Toronto Signatures

centre frame
Originally uploaded by 416style

I've been a bit of a flickrite for awhile and been asked by poeple around the world whether my photos can be used in print and online. It's been exciting. Despite seeing my photo printed in Travel Girl, hearing Marketing Magazine used a shot (without asking I might add) and getting a Green Roof shot into Bruce Mau's Massive Change exhibit in Chicago, my highlight is having my shot of the Revue hanging in the Intercontinental Hotel's Signatures Restaurant (220 Bloor Street West).

The resto recently renovated and rebranded. Now it's filled with a stunning array of images from all our favourite spots in Toronto. I went there with my aunt recently to have a bite, and although it was a quiet Monday night the experience was fantastic. Of course the service was terrific (being that it was so quiet) and I enjoyed our server's sense of humour (no stiffness here), but it was the food and the little extras that kept popping up on our table that made the night. All the food was native to Ontario, which to me is a another huge plus. I ate the Manitoulin Island trout with soba noodles and broth - delicious - while enjoying a dark red glass of wine and looking out over Proof's beautiful patio next door. It's what summer in the city is all about.

The Distillery District's Dark Side

The Distillery District is one of a few places I visited during last weekend's Doors Open Toronto. This heritage area can be found near Parliament and Lakeshore, just off Mill Street.

Down at the Distillery the doors had been thrown open to buildings and secret areas few of us ever get to see inside. Within the dusty Scale Tank Loft we found the tanks and scales used by the government to measure and ultimately tax the booze which flowed out of Gooderham & Worts until the 1990's.



We wandered into the open Rack House where booze was stored for 2 years at a time until it was allowed to be sold, another government intervention.




I was most excited to get into the Kilns Building and Tunnel but regrettably didn't have the time to wait in the long line leading down into these secret catacombs.



Instead, my friends and I wandered through the street level galleries, like my favourite the Monte Clark Gallery, and found some artists on the upper levels who willingly threw their doors open too. Then, a bit thirsty from the dusty air and dry heat, we stopped in at the Mill Strett Brewery for a beverage and a bite. (I had a ceasar but I do love their Organic beer).

I'd gone down with a couple friends since one had told me she'd never seen the Distillery. I'm still amazed when I hear from Torontonians that they've never visited this part of the city which boasts North America's largest example of Victorian Industrial architecture and is a popular spot for filming in Toronto.

It's lovely but packed during the day with pedestrian only sidewalks brimming with people and pooches. Given its eerie history it's fun to wander through the Distillery's dark and empty pathways by moonlight too.

Photos 1, 2 and 4 by blogTO author and photographerMike Rotenberg, photos no. 3 by me/sookie. Story originally posted on blogTO.

What's Your Sign?

Sandwich Board
Originally uploaded by Lex in the City.

I was in an early morning daze at a Timothy's recently trying to grab a cup of coffee when a man stormed in ahead of me and asked to speak to the manager. He was annoyed. I was annoyed. It was one of those mornings.

There was no manager on duty so the man pled his case to two staff staring back at him vacantly from behind the counter. It was about the sandwich board stretched out on the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop. The problem, he said, was that these sandwich boards take up too much space and cause unnecessary obstacles for the blind and also elderly people using buggies. It was a valid point, one I'd never previously considered.

These ubiquitous sidewalk signs can often be ugly, pointless and ineffective, especially if they're constantly blowing over. Though sometimes there'll be a chalkboard sign with a funny little phrase meant to grab our attention and make us smile, or they'll tell us about a new thing on a restaurant menu that can make our mouth water in anticipation. For stores yearning for more exposure a sidewalk sign is a good way to get passersby to stop and notice or allow them to look down the block to see what's coming up.

There is a better option though, especially on crowded sidewalks where stores are just trying to get some more brand exposure. In the distillery district most signs are mounted overhead so to be within a good sight line and also out of the way. The overhead signs add charm to the historic neighborhood and don't intrude on public space.

In the case of the man and the Timothy's sign, the man was pissed at the employees' lack of response and tore off to move the sign himself. A couple of days later the sign was back in the same spot, dominantly claiming half the sidewalk and not really having much to say.


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