There's no place like home.... home for me being Toronto. A recent query (shout out to Mary from Hail Mary woot woot!) got me thinking about what recommendations I would make for a visitor to my fair city. Whether coming for work or for play, a long time or a little, there are a ton of things to do and see in the T-Dot (gah, did I just say T-dot?) There are about a zillion things about calling Toronto 'home' that make me glad! Here are my top picks for the un-sung heroes...
In my humble opinion, there is no better place to stay when visiting the city than the Fairmont Royal York. It is located smack dab in the centre of downtown, right across the street from transportation hub Union Station, and fricken GORGEOUS! I cannot do the place justice without dedicating one whole post to it, so do yourselves a favour and check out their website! Ah-May-Zing. Ever since I was a little girl, I have said that I would someday LIVE here full-time right at the top behind the lettering at the top of the building.
Speaking of Union Station, one of my absolute favourite things to do is to sit in Union in the Great Hall and people watch. Making myself a part of the landscape, being in a place that has seen so many people start or finish their grand adventures, its easy to feel like I am part of something much bigger than myself. Everyone should feel that way at least once a day I think... its good for the soul (and ego!)
Designed in part by Cellist Yo Yo Ma, Toronto's Music Garden is a nice scoop of serenity in the heart of the city. The whole garden is 'composed' as it were, to mimic a piece of classic music. There is a Prelude, an Allemande, Courante, and so on and so forth. If you start at the Prelude, and follow the signs, you experience the garden as you would experience Bach's First Suite for an Unaccompanied Cello. It is pretty divine. And its remarkably purdyyyy too!
Toronto isn't exactly well-known for its waterfront, but we are trying to change that, I swear! Its a good thing, too, because along the waterfront there are so many places to sit and relax, and enjoy the boats coming in and out of the harbours. I wish the up-loading of my pictures didn't cause them to be so squishy, because in my original image you can just make out the faintest ripple on the water even under the ice (I took this picture a week ago, and sadly, yes, in the middle of March we still have snow and ice!). So calming. The second picture shows one of the 'Wave Decks' that are currently being constructed. I feel it in my fingers that these will be wonderful places to relax come summer. I am a huge hype-er of the Waterfront, because I am currently doing a major thesis project on its development and regeneration. Basically, I am in love with my field site....
There are several buildings in the city that were once used as part of Toronto’s booming industrial and transportation sector that are now being adaptively re-used to house theatres, art galleries, and studio spaces. In the picture above it is possible to see The Power Plant art gallery, which is housed in what used to be a Powerhouse Building in the 1920s. It is also possible to see in the image the enWave Theatre which is in a building that was constructed in 1926 as an ice-house facility. When visiting Toronto, I would highly recommend checking out the offerings at The Power Plant and the enWave. Local talent which bridges past and present? Count me in!
In my humble opinion, there is no better place to stay when visiting the city than the Fairmont Royal York. It is located smack dab in the centre of downtown, right across the street from transportation hub Union Station, and fricken GORGEOUS! I cannot do the place justice without dedicating one whole post to it, so do yourselves a favour and check out their website! Ah-May-Zing. Ever since I was a little girl, I have said that I would someday LIVE here full-time right at the top behind the lettering at the top of the building.
Speaking of Union Station, one of my absolute favourite things to do is to sit in Union in the Great Hall and people watch. Making myself a part of the landscape, being in a place that has seen so many people start or finish their grand adventures, its easy to feel like I am part of something much bigger than myself. Everyone should feel that way at least once a day I think... its good for the soul (and ego!)
Designed in part by Cellist Yo Yo Ma, Toronto's Music Garden is a nice scoop of serenity in the heart of the city. The whole garden is 'composed' as it were, to mimic a piece of classic music. There is a Prelude, an Allemande, Courante, and so on and so forth. If you start at the Prelude, and follow the signs, you experience the garden as you would experience Bach's First Suite for an Unaccompanied Cello. It is pretty divine. And its remarkably purdyyyy too!
Toronto isn't exactly well-known for its waterfront, but we are trying to change that, I swear! Its a good thing, too, because along the waterfront there are so many places to sit and relax, and enjoy the boats coming in and out of the harbours. I wish the up-loading of my pictures didn't cause them to be so squishy, because in my original image you can just make out the faintest ripple on the water even under the ice (I took this picture a week ago, and sadly, yes, in the middle of March we still have snow and ice!). So calming. The second picture shows one of the 'Wave Decks' that are currently being constructed. I feel it in my fingers that these will be wonderful places to relax come summer. I am a huge hype-er of the Waterfront, because I am currently doing a major thesis project on its development and regeneration. Basically, I am in love with my field site....
There are several buildings in the city that were once used as part of Toronto’s booming industrial and transportation sector that are now being adaptively re-used to house theatres, art galleries, and studio spaces. In the picture above it is possible to see The Power Plant art gallery, which is housed in what used to be a Powerhouse Building in the 1920s. It is also possible to see in the image the enWave Theatre which is in a building that was constructed in 1926 as an ice-house facility. When visiting Toronto, I would highly recommend checking out the offerings at The Power Plant and the enWave. Local talent which bridges past and present? Count me in!
During the Great Famine in Ireland the Toronto Harbour was one of the busiest ports in Canada, alive with the bustle of Irish immigrants who came seeking refuge and hope. Renowned sculpture Rowan Gillespie created the tribute above to commemorate all those who did not survive the voyage, as well as to celebrate the tenacity and spirit of those who did. One of my favourite places in the entire city, Gillespie's figures are placed beside the wheat silos of the Canada Malting Company. Despite the fact that the silos have not actually held any grain since the closure of the building in the early 1980s, the juxtaposition of famine and abundance is still striking. For me, it is a place to reflect and be thankful for what I have been blessed with, and a place to think about how I can help those who are less fortunate than myself.
There are so many more places that I would love to share, but I fear this post is already ridiculously long. Maybe a Part Deux will come somewhere down the line! All pictures in today's post are from my very own camera (oops, aside from the one of the Royal York), so feel free to ask any questions about where they were taken or what not. I'm a huge fan of Black and White photography PS... but I swear I'm not pretentious hahaha.
ok, i linked you!
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