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First off, thanks for taking the time to visit my gallery. I've been absent of late. I'm still assisting my mother in my spare time and my computer space has been broken up again. It's a Feng Shui thing. Though I should be back up and running in another spot in a couple of days. I feel like Milton from 'Office Space' - both the cartoons and the movie.They took my stapler. Again, I turn my eye to the bane of His Worship's existence. No, not crack but streetcars. Well, after all, each one of these ALRVs and its one hundred passengers does get in the way of the fifteen or so single occupant vehicles behind it. Including, the mayor's black Cadillac SUV. Nothing must get in the way of the asphalt of freedom. Not even a collapsing expressway named Fred. But more on that another time. By the way, for those who are not following the Rob Ford saga, City Council stripped him of most of his powers (and staff and budget) a couple of months ago. So, he's mayor only symbolically now and the election is this October. One can only hope... but more on that another time. I have yet to see the new low floor model of TTC streetcar in action myself - they are still undergoing street trials and driver training. However, all two hundred of them are supposed to be nearly twice as long and carry over twice as many passengers as the ALRV model which presently dominates the Queen Line (Route 501). ALRVs are the articulated version of the venerable CLRV streetcar which commonly ply Toronto surface rail routes - save for the Queen and Bathurst Lines. Thus the new fleet - beginning service next year - will mark a great uptick in service capacity along the busiest transit routes in Toronto. Though, when the CLRVs and ALRVs are retired so too will be the 'linens'. I will indeed miss the old back lit, white on black destination signs. Bus services, including the TTC's, abandoned them by the late '80's. I hated the low resolution, magnetic flip disk signs which replaced them and the orange LED displays of today are only marginally better. But this photo does lay bare the commonplace shortcoming of linens; the driver has set the wrong destination. The route is correct but Long Branch is the western terminus of the Queen Line and car 4209 is definitely traveling eastbound. I took this shot in downtown Toronto along the over pass bridge between the Sheridan Centre and Nathan Phillips Square - home to Toronto's new (well, newer, it's nearly as old as I am) City Hall. It's a great vantage point for this section of the city and I am surprised by how unused it seems to be. Before stopping here I took a photo two empty and abandoned Heineken bottles, standing green and proud in the late afternoon light. Someone left the empties upright on the equally empty upper concourse leading to the bridge. Even in such a unkempt environment Heineken still maintains its coolness. But more on that another time. If you look closely on the right of this photo you'll see a tall black iron fence amongst the trees. This fence encircles Osgoode Hall, home to the prestigious Osgoode School of Law. The building and school date back to before (Canadian) Confederation in the early 1830's. Toronto was known as York in those days - the name of the cross street in the photo not so coincidentally. More of an overgrown fortress town then (see the War of 1812), there was more livestock than people. And the story goes that the fence was erected to keep the local cows off the lawn. Some say that story is hogwash, which is apt for a city nicknamed 'Hog Town'. But more on that another time. Anyways, thank you all again for taking the time to read my random thoughts tonight and have a great week everybody. Notes: TTC: Toronto Transit Commission ALRV: Articulated Light Rail Vehicle CLRV: Canadian Light Rail Vehicle SUV - Menace to all creation

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