While Torontoist usually shows how the city has been used by movie producers, home-grown small-screen productions have also made ample use of our city's streets since CBLT came on the air in 1952. Back in 1971, comedians Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster used downtown as a backdrop for an exciting new sport, city golf. Over the course of 18 holes, cameramen preserved pieces of the city that development has changed significantly in the ensuing... [continue]

Further proof of the modesty employed in late 19th century advertising. Call this a prequel to last week's featured ad, as Welland Vale was one of the bicycle manufacturers whose line was amalgamated into CCM later on in the year this was published. Originally a manufacturer of wagon wheels when the company started in the 1860s, Welland Vale also produced hand tools and farm implements. After divesting its bicycle line and the wagon wheel... [continue]

If you didn't already have an excuse to visit the lower Don Valley, Canadian playright and Fringe favourite Dave Carley will be on hand this Tuesday for a special fundraising performance of After You at Todmorden Mills. Performed by the East Side Players, the resident theatre group at Papermill Theatre, the two-act drama is a reflection on how the aged see things differently than the young. It tells the story of Adele and Jean, two... [continue]

Destruction of the line of gorgeous 19th-century houses on the corner of Charles and St. Thomas is now fully underway, their demolition the final step to make way for the construction of The St. Thomas, a twenty-three storey condo tower. It will be the third tower at the intersection, just north of 77 Charles Street West, a sixteen-storey condo (that will necessitate demolishing Lycée Français de Toronto, a french school); and just west of... [continue]

When we first got a tip from Andrew Hunter that "someone has installed a new type of bike post along Yonge north of Lawrence," we were concerned that it might be the vanguard of the Coordinated Street Furniture onslaught of mass-produced uniformity. When we went down (yes, down) to visit the area, however, we were quite relieved to discover not Kramer-designed brontosaurus ribs but elegant, artfully crafted flourishes of metallic whimsy. Inspired by a... [continue]

TYPE's new home on the Danforth. Photo by Val Dodge. You know your avenues have been gentrified when a chi-chi bookstore moves into the neighbourhood. Such is the fate of the Danforth strip, now home to the latest branch of Toronto retailers TYPE Books, the third location to crop up since the store first opened its doors in 2006. The inaugural Queen West location (right across the street from Trinity-Bellwoods) made a name for... [continue]

Discarded building materials. Numerous species of wildlife. The odd quonset hut. Elements such as these make the Leslie Street Spit an oasis for the ever-curious, with a steady stream of discoveries waiting for unsuspecting walkers or cyclists. Towards the western end of the spit, the main pathway along the north side narrows into a low bridge, where this sign instructs users on the proper state of excitement required if the need arises the turn... [continue]

The Pug Awards are back! Now in their fourth year, the awards name the best and worst new buildings in Toronto, as determined by visitors who choose whether they love or hate the 21 nominees on the Pug Awards' website. In the previous three years, Toronto Police Service 51 Division's building, the National Ballet School, and Gardiner Museum have all been winners, based on percentage of positive votes; Wellington Square, Glen Lake, and—most spectacularly—Be... [continue]

One of the highlights of spring in Toronto, High Park's cherry trees are blossoming. The trees, donated to the city by the citizens of Tokyo, are located in a sloping grove near Grenadier Pond and are a wonderful sight at this time of year. The trees are approximately 80% in bloom at the moment, making this weekend the perfect time to visit, as long as heavy rain doesn't destroy these delicate flowers. See the... [continue]

Every Saturday morning, Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today. Palmerston Boulevard, looking south from Harbord Street, 1908. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 7200. Palmerston Boulevard is one of the best examples of an intact turn-of-the-century residential street in the city. Stone gates at College and Bloor mark not only a name change—where Palmerston Avenue becomes Palmerston Boulevard—but also a... [continue]

On the West bank of the Lower Don River, just South of Queen Street at the Eastern Street bridge, a shrunken cruise ship sits beneath a behemoth buoy. Is it waiting to be rescued, or for you to come aboard and join the party? Who knows. Advertised via fancy insert in The Globe and Mail's Saturday edition a few weeks ago, the 25-foot-long cruise ship is an installation by Québécois art collective BGL and... [continue]

This Saturday marks the return of Heritage Toronto's Walking Tours for the 14th year with a trip into South Rosedale's evolution from wooded ravine to posh residential development over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. It's the first in a full slate of tours taking place across the city throughout the spring. Researched and led by volunteer historians and neighbourhood groups, the tours focus on different aspects of the city's past, including... [continue]

With retailers moving towards shopping centre concepts such as big boxes and lifestyle centres, older, once-prosperous places to shop are being left in the dust. Websites such as Dead Malls and Labelscar are devoted to this phenomenon, tracing the history of old shopping centres before they fade away. Toronto is no exception to the trend, with barely-filled centres such as Honeydale Mall or rebuilds such as the Don Mills Centre. Down by The Queensway... [continue]

When you publish up to a dozen articles a day, it's sometimes easy to lose sight of the big picture, what really matters. But over the past few months, we at Torontoist have taken a long, hard look at ourselves, and we don't like what we see. We've come to the realization—a realization echoed by commenters both here and elsewhere—that we are negative far too often. While we have certainly had our lesser moments,... [continue]

The above video—not safe for work unless you're using headphones—was shot by the late Peter Walker and is a clip from Min Sook Lee's documentary Hogtown: The Politics of Policing (winner of the best Canadian feature prize at Hot Docs 2005). Uploaded to YouTube fewer than three weeks ago, it's been passed around online over the last few days, since being linked to by Toronto Life's Philip Preville in a Friday blog post. The... [continue]

When we named councillor Rob Ford as one of 2007's Villains for his consistent insensitivity, political grandstanding, and outright idiocy (witness statements like, "I can't support bike lanes. Roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks. My heart bleeds when someone gets killed, but it's their own fault at the end of the day," and, "If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you won't get AIDS probably"), we couldn't have... [continue]

Jarvis Street, circa 1910. (City of Toronto Archives) Torontonians should be ashamed at what happened to Jarvis Street. The city's first paved road was once the grandest tree-lined boulevard around, bracketed by the mansions of some of Toronto's wealthiest movers and shakers. Then, in the 1940s, the stately Jarvis boulevard was transformed: trees were pulled down and sidewalks ripped up to make way for the automobile. Jarvis Street was turned from a gorgeous historical... [continue]

Adobe Photoshop The uncompromised clarity of skin. The ultimate in luxury. A truly flawless complexion. Ultra-refined texture. Perfect clarity. Cutting-edge skincare backed by 90 years of unrivaled research by Shiseido, a worldwide leader in the development of skin-brightening products. Shiseido White Lucent™ Skincare White skin. White power. Photo taken by Jonathan Goldsbie on a Yonge-University-Spadina line subway.... [continue]

Congratulations. You've just moved into a home or apartment in the rapidly growing city of North York to start your bright future. You either don't own a car or prefer to use one as little as possible. Fixed public transit services haven't quite made it out to your neck of the woods yet you really want to be chauffeured by a bow-tie wearing driver with a creepy smile who will drop you off at... [continue]

A line of high-fiving cyclists paraded along the city's newest bike lane Monday morning. Then, without warning, a gust of wind tangled the whole thing, nearly sending every set of pedals flying. No injuries, though; every cyclist remained mounted. A few bemused, rubbernecking motorists gawked at the intersection, watching one helmeted participant lay an ironically tire-shaped weight to keep the "bike lane" from blowing into traffic. Happily, things held together long enough for TaketheTooker,... [continue]