Theatre Doors

Lucky me!! Last week I was in Toronto visiting my son and his girl. To my great delight, the city was playing host to its International Film Festival (TIFF).

And I was gifted with a ticket!!

So, while everyone else was busy in their work lives, I made my way to the glorious Winter Garden Theatre to see ‘Collette’ (staring Kiera Knightly) in THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON!!!

And what a place to see a film!!!

Just a little over the top- in the nicest possible way.

I sat beside a woman who bragged she’d been coming to the Festival every year for the past 40 years. (I didn’t even know it was that old!). I confessed, in a very small voice, that this was my first.

By the time I’d emerged from this magical space back onto the hot, humid, busy, gritty Younge Street, I was hooked! Already planning my trip next September to coincide with TIFF. And this time I’ll do the research and take in more shows.

As for the film, Collette, I recommend it. A biopic, celebrating the life of France’s icon female writer. Watch for it! It’s coming!

Celebrating Thursday Doors!

Advertisement

Ascend

I’m cooling my heels in downtown Toronto. Husband is working here and I tagged along for a pre-Christmas visit with my youngest son. And even though I’m sitting pretty high (in a hotel room on the 42nd floor), the view from here has me looking up. Way up.

Toronto’s iconic CN Tower is practically next door. Built in 1976, and the equivalent of a 147 story building, the Tower held the title of the world’s tallest freestanding structure for 32 years. Now, I think, it ranks 9th in the world and 3rd or 4th in the western world. Something like that. Everyone wants to go UP, UP, UP it seems …

If you are so inclined, you can travel by glass elevator – through the channel in the middle of the structure – to the observation deck and dine in a revolving restaurant which obviously offers amazing views.

Last summer, my very brave (crazy?) sister participated in the Sky Walk – in which she paid for the privilege of being strapped in a harness and hung over the side of the building from a platform ABOVE the observation deck!

And at night, the whole thing it’s lit up. I noticed the colour of the elevator shaft moves and changes as the car travels up and down.

These photos are not great. My excuse is that they were all taken through the window from the warm coziness of inside the hotel.

Did I mention it’s a tad chilly here in Toronto this week? A cold snap has descended (after a pretty mild autumn) and it’s been getting colder every day! This morning we woke to -14C, with a wind chill of -27. It feels like -27 out there!!! So! Photos are being taken from inside.

You can see “smoke” off the lake this morning – as the relatively warmer water evaporates off the lake. And if you look very closely, you can see the vapour reach up for the clouds. Mesmerizing pretty … from in here.

WPC – ascend

A Walk Around Toronto – with Thursday Doors!

After last week’s snow stormy extravaganza, I was lucky enough to escape it all and head to Toronto.  

See you later snow banks!

My husband was working in “the big smoke” all week and number two son was also there, visiting his girl during university spring break.  Sometime you just gotta go where your people are. 

And wow!! It was as if we travelled to another country!  Toronto was all sunshine and warm temperatures! Not a snowflake in sight. 

Glorious!

The boy and I explored s bit of the University of Toronto in search of an exhibit at the university Art Gallery.  

The UofT boasts some pretty spectacular doors.

We found our way to the Toronto Stock Exchange, but we’re not brave enough to try the door. 

Together, all four of us took in the Toronto Light Festival in the Distillery District. 

And yesterday we were treated to record-breaking high temperatures – for February. That was good news for me. Not so great for the skaters, who made their way through about an inch of water over the ice. (Nice reflections, though)

We finished with a stroll along the waterfront. Not bad, eh?

Thursday Doors

Curve

Public skating rink at Nathan Phillips Square, in front of the iconic TorontoCity  Hall.  Photo taken on a chilly day last February.

WPC: curve

The Future is Now

I don’t know from cars. Not a thing. And I’m not sufficiently interested to educatate myself.
However.

This Tesla is causing a buzz!!

And by all accounts, it’s justified. Imagine carbon-free transportation! No need to imagine any longer.  This is the Model S as presented at the Toronto Car Show in February.

(We attended for something different to do in an evening – and because the venue is connected to our hotel … A mitigating factor in Toronto in February)

Elon Musk unveiled the Model 3 – designed to make Tesla’s more accessible financially – just a week or so ago.

There is even a Tesla Charging Station up the road from us, in rural Nova Scotia.

Looks as though the future is here.

WPC – Future

One Love

One Love, One Heart, One Destiny – Bob Marley

  
In Toronto’s historic Distillery District you will find this love-lock structure. 

It’s an obvious copy of the idea in Paris where lovers expressed their passion and (presumably) their commitment by attaching a lock to the Pont des Arts and tossing the key into the river. This purpose built structure is designed to hold the weight of the love-locks, unlike Paris where last June officials had the locks removed for fear that the extra weight would compromise the bridge.  

