What to Photograph in Toronto?

[gr82bart]

OK, so you are coming to Toronto with camera gear in hand and, well, you want to know what to photograph....here's a list, in no particular order with some comments.

1. Probably the #1 thing photographed is the CN Tower next to Roger's Centre, formerly known as Skydome
2. The Dead Link Removed (CNE) has lots of old buildings. Here's a link to some of the buildings on the grounds: http://www.explace.on.ca/VTour.html
3. The CNE is right next to Ontario Place
4. Which brings us to the City of Toronto, who owns and administers several popular places to photograph. All of the following places can be found within the City of Toronto Website, just do a search. I have also included some non-official links.

• Old Fort York was the original encampment for the British troops way back when Canada was just a fur trade route in the British Empire - http://www.fortyork.ca/
• Riverdale Farm is a working farm in the middle of an urban environment - http://www.friendsofriverdalefarm.com/
• Toronto Islands has some of the best views of the Toronto skyline and some great photo ops in itself - http://torontoisland.org/ and http://www.centreisland.ca/
• Edward's Gardens may not be in full bloom in the first week in May, but the greenhouse may have some photo ops - http://www.civicgardencentre.org/
• The Scarborough Bluffs are cliffs of white chaulk overlooking Lake Ontario - http://www.bluffsparkmarina.com/
• High Park has a wealth of photo ops for those into IR photography - http://www.highpark.org/
• I can't list all the parks owned and administered by the city so click here for a link to all of them - Toronto has a lot of parkland
• Also, the various city 'halls' that make up the parts of Toronto make good pics - click here for a link
• The two main beach areas - The Beaches in the east and Sunnyside Beach in the west - here's a link to all the beach areas - Dead Link Removed

5. Toronto Harbour has many places to take pics, shop, take a cruise, eat, hang - http://www.torontoharbour.com/ and Dead Link Removed
6. One of the largest zoo is the Toronto Zoo - http://www.torontozoo.com/
7. The zoo happens to be located in the world's largest natural park, Rouge Park, in an urban environment - Dead Link Removed
8. Nature photogs will also love the Leslie Street Spit, an oasis of natural bird habitats as well as the Lower Don River watershed, where you can take canoe trips; both administered by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, which also has many other photo op places - http://www.trca.on.ca/
9. The is an abundance of neighbourhoods (this is not comprehensive) with an abundance of picture opportunities:

• Financial District, Eaton Centre and St Lawrence Market
• Old Chinatwon #1 and Kennsington Market - http://www.kensington-market.ca/
• Little Italy
• Queen West and West Queen West
• Parkdale and Roncessvales
• The Annex, Seaton Village, Christie Pits and Yorkville
• Little India - http://www.gerrardindiabazaar.com/
• Greektown (the Danforth) and Riverdale - http://www.greektowntoronto.com/
• Bloor West Village - http://www.bloorwest.info/
• The Beaches - Dead Link Removed
• Rosedale and Summerhill
• Cabbagetown, Regent Park, Moss Park and St James Town

Here's few websites that show pics of the various neighbourhoods:

• http://www.boldts.net/Toronto.shtml
• http://www.where.ca/toronto/article_feature.cfm?listing_id=77

10. Some Toronto landmarks, not already mentioned before:

• Art Gallery of Ontario - http://www.ago.net/
• Royal Ontario Museum - http://www.rom.on.ca/
• Casa Loma - http://www.casaloma.org/
• Ontario College of Art and Design - http://www.ocad.on.ca/
• The Distillery District - http://www.thedistillerydistrict.com/
• John Street Roundhouse - http://www.steamwhistle.ca/

11. The University of Toronto, besides being the largest in Canada and one of the best (McGill my Alma Mater is the best!) has a wealth of photo ops on it's main downtown campus - http://www.utoronto.ca/

And we haven't even left the city boundaries yet...

Art. (More to come just outside and nearby Toronto - within a 2 hour drive)

 

[rogueish]

Don't forget if you do visit the Toronto Islands, to check out the Clothing Optional Beach at Hanlen's point
Was over at Ward's Island on Sunday. It's a nice area with lot's of photo ops and a couple good resturants.
There's also St. Lawerance Market at Jarvis and The Esplanade

 

[Ian Grant]

Actually we would need to visit the boring bits not on your list

Believe me I've been to Henry's, and made great shots just in that street!

