and lastly, a couple images from Toronto's Chinatown.

Ok, ok, I know the shots are getting really belated here now, but I need to procrastinate a little more before doing some writing--so more CONTACT images from Toronto!

The one above is from Hank Willis Thomas' exhibit--but it uses the image on the right, which is from an altoids ad (Raj enlightened me), and then it looks like the image on the left has been put in. Looks like a pointed (no pun intended, but actually very fitting) exposing of stereotypical representations to me!

Below is BARBARA KRUGER's work--how cool is that?

LACHAPELLE FANTASTIQUE!!

Spread across a building wall in rich and vivid detail, a vinyl representation of David LaChapelle's "The Rape of Africa". Raj and I leaped off the street car when we saw this, and I greedily filled my camera memory card with images!

The Bane of Torontonians' Existence.

CN Tower POWER!

Tourist moment to the MAX! but I had to do it--well, Raj said I had to;)

Amazing!

These pieces are part of Toronto's Contact Photography Exhibition, and much of it was installed/site specific in areas around the city---I love that!

The one below (sorry for the awful glare) were part of a three part installation by Hank Willis Thomas--this one was called "Fair Warning" where he repurposed images from cigarette campaigns displaying models from the 1970s and 80s--like IMAN!!! He is ultimately looking at representations of black identity in photography--all these images were fantastic, and put on billboards and posters--the cigarettes are all removed from the women's fingers so they're all posing without the object of the advertisement.

Iman is flawless--look at how young she was here below! Exquisite!

Raj looking more fabulous than the model!

Toronto's New York-y Times Square...and Byzantium!

and Byzantium!

I don't actually know whether this was a restaurant or what, but I had to take a picture--NERD ALERT!

First Day in Toronto--LOVED IT!

I have so many more pictures that I'll post when I get home! Tonight the flight and I'm trying to remain calm--I can't wait to see my beautiful little family.

I LOVE Toronto!

Outside Via Rail when Raj picked me up.

Belated train ride photos!

Of course these are crooked, blurry and all that, but the train ride from Montreal to Toronto was really nice, and other than the lack of mountains, the scenery really changed a whole lot--I was pleasantly surprised!

I took this last one trying to be artsy fartsy, because we were coming into downtown Toronto and the sun was setting--you can see the reflection in the window of the city.

Last bit of Montreal pictures.

So, I'm on the train from Montreal to Toronto now. For some reason I envisioned an old-timey rail car like in those fancy movies but of course the train is super quiet and modern. I wouldn't recommend typing on the computer and looking out the window with reading glasses on--barf.

Somehow I thought the train left at 12pm but it actually left at 3:40pm today, so I had about four hours to kill around downtown. It was actually really nice--and hot! and I didn't get lost! I walked around, treated myself to a mani/pedi (soooooo much cheaper in Montreal than Vancouver!) and of course, took more pictures!

This is Montreal's only "mountain":

Is this the church with the statues that you were talking about Dad?

It was lunchtime for the downtown business folk when I took these pictures. I love that they're just lazing in the grass with their suits on.

And lastly a "new and old" shot--classic Montreal.

More pretty pics.

The top two are from the same church.

I liked this cross that you could see up on the hill, but Julia and I didn't know what it was from, and I forgot to ask Lisa.

Another pretty home.