I am currently in Toronto for GoMedia. This will have me spending time with tourism bodies and resort properties tomorrow and Wednesday in the hopes of sorting out local travel stories and great Canadian adventures.
As a part of the conference, media have been invited on an assortment of tours around Toronto. This morning’s selections were everything from Green Toronto, Insider’s Shopping, Art & Design, Streetcar, On Set, and the one that I chose — History.
Our guide was Bruce Bell, a very active local historian that not only leads tours but keeps the city on its toes when it comes to recognizing the historic significance of its communities and buildings.
Our tour began at the Fairmont Royal York and looped around to the Harbourfront, St. Lawrence (Old Town), and the Financial District.
After laying vacant and closed to the public for years, Toronto revitalized its roundhouse and celebrated a grand opening in the summer of 2009. It’s strikingly similar to Vancouver’s roundhouse in Yaletown however instead of housing a community centre, the John Street Roundhouse is home to a museum, furniture store, and Steam Whistle Brewing.
From the Roundhouse we walked over to the waterfront and looked over at Toronto Island. Bruce called it “Toronto’s Central Park” as it’s their own urban oasis complete with beaches, forest, an amusement park, and even a regional airport.
We continued our 3-hour tour through the financial district and learned quite a bit about the city’s modern and classic architecture. Over the years colonial and second empire-style buildings have been replaced with towering cement, stone, and glass behemoths across the skyline. In some instances you can catch restored facades or renovations that mix old York with new Toronto.
Bruce told us that Toronto is based on the Mohawk “Tkaronto” that means “where there are trees standing in the water”. Under dominion rule, the area was called York however after the rebellion against the British and conflicts with our neighbours to the South (who had a place called New York) the name Toronto was restored.
As a side note, I spotted this giant cookie in Union Station. At first I only took the photo because it was a giant cookie in a train station however upon closer inspection I realized that it would be rather fitting on CakeWrecks.
Another stop was St James Cathedral. This particular building was built in the 1850s but the site has been home to five St James Cathedrals over the centuries.
We looped back around, bordering the Distillery District, which I have been told is a great village to explore.
Old and new blend in the city as stone and concrete are being replaced with shimmering glass. We only explored a small slice of Toronto today but around every corner we learned about a little bit more the region’s (and Canada’s) past.
You can browse the rest of my photos from the walk on Flickr.
I was recently approached by Michael Ford Photography to run offer a promotion and run a contest for a family portrait session. Since it’s just John and me at home I thought I would see if they would be able to give my sister (with her family of seven) a session in order to document and share her experience ahead of the give-away.
Here is what Jenny had to say:
“On first speaking with Michael to discuss our shoot I realized quickly this was going to be a pretty original experience. We were all to meet one morning later that week at the beach in Vancouver. He told me to have everybody dress casually and in a way that shows a bit of their personalities and to keep comfort and fun in mind.
Michael made us all at ease immediately (even me, someone who really hates having my photo taken). If I could describe our experience in 2 words they would be ‘fun’ and ‘easy’. We spent an hour or two running around the beach, finding shells, kicking a slippery beach ball around and feeling a bit like rock stars as Michael shot us.
We set up an appointment to meet at his studio to view a beautiful slideshow Michael had put together. Not only were we impressed with how great and candid the photos looked but how he had managed to catch on film the very distinct personalities of each of our kids. We had some many shots to choose from we had a hard time narrowing them down to a few favourites.”
Jenny’s family had a great time on the beach and even though Jakob seemed to have lost his pants by the time the last photo was taken, it’s amazing that they rallied all 5 kids for family photos.
Special for Miss604.com readers: Click here for a $99 deal on a family photoshoot with Michael that includes 25 proofs, a 8×10 print, 10% discount on other prints, and more.
Aside from the deal above, you can win a family photo session with Michael to capture your own beautiful portraits. The prize includes the photo session plus a complimentary 8×10 print of one of your photos. You will have the option to purchase more should you wish to do so.
Here’s how to enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw a winner next Monday, August 30th at 9:00am and the special $99 offer is valid for bookings throughout September and October 2010.
Update The winner is Oliver. Thank you to all for the kind words about the photos and thanks for entering the contest!
The Vancouver Public Spaces Network is bringing a global event to our city September 17th. “Park(ing) Day is a annual open-source global event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “Park(ing)†spaces: temporary public places.”
The VPSN is hoping to get many people out and about in their own neighbourhoods. Last year the campaign took over Hornby Street and they’re hoping to expand for 2010. Participants are encouraged to “decorate” their spots with benches, mini-gardens, plants, art, music performance, and more. The only rule is that each “park” be non-commercial.
To get involved, contact the VPSN to either talk about how you’ll reclaim a parking spot near you or if you would like to volunteer. They are hosting a planning session tomorrow at 6:30pm at Rhizome Cafe 317 East Broadway.
Follow the VPSN blog & or Twitter stream for updates.
The other day, fresh out of ideas for activities, we explored the Vedder River Rotary Trail in Chilliwack. This 15km network of gravel pathways for walking and biking is a vibrant farm-country oasis.
With tributary ponds and creeks, this is a natural Sockeye and Coho salmon habitat and home to make other little creatures and forms of wildlife.
When you can find a spot that isn’t too deep or the current has slowed down through an oxbow, you can walk out onto dusty beaches or dip your feet for a quick hop to a rocky island.
The river stones are bright orange, purple, white, or marbled. You can spot a few however, that look as though they’ve had a touch of human pizazz added to their natural colour.
With rusty-coloured leaves making their way down from nearby branches, there are signs of summer’s end everywhere along the trail.
Chilliwack, BC is located roughly 100km East of Vancouver along Highway 1. The Vedder River loops through the country from Glacier-fed Chilliwack Lake.
The Vedder River trail network is another reminder that there’s far more to do enjoy in Chilliwack than Cultus Lake waterslides and roadside corn stands.
Over the last few years there’s been a boom in Vancouver’s public art — aside from the bears, eagles, or orcas in the city campaigns. While the city has long-standing sculptures, fountains and statues, events such as the Vancouver Biennale and even the 2010 Winter Games have introduced a contemporary and colourful splash of public works throughout our communities.
The following images have been contributed to the Miss604 Flickr group and I’ve chosen to display some that are classic, modern, unconventional and that truly represent Vancouver. Please be sure to click on the images to see more work from each of the photographers.
Photo credit:
kwazy on Flickr
Although a few of these are independent projects, you may visit the City of Vancouver’s Public Art website to learn more about various campaigns and download maps. There is also information about a current call for artists and proposals.
