Cherry Blossoms @ High Park

I made my annual pilgrimage to High Park to see the cherry blossoms last Friday. According to their website peak bloom this year was supposed to be Wednesday, May 6th.

With a week of above average temperatures they pushed the date ahead three days from their original prediction. For me, I used the cherry blossoms at Mount Pleasant Cemetery as a gauge to when the ones at High Park might be ready.

I have to say, the blossoms at Mount Pleasant Cemetery are much nicer. They're a lovely pink hue, while the ones at High Park are plain white. It makes a huge difference when taking pictures. Really.

Still, I went down to High Park to see the ones there. Mostly because I had made such a big deal about pushing others to go, so I sort of felt obligated. I couldn't really hype it up and not show now, right?

I decided not to take so many macro shots as I normally would. Just because those were the kind of pics I took at the cemetery. Instead I used my wide angle lens to capture as much of the scenery as possible. To show the throngs of people enjoying the blossoms more than just shooting the blossoms themselves.

Cherry Blossoms @ Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Cherry Blossoms @ Mount Pleasant Cemetery

The cherry blossoms are here! I've been following the progress reports on the High Park website. They predicted peak bloom for the first week in May.

On my way home from church in early May I walked through Mount Pleasant Cemetery. They have two cherry trees there just off Yonge. They usually blossom a few days ahead of the ones at High Park. So they're a good barometer to use to gauge when the ones there will be ready.

I believe the trees at the cemetery are supposed to be nicer than the ones at High Park. I'm not sure why, but that's what I heard.

The colour of the blossoms at Mount Pleasant Cemetery are a lovely pink. I think the ones at High Park are less pink in colour.

Anyway, the ones blooming here were beautiful. At the time I walked by I think they were about 60% full bloom. There were some blossoms that were still unopened.

Still I think it was an ideal time to go. Gorgeous!

Cherry Blossom Walk

Like my early trip to Sunnybrook Park to see the trilliums on Friday, I dropped by High Park on Sunday to check the progress of the cherry blossoms after visiting the boarding home.

I parked at the furthest lot located in the park. It's the one off Parkside Drive off Lakeshore Boulevard. I didn't mind parking so far away. I was out for a walk after all.

Since it was so nice out there were a fair number of people in the park even though the blossoms weren't all fully open. Some people were fishing, others riding their bikes. There were a number of photographers like me. But most others were just walking around.

I didn't go straight for the cherry trees on the side of the hill by Grenadier Pond. Instead I walked along the path on the south side of the park (following The Queensway). I wanted to try to get some shots overlooking the pond looking towards the hillside.

It was a really nice day out. The sun was shining and the skies were blue. It was quite good for pictures. I took a number around the pond before heading towards the hill with the cherry trees. Even though only about half the blossoms were open I still took quite a few pictures. Less open blossoms means less people. So I tried to take advantage of that.

I plan on being back the following week. Hopefully the weather will be as nice.

Update: I went to High Park the following week. We had wet weather and wind during that time. Many of the blossoms were blown/knocked off the cherry trees unfortunately.

Cherry Blossoms 2013

I went to High Park again to check out the cherry blossoms. I had gone the week before (on April 27th) and the buds were barely beginning to appear. So I didn't actually think I'd see much progress in only one week. But, I think the warmer than average temperatures spurred the blossoms along and by May 4th they were in full bloom.

I parked on the local streets west of the park. It was a big headache driving down. But, I had gotten a flat the week before while riding my bike home (from High Park) and hadn't had a chance to fix it, so I drove.

The weather was great. Of course that encouraged the throngs. The place was crawling with people. I bumped into a friend of mine, Lily. She was walking her dog when I first entered the park. We chatted briefly before I went on to go take pictures.

As usual I took quite a few shots. I'm very happy with how they turned out. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon just relaxing, enjoying the scenery and taking pictures.

Cherry Blossoms @ HIgh Park

I rode down to High Park last Thursday to see the cherry blossoms again. It was a decent day; cool and partially overcast. But, the sun snuck out from behind the clouds every now and then. That added a bit of punch to the colours when I was taking pictures.

Since I went on a weekday the crowds weren't too bad. I was able to take photos with relative ease (without having to wait for people to pass by). There were still other photo enthusiasts (like me) and people having picnics, but not enough to be a real bother.

Anwar Knight from CTV News and his TV crew were there filming a bit with a group of people practicing Tai Chi in the park. That attracted a bit of attention from curious onlookers.

All in all it was a good day to get out and get some fresh air and enjoy the city.

