Urban Attractions

Wikipedia says: Urban exploration (often shortened as urbex or UE, and sometimes known as 'roof-and-tunnel hacking') is the exploration of man-made structures, usually abandoned ruins or not usually seen components of the man-made environment. Photography and historical interest/documentation are heavily featured in the hobby... I found a website that identifies urban exploring sites in Toronto here.   However, as I scrolled through the list, so many of the abandoned buildings have been demolished and are gone.   Today's images might also capture urban components that will become lost.  Our Piano Keyboard in the first image has been added to the loading dock in recent times and brings a sense of delight to a back alley. It could disappear quickly with graffiti or demolition to make way for grander buildings. Our second image is a "preserved" painted billboard for Tip Top Tailors.  It is located on Richmond Street West - you can see the 'suits and coats' quite well.  I found a posting on it which says the building was once 5 stories with a small painted sign, and then become 6 stories, with the large sign painted over the first. As they have decayed, the original sign has shown through.

Larger Than Life

I found this in the Queen Street West Graffiti Alley in Toronto.  It's well known as the setting for Rick Mercer's 'Rants'.

It all seems so perfect.  It might be that now, a few weeks later, the chair too is a story of images and letters.