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Welcome to Toronto Landscape TV! We are the home for high-definition (HD) videos of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and surrounding locations.
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The
Art Gallery Of Ontario (AGO) is one of the most
prestigious art galleries in Canada. It was recently
re-designed by famed architect Frank Gehry and now
includes stunning spaces like the Italian Galleria and
the spiral staircases jutting out the back facade and
hanging over Walker Court. I recently photographed the
new interior spaces for the architect, and this video
will show you a sample of my images.
We're
back at the Forks Of The Credit Provincial Park. In this
episode we'll get a look at the impressive Lower
Cataract Falls, which used to drive a mill and power the
homes & businesses of many of the small towns in the
region many years ago. The ruins of the old mill are
still there, as are the ruins of an old home sitting on
top of a wind swept hill within the park, which we'll
visit too.
Forks
of the Credit is on the famous Bruce Trail. The park
features the excitement of the Credit River, as it
narrows and rushes through a deep gorge, plunging over a
number of waterfalls. Geological features that were
deposited or carved out by retreating glaciers, such as
kame hills and kettle lakes, are near the river. The
park also includes some of the upland, rolling pasture
land that is typical of much of southern Ontario.
Hiking, picnicking, and fly fishing are popular here in
the warmer months. The park is used for cross-country
skiing and snow-shoeing in the winter. In this video
we'll stroll along some of the park's beautiful paths,
passing through meadows and by a large kettle lake.
We'll pay a visit to a ruined old silo, watch some fly
fishing taking place in the river, and take a look at
Upper Cataract Falls.
In
this episode of Driving Around The GTA we'll journey
south on Church Street, from Bloor Street to King
Street. We'll pass such famous Toronto landmarks as old
Maple Leaf Gardens (where Toronto's NHL hockey used to
play) and Ryerson University.
In
this episode of Driving Around The GTA we'll take a trip
through trendy Yorkville. In the 1960s this was the
place to be for the hippy crowd. It's now one of
Canada's most exclusive locations for shopping, fine
dining, luxury hotels, and high-end condominiums.
In
this edition of Driving Around The GTA we'll be heading
west on Bloor Street. We'll pass the re-designed facade
of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). When we reach the
University of Toronto's Varsity Stadium we'll turn north
onto Bedford Road. Even though it is near the major
intersection of Bloor Street and Avenue Road, Bedford
road is a quiet street with many beautiful homes.
We're
back at Mississauga City Hall. In the previous episode
we focused our gaze upward at the interesting
architecture of the building complex. In this episode
we'll focus on ground level. We'll see people sitting in
the sunny courtyard, we'll stop by the floral garden,
and we'll take a look at the skateboard park which has
some interesting artwork on it's walls.
The
Mississauga Civic Centre is the city hall of the city of
Mississauga. The Centre was finished in 1987 by Jones
and Kirkland and stands at 92 metres high. The design
was influenced by farmsteads which once occupied much of
Mississauga. The barn-like structure design which
includes a clock tower was chosen as the winner of a
design competition that included 246 submissions. City
Hall is located near Square One Shopping Centre (one of
Canada's largest shopping malls) and is home to the City
Council of Mississauga. A 9,000 square metre court yard
with a pool//fountain/ice rink is located on the south
side of the building; to the west is a floral garden,
often used for wedding pictures. North is a skateboard
park, and south of the complex is the five-storey
Mississauga Central Library, one of the largest in the
GTA. In this episode we're going to look at some of City
Hall's architecture.
We
are back at Sunnybrook Park on a Sunday afternoon in
May. Families are enjoying picnics in the beautiful
weather and many people are out in their uniforms to
partake in games of Cricket. We're heading to the
Cricket fields to watch all the action. Check it out!
Sunnybrook
Park is one of Toronto's most popular parks. People come
here to enjoy a walk through the park, enjoy a summer
barbeque or visit the stables for some horseback riding.
In the summer, visitors often gather to host a barbeque,
do some horseback riding at the stables, or enjoy a walk
on the park's many paths. During the winter, kids can be
seen tobogganing on the hillside just as you enter the
park. Today this huge park contains the Central Don
Riding Stables, a sports field complex with 2 rugby, 3
cricket, 4 field hockey, and 3 soccer fields, an
exercise trail, the Metro Toronto Police Mounted Unit,
and much, much more. In this video we will take a look
at the horse stables, some of the picnics going on on a
Sunday afternoon, and some of the nice paths in the
park.
