Stiff neck

Canada has, yet again, been named the second-best country in the world by US News & World Report: globalnews.ca/news/3293192/canada-2nd-best-country-2017-world-rankings-survey The ranks are stacked against the New World, though, by the inclusion of a heritage category. That's giving the Old World a few thousand years' head start there, eh?! You call that fair? You call that fair? Well, I'm sure Mr. Trump'll be tweeting about this and demanding Congress investigate what an American publication is doing engaging in this Europhile jiggery-pokery. We whupped them, though, which is good enough. Oh -- congratulations, Switzerland.

The Sun Life Centre consists of two towers on the northwest and northeast corners of King and University. This was taken from the University Ave. entrance to the west tower and shows both it and the east tower across the street. The Centre opened in 1984; the architects were WZMH Architects.

The older section is by Frank Darling and John A. Pearson (1912). The new section to the left is by Daniel Libeskind (2007). Not as grainy big.

Buildings on Melinda Street, Toronto, seen from inside Commerce Court East.

Looking north from the Adelaide Street entrance of Scotia Plaza, Toronto.

The Church of St. Peter Mancroft (1455) seen from the Forum (2001, Michael Hopkins and Partners). The big version seems worth a look to me; click the pic, tap it, or type Z.

2 St, Clair Ave. W., Toronto. This view is no longer -- since this picture was taken the canopy has been removed. I suppose that lowered the insurance rates by lowering the probability of falling ice. This was on Flickr once, but never here, I don't think.

People complain about all the overhead wires in Toronto, but for me they make walking down the street like living in a giant sculpture. Your impression may vary. Have a look at 'er big, eh? Click the pic or type Z.

Anglican church in Southwold, Suffolk

An apartment building opened in 1963 (although not completed till 1964). Architects: George Robinson with Tampold and Wells.

Aga Khan Museum, Toronto

Renovation of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, an extension of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto (2007, Daniel Libeskind). It's called the Crystal because it's spiky. Here's a view of its spikiness: 1.bp.blogspot.com/-0b-qIauvHHw/VR9FGbIX1tI/AAAAAAAAMOM/l7KUswx8rec/s1600/ROM%2BCristal%2BMichael%2BLee-Chin%2BCrystal1.JPG Widely reviled by Torontonians, it nevertheless appeals to tourists. Tourism is a big industry here, so it's got that going for it. Despite my general admiration of Libeskind's work, I think he missed the target here. In particular, even the building's admirers admit it is impractical as part of a museum. The Washington Post chose this building as the worst of its decade. On the other hand, it has its supporters. Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star , for example contended that it "seemed to express a desire to bring not just the museum, not just the corner of Bloor and Avenue Road, but the whole city, into the 21st century without diminishing the past". Which is as may be, but it seems to me that whether it has achieved that desire is still an open question (to be fair, Hume seems to think so, too). I think it looks better with the scaffolding (seriously, the rectangles create tension with the less regular geometry of the building). Maybe the ROM could be persuaded to leave it up.

Part of the Queen Street elevation of the Toronto Eaton Centre (this section was opened in 1978; the architects were Craig Zeidler Strong Architects with Bregman + Hamann Architects). The bridge at lower left is more recent (2017; WilkinsonEyre Architects and Zeidler Partnership Architects). The PiPs at lower left show two other photos of the bridge.