Vitalogy - Toronto, Canada

Vitalogy - Toronto, Canada

May 26, 2012. Vitalogy. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Perhaps it was the phrenology bust or the general warehouse district steampunk superstore nature of this closed shop in Toronto's Distillery District, but something about it reminded me of the album artwork for Pearl Jam's "Vitalogy."

It was also a good excuse to try out my new travel tripod.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1 second. f/8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Moretti Man - Toronto, Canada

Moretti Man - Toronto, Canada

May 25, 2012. Moretti Man. Toronto, Canada.

Stuck at a traffic light in Little Italy, I pulled my camera out, set the exposure, and tossed it to my wife in the back seat.

"Quick, take a picture!"

"Of what?"

"Of the Moretti Man walking by the Moretti sign."

She got off this one shot before a truck moved in the way. Not bad. What do you think?

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Going Nowhere

Going Nowhere

May 24, 2012. Going Nowhere. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

On the way to visit Vespa Toronto West, I came across this seatless, barless, rusted bicycle locked to a bridge and wondered, "What Would Victor Bezrukov Do?"

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Crisscross - Toronto, Canada

Crisscross - Toronto, Canada

May 25, 2012. Crisscross. Toronto, Canada.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Daydreaming - Toronto, Canada

Daydreaming - Toronto, Canada

May 23, 2012. Daydreaming. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

A new mother crowds onto a TTC bus with her carriage, dreaming of other places.

 Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/11. ISO 100. LR 2.

How Much is that Vespa In the Window? - Toronto, Canada

How Much Is That Vespa in the Window?

May 25, 2012. How Much is that Vespa in the Window? Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

I cannot resist a picture of a classic Vespa.

Evidently, neither can my friends. (Hi Brent and Marsha jumping into the shot in the background...).

Toronto has a nice scooter culture when it isn't a snow factory. This photo was taken in Motoretta, a scooter shop in the Little Italy area that has a lot of classic scooters along with some Stellas. It also has a very nice new official Piaggio Vespa dealership on the west end of Toronto.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Urban Sterility - Toronto, Canada

Urban Sterility - Toronto, Canada

May 24, 2012. Urban Sterility. Warden Subway Station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/15. f/8.0. ISO 400. LR 2.

Babushka - Toronto, Canada

Babushka

May 24, 2012. Babushka. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

It was like a scene out of the 1960s.

Taking the TTC bus on a long trip across town, there was a point as it headed east where stylish twentysomethings disappeared and were replaced almost entirely by Ukrainian grandmothers. At every stop, more scarf-clad grandmas would board, smiling and waving at friends that were already on board as they joined them for their weekly errands.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/5.6. ISO 400. LR 2.

Cattle Car. Toronto, Canada

Cattle Car. Toronto, Canada.

May 24, 2012. "Cattle Car." Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The faces on commuters, each alone in thought along Toronto's Bloor-Danforth line, seem to scream "Happy Monday!"

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/4.5. ISO 800. LR 2.

In Stride - CN Tower, Toronto, Canada

In Stride - CN Tower, Toronto, Canada

May 25, 2012. "In Stride - CN Tower." Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

A commuter walks across the Bathurst Street bridge in Toronto. The CN Tower featured in the shot is the "tallest freestanding structure in North America" and an architectural icon for the city of Toronto and one of the highlights of its ultra-modern skyline.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8.0. ISO 100. LR 2.

Change - Toronto, Canada

Change.

May 24, 2012. Change. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

When I started this photo blog a few months ago, I mentioned that I may diverge at times from street photography posts or from posts specific to the Orlando, Florida area. This isn't really a change.

I spent this past week in Toronto, Canada, visiting my in-laws. Toronto is a very photogenic city, going through a rapid wave of change and immigration that makes me think of what New York must have been like 100 years ago, only with more hipsters. The next several posts will feature photos that I felt captured something special about Toronto and Torontonians.

The "change" photo is appropriate though, because there are changes in how the other pages of this blog are organized. This is, and will continue to be, "Orlando Street Photography." For shots where I digress and explore other places that I want to share, separate sub-gallery pages will be created.

The photo above was taken in the Scarborough area of Toronto at a Roots store. For those who have never been to Canada, "Roots" is a Canadian athletic clothing brand similar to American Eagle Outfitters or The Gap. Canadian tourists in Europe are particularly fond of Roots clothing because it helps identify them as being Canadian.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that being Canadian makes one much more likeable than being American.

Personally, I've found that the manner in which you treat people when visiting another land has a much greater bearing on how affable they find you than the country printed on your passport.

That said, the vast majority of Torontonians are genuinely friendly, affable folks with a strong sense of both individualism and community. Hopefully that will shine through in the photo posts that follow.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/2.8. ISO 200. LR 2.