Cherry Blossoms at High Park

I went to High Park on Saturday to see the cherry blossoms. They're finally blooming. I think it took a little longer than normal because of the cool weather we've been having lately. Usually they would have blossomed the week before.

As expected the park was packed. I knew this would be the case so I rode my bike over to avoid the hassles of trying to find parking. Besides, it was relatively nice out... a perfect day for a spin.

I got there a little earlier than I would normally go because I had some census work to do afterwards. I believe I was there from noon to 1:30 p.m. Not as long as I would have liked, but I think I got some decent photos nonetheless.

It's lucky I got there at that time because I was able to see the A Thousand Paper Cranes display. A few people had gotten together to make origami cranes to raise money for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Their goal was to make 1,000 cranes, but as of the this past Saturday they only had about 450. They only stayed until about 2:30 p.m. I heard. But, they're planning on returning next Saturday, May 14th (hopefully with the rest of the cranes completed).

I had a good time down there taking a lot of photos. The cranes were pretty and so were the cherry blossoms. There were many others, like me, taking pictures and just as many having picnics with their friends or walking around enjoying the day. A couple of people even brought their brushes, easels and canvases to spend the afternoon painting. What a great idea.

Mr. Louie goes to Washington (Part II)

The next day we rounded up the kids and went to see the Cherry Blossoms. This is one of the reasons I came to Washington, D.C. at this time of the year. They line the 3 km path around the Tidal Basin just south of the Washington Monument.

The weather was better than the day before. It was still quite chilly out, but at least there was a bit of blue sky behind the predominant clouds.

Around the Tidal Basin (as well as the cherry trees) are the Jefferson Memorial and Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. Currently under construction is the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial as well. It's supposed to be ready in August, 2011.

After going by the FDR Memorial we headed away from the Tidal Basin and went over to see the Lincoln Memorial and nearby Korean War Veterans Memorial. Both were pretty cool. What wasn't very cool was the fact that they were renovating the Reflecting Pool opposite the Lincoln Memorial. It was completely drained leaving a long, muddy, brown field behind protective fencing. Not very picturesque at all.

We went to lunch at a Malaysian restaurant next. Again, I don't know what part of town it was in. It was pretty good though. We shared a few dishes that we all picked. I ordered a fried rice dish with fish and chicken. Mimi and Won ordered a tofu and something dish and noodles and something else (I can't remember now). After we ate Won took Mimi and the kids somewhere for something. I can't remember where they went either. Won and I planned to meet later at Union Station to grab dinner. So I had the afternoon to myself.

I went back to The Mall to finish up the rest of the monuments I didn't get to see. I went by the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial. Next was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It was right next to the Lincoln and Korean War Veterans Memorials. I didn't realize how close it was. We should have went there before lunch and then I would have myself quite a bit of time going back.

I revisited the Tidal Basin next. I wanted to get more pictures of the Cherry Blossoms. I think I managed to get quite a few good shots there. Before I knew it I was running low on time. I had planned to meet Won at 7:00 p.m. at Union Station and it was already past 6:30. Union Station is nearly 4 kms away (a bit north of the Capitol building) so I had to boogie.

Needless to say I didn't make it on time. But, when I arrived there, I didn't see Won. He mentioned he wanted to meet by the Metro (the subway). I noticed two Metro "M" signs on street level, so I stood by the one nearest the street so he could see me when he returned by car.

Well that was the big problem. Because even though he drove Mimi and the kids back by car, he returned on the subway and was waiting on the level below. We didn't find each other until at least quarter past 8:00 when I went down there to look for a pay phone.

We decided to go for sushi in the Dupont Circle area of town. There was a restaurant, Sushi Taro, Won wanted to go to. It's a very popular place that's garnered great reviews. Unfortunately for us there was a one hour wait to get in when we arrived. So we wandered around until we found another place. This one was called Bistro Bistro. It was supposed to be a French place, but they had quite a few pasta dishes which is what I had.

My Toronto - High Park

This is a shot of the cherry trees blossoming on the hill overlooking Grenadier Pond at High Park in Toronto. Every spring the trees blossom for just over a week at the end of April/beginning of May. It's a very popular spot for people to visit at this time. The side of the hill is normally filled with people picnicking or just hanging out with their friends enjoying the scenery.

As well as viewing the lovely cherry trees by the pond there are many trails and roads throughout the park for people to hike on or ride their bikes. They even have a small "zoo" with bison, deer, llama, peacocks and other non-exotic animals. It's not that impressive, but the upside is that it's free. You can go for a nice walk there then head over to the Grenadier Restaurant for an afternoon bite.