Guest Post: Adventures on the West Toronto Railpath

Guess who's back #TransitHubbers? Ionatan Waisgluss, with yet another post! This time he recounts a fascinating story about his adventures on the West Toronto Railpath. I'm sure you'll be as inspired as I was!
- Neil Jain


Toronto is a city full of hidden gems; the more I explore it, the more I appreciate what each neighbourhood has to offer. Recently, I discovered the West Toronto RailPath (WTR), which—in addition to being a destination in itself—allows for leisurely travel between two areas of Toronto. The pleasant trail spans roughly 2 km, from The Junction to the northwest corner of the downtown.

The trail, formally opened in October of 2009, is a wonderful stretch to explore. Trail highlights include derelict buildings seen from unusual angles, sporadic art pieces (metal installations by artist John Dickson), various native plantings for the nature geek, and some of the smoothest pavement in Toronto—perfect for everything from wheelchairs to kick-scooters. The path is also crossed by various other transportation routes, forming some fascinating urban topography, and resulting in the sort of dead space that graffiti artists tend to love.

The eerie remnants of the Canadian Hanson & Van Winkle Company Ltd.

Frontier #1 (a public installation by John Dickson)

A happy heart and some urban tranquility, tacked onto a pole.

Street art loves these dead spaces.

Layers of cultural modification.

Interesting style.

Big, goofy, and charismatic.

Comics-inspired, fantastic!

A rat-sized piece.

The path ends rather abruptly, and leaves you at Dundas St. West & Sterling Rd. I must admit, there isn’t much to do around there, but heading back north makes for an interesting walk.

You get to pass by the Toronto headquarters of Nestlé.

There’s even a little bit more street art.

Walking up Sterling Rd. is nowhere near as exciting as walking down the RailPath. Luckily, plans are underway to expand the RailPath in the near future, making our wonderful city even more interconnected. I haven’t heard how long it’ll take, though I’m certainly looking forward to it! In any case, I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, and that you make use of this beautiful part of the city. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Happy adventures,

--Ionatan Waisgluss

Guest Post: Hidden alleyway near Bathurst & Bloor

TransitHub is pleased that guest blogger Ionatan Waisgluss has contributed today's blog post. This time around his contribution is about the "extraordinary graffiti" in an off-the-beaten track area near the Bathurst & Bloor Hub. Enjoy!
- Neil Jain

Hidden alleyway near Bathurst & Bloor

Since moving to Borden Street at the start of September, I’ve been continuously exploring the Bathurst & Bloor area, always on the lookout for interesting shops, venues, places to practice parkour, and, of course, street art!

Bathurst & Bloor is a fantastic intersection. Most people know it for the iconic Honest Ed’s, which now incorporates Sonic Boom, Hero Burgers,and The Wine Rack; it’s worth visiting for its sheer size, if not for its fantastic deals. For additional awesomeness near this intersection, check out Midoco’s incredible selection of arts & crafts novelties, have a drink at a bar named after a disorder of your choice (Insomnia or Amnesia), or see what’s playing at the Bloor Cinema.

More street art afoot at Spadina & Queen

If you liked the guest post on the street art of Rush Lane by Ionatan Waisgluss, we've got good news. There's even more street art activity afoot near the Spadina and Queen Hub, this time on the street itself. From the corner of Spadina and Queen, walk east on the north side of Queen St. and you'll find a random assortment of vivid imagery and establishment-challenging depictions, many of them by street artist Tyler Elijah Hallett. Below, enjoy our #TransitHubbing Adventure down this sidewalk gallery. Then see the art in person before it's all power-washed away...

Guest Post: Rush Lane

TransitHub is pleased to welcome a guest blogger today, Ionatan Waisgluss. We hope you enjoy his contribution about street art in Toronto, specifically, Rush Lane near the Spadina & Queen hub.
- Neil Jain

If you happen to find yourself in the Queen and Spadina area, just south of the magic of Chinatown, you’re only steps away from a guerilla art gallery of astounding proportions. Half a block south of Queen St., stretching from Spadina Ave. west to Portland St,, there is a series of laneways known as Rush Lane, or Graffiti Alley. Within this very walkable area, you can find all shapes, sizes and styles of guerilla art on surfaces ranging from the railings of fire escapes to oh-so vulnerable brick façades.