Monthly Archives: March 2014

03.31.14
by

“A SERVING OF CANADIAN PRIDE” – THE NEW YORK TIMES DISCOVERS TORONTO’S SENATOR

SENATOR1

One of this city’s oldest restaurants got the New York Times treatment in the Sunday Travel Section on March 30. MICHAEL KAMINER writes: “A red neon sign warms the facade of the Senator Restaurant, TORONTO’s oldest, just as it did in the days when streetwear meant fedoras and overcoats.  “Inside, with its vinyl booths, shiny wood counter and huge mahogany mirror, it looks much the same as when it opened in 1929.”

SENATOR2

BOB SNIDERMAN, who rescued the restaurant from demolition in 1984, has hired ANDREW TAYLOR, the chef at Langdon Hall (an acclaimed restaurant in nearby Cambridge, Ontario) to update and revamp the menu.  The new emphasis is on locally grown food. Typically, restaurants have one or two suppliers; The Senator now has 40 thanks to Mr. Taylor.  The dinner menu has been updated. Breakfast and lunch are coming next. “Mr. Taylor has already added irresistible home-made jams from Rose’s and maple syrup from Haggart’s Farm in Owen Sound.” Read the entire review on the website – http://www.thesenator.com

SENATOR3

The Senator is at 249 Victoria Street, opposite the Ed Mirvish Theatre, 416-364-7517.

03.31.14
by

A VIEW FROM THE STAGE OF CANADA’S LARGEST ‘SOFT-SEAT’ THEATRE

SONYCENTRE1    There are 3,191 soft seats in TORONTO’s Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front Street East.  The theatre, designed by architect PETER DICKINSON, opened as the O’Keefe Centre in October, 1960.  It served for many years as an opera house, ballet theatre, and host to a variety of international attractions and stars.  This theatre has been designated a Heritage Building by the City of Toronto.

SONYCENTRE2

Opening night at the O’Keefe, October 1, 1960.  The Broadway musical “CAMELOT’ with Richard Burton, Robert Goulet and Julie Andrews was the opening attraction.  http://www.sonycentre.ca

03.28.14
by

THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM MARKS 100 YEARS @ BLOOR & QUEENS PARK

The Royal Ontario Museum (the ROM) has announced four major projects to celebrate its Centennial . . . . .  #1.  A Welcome Project will transform the vast interior lobby.  2.  A new performance space and ‘outdoor gallery’ will be designed by acclaimed TORONTO firm, Hariri Pontarini Architects and landscape architect Claude Cormier. It will run from Philosopher’s Walk to the corner of Queen’s Park.  3.  A Gallery of Early Life about the most ancient living things is on the way.  4.  A Director’s Fund for digitizing the ROM’s collections for greater access, and a Programming Fund to animate the Museum’s 8 Centres of Discovery.

ROM10

Royal Ontario Museum, http://www.rom.on.ca

03.28.14
by

TREASURES OF THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM – THE WONDERS OF HISTORY & THE NATURAL WORLD

TORONTO’s Royal Ontario Museum has much to celebrate in this, its Centennial year – 90 million years of history for starters.  Below, some of the galleries and treasures under the ROM’s roof.  PHOTOS are from the ROM itself and B+H Architects, a firm that modernized and rebuilt several of the galleries – http://www.bharchitects.com

Find out what’s happening at the ROM – http://www.rom.on.ca

ROM3

ROM9

ROM2

ROM11

ROM6

03.27.14
by

MIX STRESSED-OUT RYERSON U. STUDENTS WITH THERAPY DOGS & YOU GET INSTANT DE-STRESS

THERAPYDOGS1RYERSON UNIVERSITY students can’t get enough quality time with a group of friendly, fuzzy quadrupeds – otherwise known as Therapy Dogs.  The students love them, and the feeling apparently is mutual.  Because of the demand, especially at exam time, Ryerson is planning to bring the dogs to campus weekly in the near future.

THERAPYDOGS3

ZACHARY GUY, a first-year aerospace engineering student: “It takes our minds off everything stressful. I didn’t know what to expect. It would be really cool if they brought more.”  <TOP PHOTO – Mikalia Kukurudza/The Eyeopener/Ryerson University>  http://www.theeyeopener.com

03.25.14
by

IT’S POTHOLE-FILLING SEASON, AND THE STATISTICS ARE IMPRESSIVE

POTHOLES10POTHOLES11After the harshest winter in 20 years, TORONTO streets are a mess. Cracks and craters are everywhere, just as they are in Winnipeg and Montreal. It comes with being a northern city, and it ain’t cheap.

– 30-40 crews are out filling potholes
– crews are working 12 hour days
– so far, the city has repaired 85,000 potholes, up 58% over last year
– 6,885 people have called 311 to report potholes and road damage
– TORONTO has budgeted $70-million to fix major roads; $50-million to repair local roads; $2.5-million for the Don Valley Parkway

“Shaw Street is a calamity north of Bloor Sreet West. One driver describes parts of Richmond Street as ‘like driving through a cow pasture.’ Bathurst Street is in ‘awful’ shape, a councillor says. Dufferin Street, voted Worst Road in Ontario by members of the Canadian Automobile Association last year and in 2012, is a lunar landscape.” – Peter Kuitenbrouwer, National Post

03.23.14
by

A multi-coloured Golf Arlequin on Sackville Street; 1 of only 264 in the world

There were only 264 Volkswagen Golf Arlequins in the world (probably fewer now), and at least one of them is in TORONTO.  After two cross-country trips to Vancouver, this multi-coloured vehicle now makes it’s home here.  Originally the series was created to tour International Auto shows.  The public loved them.Based on the 1996 Golf GL platform, the Arlequin features a limited edition paint scheme, limited edition sport cloth seats, and silver-faced gauges.  Several different wheel options were available.  The Arlequins were produced by swapping body panels from four different coloured Golfs.  The base colour is not repeated on any of the other body parts.<PHOTO ABOVE – another kind of Volkswagen from the Odd Vehicle Society on Facebook>

03.20.14
by

THE DANFORTH: HISTORY, BISTROS, UNIQUE SHOPS, GREEKTOWN & EXPENSIVE REAL ESTATE

DANFORTH AVENUE was named after ASA DANFORTH, an American who was commissioned in 1799 to lay out and cut the avenue, but didn’t actually build it.  That was left to the Don and Danforth Plank Road Company, which finished the job in 1851, connecting the street to Broadview Avenue.  With the Don River Valley a westward barrier, the Danforth was rather remote.  It was a country road of fields, market gardens, brickyards, houses here and there, churches, hotels and roadhouses, and some industry along the Don’s east bank.

NEWDANFORTH8

Construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct, which opened in 1919, changed all that.  Nowadays, the Danforth splits two upscale neighbourhoods – Riverdale on the southside, and Playter Estates to the north.  It’s a multi-cultural avenue, with Greektown (and its famous Taste of the Danforth) in the centre.  There are stalwart churches of many denominations, a large mosque, Carrot Common, taverns and bars of every description, fine dining restaurants, the mansions of Playter Estates, and the Danforth Music Hall.  The Bloor-Danforth subway line follows the Danforth with multiple stops, from BROADVIEW eastward.  PAPE Station is at the centre of Greektown.

NEWDANFORTH3

NEWDANFORTH5

NEWDANFORTH7

NEWDANFORTH10

NEWDANFORTH12

PHOTOS – Playter Farmhouse, 1928,  http://www.tobuilt.ca & nightshot from http://www.49st.com