The urban beauty of leafless trees and early darkness

Sure, fading daylight naturally comes with the fall of the leaves from our trees.  But for this urbanite, I've been noticing how beautiful the city is this time of year.  I've been taking my dog for walks in my North Toronto neighbourhood almost daily and the lack of leaves on the trees reveal some of the beautiful homes in this old and well kept part of our city.  In the early evening, the darkened residential streets, unmasked of tree foliage, produce a perfect backdrop to the welcoming glow of a house awaiting its owners return.  You add the occasional aroma of a wood burning fireplace and in a few weeks, the crunch of crisp snow underfoot, and you have a picture perfect winter neighbourhood walk.  In warmer months, seeing neighbours working on the yards or enjoying a patio provides the neighbourhood feel, but in the darker months, the homes themselves take on the character of the street, displacing the homeowner, but seem to provide an warm invitation for the passerby.

I'm also driving downtown once a week for an indoor ultimate [frisbee] at Lamport Stadium, and I'm enjoying the beauty of our busy night time street scenes. I'm thinking that for many reasons, a true city is at its best at night.  For a business focused city like Toronto, the day just shows us the work life of Torontians and our suburban neighbours.  But as soon as the clock strikes five, the city begins to transform into a living, social and artistic canvas.  You add the reflective properties of a damp and glistening street and you can be driving through a stellar light show.  Catching sight of friends chatting on the street, mates gathering at a local bar, or romantic couples in a cozy cafe, makes me want to pull over and soak up that urban life.  But with an appropriate accompanying soundtrack (urban, hip hop and electronic for upbeat hours and jazz for later hours) and a warm car, you can appreciate your city in a different way - taking in big slices of urban life, with the ever-changing lighting of the street scape, along with the constant trail of car taillights, sprinkled with sites of locales that trigger memories of your time with the city.

I love the oranges of the warm cafe, the bright whites of the mega billboards that temporarily turn a corner to day, the silhouetted office worker high up in his tower, the brick glow of history's landmarks, the faint din of music coming from a club or the rattle of a street car, and the neon pulses that are our city's heartbeat.  And over the last few weeks, the Christmas decorations and lighting have added to the blaze and colour on our city streets.  And don't forget those special Christmas shop window displays. 

On a somewhat related note, I have a strong feeling that black must be the predominant clothing colour these days.  The fashion of the youngster masses definitely skews the noir balance, but the preference for the ultra dark seems to span all walks of life.  Is this just a city thing ?  Is it a seasonal byproduct ?  Whatever it is, I don't like it.  Come on people, show some individuality, lighten up these dark nights and add some fresh colour to our often too somber world.

It may be my focus on photography these days is opening my eyes to new angles, interesting lighting and beauty of our everyday places, but I'm enjoying the beauty of the city as we close in our Christmas.  If you love city life, if you love this city, bundle up and go for a walk a night around your nighbourhood or get comfy and warm in your car and take a drive around your city.  If you want some iPod soundtrack recommendations for your nightime urban tour let me know, I've got lots of ideas.