S Ontario - downtown Toronto

Toronto is a city that has oozed in all directions to envelope many communities. Lakeshore Drive has a new Expressway that towers over it. Advertising is alive and well.

Someone still has a sense of humour. We were so thankful for a GPS to guide us through the maze.I was amazed to find that Dundas Street was shabbier, but little changed.As a child, I rode these streetcars. We would take a bus to Dundas and the street-car to the downtown: Simpsons and Eatons, the Santa Claus Parade and the Art Gallery. We would meet my Aunt Kay who worked at Mount Sinai Hospital or my dad's cousin Ruby who worked in an office.Some buildings with their graceful architecture tell of earlier times. On street level, they are filled with a myriad of small shops. This 'Lucky Charm Moose' decorated a balcony of a green grocer.

Some houses are brick, well built and will endure until redevelopment hits. Even older townhouses have a Victorian look.
Some 'social housing' is disturbing.

Downtown, the road opens up to glass walls. Glass towers have changed the skyline. The CN tower is a landmark ... a beautiful design. We stopped for a dinner in Chinatown. The food was authentic and good. 'Americanized' items were not on the menu. I don't remember a Chinatown. Apparently it 'bloomed' in the 80's.Huge Advertisement screens make Toronto look like New York.An out-of-focus shot makes an interesting abstract.

I was born in Toronto and left when I was 9. Some parts of the city changed very little and some totally ... I guess I will need to return and explore a little more!