Perhaps not quite as romantic as the Paris love-locks (and just a little contrived), I still think Toronto’s version is charming.  But I wonder…. Where to they toss the keys?

WPC – One Love

Knock! Knock!

These beautiful doors are part of a panelled room on display at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Part of a Canadiana Exhibit, the entire room was removed from an early 19th Century house in Quebec. The beautiful carvings and decorations are reported to be similar to those found in churches of the same age, but what makes this an anomaly is the fact that the room was not found in a manor house or even an urban townhouse – rather it was in a modest farmhouse. I can’t help but think: “hmmmm …there’s a story here….”
For Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors

Waaay Beneath My Feet

  
From the 45th floor of the Delta Toronto, the ground is a long, long way beneath my feet.  It’s not the greatest photo ever (pardon the reflections) but I couldn’t resist. 

Looking down on the aquarium and the entrance to the Roger’s Centre, if you look closely (and play detective) you can see the flame for the Para-PanAm Games.  The City of Toronto has been playing host to the PanAm and Para-PanAm Games since July 10th.

All those little people down there are gathering to watch a Blue Jays (vs Oakland Athletics) baseball game in the Rogers Centre.  And the base of the tower you can see is the iconic CN Tower.

I took the photo from the bathroom of our hotel room, making it an entertaining “loo with a view”!! 

Weekly Photo Challenge – Beneath Your Feet 

Toronto – Part 2

I’m a sucker for a museum, an art gallery or a concert. Last week, in Toronto, I managed to take in all three in one day!

It all started with a concert. Part of the Canadian Opera Company’s Free Lunchtime Concert Series, last Tuesday’s program was with the Humber Latin Jazz Ensamble, under the direction of the Grammy & Juno Award winning Hilario Duran. The over-capacity, standing-room-only crowd, was treated to a blend of Afro-Cuban Jazz. You can’t get THAT in Rose Bay!

From there I wandered up to Dundas Street and into the Art Gallery of Ontario. Here, I was introduced to the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat. I confess I’d never heard if him before, but could certainly pick up the passion and frustration in his work. I’m glad to have seen this exhibit, but was equally glad to move on to the Canadian & European collections of the AGO.
I was delighted to find the Grange, a Georgian Manor House (c1817) attached to the AGO. This beautiful building was donated to the Art Museum of Toronto in 1911, and so become the original home of the AGO. That was something else I didn’t know – and didn’t expect. Maybe I should be doing more research before heading out on these excursions?

From Up High to … Underground

Last week I dug myself out of the snowbank that is Nova Scotia, and followed my traveling husband to Toronto for a couple of days.  He was off to work….. I was his sidekick.

  

Our “home-away-from-home” was the snazzy new Delta Toronto Downtown.  That’s some pretty high living for a girl from the country.  High indeed!  Our room was on the 46th floor – the top floor.  And we had access to the Signature Lounge – I could get used to this.  The expansive windows of both our room and the lounge opened up to some pretty spectacular views over the city, a still partially frozen Lake Ontario and Toronto Island.  We looked down on the airplanes landing at the small airport there.

 

From those heights, we went off to explore the PATH – that underground walkway that covers over 30 kms (19 miles) of Toronto – under Toronto.  It’s pretty crazy:  these tunnels connect 50 building/office towers of the financial district and provide 371,600 square metres (4 million square feet) of retail space.  Thats 1,200 shops and services – looking around, I couldn’t think of a single convenience that was missing.  Except, maybe a public library – but there are book stores!

The idea is that a person can get from a subway stop or the railway terminal to work, or a hotel (there are 8 connected to PATH) or any number of cultural venues and conveniently shop and eat (I can’t say “dine”) along the way.  All without ever stepping out doors.  Which is very sensible – Toronto is a northern city, and the PATH “provides a safe haven” from winter’s cold and snow and summer’s extreme heat and humidity.

I can vouch for the convenience – I made my way through the PATH nearly every day we were there (me, and 200,000 or more other folks).  But, I can’t help but feel there is a little something “sci-fi” about it.  It’s like a whole other city beneath a city – all comfortably climate controlled, but without the benefit of sunlight.

I also had a little trouble orienting myself underground.  Eventually, I recognized “landmarks” and was able to move through pretty efficiently, I think.  But for a while, I know I went round in circles 🙂  For me, the signage wasn’t clear.  Apparently, though, there is a system.  According to the website, each letter in PATH is a different colour, each representing a direction. The P is red and represents south. The orange A directs pedestrians to the west, while the blue T directs them to the north. The H is yellow and points to the east.

Now you tell me!!! Simple – When you know how.  I’ll have to keep that in mind for next time.

More on this trip soon…..