Spent a festive pre-Christmas weekend of urban exploration in Toronto. The incredible gingerbread hotel at the Fairmont Royal York.
Snow in the woods is really Christmasy, but so are the incredible decorations in an urban setting. Lights at Brookfield Place
Award for most magical use of icicle lights: Christmas lights at Brookfield Place, Toronto
Magical floating Christmas lights at Brookfield Place, Toronto
Magical floating Christmas lights at Brookfield Place, Toronto
So cool that they keep this vintage urban Christmas tradition alive: the over-the-top Christmas windows at the Bay Queen Street flagship store
Spent the weekend with my great friend Kelly, visiting from Calgary
The intricate storefront Christmas windows at the Bay Queen Street store
When the Bay Queen Street does Christmas, even the mice have a cozy holiday. Except that their beds are highly flammable!
It's quite a spectacle: the magic of Christmas downtown at the Bay's Christmas windows
Queen Street by the Bay, bustling with shoppers
The rink at Nathan Phillips Square gets refinished by the zamboni
Toronto City Hall
At Christmastime, the cold look of a big city's downtown instead looks kind of magical
Great part of visiting Toronto is seeing good friends. Kelly and I went for brunch with my buddy Matt
Kelly and I get along well, I think
Perhaps not
Matt didn't seem to impressed with our antics; ignored us, and absorbed himself with his blackberry
Our brunch venue on Baldwin Street: Cafe la Gaffe. Kid you not; best omelet I've ever (EVER) had
Matt's neighbourhood: the annex. It doesn't get dark at night by Honest Ed's
Kelly and I went to see Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square. Skating rink all lit up at night
Toronto City Hall all lit up at night, just before the fireworks
Presto: the amazing fireworks display in front of the dramatic building
Fireworks at Toronto City Hall
Fireworks at Toronto City Hall
Fireworks at Toronto City Hall
Fireworks at Toronto City Hall
Fireworks at Toronto City Hall
Fireworks during Cavalcade of Lights at Toronto City Hall
After we froze watching the fireworks, Kelly and I got some street meat. I don't think she could look more excited
We went into the classy Sheraton hotel to warm up with our not-so-classy street meat
Toronto Eaton Centre, with the crazy rotating Christmas tree covered in blinding crystals
Walking to the AGO, the awesome OCAD building up on stilts with the CN tower behind
Excited to see the new architecture of Frank Gehry's AGO transformation
Kelly and I went to see the King Tut exhibit at the AGO and were not impressed at all with it
The architecture of the AGO transformation, however, impressed me a lot
An artist was doing some sort of acrobatic theatre performance in front of the super-funky staircase
The dramatic new gallery space at the front of the AGO with lots and lots of wood
The dramatic new gallery space at the front of the AGO with lots and lots of wood
The dramatic new gallery space at the front of the AGO with lots and lots of wood
Kelly was beyond happy to rest for a bit on the benches
A very fitting setting for some cool sculpted trees at the AGO
Another view of the groovy staircase in the AGO. And that's the end of my Toronto Christmas photowalk
