Old Man Winter

 

Location: 313 Pharmacy Avenue

Date photo taken: 5 August 2022

The West Scarborough Neighbourhood Community Centre at the edge of Byng Park is decorated all around with colourful murals. It wasn't until I got home and was looking through the photos that I realized that the north wall is devoted to the seasons. I present this one in honour of the snow that has finally fallen.

Love letters to St. Lawrence

Location: Corner of Front and Frederick streets

Date photo taken: 16 February 2023

The  St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association marked its 40th anniversary on February 14, and to celebrate, it fully embraced the Valentine's Day vibe by putting up 10 oversized love letters around the  neighbourhood. Each describes a wonderful thing about this part of the city, like this one, posted outside the Young People's Theatre.

Community members, visitors and tourists were also invited to write their own letters, describing what they like best about this, the oldest part of the city. The goal was to generate 1000 letters which would then be hidden around the neighbourhood "to spread the love and share the gratitude so many have" for this area. The idea comes from Toronto writer and arts educator Lindsay Zier-Vogel, who first created the Love Lettering Project back in 2004. 

If you missed the letter-writing parties, you can still get in on the celebration. Just find one of the love letter posters, take a photo and post it to Instagram for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate. Full details are available on the Association's Facebook page.

Garage Heart

Location: Cayley Lane

Date photo taken: 7 January 2023

This painted garage is definitely the highlight of Cayley Lane, which otherwise doesn't have much going on. Presented here in honour of Valentine's Day. 

 

TD Rabbit

 

Location: above Bay and Front Streets

Date photo taken: 25 January 2023

The TD sign, now such a visible part of the city's night sky, first appeared in 2000. That was when TD Bank purchased Canada Trust and took over their building at 161 Bay Street, replacing their logo with the TD shield. At that time, the four sides of the sign were made up of a collection of 325 green and white neon tubes. In 2020, a major renovation was begun to convert the sign to LEDs which made the sign both brighter and more energy efficient. It also allows the display to be programmed to show things other than the logo. Like this rabbit, which commemorates the start of the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese calendar.

No Exit

Location: South Kingsway and Morningside Avenue

Date photo taken: 11 November 2021

As someone who considers walking a hobby, I've always taken No Exit signs with a grain of salt. Unless I'm in a hurry, I usually don't mind risking a bit of backtracking, just to see where the road leads. That's not to say that I don't find the single-minded focus of the signs annoying. At one point I even considered making little Ampelmännchen decals to slap on signs that provided incorrect information to pedestrians, but discovered I was too short to apply them. Now, thanks in large part to the efforts of Walk Toronto, a pedestrian advocacy group, the City of Toronto has changed its approach to these signs. Starting in 2021 they began installing versions which provide greater clarity regarding the types of egress possible. With over 450 locations of inaccurate signage identified by Walk Toronto, its likely going to take a while to switch them all, but every new addition makes a difference. 

Architectural Timeline

Location: Near the north east corner of Church and King

Date photo taken: 19 July 2020

St. James Park, spreading north and east beyond the Cathedral Church of St. James at King and Church, is one of the larger green parks in the heart of the downtown core. Starting in 2018 it underwent a revitalization. As part of the plan, each of the four corners of the park, dubbed the entry plazas, were given special attention. This new bench sits at the south west corner of the park, near the front entrance to the cathedral. The back support features a depiction of various architectural elevations from the area through time, rendered in bronze. It's the work of artist Scott Eunson. 

Baldwin Better Built Bungalow

Location: 58 Dewey Drive

Date photo taken: 21 March 2017

This tidy bungalow on Dewey Drive probably looks very much as it did when it was first built back in the early 1950s. The "cut-stone front under picture window" and "sidewalk to curb" mentioned in a November 1953 advertisement from the Toronto Daily Star are still clearly evident, although the "gravel drive" has been paved. Interior highlights listed included modern L-shaped living and dining room, 14-ft kitchen with loads of cupboards, including broom closet, lino-tile floors to purchaser's choice of colors, ceramic tile counters and splashback, 4-piece ceramic tile bathroom with double medicine cabinet, electric light fixtures, stove cable, fruit cellar, steel beam construction, divided basement, and economical hot air heating. With all that, the 6-room, 1.5 storey bungalows could be had for $2,650 down, and a total price of $12,090. Other enticements to move to this new subdivision, dubbed Maryvale Gardens, included spacious lots, paved roads and sewers paid for, plus a short commute to Toronto.