St
James' Cathedral is an Anglican church situated in
downtown Toronto's northeast corner of King and Church
Streets. It is probably the most dominant neo-Gothic
church in Toronto. It's steeple, which in the late 19th
century was the tallest man-made structure in Canada,
stands 305 feet above the ground. The construction of
the present church began in 1853 on the foundations of
several earlier churches which had the habit of burning
down. It was completed in 1878. Currently the church is
both a parish church ministering to the historic St
Lawrence neighbourhood and a cathedral (the church where
the bishop's chair or throne is located), making it the
spiritual centre of the diocese and a focal point for
the civic life of Toronto. The Cathedral has also been
designated as an Ontario Heritage Property by the
Ministry of Culture and has been designated as a
heritage site by Heritage Toronto.
We're
back at the incredible Rock Garden. The blooming flowers
in a variety of colours, the stone paths going in every
direction, the huge amount of wooden benches just
waiting for tired travelers, the super tea house
overlooking the gardens. This place is magical and is a
must-see for anyone in Southern Ontario.
We're
back at the RBG, this time visiting the incredible Rock
Garden. This Japanese-style garden is nestled in a small
valley in Hamilton and is well worth the trip.
First-time visitors are usually stunned at what has been
created at the Rock Garden. Each spring, the sheltered
bowl of the Rock Garden bursts into a spectacular
display of over 100,000 bulbs, as you will see in this
video. The bulbs are brought in from growers in Holland
and planted in September. After they bloom they are
lifted and sold at the RBG's bulb sale.
We
are beginning a three-part series of videos from the RBG
(Royal Botanical Gardens) in Hamilton. Established by
the provincial government in 1941, the RBG now enjoys a
worldwide reputation based on its first-class
horticultural collection and natural lands. It is
Canada's largest botanical garden (2,700 acres) and one
of the country's premier cultural, education and
scientific institutions. It has extensive educational
programs and serves as an outdoor laboratory for
scientific research. Currently the RBG is comprised of
five large garden areas and four nature sanctuaries,
from a Japanese rock garden to an arboretum to a berry
tract. In this video we'll see how the colours of spring
are bursting out at the main location, the RBG Centre.
There
are a number of Canada Geese couples that spend their
Spring and Summer in a small pond by an industrial area
of Mississauga. At this point in May they have just had
their little babies. We're going to take a non-invasive
look at these new families as they swim around the pond
and walk through the grass. Enjoy!
We're
continuing our drive south on Mount Pleasant. We'll take
all the twist and turns that this road has to offer on
our way south to Bloor Street.
In
this episode of "Driving Around The GTA", we'll begin by
driving south on Bayview Avenue. We'll quickly turn west
on Lawrence Avenue and then turn south on beautiful
Mount Pleasant Road.
Highway
401 is the major east-west route through the heart of
The GTA. During rush hour almost 500,000 vehicles use
this highway every hour. That makes The 401 the busiest
highway in North America and one of the busiest in the
entire world. In this episode we'll be heading east on
The 401, from Pearson Airport to the Don Valley Parkway,
on a Sunday afternoon in the Spring.
The
Starlite Drive-In is one of the few remaining drive-in
theatres in The GTA. It is owned by the Premier company
and run by the Allen Family, both of which have been in
the drive-in business since 1962. The Starlite is
located in a rural area up on Hamilton Mountain, which
gives it added charm. It was filmed during the day when
the drive-in is closed, and this particular day was
extremely windy which gave the drive-in a bit of a
spooky feel.
The
formation known as the Devil's Punchbowl is located on
the top of Hamilton Mountain, overlooking the city's
suburbs. The Punchbowl was formed during the last Ice
Age but what must have been a massive waterfall of
melting ice when the glaciers retreated. The remaining
waterfall is a mere trickle compared to what the ancient
waterfall must have looked like, but the gorge that it
carved out is still incredibly impressive. It is over
120 feet in height and at least that wide. Right next to
it, on a viewing platform overlooking the city's
suburbs, is a giant 10 meter high cross that was erected
in 1966 and lights up at night.
Albion
Falls is one of the premiere waterfalls in the Hamilton
Region. It is easy to see from the road that winds
around it, but getting down to it can be somewhat
difficult. Once down in the waterfall basin though,
Albion Falls really shines. It is a great example of a
multiple cascade waterfall, with literally hundreds of
small cascades making up the entire waterfall. This
video will focus on a couple of areas with multiple
cascades, and you will see how incredible this waterfall
really is.
