Toronto! Mostly.

[kv0925]

Got the rest of my Canadian adventure photos edited, so.. here you go! Be warned, lots of photos below the cut.



Most of my time on the trip was spent in Barrie, about an hour north of Toronto. It's on the western tip of Lake Simcoe, specifically Kempenfelt Bay (alleged home of Kempenfelt Kelly, a Loch Ness-style sea monster--I saw nothing, though). Looks like the boats were out of commission for the season, especially since the bay was iced over as well!


A Canada Goose! In Canada! It's not just a clever name!


I made a stop at the Simcoe County Museum. I dig little places like this.


There's an outdoor section of period and reconstructed outbuildings, but it was closed for obvious snow-related reasons.


My rental car, a brand-new Ford Flex, in the falling snow. I was a little apprehensive at first because I've always thought the Flex is kinda hideous. But it really grew on me, and spoiled me too. Comfy, very well-appointed, nimble enough. I loved the blind spot warning indicators on the side mirrors, which I think is supposed to become a required feature within the next few years. The only real drawback was kinda crappy fuel efficiency. Still not too bad for the size, I reckon.


Another morning I parked at the office and took a walk to the Barrie waterfront before heading inside. This is the Spirit Catcher, a cool sculpture along the shore. The blade-looking things on the wings pivot in the wind.




I should meanton how cold it was on this morning. That's -14C, or about 7F. I had my gloves, but for some reason thought I could dispense with my cap/facemask for a short walk. Bad idea. I was out for maybe 20 minutes, and by the end my face had gone from numb to really rather painful!


Done at the office, I headed to Toronto. I'd switched my last night to a hotel there, so I could explore some more before heading to the airport the next afternoon. I checked in at the hotel and set out. This is Lake Ontario from the harbourfront, looking towards the Toronto Islands. Icy!


The Caledonia, apparently the largest sailing ship built in Canada in the past 100 years. And it can be yours for the bargain price of just US$5.5M!


CN Tower, about which more later.


Roundhouse Park, kinda neat.


"The Pasture," an interesting art installation at the TD Centre building.


Old City Hall.


Toronto Reference Library, where I went for an event featuring...


Erik Larson, one of my favorite authors. He writes narrative nonfiction, sort of novel-style retellings of historical events, based as much as possible on first-hand and contemporary sources. His best-known book is The Devil in the White City, which fantastically weaves together the stories of the men who created the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and a serial killer who prowled around the Expo's edges. His new book, the reason for his current tour, is called Dead Wake, about the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. I'm about 2/3 through it, great stuff as expected. I really enjoyed the talk, Mr. Larson was just as I imagined he would be. In line I started chatting with an older local resident lady, so we sat together while waiting for the talk to start and chatted mainly about the insane and despicable political right-wing in America. Nice. :)

From the library I made a beeline to the CN Tower, and was happy to find it practically deserted. There was a smallish school group of teens being obnoxious, of course, and a few loud foreign tourists, but not too crowded at all.


And the views were, as could be expected, absolutely breathtaking.




Looking down through the glass floor.


Then I went up to the SkyPod, another 100 meters above the main level. Man oh man, if you ever find yourself at the CN Tower, trust me on this: pay the extra few bucks for the SkyPod. Unlike the main deck, you can walk all the way around for the views up there, and if my visit was any indication it's typically less crowded as well. But just being able to look DOWN on skyscrapers for a change was pretty awesome.






Outdoor deck of the main level, pretty cool too. And cold, at least on this night!

Next (and last) morning, my plan was to head to the Royal Ontario Museum. But I had some time before it opened, so I explored a little more along the way.


Brookfield Place, a neat shopping/dining/event/office complex.




Union Station and CN Tower.


I walked into Union Station and saw the light streaming in the windows, and my inner (and outer) photographer squeed a bit.






Royal Ontario Museum.








Iridescent glass bottle dating to around the 13th century, I think.


A battle helmet found at the site of the Battle of Marathon, which took place in the 5th century BCE. Allegedly the skull was still inside when it was found.










