Time for some new photo's! Today I am mounting a presentation of photo's along Bloor Street, and Yorkville. My journey of the area begins on Prince Arthur Street, and wends its way over to Bloor. Bloor St is the "Rodeo Drive" of Toronto, with many of the high end jewelry and coutourier houses.
On Avenue Road just South of Bloor just across from the Royal Ontario Museum is the
Gardiner Ceramics Museum. Currently under a complete renovation, I was able to go in for a tour. The space is breathtaking and the top floor is a restaurant run by one of the top chef's in Toronto:
One of Canada's oldest shops, the venerable Holt Renfrew, which has for 180 years been a purveyor of fine goods and coutourier clothing to the carriage trade:
Another old Canadian institution, Birk's Jewelers:
And Stolleries, yet another old time Toronto institution:
Looking North to Bloor, from Bay Street:
Next, we will move north of Bloor Street to Yorkville.
The Village of Yorkville was founded in 1830 by Joseph Bloor, as one of the earlier
suburbs of the settlement. It has a quiet Victorian charm, and during the 60's was
a hotbed of bohemian life, rife with hippies and beatniks. Some singers that rose from
these heady days were Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. Today Yorkville has become a genteel neighbourhood full of trendy restaurants and boutiques:
As Monty Python used to say: "And now.. for something completely different", I recently visited an installation of Chinese Lanterns at Ontario Place, on the lakefront. This is the largest display of "lanterns" ever assembled outside of China, and some are actually hundreds of feet long. The viewing is from 7pm til 11, so one sees the transformation of the silk structures into a breathtaking and very magical display of twinkling lights. The displays are "alive"... the individual parts move, the lights flash, and there is Chinese music. We are blessed to have this exhibit here this summer and if you are in town, it remains til October. Here is Ontario Place:
This was one of my favourites.. the entire dragon is clad with porcelain plates, cups and spoons. Later you will see it illuminated in green and blue, and you will not recognise it:
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