Where is the Kensington Garden Car?

One of Toronto’s nicknames is “the 6”. Apparently this name comes from the original six neighbourhoods that made up the city, but it might also come from the two original area codes used for Toronto, 416 and 647, or it is possible it is called “the 6” because Drake used the term in one of his songs. There are no longer only six neighbourhoods, there are many many different areas; Little Italy, Little Portugal, Yorkville, Cabbage Town, The garden District, two different Chinatowns, and many more. One of these neighbourhoods within walking distance of our condo is Kensington Market, and we decided to go explore this area of the city the other day. 

I had heard that there was a derelict car in Kensington that had been filled with dirt and used as a flower planter. It was called the “Kensington Garden Car”, and it sounded to me like a good photo opportunity, so I researched it and located it on Google Maps. Sounded like a good focus for a walk on a nice sunny fall day. 

This was the car that I did not see

Kensington Market runs from Spadina Ave. to Bathurst St. east/west and Collage St. to Dundas St., north/south, composing a square of about 20 city blocks. Originally this neighbourhood was an affordable area that attracted immigrants who were new to the city, but it developed into a trendy area with lots of little shops and restaurants. Kensington is interesting in that it has largely resisted the trend towards tearing down the old to build high-rises, and it still has a lot of the original buildings. Many of the immigrants who moved in, converted the street levels of their homes into businesses where the family lived over the shops and restaurants, and the commercial areas of Kensington retains this design. The building have been modified and added to but you can usually still see the original structures underneath. The result really is a very cool neighbourhood that was fun to explore. 

Lots of different styles here

But, although I had it mapped on Google and I knew the exact corner it was supposed to sit on, I could not find the Kensington Garden Car. There was no sign of it. I finally gave up and found many other interesting things to photograph. Back home I asked Google, “What happened to the Kensington Garden Car?”. Google informed me that the car had been removed this week and a new car was being installed tomorrow. I was informed that this would be the third garden car and had become such an attraction that the neighbourhood planned to continue with the tradition, I just missed it by a day. I guess it will mean another trip to Kensington Market.

Good place to sit and wait for Regis

Old Cars & Trucks

An old tow truck

I like finding old cars and trucks that have been abandoned and left to rust back into the earth. When I find these old “diamonds in the rust” I like to  photograph them for posterity. On my computer, I have over 700 photos of old cars and trucks, and although a lot of them are cars from car shows and gatherings, there are many rusted relics I have found in fields and forests. 

On the train trip across the country, it was interesting to see the old vehicles along the way, especially across the prairies. Many of the vehicles I saw had been parked in the “back 40” out of sight from the highways and byways, but the train often crosses the out of the way sections of the farms. Even as we passed through towns and cities the old cars and trucks were parked behind businesses and homes next to the train tracks. I recall as a very young boy watching my grandfather (Schnare) sawing firewood using his old 1930’s sedan which had been relegated to the back of the house beside the train tracks with a saw blade attached to the drive wheel, and walking the Rails to Trails there I still see an old car frame hiding in the trees. 

A hidden beauty!

The other day as we drove back to my daughter’s house from Sioux Lookout, I spotted an old turquoise hulk hiding in the weeds behind a deserted garage. I had earlier found an old tow truck at a working garage, but this looked like a real find. “Stop” I said “Photo App!”. The faded “No Trespassing” sign was mostly on the deserted property next door, so I went along beside the old garage to have a look. I think it is a 58 Chevy, a backwards step from the beautiful 55, 56 & 57 models in my opinion, but still an interesting find. The car looked mostly intact except for a lot of missing chrome, but there hidden behind the garage and alongside a more modern (Boring) truck was a very rusty GMC from the 50’s. Certainly glad I was looking out for old cars!

So I have a few more photos to add to my collection.