The Rick Mercer Report

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  250 Front Street West
Date: Nov 2013
Website: http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/

  Rick Mercer first appeared on television in the satirical news show, This Hour Has 22 Minutes.  After leaving 22 Minutes he went on to star in Rick Mercer's Monday Report which eventually was renamed The Rick Mercer Report.  After about 15 years, Rick Mercer has decided to retire the show.   We were lucky enough to see a taping at CBC Studios in Toronto.  After Rick welcomes you to the "Mercer Report" the camera always does a quick awkward pan from one side of a pillar to the other.  We were sitting in the seats just below where the camera ends up after it pans.
  As part of the show Rick travels somewhere in Canada to attend an event.  The show we watched took Rick behind the scenes on the set of Murdoch Mysteries and to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.  He didn't have to go very far as both of these events also take place in Toronto, Ontario.  We have also been lucky enough to visit the fair and the set of Murdoch Mysteries.  We can't quite compete with Rick who has also been to every province and territory in Canada to film his show.
  Rick's show is also known for its commercial parodies and his rant.  Rick's rant is where he discusses a topic he feels strongly about usually while walking through a graffitti covered alley.  It is also known for sticking to a very rigid script between segments.  Rick basically says the same things each week such as "All that and so much more, but first please take a look at this", "And now it's time for The Front Page" or "I'm Rick Mercer, see you next Tuesday". 
  We will miss The Rick Mercer Report as it was as much a Canadian travel show as it was a comedy.  Thanks Rick!

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Map of Our World
CBC Studios

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Post # 212

Meet Joe Black At Mike's PAPAYA

Location: New York City, New York, USA
Address:  132 E 23rd Street
Date: Nov 2014

  One of the most memorable scenes in Meet Joe Black is how Joe Black actually became Joe Black.  Susan (Claire Forlani) meets a young man (Brad Pitt) at a coffee shop and they are both smitten.  As they walk away each of them turns several times to say something but they never do.

 
  Brad stops once more in the middle of a busy intersection.  This is East 23rd Street in Manhattan.  He would be crossing in the far right crosswalk of the photo above. A car almost hits his bag and he steps back.  He bounces off a van and then again over a yellow New York City cab.   You will have to watch the whole movie to see if he survived.

  At the time of filming this scene, there was a pizza place we think was called the Gramercy Eatery.  For filming purposes it looks like they put up a brown banner to cover over the restaurant name. When we arrived to take our photos it was now Mike's PAPAYA and there was a slightly different green pizza sign mounted on the building.  This is now another lost filming location as the whole building has been torn down and replaced.

 
  The middle of the road where all the action took place is still there.  This is where Brad Pitt, a dummy and some CGI all worked to bring this scene together.  The building you can see down the street is the Metropolitan Life Tower located beside Madison Park. While you are visiting New York be very careful and never stop in the middle of a busy street.  Even if you thought you saw Brad Pitt, wait until you are safely on the curb before looking back.

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Map of Our World
Mike's PAPAYA

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Post # 211

Newfoundland Dog Statues

Location: St. John's, Newfoudland, Canada
Address:  Harbourside Park, Water Street
Date: June 2017
Website: www.stjohns.ca

  In the lower section of St. John's Harbourside Park stand two dog statues.  These are the Newfoundland and the Labrador dogs.  Labrador is the portion of the province Newfoundland & Labrador that is attached to mainland Canada.  Newfoundland is an island and is the eastern most point of Canada.  The statues are 1.5 times larger than the dogs are in real life. The statues were sculpted by Luben Boykov who was born in Bulgaria but now lives in Newfoundland.

  The dogs look out across St. John's harbour towards Signal Hill.  The Newfoundland dog is the larger and shaggier of the two.  Newfoundland dogs love to swim.  They are adapted for swimming because they have a thick waterproof coat and even have webbed toes.  They also have a large tail which acts as a rudder while they swim.  These strong dogs are perfectly suited for the wet, cold environment found in Newfoundland.

  Up over the hill and past the colourful houses stand two more dogs.  It is another pair of Newfoundland and Labrador dogs. They are located near the GEO Centre as you head up Signal Hill.

    The Labrador is better known as the Labrador retriever.  It is descended from the Newfoundland dog but weighs about half as much.  It is better suited as a household pet since the Newfoundland is too big and from what we read, constantly salivating.  The Labrador also has webbed toes and loves water too.  Labradors come in chocolate, black and yellow colours.

  This pair of dogs at the top of the hill look back towards the St. John's harbour where the other pair of dogs stand.

  From the top of the hill we couldn't see the Harbourside dogs since the Atlantic Griffon  (last orange boat on the left) was parked in front.  The Atlantic Griffon is part of a fleet of offshore support vessels which also include other bird named boats such as the Atlantic Shrike, Atlantic Kestrel, Atlantic Merlin and more.

  While we didn't get a chance to see a real Newfoundland dog during our visit, the closest we came was seeing Sable Chief at The Rooms museum.  Sable Chief was a popular mascot for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during World War I  and is preserved for all to see.

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Map of Our World:
Newfoundland Dog Statues (Harbourside Park) , Newfoundland Dog Statues (GEO Centre)
The Rooms

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Post # 210