Under the Tracks
Yonge Street, under the rail lines last weekend. I was quite surprised how the colours in this space showed up in the images. This isn’t an HDR image, just tweaked the lighting a bit to coax the colours out of the shot.
-T.
The World’s Tallest something or other….
click on imagery for larger versionry….
The CN Tower, as seen from the turntable of the John St. roundhouse in downtown TO.
This is the Worlds Tallest Building, Worlds Tallest Structure, Worlds Tallest Freestanding Structure, Worlds Tallest Phallic Symbol. Up until 2007 it used to be called the worlds tallest freestanding structure as it technically isn’t a building, but it was eclipsed by that big building in Dubai that we are all paying for with our gas money.
If you make it to Toronto its well worth the visit. At 147 stories tall (1815 feet) it offers an impressive view of the city. Visit late in the day to watch the sunset and the city lights come on, quite spectacular. Its even better on a windy day as it moves around quite a bit up there, and looking straight down from the glass floor reveals the nicely cracked concrete.
The glass elevator ride up is worth the price of admission! Its pretty much like riding a rocket at it reaches the top in about 90 seconds. The main floors house the observation decks, including one outside (its well caged). There is also a revolving restaurant that is pricey, but worth it as it takes about an hour to give a full 360 degree view of the city.
A section of the floor has been replaced with glass that the brave can walk out onto and look straight down, 1500 feet. It is quite a thrill! Especially when a little fat kid belly flops onto the glass right beside me.
For a few bucks more you can take another elevator even higher to the “Space Pod”, which is the bulb almost at the top. That is quite a view!
Looking up into the glass floor of tower with a 300mm zoom lens.
Cropped view of the glass floor.
The “Sky Pod”, although I am not sure if they still call it that, is the highest elevation in the tower, worth the extra few dollars to go.
Click on the image above for a very large panorama of the city side view from the tower. I feel the best view is opposite this one, looking down onto the former rail yards, although there isn’t much left. I recall looking down from the tower in the 1970’s onto the two roundhouses that were once there.
Wikipiedia has a good bio on the tower.
-T.
Now a Steakhouse
click on images for larger version
This wasn’t one of the buildings open for Doors Open last weekend, but since it had such a nice facade I thought it was worthy of looking up. Plus it was right beside the parking lot. (note to self- NEVER go to Toronto when there is a ballgame on downtown. Finding a parking space requires doing things that make you feel dirty.)
This building has always fascinated me. Initially it was right on the waters edge, in fact it jutted out into the lake on a peer. Over the years the waterfront in Toronto slowly creped out into the lake, leaving this building quite a way in from the water.
Harbour Commission building seen in the lower right of the image above, sitting on the waters edge in downtown Toronto, 1918
In the image above, at the top middle the building can be seen a full block from the lake.
Today, the building, seen in the lower left of the image above, is completely buried under one of the many condos and office towers along the Toronto Waterfront. Now its an upscale steakhouse.