Tiffany
Falls is one of the most elegant looking waterfalls in
the Hamilton region. It used to be difficult to access,
especially during rough weather, but a new pathway was
added in 2007. The new path includes two bridges that
cross over the river and a viewing platform near the
falls. It is a great waterfall in the Spring, but tends
to dry up to just a trickle in the heat of the Summer
months. Now is the best time to enjoy it!
Sherman's
Falls is a real treat. It is located down a short path
but can be seen from the small rural road that passes by
the trail. In this secluded location it isn't as well
known or as highly visited as many of the other
waterfalls in Hamilton, but it is as picturesque as any
of them. Most people in Hamilton don't even know about
it, yet it is one of the most enjoyable in the region.
Probably
the biggest waterfall in the Hamilton area by sheer
water volume, Webster's Falls is breathtaking from any
angle. Whether it's the beautiful park and stone walking
bridges, the raging river heading to the falls drop off,
the overlook at the falls edge, or the popular rest area
at the base of the falls, Webster's Falls has it all.
Hamilton
is a city of over 600,000 people and is located less
than 45 minutes from Toronto. With more than 100
waterfalls, Hamilton is billed as "The Waterfall Capital
of the World" and "The City of Waterfalls". Today we
begin to look at some of the best waterfalls in
Hamilton, starting with Great Falls which is located
just outside the city in the town of Waterdown.
Streetsville
Memorial Park is located in a quaint section of
Mississauga. The park we are visiting today has a kids
playground, a walking bridge over a nice river, some
Canada Geese, and a bunch of people kicking the ball
around.
The
open field at Eastgate Parkway and Dixie Road in
Mississauga would seem at first glance to be
uninteresting. If you look again you can see a lot of
fantastic stuff in there. The location is home to some
interesting views of downtown Mississauga and is
bordered by Eastgate Parkway which is one of the main
arteries into the downtown area. At this time of year
(April) the snow is gone and the tall grasses and
thistles blow back and forth in the spring breeze.
In
this second episode of the Humber Bay in springtime, we
will be taking a look at some of the more tranquil areas
of the park. At the far ends of the park, which jut out
into Lake Ontario, it is easy to forget you are still in
one of the largest cities in North America.
Humber
Bay Park is a beautiful waterfront park located to the
west of downtown Toronto. It consists of two landspits
situated at the mouth of Mimico Creek. The park was
established during the mid-1800s when a number of hotels
were built in the Humber Bay Village area. It was
re-developed and re-opened in June 1984. Several habitat
restoration projects have been initiated at Humber Bay
Park and it is also a popular destination to view
migrating birds. The park now contains picnic tables,
trails, a playground, beach front, a field, a pool, a
baseball diamond, basketball and tennis courts, and an
ice rink in the winter. There are fly casting and model
boating ponds and a fully accessible fishing pier.
The
modern building for the Ontario College of Art and
Design is one of the most unique structures in The GTA.
Located next to the Art Gallery of Ontario, the OCAD
building seems to float high above the ground on a few
colourful stilts. It is truly dramatic and
eye-catching! Take a look.
We're
back outside the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), looking
at the surrounding neighbourhood. We view some of the
beautiful streets and pathways, great buildings both new
and old (including a great old church tower), and some
of the neighbourhoods nearby artwork.
The
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) was recently re-designed by
famed architect Frank Gehry. It now includes a sweeping
curved glass front that reflects the colourful
surrounding neighbourhood, as well as a brilliant blue
rear facade with a curved spiralling staircase jutting
out from the back to overlook the beautiful Grange Park.
We'll take a look around the outside of The AGO as well
as some of the nearby streets.
We
are continuing our journey north on University Avenue.
We'll pass the Canada Life Building and the home of the
Canadian Opera company. Finally we'll arrive at Queen's
Park, the home of the government of the Province of
Ontario.
We're
on the road! Today we're going to drive into
Downtown Toronto from the west. We'll start our
journey on the Gardiner Expressway which is the main
east-west artery into the downtown core. We'll
view downtown Toronto as we pass High Park and the CNE
(Canadian National Exhibition). Exiting the
highway at University Avenue, we'll begin our journey
northward towards Queens Park (where the government of
the Province of Ontario is located). Let's roll!
Link: Leaves & Letters - Creative and Artistic Stationery, Cards, Calendars, Business Cards, and more
Link: Lively Portraits
