Toronto was surprisingly a very sophisticated palette in terms of art and architecture, with nods to modern “appendixes” to the eclectic city. It was hard to understand what Toronto was about; there were so many different pockets of neighborhoods that varied so much from one another, but in general it seemed like a city that had skipped a century of modern development and then just started again a decade ago, such was the patchwork of old and new.

Frank Gehry’s circular staircase at the Art Gallery of Ontario is a good example of this. The structure blends well into the traditional architecture, giving it a modern twist but not taking away from the loveliness of the original. The Royal Ontario Museum also had a lovely facade on the north end,

But the thing I loved most was that these grand pieces were nestled among more humble architecture, such as these row townhouses.

More pics from Toronto: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arcticpenguin/sets/72157629265141365/

More pics of the Art Gallery of Ontario: (was not allowed to take pictures of artwork, just architecture) http://www.flickr.com/photos/arcticpenguin/sets/72157629310485717/