Hitting the Streets | Bonus TFS Walk

While my initial plans for March were to attend the monthly regularly scheduled Toronto Film Shooters Walk, when the date didn’t work with my schedule, I went ahead and planned a bonus walk earlier in the month! So, the small group met at Dineen Coffee Co on Yonge Street before heading out. The weather had been looking pretty dreary since Monday, and by Saturday, there was still the threat of rain, but we got rain, shine, or snow. I had made a point to get into the city early to shoot through a couple of other rolls for future reviews (Sensorex and Elan 7 with FP4+), and for the main walk, I went with a camera I don’t take out often, my Nikon F65 with the 28mm f/2.8 lens and a couple rolls of Ilford HP5+ which I developed in Rollei Supergrain. One thing I also did was throw my iPhone on a bracket on top of the F65 and record this for a future On the Road Video, which will be released later this month as a bonus video for April.

First Coffee
The beautiful Dineen Building (c.1897) is well preserved and even has the original elevator intact, although I’m not sure if it works or now.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Demolished
The old Shwarma King building, now nothing more than a sad shell.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
The Back Ways
I’ve always wanted to wander through this small street, but the number of people living rough here made me pause. It was unoccupied probably because of the rain.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Downtown Camera
Of course a stop off for supplies at Downtown Camera was a must.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Old Scotia
A former Back of Nova Scotia branch from 1913, I think the building is empty.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C

It was totally coincidental that the route I had plotted out seemed very similar to one I had hosted a few years back in the middle of a snowstorm. But I did make some changes this time around. We started out at Dineen Coffee at Yonge & Temperance, a lovely little shop that serves a good cup of coffee. From there, we walked across to Church via Richmond because Queen Street is still a mess with all the Ontario Line construction. We stopped at Downtown Camera in case anyone (me) needed a refill on film. Then, it was a quick diagonal jaunt across the lawn of Metropolitan United and north on Bond Street. This is a favourite part of the city for me; despite being narrow, there is a lot of history, from St. Michael’s Cathedral to the final home of Toronto’s first mayor and resident rebel, William Lyon Mackenzie. Rather than cut across Dundas at this point, we kept going straight before arriving at the Toronto Metropolitan University Campus. It was here we had to take our first pause as the rain started falling a bit heavy, so we took a moment to dry out a little nearby.

Holy Blossom Temple
St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church started life as the Holy Blossom Temple, a Jewish Synagogue.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
TMU
The main reason I wanted to go through TMU, the surviving facade of the former Toronto Normal School from 1851.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
TMU
I’m not sure what this old building piece is from. I should have read the plaque.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Odd Fellows
Another favourite of mine, the old OddFellows Hall at Yonge & College. It had a Starbucks until recently, now a pot shop.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Original Sick Kids
The former Victoria Hospital for Sick Children, now home to Canadian Blood Services.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C

Rather than go around the campus this time, we headed straight through the quad to take in the facade of the old Toronto Normal School; after being spat out onto Gerrard, it was a quick jog up Yonge and then across College Street. Unfortunately, we did have a run-in with an Indigenous Ceremony, which resulted in one of the folks getting yelled at and recorded by the people participating. Another area with a lot of history includes the original Hospital for Sick Children Building, the Banting Institute, and great architecture. Rather than immediately swing around the back of Queen’s Park, I took the group into a section of the University of Toronto Campus off St Joseph Street. I’ve always wanted to check out this area, so why not bring other people along for the ride? Through the old buildings and out past Victoria College before heading across Queen’s Park again and continuing into the University Campus.

Whitney Block
The beautiful Whitney Block, it appears that some work was being done to this classic art deco tower.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Le Prudent
One of two Canon on display outside Whitney Block, these were from the French Warship Le Prudent that was captured and burned in 1758.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Victoria University
Victoria University, originally founded in 1836 by the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada, the building here or “Old Vic” was completed in 1891 in the Richardson Romanesque style.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Wycliffe
Wycliffe College, founded in 1877 as an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Trinity College
Trinity College, founded in 1851 in direct response to the secularisation of the University of Toronto.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C

Back on campus, we walked in along Hoskin Avenue, past Trinity and Wycliffe, before ducking down through the Soldier’s Tower and past the beautiful King’s College Building. There’s been a lot of construction here recently, so I’ve had to avoid the area, but it was nice to get back onto campus and see everything all fixed up. Then, it was past Knox College and Convocation Hall before heading back out to College Street via the main entrance. While on campus, we had to take shelter briefly under the Soldier’s Tower as the rain started to fall again. We also spotted a Quidditch game in front of King’s College and an Engineers convocation. But we didn’t stay on College for long, ducking down McCaul to our final ending spot, Sin & Redemption, for a fine selection of European beers!

Soldier's Tower
I took another rain burst to take time to read through some of the names inside the Soldier’s Tower.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Soldier's Tower
The main list of names of University students and staff who died in World War One.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
The former Toronto Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory, first completed in 1853.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
King's College
The main King’s College building and the centre of the UofT St. George Campus.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Coffee!
A cute little coffee truck on campus, it was closed.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C

Now, I had initially planned to save one of the FP4+ rolls for the walk back to Union Station, but with a longer stop at Downtown Camera and several pauses along the way because of the rain, we ended up at Sin & Redemption, a little later than I expected. And with the potential of worse weather in the afternoon, I shot both FP4+ rolls before the event started. I also had to stop in at OCAD to drop off one of their Mac chargers that got left behind at Sheridan. So, it was a fast walk back to Union Station, pausing to collect some photos for a future blog post. I ended up getting home around 4:30 and got to work right away to develop the six rolls of film, including the four I shot at the event.

Convocation Hall
Convocation Hall, there was an engineering ceremony taking place on the day.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Hidden Deco
A hidden piece of Art Deco styling along McCaul.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
St. Patrick
The Redemptorists Monastery next to St. Patrick Parish, the building dates to 1866 and is still an active monastery today.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
St. Patrick
The 1908 home to the St. Patrick Parish, it is also home to a shrine. I should keep an eye out if it ever comes on Doors Open Toronto.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C
Sin & Redemption
Last Stop, the Sin & Redemption Pub, great European centred pub for booth food and beer.
Nikon F65 – AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Rollei Supergrain (1+15) 7:00 @ 20C

I love not just participating in but also planning and leading photo walks. While the weather was wet, we did get rained on twice on the journey. I love going out in almost any weather and my cameras surprisingly stood up well to the conditions. In totally the walk was a little over five kilometers which isn’t too bad and it is always good to get out to get the blood pumping. It also helped get me back in the groove as I’ll be running another walk this year on 12-July for the 10th Anniversary of the Classic Camera Revival Podcast! You can see the details on photowalk.me. As always you can head over to Flickr to check out all my photos from the day!

Coming 30-April – On the Road | Toronto Film Shooters Meetup

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