing a place to sit and relax, and some are even programmed with activities and art. Chosen through a design competition held by the City, High Strung was designed and built by the landscape architecture team at Brook McIlroy.

P.S. The King Street pilot project is a pilot no longer. On April 16, 2019, City Council voted to make the changes permanent.