Subway back to the hotel, Museum Station here. I liked how each subway station had its own visual theme, that's a really good idea. This one was the most impressive I saw, though, really neatly done.


And that was Canada. I sorta looked at the time in Toronto as a trial run for exploring New York City next month, and in that I think it was a success, because I had fun and am pretty excited about NYC. Now to draft the itinerary for that trip. But first I have a few more business trips to plan!

Thanks for looking, as always!

Comments

[nick-101.livejournal.com]

Awesome photos. I like the CN Tower view.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Thank you sir! It was pretty awesome up there, I was definitely glad I got to go.

[girlguitarist.livejournal.com]

Great photos! You always manage to find such amazing architecture.

I can't imagine how bad my vertigo would be but the tower views are AMAZING. I think if I went I would manage by crawling on the floor :)

[cp.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! I do tend to stumble on some cool places. The library in particular, I had no idea that would be so awesome inside. It really looks pretty unassuming on the outside, but I walked in and was like whoa. :)

Personally I consider heights to be my greatest phobia, but I have no problem (aside from a slight tightening in pit of my stomach!) as long as I'm IN something, or have a railing--something to make me at least feel like I can't easily go over the edge. So the tower was wicked high, but not bad because it's all so enclosed in glass or railing.

There's this glass-floored area which I thought was very cool, of course, though that's probably the one part of the thing that would have been better in the daytime. Kinda dark through the glass at night.

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/rain0975/16318764074)

Some people were definitely hesitant about stepping onto the glass. And on the flipside, there were the obnoxious teenagers I mentioned, who were doing the "1, 2, 3.. JUMP!" thing en masse on the glass. Obviously the glass can take it--so it was really just annoying as hell. :)

[3ducker1culter4.livejournal.com]

I work at the Brookfield Place in NY, and started scrolling by your pics of that one until I said "huh, that looks like Brookfield's style... wait.. Toronto."

[cp.livejournal.com]

Ha, funny! I looked at some pics of the NYC one, I can definitely see some similarities. Same architect, maybe?

[cp.livejournal.com]

Well, I always say that since a 2D image can only go so far, a landscape or scenic photograph is successful insofar as it makes the viewer want to go and see the place it depicts in person. So I will take that as a compliment, thanks! :)

It was my first time going to Canada, and I was impressed. The timing wasn't up to me since it was first and foremost a business trip, so I can't say the weather is what I'd have picked for myself. But wandering Toronto especially, I liked it very much. It seemed like a friendly place. My wife is a big fan of the Anne of Green Gables books, so she has always wanted to go to Prince Edward Island--we'll have to make it there one of these days.

And thanks for dropping in--if you're looking for friends and like what you see in my journal, feel free to add me.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Count on it!

[cinnamonbite.livejournal.com]

You just found your muse. You're clearly a cityscape/architecture photographer. These are absolutely the BEST photos you have ever taken.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I am definitely drawn to architecture. Really anything man-made I think I do pretty well with, from planes and cars to structures and cityscapes. I guess I need to invest in a tilt-shift lens before long!

Those shots from the CN Tower I was definitely proud of, because they weren't easy. The exposures ranged anywhere from 0.3 seconds to 4 seconds, and without a tripod that's no mean feat!

[cinnamonbite.livejournal.com]

tilt shift on photoshop for free

[goblue.livejournal.com]

I missed this post until you mentioned Toronto in your latest post, and I'm sorry that I did. These pictures are amazing!! I have to say, I'm drawn to the second to last one. Something about the angles and the uniformity of the colors. Great eye to see this and great execution taking a picture of it!

[cp.livejournal.com]

Thank you sir! The Museum calls that the Stair of Wonders, lined with collections of small scientific specimens and whatnot. The ROM is a pretty neat place!

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

Great photos. They make me want to visit.

By the way, I think that up there, it's just called a goose. ;)

[cp.livejournal.com]

Ha, that would make sense. Like how in Mexico they call Mexican food, food. ;)