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“Pic of the Week”, January 27, 2017: A Visit to Toronto’s Victoria University
Strolling about the neighborhood of the Ontario Legislative Building, Toronto, I came across a pretty college campus. This is Victoria University (known as Victoria College), a beautiful and historic school.
Not a large campus, it’s a pleasant place to explore on foot — to enjoy the architecture and some of its interesting art.
It wasn’t until later than I learned a little more about the place. Victoria University was founded in 1836 by royal charter from King William IV. Victoria became part of the University of Toronto in 1890. It consists of Victoria College, an arts and science college, and Emmanuel College, a theological school associated with the United Church of Canada.
Victoria is one of the …
Jan 26, 2017
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.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Ontario
Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory
The Niagara peninsula is one of my favorite places in Canada. Not just because of majestic thunderous Niagara Falls, but because of the many parks and gardens, the beautiful vineyards, lovely small towns, and that marvel of engineering that is the Welland Canal. And it’s home to my favorite cousin, Liz, who has shown me the highlights of the peninsula during a number of visits, including my last stop there when we made a point of going to the Butterfly Conservatory. The Butterfly Conservatory opened in 1996 and is a special place, home to over 2,000 tropical butterflies.
The Butterfly Conservatory is situated on the grounds of beautiful Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, about a 10 minute drive north of Niagara Falls. …
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Ontario
Old City Hall, Toronto, Canada
In a city with hundreds of gleaming new skyscrapers, I found it refreshing to see and visit a view a few of Toronto’s older buildings, including this one in particular. It was designed by noted Toronto architect, Edward James Lennox (who also designed Casa Loma). The project took almost 10 years to complete, opening in 1899, and came in at the then hefty sum of $2.5 million. It’s a huge square quad building with a central courtyard. Two types of colored stone were used in the construction: 1) grey from the Credit River Valley in Ontario, and 2) brown from New Brunswick. To give you an idea of the scale of the project, it took the equivalent of …
Tagged architecture, Old City Hall, Toronto
.All Trips / North America / Ontario
Exploring Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, Toronto
One of Toronto’s newest big attractions is Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, with underwater creatures and habitats from across the globe. It’s in a fabulous location, on the harborfront adjoining the CN Tower, Rogers Center and the Convention Center. The aquarium is said to be the largest in North America (with more tank capacity than even the Monterey Bay aquarium, making it one of the top five by size in the world). It has a great architectural design reminding me of a massive whale with it’s mouth open ready to gobble up the tourist throngs and their cash. The complex is massive and sprawling, at 12,500 sq m (135,000 sq ft) and with 5.7 million …
Tagged Aquarium, Aquarium of Canada, sharks
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Ontario
Signs of Toronto
Toronto is one of Canada’s great cities. Often called the “New York of the North” (I presume as a complement), it’s a fun place to visit. There’s lots to see and do in Toronto, from the amazing CN Tower which soars 1815 ft (553 m) into the clouds, to enjoying great architecture, to endulging in a large assortmant of great restaurants and markets. We’ll be discussing Toronto in more depth in the coming months.
Today I’d like to introduce you to Toronto through a series of photos taken while walking around the city’s many neighborhoods, and showing you some of the its signage and ads. I’m always fascinating by the glimpses these images can provide into a city’s character. This post …
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Ontario
St. Lawrence Market, Toronto
I’ve a fondness for visiting Farmers’ Markets in my travels. One of the finest markets I’ve ever been to is the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. This market was recognized by National Geographic as the “world’s best food market” in 2012. It’s one of two main markets in Toronto, the other being the Kensington Market.
The quality of the food in the market is superb. Extremely fresh produce, meat, seafood and a wonderful assortment of cheeses and baked goods. Much of the food is locally grown, often in farms north of Toronto but also the Niagara peninsula, and it’s supplemented with seafood from the maritime provinces and St. Lawrence seaway. Many of the cheeses are made in Quebec but there are …
Tagged farmer's market, Market, Ontario, peameal bacon, St. Lawrence market, Toronto
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Ontario
St. Catharines Market, Ontario
One of the oldest Farmers Markets in Ontario is found on the Niagara peninsula, in the pleasant small city of St. Catharines (nicknamed the “Garden City”). The market has been held since the early 1800s and is currently located in Market Square in downtown St. Catharines, at the corner of King and James Streets (adjoining the historic courthouse).
The market highlights the quality fresh produce grown in the rich soil of the Niagara peninsula. You’ll also find fresh baked bread and other bakery items, meat products, seafood, and cooked food for sale. Several vendors sell fresh cut flowers, jams and preserves, honey, and even some handicrafts are available. The farmers market operates year round every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with an extended …
Tagged farmer's market, food, Niagara peninsula, Ontario, St. Catharines
“Pic of the Week”, July 25, 2014: Field of Roses, Niagara peninsula, Ontario
I just returned from a short but very pleasant visit to southern Ontario. After attending a meeting in Toronto, I visited my dear cousin who lives on the Niagara peninsula for a few days. She was a excellent tour guide and shared many great sights, including this one.
The Niagara peninsula is well know for its fruit orchards and vineyards, but it also has a substantial nursery business, like this field of roses near St. Catherines. On a gray misty morning, it was a most beautiful sight!
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)
Jul 24, 2014
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