Cold Port in Toronto

Winter, snow and ice never stop the Ships in the Port of Toronto from connecting the city to every continent on earth!  In fact this has been a system of a seamless network of inter modal links to road, rail and air transportation for over 100 years in the downtown core.

On average there are over two million tonnes of cargo that pass through this Port relieving our already congested highways of over tens of thousands of truck off the roads.

The Port also does warehousing and staging.  As well, there are cruise ships and passengers from around the world who pass through the International Marine Passenger Terminal.

The picture below of the pipe converging in the centre is the location of the now de-commissioned Richard L. Hearn Generating Station on January 3, 2012.  This turned out to be one of my favorite pictures I've taken, only because of the nostalgia to me.

The steam you see in the foreground drifting past the old stack is from the Portland Energy Centre.  the Portland Plant uses natural gas to produce electricity and the old Hearn plant originally used coal but was using natural gas as well prior to being shut down in 1983.

There is also a nice view off of the Outer Harbour Marina on Unwin Avenue looking across the Lake Ontario.  Not much activity these days, that'll all change soon though.

Finally, another picture of the iconic Life Guard House, which does stand out on Cherry Beach now that the swimmers and sunbathers are gone and there is nothing but snow and ice.  The house has been here since the 1930's and other than the occasional wood treatment or paint job, it remains exactly as it has always been.

 

St. Lawrence Market (Heritage Walk)

Here's another famous historical site in Toronto.  This is the time of year when we focus on family, friends and food.  The St. Lawrence Market shows up big with over 50 vendors that sell fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses on the lower and first level.  At the South Market you can sample some of the worlds most exotic foods, flavours and desserts.  I sampled my first Turkish Delight, and loved them so much I bought a small bag of them.  They look like gelatinous cubes made with a hint of rosewater dusted with icing powder.   

If you are like me and don't really bake much or end up burning the cake, they have all kinds of Christmas goodies here to show you up well.  I love cheese but usually end up buying what I know, which is Cheddar or some times Swiss or Monterey Jack.  That's the fun part of buying from a market, because you can sample different cheese squares before you buy.  Makes a lot more sense.   Yes cheese is very expensive as it is.   I also know someone else who likes cheese ! 

In fact you can find samples of everything all day long here from over 60 vendors 'marketing' their wares.  Like most Markets, you will find the quality here is fresh and they use words like 'organic' or 'free range' a lot.   You should expect to pay more for that though.  If not, you can also support your local fruit and vegetable markets.  Guaranteed to save a ton on your weekly food bill.

 

This is known as the South Building and is located at 92 Front Street East which surrounds a block from Market Street, The Esplanade, Lower Jarvis, to Front Street.   Currently, it is one of the major markets in Toronto’s downtown core (the other one is The Kensington Market).  

The building also has The Market Gallery, operated by City of Toronto, on the second floor and a cooking school (market kitchen) on the mezzanine floor.  I loved Buster's Sea Cove, a small diner very reminiscent of the 50's, where they have my favorite, haddock and chips, crab cakes, Red snapper, Grilled shrimp in herb sauce, chicken fingers and salads just to list a few items on their menu! Come here empty, leave satisfied.

Speaking of nostalgia, when you look up at the windows, high arched ceilings and rod iron gate heads, you can imagine this place being a jail at one time.  I wasn't surprised to find out that it was in fact home to Toronto's first permanent jail from 1845 to 1899.  Since then, the new steel truss roof was built allowing more open space with a high ceiling and letting in more natural light.   

There is also a newer North end of the St. Lawrence Market.  It transforms to become different things on different days, but principally it is the associated with the vibrant and fresh Farmers' Market, the largest in Toronto that starts bright and early on Saturday mornings from 5am.  Then on Sundays it opens from 5am to become the the Antique Market.  Christmas trees and holiday greens are offered daily from now until Christmas eve. Hopefully if you ever make it to the Market you will always leave with something.