Cabbagetown

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  12 Amelia Street
Date: March 2017
Website: www.famelia.com

  The area of Toronto known as Cabbagetown supposedly got its name many years ago.  Large groups of working class immigrants moved into the area and planted cabbage in their front yards.  We took the Carlton streetcar to Parliament Street and found ourselves right in the heart of Cabbagetown.  We didn't see rows of cabbage growing in front yards, but we did enjoy a nice walk

  The first thing we encountered was a large mural on the corner convenience store.  It featured a man and a woman.  The woman had long curly hair which flowed up filling the wall behind her.  Behind the man was a cabbage patch.

  Across the street we were reminded of cabbage once again by a building painted in green and purple.

  Something else green caught our eye.  This time it was a giant iguana sitting on top of the Menagerie Pet Shop.  If you venture inside you will find a real iguana in the back corner of the store.  You will also find a variety of birds, fish and other reptiles.

  Finally we reached our intended destination.  We were headed for brunch at F'Amelia Italian restaurant.

A little gnocci and panini later and we were back out on the street.  Across the road from the restaurant were some houses that we believe are from the 1800s.  Perhaps their front yards used to grow cabbage?

  We headed back south towards Carlton Street.  It had been raining that day and the ground was still wet.  In one shop window we were delighted to see flamingo umbrellas.  The Queen of Hearts would be dissapointed that they did not appear to sell a matching croquet set.

  It wasn't long untill we found ourselves back where we started.  We took one last look at the mural across the street and then waited to catch another streetcar.  The Cabbagetown section of Toronto is very proud of its history and the evidence is everywhere you look.

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Map of Our World
Corner Convenience Mural , Cabbagetown Mural
F'Amelia
Menagerie Pet Shop
Kendall & Co.

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Post # 180

Vancouver International Airport Art

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Address:  3211 Grant McConachie Way
Date: Feb 2017
Website: www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr/art

  Thanks to a 5 hour delay we missed our connecting flight to Maui.  This meant spending the night in Vancouver and more time in the Vancouver airport than we would have liked.  If you are going to be stuck in an airport, Vancouver's is rated one of the best.  It is especially known for its artwork.  As we wandered through the airport towards our hotel shuttle, we were sad that we would not fall asleep to the sound of Pacific Ocean waves hitting the Maui shore.  The airport tried to cheer us up as we came across three carved sculptures (above).  Left to right they are "The Blind Halibut Fisherman", "Raven Stealing The Beaver Lake" and "Raven With a Broken Beak".

  After spending the night near the airport, we took our hotel shuttle again and were dropped off near the departure gates.  The first thing we noticed was 3 totem poles towering over us.  We dropped off our luggage and checked in for our flight.

  As we headed towards our departure gate we encountered the Clayoquot Welcome Figures. These carved figures are often placed on the beach in front of a village to welcome guests.  Today they were welcoming us.

  "The Spirit of The Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe" is the most famous piece in the collection.  It has been on display at the Vancouver Airport since 1996 and used to be printed on the back of the Canadian twenty dollar bill from 2004 to 2012.  The canoe is overflowing with characters from Haida mythology. 

  Once we had made our way through customs and entered the gate area, all we had to do was wait.  A red lit sculpture caught our eye.  It was a transformation mask that would be worn by ceremonial dancers.  When it is closed it looks like the head of a raven. When it is pulled open it reveals the fearsome face inside.  It is kind of like us when we heard the news about our connecting flight yesterday.  "We are sorry there are no other flights headed to Maui this evening".  Bak! Mask open! Fearsome face revealed.

  While we waited for our flight, we could see other passengers arrive through the Pacific Passage.  A large bird called a Thunderbird hovered above them as they wandered underneath, disorientated and wondering if they would ever be reunited with their luggage.

  Other smaller exhibits could be found around the airport such as the figurines above.  The majority of them looked like trick-or-treaters wearing bed sheet ghost costumes.

  This final exhibit required you to place the palm of your hand against a special spot.  When you did, the little man started to peddle his bicycle and every so often a dog popped up out of the front basket.
  We did eventually make it to Maui only one day late.  It wasn't how we planned our vacation, but thanks in part to the Vancouver Airport it wasn't that bad.

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Map of Our World
Vancouver International Airport

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Post # 179

Kingsman & Huntsman

Location: London, England
Address: 11 Saville Row
Date: August 2015
Website: www.huntsmansavilerow.com

  Saville Row has been the place for bespoke tailoring in London since the early 1800s.  Bespoke tailoring is a custom made suit that is cut to perfectly fit the individual.  Usually you buy a suit and they will take it in or let it out to make it fit better.  Bespoke is the high end of tailoring.  We visited one of the shops on a drizzly evening as we headed out for dinner.  We visited a shop called Huntsman, not for a good fitting suit, but for a different reason altogether.

  The Hunstman shop at 11 Seville Row made an appearance in the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service.  In the movie the tailor shop is called Kingsman and houses a secret spy headquarters filled with gadgets and hidden rooms.  Harry Hart (Colin Firth) is a spy who wants to train a young lad called Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and brings him to the tailor shop.  Hunstman provided not just the location, but the suits for the fictional Kingsman.  Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Cane also get to dress in style as part of the cast.  Real life clients include the Royal family, Clark Gable, David Bowie and Ronald Reagan.

  The shop was closed when we visited or we may have attempted to venture inside.  We didn't see any obvious spy activity, except for the car (above) that turned on with no driver inside.  What will they think of next? 

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Map of Our World
Huntsman & Sons

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Post # 178