Toronto

2264 miles.  631 photos.  14 days.  1 broken chair.  My holiday trip back to Toronto was by all means a success, and there were some memorable moments worth telling.

First, the funny story.  I spent new years eve with Stephen, who graciously opened up his condo to me and 23 of his closest friends for festive fun.  Stephen and I decided that we would repeat a feat we last performed together in 1990; we would jump off of chairs “into” the new year.  I ambled up onto my folding chair seconds before the year ticked over.  Crouching down in anticipation of my leap … the chair collapsed!  I “fell” into 2009, to the great amusement of everyone around me.

An now … a few memorable photos.

Trans Canada Highway

The sight of the Trans Canada Highway always pleases me.  I’m proud to have driven much of it from British Columbia to Quebec.  I took this shot when I was wandering through central Ontario; this particular sign was just east of the Scotch Burial Ground near Manilla, Ontario.  The “Central Ontario Route” refers to this particular segment of the highway; in many provinces (including Ontario) there are multiple sections of the highway, aptly named.

Poutine

Poutine.  For the uninitiated, poutine is french fries covered in cheese curds and doused in hot beef gravy.  If you’re thinking “eewwwww … gross!”, you’re clearly not Canadian.  And you haven’t tried poutine yet.  No trip back to Canada is complete without poutine–preferably bought from a roadside stand like the one I stopped at in Manilla, Ontario.

Fleming College Windmill

My alma mater, Sir Sandford Fleming College (now known simply as “Fleming College”) has undergone a lot of changes since I studied there in 1997/1998. Noteworthy are the expansions to the Frost Campus (housing the School of Natural Resources), including this windmill.  I had the urge to wave my finger at young students and bellow out in my best old-fogey voice, “I remember when this was just a dirt field!”, but alas–the place was deserted.  It’s just as well.  :-)

Speaking of Fleming College …

The York Tavern

The York Tavern is one of the pubs frequented by Fleming College students and Lindsay townfolk alike.  It’s a classic small-town Canadian hotel pub; the kind that sees many, many gallons of beer pass over its patrons’ lips every night.  I spent many hours in this place, and have a lot of good memories.  I tried to get a peek through the smoked windows but couldn’t make out much (nothing photo-worthy), so this rather bland exterior shot will have to suffice.

The Fenelon

Then it was up to Fenelon Falls, Ontario.  I actually didn’t spend much time in Fenelon Falls in my youth, and I rather regret it.  It’s a picturesque town on the banks of one of the rivers comprising the Trent Severn Waterway, and it’s the kind of place that gets really busy during the warm green months.  I found the wintery freeze of December becoming of Cameron Street, and wondered how many people this theatre warmed up in the frigid years of yore?

Irvine Johnston

This next shot won’t make much sense unless you attended Brock High School in Cannington, Ontario.  Anyone who has ever driven towards the school from the west has seen this particular grave straddling the edge of the cemetery across from the school.  It’s a peculiarly placed stone – diagonally positioned to make it very visible from the road, and completely separate from the neat rows of graves in the rest of the cemetery.  I decided to take a closer look … and didn’t learn a whole lot.  The fellow buried here is Irvine Johnston, a native of County Fermanagh, Hibernia.  He died on January 17, 1885 at the age of 88 years old.  I found the poem at the bottom of the stone curious; it’s taken from a hymn by Isaac Watts and reads: “Every reason to praise my maker while I had breath / But since my voice is lost to death / Praise shall employ my nobler powers / While imortality endures”.  The top of the stone has something even odder: “The casket lies here the jewel has fled / Purchased by blood on calvary shed”.  Seems a bit odd to me; perhaps some allusion to a transgression that this man committed in life; forgiven by Christ’s crucifixion?  I don’t know what to make of it, but I am rather glad that I’ve taken note of this gravestone after seeing it every morning on my bus ride to high school.

TTC Subway

My trip to Toronto a few days later started with a ride on Toronto’s old faithful TTC subway.  With no blatant offense intended towards the good-hearted attempts at public transportation in the Raleigh/Durham area … it’s a real treat to be back in a city with such an effective public transit system.  I inconspicuously cradled my camera in my lap and took some random shots; I thought this did a nice job of capturing the mood that morning.

Eaton's Centre

The Eaton’s Centre has long been a fixture of the Yonge Street block between Dundas Street and Queen Street, and I was especially delighted to see the renovations that had taken place over the past few years.  I remember coming to the Eaton’s Centre with my parents as a young child, and the place actually hasn’t changed that much.  Sadly, the surrounding area has lost a few fixtures, including the dismantling of the very picturesque Sam the Record Man music store.

Sam the Record Man

Everyone in Toronto knows Sam the Record Man.  Before the “big box” stores like HMV and Tower Records moved in, the de rigeur place to buy music was Sam’s.  Sure, you could occasionally find a rare 45 in the now-defunct Sunrise Records across the street … but Sam’s was unbeatable, and this flagship store was huge.  Sam Sniderman was a Toronto institution like “Honest” Ed Mirvish, and it won’t seem right to not wander the unparalleled selection of music (especially Canadian music) that Sam’s always had on hand.

Yonge Street, Toronto, New Years Eve

New Years Eve.  Yonge Street.  The astute observer will notice the Elephant and Castle to the right; regulars know that this is the intersection of Yonge and Gerrard.  I didn’t make any attempt to keep the camera still in my moving car (don’t try this at home, kids!), but I think the shot works regardless.

In Front of the Tree

Back inside the Eaton’s Centre now.  I thought these two shots did a nice job of showing the grandeur of mall.  The floor plan isn’t nearly as large as some of the modern mega-malls, but the place feels huge.  Its interconnectedness to Toronto’s underground city can make it an even healthier walking experience for the intrepid shopping adventurer.

Eaton's Centre Geese

The geese sculptures in the Eaton’s Centre are rightly famous; they’re an enduring symbol of Canada and have been the subject of innumerable photographs.  I was going to throw this shot out at first, but thought that the blur gives life to an otherwise bland composition.

Downtown Toronto

And lastly: my parting view of the beautiful Toronto cityscape.  I stole this shot with my new Lumix point-and-shoot as I whizzed past on the Queen Elizabeth Parkway; despite the murk and filth on my windshield, it came out OK.  Sometimes photographers simply get lucky!