STL DPB On The Road: Toronto

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Canada Day in Toronto: this man was literally wrapped in the flag. We stopped and talked for a while. He wasn't a Torontonian, but rather from London, Ontario, half-way to Detroit. Why did he dress like that? "I just really love my country," he said. He wasn't nutty, just warm and full of enthusiasm. Most Canadians are like that. And down here?

Thursday Arch Series And More

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There's only so much to say about a catenary arch but what's around it is infinitely variable. Maybe that's where this series is going.

And, note from Toronto - these French-speaking Quebecois were in T.O.'s Dundas Square yesterday on Canada Day, posing for tips. What were they doing in English Canada, eh? A poll in the news today said that 90% of Canadians think that theirs is the best country of all. There's something to be said for that.

You often hear that Toronto is the most culturally diverse city in the world. The second picture below illustrates friendly local relations between Mexico and Japan.

And what says Canada Day better than dinner at a Moroccan restaurant with a belly dance show? Before the snarky comments start, this was Mrs. C's idea. The food was good, the show was fun and our waiter had actually driven through St. Louis once in the middle of the night and saw the Arch.

Ceci n'est pas une pipe

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I honestly do not know what this person in the Pridefest parade was holding. I was just firing away into the parade through a telephoto lens with the camera on burst mode. So, let us use our imaginations. The title was chosen because we saw a great show on Surrealism at the Art Gallery of Ontario today, which made me think of this.

And from Toronto - the waits in line to get to the top pf the CN Tower (the main observation deck is at about 114 stories and the so-called Sky Pod at about 144) were awful but it was really cool at the top, except for the wildly overpriced and oversalted burgers in the restaurant. Pix from there on Flickr soon. Then on to the spectacular Art Gallery of Ontario, completely remodeled and open again only last fall. The picture below is what is in effect the grand staircase. Tomorrow is Canada Day and almost everything is off due to the municipal employees strike.

Balloons-O-Fire

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As noted here before, the best place to get parade pictures IMHO is in the staging area before the march begins. People are standing still, there are no waving arms and hands in front of your lens (I got a lot of that Sunday) and people are ready to pose. This bunch was out there among a lot of people who were really out there.

And by the way, greetings from Toronto. This is just a quick snap taken from the King Street trolley on our way back to the hotel from dinner last night.