Monday, May 25, 2009

The Painted Back Alley

I suppose you never do know what you're going to find hiding behind your favourite haunts in Toronto. After a cheap meal at Java house a few Fridays ago, some friends and I, unsure of what to do with our night, set out down the street discussing our options - only to be stopped short by a group of three biking policemen armed with j-walking fines. A little disheartened by our newly found expenses we took to wandering the sidewalk aimlessly. I'd noticed the graffiti in the alleys of Queen St. West before but hadn't really thought to explore it thoroughly. With no new plans on hand, we decided to head into the back alley and found ourselves completely surrounded by painted walls. The following pics are my picks from the 100 or so photos we took that night. It's hard to recreate the effect of walking down a long stretch of completely painted back alley, so instead I've decided to show the artwork I found most striking. The lesson learned from that Friday night? You never know where an unexpected j-walking fine can lead you, my thanks to the city's "mounted" police.