1. Sugar Beach
Sugar beach is an 8,500 square meter whimsical park located at 130 Queens Quay East. It is directly across from the Redpath Sugar Factory and it features three district components: an urban beach, a plaza and a tree-lined promenade. Although this beach is not ideal for swimming, if you are looking to take some pictures with cute pink umbrellas and put your toes in light coloured sand, this is the spot for you. This is a great place to unwind with a book or relax in a beach chair away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is also a great spot to get incredible winter photos as seen below.
2. Angel Wings at Calii Love by Colette Miller
Collette Miller created her Global Angel Wings Project in 2012. Located at 367 King St W, these wings are the first in Canada. Miller has painted her wing designs all over the world in an attempt to remind the city’s inhabitants “that we are all angels of this earth” with emphasis on inclusion and well-being. These paintings are an international phenomenon and Toronto became a part of this project in early 2018. Calii Love is the restaurant that these wings are painted on and they are known for “good vibes only” casual eatery.
3. Graffiti Alley
Toronto’s Graffiti Alley is a staple feature of the city. Initially these murals were painted to challenge the relationship with legalized street art and have since been featured in music videos, become a part of guided tours and features many reputable graffiti artists. Most murals are painted over time with new work that often represents relevant topics in society. Style In Progress began hosting legal 24-hour graffiti sessions along the 1 km stretch since 2011.
4. Distillery District
The distillery district in Toronto dates back to the early 19th century and is located at 55 Mill Street. The doors were reopened in 2003 and has become a history site dedicated to arts, cultures and entertainment. Today, the distillery district features the original “Gooderham and Worts” sign which was one of the largest distilleries in Canada dating back to the 1860s. It also features the largest collection of 40 heritage buildings and 10 streets of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America.
5. This is Paradise Wall
This mural is located on the East side of The Cameron House located at Queen St. W, and Cameron St. and was painted by artist Tom Dean. The origin of the mural is that Dean was kicked out of his apartment in the 1980s and spent a lot of time at the venue’s bar as a result. One day when he was sitting in the bar surrounded by afternoon drunks, he thought to himself “This is Paradise.”, which is now memorialized on a grand scale.
6. June Callwood Park
The June Callwood park is a 0.4-hectare park located at 636 Fleet Street in the district of Toronto East York. This park was built to honour of the late June Callwood who was a journalist and social activist. The park is designed after a voice print of an audio clip of June Callwood’s quote “I believe in kindness” by a Toronto design firm called gh3. The site consists of a geometric pattern that runs from north to south and won an award in an international design competition. It was awarded $2.6 million to bring to fruition. The six-part design includes a puzzle garden, a series of pink rubberized benches, blooming crab-apple trees and more.
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7. Leuty Lifeguard Station
The Leuty Lifeguard Station was one of three stations built by the Toronto Harbour Commission in 1920. Although the station has been moved three times, it has remained an iconic landmark in Toronto’s East end for 100 years and counting. In the 90s, the station started to fall into disrepair and the members of the community are responsible for saving it from demolition. To this day it is one of the most photographed buildings of the east end.
8. Toronto Skyline from Olympic Island
Olympic Island is located on the city side of Toronto Islands. It is home to the Centre Island Ferry dock, Centreville Amusement Park, picnic areas and the Toronto Island Yacht Club. Although there are many spots around Toronto to capture the skyline, Olympic Island faces directly in front of the city and captures beautiful sunset views and the bright lights reflecting off of Lake Ontario at night.
9. Kensington Market
Kensington market is a national historic site located in Toronto bordered by Spadina Avenue in the East and Bathurst Street in the west. It is a neighbourhood full of spirit, colourful shop fronts, vibrant murals, cheese and meat shops, vintage stores and a wide variety of multicultural cuisine. The 19th century Victorian style architecture and bright colours borrowed from the “hippie 1960’s” provide an amazing backdrop for unique and quirky photos, especially on “no car Sunday’s”.
