Shelburne

A drive up Highway 10 took me to the most interesting burger joint.....

Ex-TTC 4341, now a dining room at Superburger

(They forgot "No Advertising")

Pick-me-up

Taken Thursday, September 28, 2006 in Shelburne, Ontario.

Equinox in the Sunshine City

There wasn't a whole lot of sunshine to be had during my trip to Orillia yesterday, but some things still managed to look pretty for the camera.

Autumn

Pistils

Bluets

Please Stop

No Deposit, No Return

Taken Friday, September 22, 2006 in Orillia, Ontario.

Never See The End Of It

Some shots taken at the album release party for Sloan's new album "Never Hear The End Of It" on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 at the Lula Lounge, Toronto, Ontario.

Now Playing

Andrew Scott on the drums, via Chris Murphy's bass arm

Chris on a very high note

Andrew Scott on Guitar, Gregory MacDonald on Keys

Patrick Pentland as Lemmy

Jay Ferguson as "The Cute Sloaner"

The Baltimore Rocket

Taken September 15, 2006 on Connaught Avenue, Toronto.

This month, the city has been under seige from a whole bunch of movie types. Most notable of these is the Toronto International Film Festival (where I caught a glimpse of some Graduate-type, below), but also the filming of the remake of the film "Hairspray", which will feature a drag-laden John Travolta.

One of the unsung stars of the film, well two actually, will be the vintage PCC streetcars operated by the TTC for special occasions such as this, where the rollsign has been replaced for a permanent-looking Baltimore destination sign.

And now, with narry five minutes til Wapner, here he is. You know him, you love him, it's...uh...oh yeah, it's Dustin Hoffman!

I Am The World Trade Center

Taken June 29, 1999 at the southwest corner of 1 World Trade Center, New York City.

For those who were lost, those who have lost, those who will never be the same.

They are all of us.

Peace.

Way to Shop

Today marks the day that nearly a dozen American department stores disappear. Marshall Field's, Kaufmanns, Filenes, Foley's, L.S.Ayers and others will now simply be known as.....

(photo taken August 8, 2003 in Herald Square, New York City)

I feel particularly sad for the people of Chicago. Sure, Pittsburgh is "losing" their downtown Kauffmans, but Chicago is losing the venerable Marshall Field's after 125 years. I'm no retail analyst, but I do know how branding is important to me as a consumer. When I grew up, there were two types of folks in the city: Eaton's people and Simpson's people. The (Simpsons-)Sears folks lived out in the suburbs, so they didn't count.

I was a Simpson's person. My parents would take me down to the flagship store at Yonge and Queen at least once a week, just to wander around and maybe get a hot dog and an orange drink down in the basement. The neatest thing about the downtown Simpson's store was that it was connected to a parking garage across Richmond Street via an overhead walkway. This walkway preceded the admittedly more exciting one which linked to the Eaton Centre by many years, but it was still neat to watch the one-way traffic zip beneath you as you walked over to check out the latest deals on slacks.

Alas, the Hudson's Bay company purchased the Robert Simpson Co. in 1978 and erased the Simpson's name from Canada's retail landscape in 1991.


(screen cap from the TV series "Today's Special", linked above)

So today, I can identify with you folks who are losing a small piece of your past. Keep those souvenir bags and gift boxes and receipts and charge cards, because now, besides some cherished memories, that's all you've got.

Oh, by the way. My wife was an Eaton's person. At least it's better than Woolco! ;-)

CNE 2K6

For those of you who still think it's summer, here are a few memories of the 2006 Canadian National Exhibition.

21st Century Kewpie

Upside-down Gate

Cowlick(er)

Ostrich-sized

Shots taken on September 3, 2006 at the Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto