Toronto has grand and historical hotels (the Royal York and The King Edward are particular stand out beauties). We also have many funky art-centred spots – ranging from the sublime gallery filled Gladstone (still feels weird to say that about a place
Streetcar platform (top photo) Aside from a brief stint above highway 401 in most-curious Lastman-land (North York, pre-amalgamation – growing hyper fast), I have always lived in downtown Toronto. I’m a walking guy – no use for a private vehicle – hands-off,
Every town should have one (top photo) I’m pretty sure that every great town has a few great markets in it – and somehow we are attracted to them deeply, without often stopping to think about their extraordinary cultural inertia. I will
And then there’s barrel-vaulting (top photo) Transit in Toronto and the region is one of the most contentious issues there is – we have had tons of misfires, multi-decade fights and studies of studies (even studies of why there are so many
One of the ways that writing reminds me a lot of thinking about mathematics or science, is that you are forever playing with different ways to arrange dynamically-related ideas (characters) – but you always have to provide some credible way-into their relationship,
I don’t like to make a big deal of it, but I have been blue of late – for a combination of very normal human reasons. Stoicism is worth having in your toolkit (and a vanishing art worth demonstrating, in any case),
One of the things I like best about Hamilton, just down the lake from Toronto, is that while it is a serious cultural city, with plenty of working artists, galleries, concert venues and events to celebrate it’s active scene (not to mention
As I mentioned the other day (Pinhead-camera) Catherine and I had a lovely day-trip with her father Neville to see the Hamilton steam museum last week. The museum consists of five structures which went into operation in 1860 – and the exquisite
Nathan Phillips square, right in front of Toronto city hall, is beautifully used for practically everyone nowadays – we can hear top quality international jazz acts for free during Jazz-fest (or pay to be inside the tent, on much nicer non-concrete seats),
Carnival at the Rink, Ottawa – 1881 – (Top photo) Born in Paisley, Scotland, Willian Notman moved to Montreal in 1856 when he was thirty, and set up a photography studio. He began with official commissions to document important construction projects, but
Puffin and prancing (plover?) pals (top photo) One of my favourite things to do at the museum when I was a kid was draw – the animals held a particular fascination – where else are you going to get a lion to
I really was fascinated by libraries and museums when I was a kid. I even made a tiny museum of my own, complete with an illustrated card catalog for each of the exhibits, including acquisition-date and provenance. Most were of particular interest
Had a truly lovely expedition this weekend to the Royal Ontario Museum – with my adventure buddy Nada, and also three new friends, Evelyn, Keith and their smart and charming daughter Isabel – which made the whole day a great deal more
I love my town, and I’m incredibly curious about the world, but I generally avoid super-popular touristy things, because so many feel overcrowded, over-managed and overly dumbed-down. (And yes, I may also be just a teensy bit cantankerous) ;o) HOWEVER – Nada’s
I don’t this point can be made often enough – tacky, eclectic, oddball, low-rent, artsy and/or just plain freaky storefronts are by-far the best for both musing and photography. Nor is this for such an entirely obvious reason as that old mean-comedy
When I was a kid, we had a knife-sharpener man who would walk up and down every street in the neighbourhood every couple of weeks, ringing his bell in a very particular way (you never mistook the sound for anything else). He
I have yet to encounter any tradition with deep mysticism and insight at it’s core, which does not recommend a variation of the meditation of infinite-regression – that is, that (sometimes inspiring, and sometimes irritating) childhood state of asking why, where, how,
I’ve been fond of a great many cats over the years, but I think Moe, who was a really nifty puffball orange kitten who used to wake me up by licking my eyelids, and ran away when I was eight, was probably
Some days you take hundreds of shots to get dozens of useful ones – and some days you shoot a couple dozen – and get a dozen good ones anyhow. Sweet deal. Of course, I’m always especially pleased when really extreme lighting
When you see a big collection of them all in one place like this, it’s tempting to think of these light craft, many of which are available for rent right in the middle of the busiest tourist section of the harbourfront (active
The artsy Queen West scene was always a curious mix, even back in the eighties, with the new music Rivoli, Cameron House, and Horseshoe tavern balanced by neighbourhood institutions which served the working artists (not yet driven out by high rents) like
Go as far back as you like in urban history – right to square-one if you want – there was always a square involved. I bet they even did temporary art installations at Sumer. Nuit blanche is an odd tradition in Toronto