The Big Smoke

From The Archives

An everyday sort of image from a trip to TO a couple of years ago.

I'm a sucker for photographing transit and transit riders.

The Big Smoke ...

… 'Toronto the good', TO or whatever you want to call it I was in Toronto, Ontario for about 2 hours.

The boardwalk

I walked down to the lake and back to check out Becky's photos. Becky was on the train from Vancouver. She collaborated with several other area photographers to create this installation at the Harbour Front. 

Gulls posing in front of Lake Ontario and Toronto Island and ...

 … whatever

Frank O. Gehry

A bonus of taking the train trip to Toronto was the chance to have a look at the new Frank Gehry building.

Frank Gehry was born in Toronto. The renovation and expansion of the Art Gallery of Ontario, aka, the AGO, is his first and only project in Canada.

I was shocked by the treatment of the front of the building, and not in a good way. But I included the above shot because I really like Toronto's streetcars, the Red Rockets. The rear view of the AGO is another story. 

I'd be taking a lot of shots of this view if I lived in Toronto. 

To my surprise another major architectural landmark has been built in Toronto since my last visit. The Sharp Centre for Design is right next to the AGO. It is hardly possible to be looking at the AGO and not have the Sharp Centre in your view as well, which strikes me as a less than ideal juxtaposition for the sake of the architects but I don't know that they have any problem with it. 

I'd be taking a whole bunch of shots of this building too if I lived in TO. You can explore Toronto by checking out Rob's Inukshuk Adventure, or Steve's Toronto Daily Photo. 

Architect: Will Alsop

Completed: 2004

Pictures of an art gallery will substitute for the regularly scheduled Public Art Day shot this week only.

I'm away from home until Dec. 16. The next few days will have boring old holiday snaps from Ottawa, Toronto or somewhere between them and Vancouver.