Christmas in the Big City, Toronto

the facade of Tiffany's, Toronto, with the entranced swathed in evergreen boughs

Christmas tree at the 1929 Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto

lobby arrangement of massed red amaryllis, red blown glass, and candles in the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto's elegant Yorkville

lobby tree of Toronto's Beaux Arts masterpiece, Le Méridien King Edward Hotel

revellers helping to create a festive atmosphere in Kensington Market on the December 21 winter solstice activities

the public skating rink at North York Centre, Toronto

another view of the sunken North York Centre rink, Toronto

a view of Willowdale Park in north Toronto; such parks dot the city and there are many to explore and enjoy

a Christmas window of the old Hudson's Bay store, with blankets and canoe sporting the iconic stripes of the historic wool blankets that were used for trading

the historic 1851 Gibson House in north Toronto is now surrounded by tall office and condominium buildings; it is open as a museum, and captures the essence of mid 19th century rural life

New York cabs, a metaphor for unlimited opportunities and experiences, are yellow; Toronto's orange and aqua Beck taxis are everywhere, and are the Toronto versions of the checkered taxis

malls and atria throughout the city are refuges from the bitter winter winds, and are decorated lavishly, in big city Christmas style

a wintry city sidewalk in the stylish Yorkville district of Toronto

an animated Christmas window at the Hudson's Bay Company flagship store on Queen Street; the scene here is of course, last minute work at Santa's shop

Tafelmusik's Messiah at Trinity St. Paul's United Church is a favourite among Torontonians

nothing gets one in the mood for the holidays like the superb St. Michael's Boys Choir of Toronto

St. Basil's Church on the University of Toronto campus, shown here at Christmas

St. Basil's Church on the University of Toronto campus, shown here during Advent

animated Christmas windows at the Hudson's Bay Company flagship store on Queen Street, note the classic little Hudson's Bay candy stripe wool coats

another Hudson's Bay Company animated window depicting Santa's return to the North Pole after delivering gifts around the globe

the elegant old Manulife office building with pristine, manicured gardens

Christmas in the big city, in this case Toronto, brings numerous anticipated delights. The classic 1950 holiday song, “Silver Bells” composed by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston captures the distinctive ambiance of an urban Christmas.

Without direct religious references (“bells” of course suggests church bells ringing on holidays and before masses and religious services), it is a modern Christmas song, evoking the urban setting during the holiday rush.

SILVER BELLS by J. Livingston and Ray Evans

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks,

Dressed in Holiday style.

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas.

Children laughing, people passing,

Meeting smile after smile,

And on every street corner you hear,

Silver bells, silver bells.

It's Christmas time in the city…

Coming from a very small community in remote northern Ontario, I have a special appreciation for Christmas in the Greater Toronto Area which has a population close to 6 million, and the distinct atmosphere that is so very different from the winter holiday as celebrated in the country or small towns.

Here is a list of the things I most enjoy in Toronto during Advent and Christmastide:

1) The beautiful, historic churches, chapels, and cathedrals. As we move to an increasingly secular, multi-faith society, many churches are being sold off as their congregations dwindle, along with funds to maintain them. In the city, we are lucky enough to have many wonderful old churches to visit. In the crowded, modern cities, they are quiet places of refuge. I have many favourites, including the various chapels at the University of Toronto, St. John's York Mills, St. Michael’s Cathedral, St. Paul’s Basilica, and the modernest jewel, St. Joseph's Morrow Park. The one I go to most and feel most at home at is 150 year old St. Basil’s on the University of Toronto Campus. It is like stepping back in time, and it is just minutes away from the busy shopping district of Bay and Bloor Streets. The solitude and reflective atmosphere have helped me at the end of many exhausting, stressful days.

2) The heritage homes of the city, many now museums open to the public, that are so lovingly cared for and decorated for Christmas. It is fascinating to see how Christmases long ago were celebrated. My favourite is the classic red brick Georgian Judge Campbell House at the corner of Queen and University.

3) The St. Michael’s Boys Choir Concert at Massey Hall. I first went to a performance of this superb choir over 30 years ago, and have loved them ever since. It is a venerable Toronto tradition to see the boys in their blazers, walk from their school a block south of Massey Hall. The program changes from year to year, so it has a freshness that some classic holiday performances may lack. This year, the junior choir did the most charming musical rendition of “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (The Night Before Christmas). I cannot recommend this concert highly enough.

4) The Good Shepherd Refuge. In the midst of the bustle and glamour of city life there is despair and poverty. The Good Shepherd Refuge on Queen St. East near Parliament St., will accept food donations 24 hours a day. There is a particular need for canned vegetables and fruits, tea and coffee, sugar, and rice. Many people, including myself, prefer this kind of donation because you know that your gift, and all of it, is going directly to those in need, rather than to administration.

http://www.goodshepherd.ca/

5) The Christmas windows at Holt Renfrew on Bloor St. This venerable Canadian luxury store has been a part of Christmas in Canada for more than 170 years. The chic windows are as every bit as enticing as anything one would see in New York or Paris.