Ian

 

[Ed Sukach]

I noted that about Hanlen's Point Beach as well.

Wasn't there something about the "Powers That Be" in Toronto, a while ago, deciding that women had the same legal ... right? ... status? ... as men to be able to go topless in public?

At any rate, Toronto has been upgraded on my "Places to Visit" list as a result of this thread.

 

[Nick Zentena]

The whole province not just Toronto has equal rights for women.

 

[gr82bart]

Actually we would need to visit the boring bits not on your list

Au contraire, that area is known as Moss Park (listed) and is one of my fav places for street scenes - lots of interesting characters. Also interesting architectural places, especially as you head towards the financial core.

Art.

 

[gr82bart]

Missed a few more things...

1. This is just some of the many places of worship that make for good photo ops:

• St James Cathedral an Edwardian Anglican church at 93 m is the tallest - http://www.stjamescathedral.on.ca/
• St Michael's, a gothic catholic church, at 79 m is a close second - http://www.stmichaelscathedral.com/
• Metroplitan United Church - http://www.metunited.org/
• Timothy Eaton Memorial Church was built in memorial to one of the great Canadian traders, not too shaby for a wealthy dead guy - http://www.temc.net/
• St Luke's United Church
• Bloor Street United - http://bloorstreetunited.org/
• St Andrews Presbyterian is right next to Roy Thompson Hall and the theatre & entertainment district - http://www.standrewstoronto.org/
• Jarvis Street Baptist Church
• Little Trinity Anglican, the little church that could - Dead Link Removed
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help, sorta the damsel in distress of churches - http://www.olphtoronto.com/
• Our Lady of Lourdes - http://www.ourladyoflourdes.ca/
• Holy Name Catholic Church in Greektown/Danforth
• Church of the Holy Trinity behind the Eaton Centre - http://holytrinitytoronto.org/
• Knox Presbyterian Church - http://www.knoxtoronto.org/
• St Georgs German Lutheran - Dead Link Removed
• Church of the Redeemer is at the corner of Spadina and Bloor and has a huge office building built around it - http://www.theredeemer.ca/
• Hungarian Reformed Evalangical Church
• Walmer Road Baptist Church - http://www.walmer.ca/
• Annunciation Byzantine Romanian Catholic Mission of Toronto - http://www.bunavestire.org/
• St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church - http://www.ucet.ca/
• The first three synagogues in Toronto, [font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]First Narayever, [/font][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]Knesseth Israel and [/font][/font][font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev ([/font][font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]commonly known as the "Kiever") are architectural and historical monuments - Dead Link Removed[/font]
• [font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]Madina Masjid - Dead Link Removed[/font]
• [font=&quot]Canadian Turkish Islamic Centre[/font]
• [font=&quot]Jami Mosque - http://www.jamimosque.com/[/font]
• [font=&quot]Toronto Sridurka Hindu Temple - http://www.durka.com/[/font]
• The are three Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedrals that are interesting in terms of photo ops - St Volodymyr, St Detmetrius Sobor, and St Andrew
• The Heliconian Club in Yorkville
• St George's Greek Orthodox Church - http://www.gocanada.org/

2. The Mount Pleasant Group of Cemetaries has several interesting places to shoot, two being the Toronto Necropolis and Mount Pleasant Cemetary proper - http://www.mountpleasantgroupofcemeteries.ca/

Art (more to come...)
[font=&quot][/font][font=&quot][/font]

 

[rogueish]

The whole province not just Toronto has equal rights for women.

I believe while it is legal for women to go topless in Ontario, it was left up to "community standards" if it will actually be tolerated. This was a comprimise between the women who wanted the right, and the puritans who were afraid of the degradation of family traditions.

 

[gr82bart]

Some of the best places to photograph is of course some of the most restricted. So here's a interesting site for other areas of Toronto one might want to photograph. Not that I would have taken part or condone any of this, of course.

http://www.infiltration.org/

Art.

 

[gr82bart]

Besides a Gallery Tour, I'll also be planning at least two photo tours - one in Toronto and another a day trip outside Toronto. Stay tuned for details.

Art.

 

[gr82bart]

Bumping this thread as the conference gets nearer.

Art.