Into The Big Smoke

The Big Smoke is one of several nicknames given to Toronto, capital of the province of Ontario. When I was leaving southern Ontario from my trip, I had time before my train was due to leave, and so went for a walk, both on the surface and using the extensive PATH network that links downtown buildings beneath the ground. My path first led me to Brookfield Place, which I've never been in before.

I passed by the Ed Mirvish Theatre on Yonge Street. It dates back to 1920. At the time of my visit, a production of Anastasia was playing. While I admittedly liked that animated movie, would it be so hard for theatre producers to come up with original works as opposed to adapting movies or putting together a story based on a rock album?

No, that's just too much work.

Just up the street is Yonge-Dundas Square. It is in my opinion the most hideous piece of real estate in the country: garish billboards everywhere, visual clutter. I didn't notice until I was putting this post together that the old Sam the Record Man sign, which once stood nearby here, now stands on a building rooftop here.

These two shots are inside the nearby Eaton Centre mall.

The geese sculpture set is at one end. Flight Stop is an installation by Michael Snow.

Here we have the city's war memorial, standing outside Old City Hall.

Old City Hall is now used as a courthouse. It stands near the present City Hall, and is here in the background at Nathan Phillips Square. The reflecting pool presently hosts skating.

Here we have a view of the present city hall. I vastly prefer the architecture of the old one.

Moving along, I passed by Osgoode Hall nearby. Its origins date back to 1829, and today it houses courtrooms and the offices of the Law Society of Ontario.

I took another shot of it on my way back from the furthest point I'd gone to.

University Avenue is one of the big north-south roads of the city, and it's close by. Here in the centre of the avenue is a monument for the South African War, with the grand Canada Life building to the left. This monument was designed by Walter Allward and dedicated in 1910. A decade later he would set to work on his masterpiece, the Vimy Ridge memorial in France.

Older And Newer

Picking up where I left off, the Four Seasons Centre For The Performing Arts is home to the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. I passed by it walking back towards the City Hall area. Posters for upcoming productions were on a wall.

I came back to Nathan Phillips Square, the space out on the south part of the Toronto City Hall complex. From here I photographed Old City Hall from a different angle, with the reflecting pool at left. The square is named for a former mayor of the city (and may such an honour never be bestowed upon the late crack smoking boozehound former mayor of the city, Rob Ford, who at last report was burning in hell, complaining about the lack of crack, prostitutes, and booze).

Then I moved a few metres further and photographed New City Hall with the Toronto sign. No doubt this same view is photographed millions of times in a given year. 

There's a stage set up in the square. A couple of performers were on it while I was here. There were a good more people in the square than this shot might let on.

I still vastly prefer Old City Hall. The architecture is more appealing. There's more of a sense of history to this building, of grandeur. A ghost story or two lying within certainly adds to all that.

A war memorial stands out on the south side of the building commemorating those who have fallen in war and in military service.

Some of the details in the architecture are astonishing. Have a look at those faces up near the top of this shot.

Back in the Eaton Centre, this shirt in a shop caught my eye.

And in a nearby subway station, bas relief carvings were on the walls. Tomorrow we have a look inside the Church Of The Holy Trinity.

Three Landmarks

Continuing on with my wanderings around Toronto. This is Old City Hall, a Romanesque civic building that housed city council from 1899-1966, and which today serves as a courthouse. It stands near the New City Hall, which is far less picturesque. 

A short walk away lies Osgoode Hall, which has its roots dating back to 1828 as a law school, and also serves in other legal capacities, hosting courts at a higher level and a law library. It has been expanded on over time. 

To the west lies University Avenue, a wide street that hosts a number of monuments on the traffic islands that make up the middle of the street. Here, with the iconic Canada Life Building at left, is the South African War Memorial, designed by Walter Allward, who years later would create the Vimy Memorial in France.

A historic plaque is near the base commemorating Allward. Apparently it contains a mistake, as Emanuel Hahn  actually studied under him as opposed to the other way around.