Union Station Second Platform

Photos taken beneath the intersection of Bay and Front Streets, Toronto, Ontario on August 18, 2014.

Streetcars At The 2014 Beaches Lions Easter Parade

Photos of Toronto's rolling streetcar history (and future) taken along Queen Street East, between Silver Birch and Beech Avenues, Toronto, Ontario on April 20, 2014.

New Toronto Streetcar - Night Time Test Run

Nighttime shots of the TTC's new streetcar (4401) beginning a test run near Connaught and Queen Streets in Toronto, Ontario on April 9, 2014. 

For the daytime version, see my previous post here.

The Who Plays Quadrophenia

 The spirit of the late John Entwistle loomed large, particularly during the middle of an extended 5:15, which included video footage from their 2000 gig at the Royal Albert Hall

 Keith Moon's vocals for Bell Boy were inserted into the live version, as was video footage from Charlton Football Grounds in 1975. Keith's heir, Zak Starkey kept perfect time, while still being able to fill the spaces like his late godfather.

 

The Who, in the form of survivors Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, brought their Quadrophenia tour to Toronto last night, to what appeared to be the be the biggest crowd on the Canadian leg of their North American tour. The dearly-departed John Entwistle and Keith Moon made special appearances in seamlessly-inserted video clips during 5:15 and Bell Boy, respectively.

The band, which combined Roger's touring band along with long-time sidemen Pino Palladino on bass and Zak Starkey on drums, tore through the 85-minute opus, then returned for an encore which featured their biggest rock-radio hits Who Are You, Behind Blue Eyes, Baba O'Riley (please people, learn to spell this properly) and Won't Get Fooled Again. The evening ended with Pete and Rog, doing their best Everly Brothers imitation on 2006's Tea and Theatre. The crowd got what they wanted, the band expressed their long-held love for Toronto ("...especially when I was drinking", confessed Pete), and everybody went home hoarse. In a good way.

Photos taken at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario on November 23, 2012.

Ward & Patch Sports

The history which lurks in unlikely places is amazing. After paying a visit to the soon-to-be-shuttered Zellers over at the Galleria, I headed west along Dupont/Annette Street and saw an incredibly-preserved piece of sporting goodness.

Just east of Jane Street, in the Baby Point neighbourhood, Annette Street hosts a number of locally-focused shops such as florists, dry cleaners and restaurants. Until fairly recently, one such shop was Ward & Patch Sports. The store was located at 777 Annette Street since 1950 and catered to the athletic needs of active west-enders until relocating to Richmond Hill as The Goalie Crease in 2010. The new shop caters specifically to hockey goaltenders and are one of the few retailers in the world with such a specialization.

As you can see in the above photos, Ward & Patch had somewhat of a wider range of products, from hunting and fishing gear to electronics, specifically radios, from all the big names like Admiral and Rogers. Yes, that Rogers.

On the day of my visit, renovations were underway to convert the space into another neighbourhood institution, a hardware store. The sign was going up for auction.

Here is what Ward & Patch looked like when the Google Street View car paid a visit in July 2009.

Photos taken on May 25, 2012 on Annette Street in Toronto, Ontario 

Engine 'ere

At the foot of the CN Tower lies a fascinating remnant of Toronto's railroading past, Roundhouse Park. The roundhouse itself has been converted to a brewery and a furniture store, but at least they've managed to park and preserve a few of the iron horses which used to ply the tracks.

Photos taken along Bremner Blvd. in Toronto, Ontario on Friday, February 25, 2011.

The View From There

Photos taken facing due north from the end of Firelane 6, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario on May 9, 2010.