Clockwork Bees II

Location: Queen St. E. at Saulter

Date photo taken: 5 January 2017

One thing that can be said for our wet spring is that we now have an abundance of beautiful flowers around the city. Even on the balcony, my flowers are thriving and they are already attracting bees. Which reminded me of the various gorgeous Nick Sweetman murals around the city, as they often feature bees. This fellow is from the same mural I featured back in July 2017. The clock element resonates as I bide my time and wait for the city to reopen. 

Foxes

Location: Corner of Sherbourne and Linden
Date photo taken: 28 November 2017

The Boardwalk in the Beaches isn't the only place in Toronto to see foxes. While not as fuzzy as the kits that have caused such a sensation this spring, these foxes are much easier to snap a pic with. Part of a multi-piece installation by Toronto-based artist Eldon Garnet, these foxes can be found in the grounds around the historic James Cooper House, which now serves as amenity space for the adjoining condominium tower. They aren't alone. Other animal pairs can also be found, creatively placed around the small space.

Wexford Heights

Location: Lawrence and Crockford

Date photo taken: 27 February 2017

Wexford Heights stretches along Lawrence Avenue between Victoria Park and Birchmount and is part of the larger Wexford / Maryvale neighbourhood in Scarborough. The local BIA was formed in 2004 and the jewel in their crown is the Taste of Lawrence Festival. Celebrated each year in July, it is Scarborough's largest street festival and as the name implies, food plays a central role in the festivities.

I admit when I took this picture, it was as much about the butterflies attached to the post as it was about the Wexford Heights sign. These critters were made by AC Waterjet Inc., a business located just down the road. They also have some much larger creatures on display next to their showroom but that's for another post.

Toronto Reference Library

Location: 789 Yonge Street
Date photo taken: 19 September 2013

It's no secret that I love the Toronto Public Library. While we can't currently visit them, the system has 100 branches which are as diverse as the city itself. They include beautiful Beaux Arts branches built with grant money from Andrew Carnegie and small storefronts tucked into strip malls. Then there's this grand and airy gem designed by Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama. In addition to housing the bulk the of the library's reference collection, the Reference Library also includes the TD Gallery, special collections such as the Baldwin Collection of Canadiana and the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, a Digital Innovation Hub and countless spaces for lectures, talks, workshops, classes and more.

Even in these days of closures and social distancing, the library is still making books, movies and music available to Torontonians through their digital channels.

Passing on the TTC

Location: Bessarion TTC station

Date photo taken: 14 July 2019

Again this week an image that references people. Sort of. The work is by Montreal born, Toronto based artist Sylvie Bélanger. The tiled photo collages which together are called "Passing" are found throughout Bessarion station. The entrance floor is where you will find this section, and other legs and feet. Go down a level to the platform and you find lots of heads. At first the placement puzzled me, but once I got beyond simple anatomy (head high, feet low) I saw a logic to the presentation. The upper concourse is where people are in motion, coming and going, and there is space to move. On the platform, things can get more crowded, and more often than not, your view is limited to the backs of the heads in front of you. Although from what I hear, crowding isn't exactly a problem at this particular station.

Fun fact: In the 2018 ridership statistics (the latest currently available on the TTC website) Bessarion station typically sees 2990 customers coming or going on an average weekday. While this number is pretty low, it's not the least travelled station in the system. Ellesmere, Midland and Downsview Park all see fewer patrons. 

Toronto Trees

Location: Allan Gardens, Gerrard close to Sherbourne
Date photo taken: 18 August 2015

There are several areas in the city where it is possible to visit some truly spectacular trees. In honour of Earth Day, here is a personal favourite. Allan Gardens, along with being home to a beautiful conservatory, also houses over 300 trees. Not bad for a modestly sized urban park.

The City of Toronto has embraced its urban forest and is attempting to grow its tree canopy. Permits are required to remove trees, even, in some cases, on private property, and in the decade between 2008 and 2018, the city invested over $600 million in maintaining and growing its urban forest. City estimates put the overall canopy at approximately 30 percent. Treepedia, a project by MIT's Senseable City Lab, uses a different metric. Rather than measuring the tree cover from above, they take a pedestrian view to measure how many trees can be perceived on city streets. They call their score the Green View Index. By this metric, Toronto scores 19.5%. The lower number likely reflects the relatively large percentage of Toronto trees that grow in parks, ravines and backyards. For comparison, New York has a score of 13.5% and Montreal scores 25.5%.

City People

Location: Beside the RBC building, Front and Bay
Date photo taken: 3 November 2012

I think the selection of this image was definitely influenced by a slight case of cabin fever. I have been avoiding going out lately. Even my short morning walks were forsaken a few weeks ago because in my neighbourhood, there are just too many people to dodge around. And yet, I am still drawn to people. I especially like to stand on my balcony and watch people walk their dogs. There is a terrier in my building and his morning walk is easily the highlight of my day.

Enough about me. This piece is called City People and it's by the American artist Catherine Widgery. It's an early public work for her and it varies quite significantly from her more recent installations, which is perhaps why it has been excluded from the catalogue featured on her website. I love these figures however. They are basically to scale and just so normal. And despite having been installed in 1989, they are just vague enough to remain timeless. There is extra charm to viewing them in person, as a few are on poles and change their routines based on the wind.