6) Big city Parks. Toronto is very lucky to have numerous parks with skating rinks, walking trails, and opportunities to view wildlife and birds. It is a city of treed ravines, and many of them are parks with gorgeous trails to walk. My favourites are High Park and the trails of the East Don. It is easy to imagine one is in a forest, or even Algonquin Park, hours away from the city.

7) The Tafelmusik Messiah. This is now a much loved Toronto tradition. To attend a performance in the historic Trinity St. Paul’s Church on Bloor Street West is a highlight of the Christmas season, and a good reminder in the scriptural references and religious aspect of the holiday.

8) The gardens of the old Manulife Building on Bloor Street east of Yonge (north side). I always admire this stately, elegant neoclassical building of grey granite. It has superb lawns and gardens surrounded by tall iron fences, and every Christmas a very tall pair of matched fir trees is placed on the lawn and decorated with simple, white lights. Exquisite.

9) Kensington Market. Every December 21st at dusk, Kensington Market hosts a winter solstice festival. The carnival atmosphere is great fun. Participants carry candle lanterns, and musical and percussion instruments. Kensington Market, over 100 years old, is also the best place to get the outstanding quality holiday pastries, meats, exotic fruits and vegetables. And of course it is the city’s premier location for vintage clothing. You can slip a vintage Champagne mink, in pristine condition, under the tree for your baby, and it shouldn’t set you back more than $200., often much less for a retro stole.

10) The Hudson Bay Company. In the world of retail, few can match the 300 year old history of this company that is an intrinsic part of Canadian history and life. And of course this is the time that many Canadian household take out their HBC blanket for winter, the same ones that the traders used centuries ago as currency when “buying” fur pelts from the Indians and trappers. The candy stripe blanket is one of the 10 most famous icons of Canadian design, and now adorns coats, scarves, bags, and even canoes. The outstanding animated windows of the flagship store on Queen St. at Yonge, are admired by all.

11) The terrific flower shops. For Canadians, flowers in the middle of cold winter will always be a luxury. Orchids and poinsettias are now ubiquitous and available at the supermarket, but it is always a special treat to go into one of the excellent flower shops and get pots of narcissus for myself and for friends. For me, they are fragrant Christmas stars. With the crystalline structure of the creamy white flower petals, they are reminders of the star that lead shepherds and kings to the Infant Jesus in Bethlehem.

12) Big City Hotels. For a very urban experience, a great hotel in holiday décor is delightful. I like the Four Seasons in Yorkville, The 1929 Royal York, and the beaux-arts King Edward Hotel. Stop in for a drink, lunch, or brunch, and enjoy a sophisticated urban experience. And those Christmas holiday floral arrangements in the lobbies, such creativity and beauty….

13) Skating. Who has time to drive on icy roads to the nearest half decent ski hill? Not me. I opt for the easy way out and head for the local outdoor rinks. Our classic big city rink is in Nathan Phillips Square (City Hall) but I much prefer the city rink at the North York City Centre. It is strictly for leisure skating (no hockey sticks to distract or trip anyone), and the sunken situation helps it avoid being windswept on colder days. When I skated there this week, they were playing vintage Christmas music by Bing, Ella, Frank, and Nat. Terrific!

14) The Nutcracker. Toronto’s superb production by the National Ballet, December 11, 2010 - January 2, 2011, has Russian inspiration, and is a joy to behold. Other productions throughout the city are also worthwhile checking out. Russian Christmas; how sophisticated and romantic.

15) Bloor West Village. This quaint tree lined district between Jane and Runnymede Streets has a distinct European flavour with pastry shops, cheese mongers, butchers, and numerous excellent green grocers and flower/plant shops. Many shops are east European, and it is worthwhile heading to west Toronto to visit and feel like you are in Europe.

16) Bloor-Bay Street/ Yorkville shopping district. This area, the so called "Mink Mile," has just finished an extensive and very complex improvement project. The sidewalks are now surfaced with black granite, and built in planters, also of the same stone, are filled with evergreens in winter, and lavish annual flowers in spring and summer. The most elegant shops, including Birks, Cartier, Chanel, Ferragamo, Gucci, Guerlain, Harry Rosen, Hermes, Holt Renfrew, and Tiffany can be found here. At Christmas, 20 ft. fir trees covered with thousands of twinkling lights make the street as picturesque as one imagines in the song, "Silver Bells."

ALL PHOTOS, SQUARE WITH FLAIR

Happy 15th Birthday, Bata!

the beautiful Bata Museum insignia, deeply etched on the curved glass surround of the front revolving door

the museum's bold, classic logo in a style reminiscent of early 20th century graphics
Raymond Moriyama's award winning design for the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada

Happy 15th Birthday, Bata!

