February 2009 Archives

Ramp at City Hall

By
Chris
on February 28, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
The Ramp at City Hall.jpg

You know, I've been going to City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square since I was a youngster (oh, so many years ago).  But I've never seen this ramp opened.  What was it put there for? What do they use it for? Do they ever open it up? Enquiring minds want to know.

Long Branch Car

By
Chris
on February 27, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Long Branch Car.jpg

When I think about it, I'm always astonished that the Queen Street streetcar goes all the way to Long Branch - that's out by the bottom of Highway 427. When I lived out there, I thought it was the boonies.  Way out in the sticks.  But now, I could hop on the streetcar at the end of my street, and take a ride all the way there, passing through downtown.  Hell, someone from that part of the city could, without changing streetcars, go from Highway 427 all the way to the Beach area of the city.

Speak From The Heart

By
Chris
on February 26, 2009 7:48 AM | | Comments (0)
Speak From The Heart.jpg

Taking a break to read at the bottom of the escalators, in the Eaton Center. 

Goodbye Mookie

By
Chris
on February 25, 2009 1:53 PM | | Comments (2)
Goodbye, Mookie.jpg


Goodbye Mookie 2.jpg
1989-2009
She was a good cat.



Waiting for the Zamboni

By
Chris
on February 24, 2009 7:46 AM | | Comments (0)
Waiting for the Zamboni.jpg

Do you think that these kids are eager, waiting for the zamboni to finish resurfacing the ice?  Taken at Nathan Philips Square, on Family Day. 

Walking the Dog

By
Chris
on February 23, 2009 8:37 AM | | Comments (0)
Walking The Dog.jpg

Taking the dog for a walk in Dundas Square. 

Green on Queen

By
Chris
on February 21, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Green on Queen.jpg

Gothic Clock

By
Chris
on February 20, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Gothic Clock.jpg

This is the clocktower on the library at the corner of Queen St and Saulter.  The building is one of those leftovers from an age where buildings were supposed to convey a feeling, instead of just show how efficient they are.

Bee on a Pole

By
Chris
on February 19, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Bee on a Pole.jpg
The bee, like Prometheus, was chained to a rock for all eternity, as punishment for it's sin of bringing honey to mortals.  Or maybe it was just put there so that whoever lost it could find it again.  One or the other.

Highway to Hell

By
Chris
on February 18, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Highway to Hell.jpg

At Dundas and Yonge, this guy was trying - really hard - to get his point across.  The folks around him didn't seem to be listening, much, though.  I often wonder what makes people like this want to do that - go out and be a solitary voice, preaching their message to the uncaring crowd.  You'd think they'd come up with a better way to do it. 

Skating on Family Day

By
Chris
on February 17, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Skating on Family Day.jpg

It was a wonderfully bright day, and it seems like everyone was down at Nathan Philips Square, skating on the outdoor rink.  When we arrived, the ice was in the process of getting resurfaced, so by the time this young lady got to skate, it was a pretty clean surface.

City Hall Reflections

By
Chris
on February 16, 2009 10:55 PM | | Comments (0)
City Hall Reflections.jpg
City Hall is such a unique structure - it's recognizable throughout the world, and it's been a stand-in for alien buildings in at least one Star Trek:TNG episode that I can remember.  I love the reflections of the afternoon sun that you can see on the west tower.

Effective Sign II

By
Chris
on February 15, 2009 4:56 PM | | Comments (0)
Effective Sign II.jpg
Yet another tremendously effective parking sign.  Of course, I don't expect everyone to follow every sign - I'm just amused when I see something done so blatantly. 

Witteveen's Organic Meats

By
Chris
on February 14, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Witteveen's Organic Meats.jpg
I had to drop by the St. Lawrence Market the other night, and I arrived there just as they were getting ready to close up for the day.  It's *so* different to see the place without many people in it.  I love shopping at St. Lawrence Market - you can find all kinds of different foods, usually from more than one place.  Witteveen's is a great butcher shop, with some truly awesome stuffed pork chops and pork roasts. On a Saturday morning, this hallway will be lined with people waiting to be served, and filled with people going from one area to another in the market.

Tulips on Queen

By
Chris
on February 13, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Tulips on Queen.jpg
It's been a dreary winter so far - too much snow, slush and muck.  So, it was nice to see the flowers outside for Valentine's Day.  Bright colors and green leaves make a nice antidote to the gloom.

Duckflight

By
Chris
on February 11, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (1)
DuckFlight.jpg

Ducks fly past seagulls standing on the the frozen bay down at Cherry Beach. 

Lights at the Beach

By
Chris
on February 10, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Lights at the Beach.jpg

I don't know why there are only four lights like this down at Cherry Beach.  Maybe they only need to light part of the area.  I haven't been down there at night, so I don't know how much of the area is lit by them.  But seeing them, for some reason, reminds me of the song "Cherry Beach Express".  Talk about your flashbacks. :-)

Cherry Beach In Winter

By
Chris
on February 9, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Cherry Beach In Winter.jpg

Bright sunlight and clear skies brought a fair number of people out to Cherry Beach.  I wanted to get a look at what it's like in the winter, so we went for a photowalk down by the beach.  The ice was melting, and these folks were getting a good look at it from the beach, but we saw a few brave souls out on some of the ice.

Into the Sun

By
Chris
on February 8, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Into The Sun.jpg

The sunset was gorgeous, especially in the gloomy dead of winter.  Fortunately, it predicted a wonderfully warm (if wet) weekend.  I love it when we get sunny days in the winter.  They're too rare by far, though.

Smokestack and Mirrors

By
Chris
on February 7, 2009 3:34 PM | | Comments (0)
Smokestack and Mirrors.jpg

Taken from University Ave, south of Queen St.  I love the light on the mirrored windows of the buildings.

Winter Parking

By
Chris
on February 6, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Winter Parking.jpg

One of the harder things about winter biking is finding a parking spot.  And leaving the bike to go do something can lead to snow cover.   Of course, this guy left his bike here for several days in a row. 

High Park Station

By
Chris
on February 5, 2009 3:00 PM | | Comments (0)
High Park Station.jpg

Simcoe Streetscape

By
Chris
on February 3, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Streetscape.jpg
Looking south on Simcoe St. from Queen. 

Fire Truck On Queen

By
Chris
on February 2, 2009 7:00 AM | | Comments (1)
Fire Truck On Queen.jpg
A fire truck races past as I wait for the streetcar to arrive.  I think it's a pumper truck, but I'm not sure - I never really was one of those kids that wanted to be a fireman when I was young.  (Of course, I'm only 5' 9" tall, so I'm a little bit short for that anyways, so it worked out in the end. )

Track Maintenance

By
Chris
on February 1, 2009 4:04 PM | | Comments (0)
Track Maintenance.jpg
You know, before I started taking the streetcar to work every day, I never realized that they had to do anything to the tracks in bad weather.  In this picture, you can see one worker pouring antifreeze into the switch, and the other is sweeping slush and crud out of the mechanism. 

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