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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The True Blood Ménage à Trois You Never Knew You Didn't Want!

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Dreams (almost) came true (for some viewers) last night! We (almost) got to watch Bill and Eric gingerly cross their vampire swords, but Sookie was there and ruined it! Ah well, get ready for a face full of sexy vampire Sax Man and vaseline-smudged lenses — we're going into Sookie's brain. More »

The best makeout spots in Toronto: #5 Union Station

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Union Station Toronto I can understand the urge to make out in a space that consistency smells like cinnamon rolls. I, too, am overcome with amorous lust whenever I sense the presence of delicious baked goods. Still, I have a feeling there are other factors at play that would explain the consistent prevalence of physically passionate couples at Union Station.

Parting partners are typical culprits of public displays of affection, and for that, even I cannot blame them. What I can do, however, is use the sight for personal amusement and make up some elaborate story about their agonizing separation. The misses caught the two of you fulfilling your long-repressed desires and now she's running the homewrecker out of town? Hey--what else am I going to do when waiting for a train?

Union Station Toronto Union Station has nostalgia built into its walls, so it's no surprise its 40-foot stone columns might elicit some emotion. Of course, there are few discreet spots to express that emotion if you want to keep your affection concealed from strangers' imaginative, extrapolative eyes. The unabashed, on the other hand, seem to secure a position right beneath the train timetable, where all eyes in the Great Hall eventually seem to land. These people are not among Toronto's most bashful, especially considering there's often someone sitting right there at the information desk.

Union Station Toronto You might occasionally catch couples going at it from the seats lining the stairs down to the subway. These are the physically resilient pairs. A stagnant person sitting for a prolonged period of time in those chairs would be lucky to walk away with just a little soreness; I cant imagine the metal grate imprints fondling couples must be sporting. Something to remember on the train, I suppose.

Union Station Toronto But for all the charming, quasi-audible 'last call' announcements, the Great Hall's breathtaking vault ceiling, and the quiet rumble of rolling suitcases being pulled along their way, Union Station does have some "makeout spot" drawbacks. There's the traffic, the noise, the abundance of fussy children, and the characters like the woman I saw last week dissecting a cooked turkey with a pocketknife; all of which, that is to say, might spoil the mood. So use Union Station to make out if you can, or else just resort to the inevitable and pick up a cinnamon bun from downstairs.

Union Station Toronto Union Station roundup:

Privacy: Try the bathroom

A good year-round spot? Yes

Atmosphere: Very Brief Encounters

Watch out for: Late and irritated passengers for whom you're in the way

Union Station Toronto Previously in this series:

#10: CityPlace Canoe
#9: Cloud Gardens Waterfall
#8: Sugar Beach
#7: UC Quad
#6: Chester Hill Lookout

A special thanks to Trojan Condoms for sponsoring this 10 part series on the best makeout spots in Toronto.

Photos by Jesse Milns

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

ABC's 'Castle' season 4 spoilers: new obstacle for the Castle / Beckett romance

Published on Examiner National Edition TV Channel Articles | shared via feedly

If you have been rooting for Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic's characters to get together on "Castle" at some point, then you are really just in the same boat as everyone else in America. However, there...

'How I Met Your Mother' season 7 spoilers: the return of the familiar

Published on Examiner National Edition TV Channel Articles | shared via feedly

Even though "How I Met Your Mother" is one of the few sitcoms that really has a deep mythology, there are still a number of fans who have found the series over time and thus missed some of...

NBC's 'Chuck' season 5: a new 'business trip' for the Buy More

Published on Examiner National Edition TV Channel Articles | shared via feedly

Even though we may only have 13 episodes in which to check it out, one of the most exciting elements of this upcoming season of "Chuck" is seeing what exactly is going to happen now that our favorite...

'MasterChef' delivers record ratings for season 2 finale

Published on Examiner National Edition TV Channel Articles | shared via feedly

It appears as though a good many people were interested in checking out Jennifer Behm's victory of "MasterChef" this season. The ratings are in, and the grand finale to the summer series on Tuesday night managed...

Sunday, August 14, 2011

What Yonge Street looked like in the 1970s

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Yonge Street 1970s Over the last year or so, I've posted quite a few collections of historical photos of Toronto — which is why it's so exciting to stumble upon images that I've yet to encounter in my various searches through the City's Archives. Such was the case earlier today when I was directed to the Toronto History Flickr page via a tweet from Matt Elliott. I had actually been on the the very same page the night before working on something else, but the subject of that post immediately seemed less enticing after being treated to a "fresh" batch of photos depicting old Yonge Street.

Originally used by the City of Toronto Planning and Development Department, the Flickr set spans a period between the early 1970s and 1990s, but I've highlighted only those that I've yet to post in the past. They depict a Yonge Street that's less corporate, a little seedier, and presumably more exciting than the strip that we know today.

Sam the Record Man, the former Empress Hotel, and old Dundas Square all make appearances — as do the Eaton's at College Park, the Hard Rock Cafe and some pretty slick looking automobiles. In short, this little collection represents everything I love about digging through archival photos.

PHOTOS

Yonge Street 1970s

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS / SLIDESHOW

SEE ALSO

All photos from the City of Toronto Archives