This May, the Bata Shoe Museum of Toronto was officially 15 years old. It was 5 years in the planning, and after several difficulties and delays, it was opened on May 6, 1995.

The Bata is one of the most important shoe museums in the world, and it is a cultural treasure for Toronto. Some of their wonderful surplus has gone to other venerable and prestigious museums such as the Victoria and Albert.

The Bata is in a choice location on the southwest corner of Boor and St. George, surrounded by other buildings of interesting architecture such as the York Club, and the neoclassical style medical arts building across the street from it. Accessible by subway, it is near the ROM and the Gardiner Ceramics Museum, Yorkville, and it absorbs some of the atmosphere of academia where it is convenient for researchers from nearby University of Toronto.

the stately, richly detailed, late 19th century York Club, on the north east corner, opposite the Bata Museum

the Bata Museum seen from the manicured lawns of the historic York Club

Mrs. Bata’s attention to detail is evident in the superb custom bronze door handle medallions used on entrance and gallery doors, the reverse relief/ intaglio shoe carved in the stone facing beside the front entrance, the interesting prismatic glass appliqué on 42 foot high soaring the central hall window by Lutz Haufschild, and copper cladding on the jutting front entrance. These details go far to lend nobility, humanity, and elegance to the modern architecture and give the museum the aspect of a continental boutique museum. Mrs. Bata's European heritage has given her an acute awareness and appreciation for the craftsmanship of special artisans and ateliers.

the reverse-relief, carved. stylised shoe design and patinated bronze lettering beside the front entrance

a circa 1730 tin glaze blue delft decorative shoe from Holland painted with tulips detail of the hall window showing coloured glass appliques, reminds one of Matisse paper cut outs

shapes suggest pieces of cut out leather before a shoe is assembled
the applied, diagonally set flat prisms of the 42ft hall window softly screen out neighbouring buildings

detail of precision custom welding in the angled windows of the front entrance

the dramatically angled front entrance on the south side of Bloor Street

f ront entrance seen from the light flooded vestibule

front entrance facing west on Bloor Street

f ront vestibule area with detail of plate glass railings that contribute to a bright, spacious feeling

Recently, I enjoyed viewing a very interesting interview by George Stroumboulopoulos on CBC's "The Hour", December 3, 2008. He asked the charming Mrs. Bata about starting the museum and if her family considered it a bad idea. Mrs. Bata said that her son in particular considered a museum a big liability, and when she said she agreed, she laughed light-heartedly. The tone of her voice made it apparent that it was a labour of love that had brought her great personal satisfaction. In the interview, when asked about how the museum collection began she said,

“It started because when I got married I wanted to be an architect and then my husband really wanted me as a member of the team, and as I like design, I started working with collections, and merchandising. We were expanding into Africa and the far East and Latin America. I was very curious to find out what type of shoes do people really wear in these countries, what’s the traditional footwear like, and so it was really a market research collection. This is how it started. And then there were other reasons why I started being really involved in the subject of putting this collection together. I noticed that the indigenous footwear was disappearing very quickly, and partly it was our fault because we were making cheap sneakers, and later on, plastic sandals. Plastic sandals wear forever, so they replaced the traditional footwear in these countries, which in many ways, it’s very sad. It is not only in the craft of shoe making, but for example in pottery seen in Mexican markets, or textiles with beautiful vegetable dyes. So I felt it would be interesting to somehow put down the history of the shoe making trades of all the different cultures be that China or India, Japan or wherever it was, and form the museum. From the museum we fund field trips to various parts of the world. We have somebody now in Mongolia trying to get some of the ancient footwear or the traditionally made footwear.”

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/The_Hour/Full_Episodes/Season_5/ID=1237058429

from Lapland, sealskin boots with colourful detailing
boldly colourful beaded plains Indian moccasins

Canadian Indian (Cree) moccasin boots with unique Moose hair tufting
late 20th century urban sophistication in the iconic horse bit Gucci loafers
extremely fine glass beading on Amerindian moccasins

I asked Mrs. Bata if any of her own personal shoes are in the collection. She said the only pair the museum has is the pair that she wore to the museum opening exactly 15 years ago this May. She laughed as she suggested that her feet were "big" and not really right for the museum!

On this 15th anniversary of the Bata Museum, we can be grateful that Mrs. Bata has done so much to make Toronto the cosmopolitan and interesting city it is in 2010. Many, many thanks Mrs. Bata!

detail of shard-like, flat, cut prisms applied to the front hall window recall the angular planes of the facade
detail from a 16th or 17th century spurred boot from the bronze door handle reliefs of the Bata Museum

All shoes from the Bata Shoe Museum collection, Toronto.