Don River: Monsters for Beauty, Permanence and Individuality

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You may think there is an abandoned cemetery, or the ruins of a long lost Toronto building as you ride along the Lower Don River in Toronto – but what you’ve found is an art installation called Monsters for Beauty, Permanence and Individuality by Indigenous artist Duane Linklater. The piece is made up of 14 … Read more

Crothers Woods new trailhead

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There is a new trailhead – Cudmore Creek Wetland & Trailhead – at the south-west corner of Crothers Woods, where Pottery Road meets Bayview Ave, near the level railway crossing just a bit north of the Don Valley Brickworks. There are a few naturalized ponds and wetlands with two metal look-out points, a new little … Read more

Toronto Beltline Trail – Chaplin LRT station to Davisville subway station

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The Beltline Trail is a multi-use trail in mid-town Toronto, popular with dog-walkers, runners, and people on their bikes. Here are some photos along the Kay Gardner Beltline Trail section, starting at the new Chaplin LRT TTC station, east across Avenue Road, Yonge Street, eventually ending at Mount Pleasant and the cemetery. Quick URL to … Read more

Fifty glimpses of Toronto and vicinity : from recent photographs (1903)

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As the book title suggests, it contains 50 photos of Toronto landmarks from 1903. Here are the 20 buildings from the list that sadly no longer exist, from across Toronto and the Island. Arlington Hotel – Corner of King and John Streets. Built 1889, and demolished sometime shortly after 1932, now the TIFF Lightbox at … Read more

Beltline Trail 1891 brochure – Highlands of Toronto Illustrated

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The Toronto Beltline trail is a wonderful set of multi-use trails that were saved from development and add to the city’s green space with canopies of trees. This 1891 brochure explains that the beltline’s “mission is to economize time by rapid transit, and to carry men, women and children with comfort, safety and speed beyond … Read more

Toronto Tourist Guide – Information for the Traveller and Pleasure Seeker (1918 Queen’s Hotel guide)

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The 1918 Queen’s Hotel travellers guide is a 72 page guide and describes itself as “Descriptive of Toronto, Its Points of Interest and Public Buildings” and gives an interesting, historic view of Toronto just after the end of WW I. While the tourist guide is over 100 years old, at least some of the locations … Read more