Sunday, September 30, 2007

who are you...

A couple of weekends ago, I headed into Toronto with my fellow Who Grrls, Elizabeth, Ann & Carly, and took in a screening of the new documentary, Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Who Grrls are a special bunch of ladies who share a love for one of the greatest rock bands ever. It's always great to spend time with them.

I like documentaries as much as the next person. And I am a big fan of The Who, although probably not quite as much as the previously mentioned Who Grrls. So I went into the movie expecting an enjoyable experience, but nothing earth shattering. What I got was an incredible, two hour look into how The Who became one of the biggest bands not only of their generation but of rock history . The film was full of exclusive and rare footage intermingled with interviews with the band and other key people in their history. This movie comes out in DVD form on November 5. If you are a Who fan or simply a music fan, buy this DVD! The movie is truly excellent and offers a fascinating glimpse into the development of an incredible and historically important rock band. And for the loyal Who fan, the DVD promises to be full of exciting bonus footage!

After we left the screening at the historic Elgin Theatre, we made our way to the Park Hyatt Hotel at Bloor & Avenue Road. The Hyatt has a lovely little bar on the 18th Floor called The Roof Lounge. It's a cozy room that serves excellent albeit expensive martinis & tapas. They have a small terrace with an incredible view of the city. Definitely a great place to go as a treat.

Here are some pics from the Hyatt terrace.


Aww, the ROM Crystal. This image depicts what I can't stand about the Crystal. On its own it would be a beautiful and striking piece of architecture. Instead, it crashes into an incredibly gorgeous old and historic building, destroying its beauty.


The ever-changing, condo-overloaded, Toronto skyline.


One of the things I love about Toronto is the trees. Here is the back view of Queen's Park, highlighting the lushly forested park behind the Legislature.


The ROM Crystal

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi vivian. Wish I could love Toronto as much as you do. You make it sound a lot nicer than I think it is.

vivian said...

I must admit that I love Toronto! I understand that not everyone does but I think that most people would if they had the right Toronto experience. Like all big cities, Toronto has its fair share of yuckiness but it has so much great stuff! So much culture to experience. So much diversity. Even though I only lived in Toronto for a few years, I think it's an amazing city to live in and a fantastic city to visit. I would move back in a heartbeat if I could afford it.

Of course, it also depends on where you come from. Some people just aren't big city folk. And that's fine. My biggest beef is when people who have never visited Toronto dis it. And in Canada that happens far too often.

I hope to convert you to a Toronto fan Sara. Thanks for your comment.

Pel said...

I know you've mentioned it before but that crystal building is so ugly when you looked at it with the original building....certain city planners should be shot. Twice to make sure the jobs been done properly.

Hurrah! The Who played Hull fairly recently. Boo! I missed them. I still have The Who live at Leeds though on CD. So that'll have to do for now.

vivian said...

I could totally get on board with the crystal as a completely separate building. But smushed up against the original building? Total crap. I think the city planners were snowed by the sexiness of having a Daniel Libeskind design in the city.

I'm so glad that I caught The Who on last year's tour. I was completely blown away by their performance. If they tour again I highly recommend going to a show!

Unknown said...

girly, that TIFF gig was like 50 kinds of fun! And just so you know? There's Who rumours for 2009 for the 40th anniversary of Tommy. Front row all the way, baby!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Vivian,
Steve has just introduced me to your blog thorough your Flickr site and this looks fantastic! I've just checked out your blog and I can't wait to read more. Steve sends his love and can't wait to see you in December!
Samantha

Anonymous said...

Too much wine...babies still awake...sorry....
I can't wait to see you in December.

vivian said...

Sam!!! I'm pleased to have you reading my blog. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks for feeding my husband during his visit to Regina this week. I can't wait to see you when you visit in December. Let me know what kind of touristy stuff you want to do. Hope you and the kids (including Corey) are doing well.

And by the way, there is no such thing as too much wine!