I “Heart” Toronto

Who would not love Toronto on such a fine spring day? I just got back from a glorious walk along the Toronto Beaches Boardwalk with my dear “publishing gals”, a tasty brunch in a local Beaches coffee shop whose owners know my coffee preferences and say hi to me on the street during the week, and a quick stop at our tiny local grocery store whose check-out folks remember me although I shop there rarely. Toronto is indeed a city of neighbourhoods and despite its sprawling size, it is easy to feel like a local! I love Toronto!

I also love Toronto for its diversity. Its many tiny neighbourhoods are stitched together like a quilt, each one a unique and necessary square in the fabric of a vibrant metropolitan city. It is also a city of contrasts, and I cannot think of a better example of this than The Royal Ontario Museum (The ROM), pictured above.  The recently renovated ROM sports a new, eccentric pyramid-like cladding that rests comfortably (or uncomfortably, depending upon who you speak to) on its original grand facade.  Called The Lee-Chin Crystal after one of the renovation’s benefactors Michael Lee-Chin, the pyramid-like outer wall of the ROM strikes quite a pose!  I admit to not really knowing whether I like it yet, but I do appreciate it for its graphic lines and reflective qualities. In fact, I think it could serve as a litmus test for discerning personality types! When it was first unveiled in 2007 it was at once described as both extraordinary and criticized as “oppressive, angsty and hellish.” Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the architect famous for winning the bid to oversee the rebuilding of One World Trade Center, The Crystal is a wonderful example of how old and new -ideas, designs, philosophies- can indeed co-habitate to tell a new and perhaps more interesting story. It certainly stopped me in my tracks! I took the photo above with my trusty iPhone and gave it added texture through my new favourite app, Camera Awesome.

Enjoy your Sunday!