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Then.

Eglinton TTC station c.1966. Pic from the Transit Toronto website.

Eglinton and Yonge was where I grew up. Lots of personal memories here - in this space; and boring enough to put all of you to sleep. I'll share only one. My gramps would buy me a 'Fruitella' candy every time we passed Garfield News.

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Now. Jan. 1, 2018.

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Then.

Eglinton TTC station c.1966. Pic from the Transit Toronto website.

Eglinton and Yonge was where I grew up. Lots of personal memories here - in this space; and boring enough to put all of you to sleep. I'll share only one. My gramps would buy me a 'Fruitella' candy every time we passed Garfield News.

View attachment 131409





Now. Jan. 1, 2018.

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too bad Laura Secord is no longer there...
 
You seem to forget the contemporary mythos about the Eglinton Cinnabon (which'd be around the corner behind the newsstand)--and hey, even the pizza joint that replaced the Laura Secord has a certain modern-day "subway eating" cachet. (Unfortunately, the photo--on New Year's, when everything's closed--doesn't do justice.) Plus, there's a different ethnic-eats mythology attached to the bakeries at Bathurst, Warden, et al. Though I don't disagree that even that isn't ideal or even "enough"--Toronto just doesn't do paid-zone "subway retail" well. (The chintzy discount-clothing poster with all the mall-rat girls in the background of the "now" shot, and the fact that it's probably been there for a decade or more, says it all.) (That said, I'm definitely intrigued by its 1966 predecessor--the Off! ad, Johnson's Wax logo and all)
 
You seem to forget the contemporary mythos about the Eglinton Cinnabon (which'd be around the corner behind the newsstand)--and hey, even the pizza joint that replaced the Laura Secord has a certain modern-day "subway eating" cachet. (Unfortunately, the photo--on New Year's, when everything's closed--doesn't do justice.) Plus, there's a different ethnic-eats mythology attached to the bakeries at Bathurst, Warden, et al. Though I don't disagree that even that isn't ideal or even "enough"--Toronto just doesn't do paid-zone "subway retail" well. (The chintzy discount-clothing poster with all the mall-rat girls in the background of the "now" shot, and the fact that it's probably been there for a decade or more, says it all.) (That said, I'm definitely intrigued by its 1966 predecessor--the Off! ad, Johnson's Wax logo and all)

When I was in London it was no uncommon to have a Marks and Spencer in the station or at the entrance along with a Costa Coffee.
 
too bad Laura Secord is no longer there...

It was a nice location while it lasted. The salesladies - wore uniforms and the place was clean, cool and hushed inside. The present Laura Secord location in that neighbourhood is a skip across the street in the Yonge Eglinton centre. It's an old school candy shopping experience still.

They got a lot of corporate business from me when I was in the workforce. Every Christmas I would go there to buy chocolates for my clients.

In the United States, 'See's Candies' offers a similar look, feel and product experience..
 
There is McDonalds at Dundas West and St Clair Stations but not much else.

In my Now picture, if you go down the corridor in the centre distance and turn right there is a very cheerful lady that runs a coffee stand. They do their own baking at 12:30am most mornings [ovens in the back] and the whole station smells of baking. The coffee is good considering it comes out of those warming urns. But as adma says; it's 'subway eating'.
 
It is remarkable how dry and boring and shitty the choices are.
Okay, but are you referring to the present day photo or the 1966 photo? I never knew there ever was a time when ladies did not wear high heels! And only seniors used the subway back then?
 
Okay, but are you referring to the present day photo or the 1966 photo? I never knew there ever was a time when ladies did not wear high heels! And only seniors used the subway back then?

Even Sherbourne Station was used by the well off in 1966. It was the new, best thing when going to Rosedale!
 
Okay, but are you referring to the present day photo or the 1966 photo? I never knew there ever was a time when ladies did not wear high heels! And only seniors used the subway back then?

The TTC staff looked pretty spiffy meeting Premier Frost at the 1954 opening of the subway:

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too bad Laura Secord is no longer there...
You'll note how prominently Laura Secord shows in many of the "then" pics. I was going to ask if they're still in business until reading the following:

It was a nice location while it lasted. The salesladies - wore uniforms and the place was clean, cool and hushed inside. The present Laura Secord location in that neighbourhood is a skip across the street in the Yonge Eglinton centre. It's an old school candy shopping experience still.

They got a lot of corporate business from me when I was in the workforce. Every Christmas I would go there to buy chocolates for my clients.

In the United States, 'See's Candies' offers a similar look, feel and product experience..
It's odd how some flashes of memory back in an otherwise dreadfully boring and painful high school experience remain. There were some gems, some of the teachers were excellent, and didn't mistake disinterest for low intelligence, and one memory was a history lesson where Laura Secord was discussed. Went something like: "And the Americans hated her so much that the chain is named 'Fannie Farmer' in the US". lol...that may have been an embellishment, but it was based loosely on fact:

Timeline - Laura Secord
https://www.laurasecord.ca/en/pages/timeline
In 1999, Archibald Candy Corporation of Chicago purchased Laura Secord from Nestlé. As a result, Laura Secord joined a large family of specialty retail banners in North America that included Fannie May, Fanny Farmer, and Sweet Factory.
Historicist: A Box of Laura Secord - Torontoist
https://torontoist.com/2013/04/historicist-a-box-of-laura-secord/
Apr 13, 2013 - Since the name “Laura Secord” had little resonance for most Americans, O'Connor named the stores after cookbook author Fannie Farmer, though the spelling was changed to “Fanny Farmer” when the first shop opened in 1919. Candy made O'Connor a millionaire. Beginning in March 1928, he purchased ...

And how incestuous is this? (With an eventual family split added as a note at end)

Utah-based candymaker to acquire Fannie May - tribunedigital ...
articles.chicagotribune.com/...01.../0401150268_1_fannie-alpine-confections-archiba...
Jan 15, 2004 - Although Fannie May and Fanny Farmer brands may have found a new home, the future of the stores is up in the air. Industry officials say Archibald has been talking to Russell Stover Candies in Kansas City, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and See's Candies Inc., which is owned by Omaha-based ...

Note: "Ross said the proposed sale of the Fannie May and Fanny Farmer brands does not include the Laura Secord division, a Canadian premium candy that Archibald acquired in 1999."

Sweet...
 
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The TTC staff looked pretty spiffy meeting Premier Frost at the 1954 opening of the subway:

View attachment 131504

I have a pea coat that I don't even wear these days. Just too darn stiff.

Must be 15 pounds of clothing on each of them.

Down 'sweaters' - nowadays that's the way to go. Like being swaddled BY a baby...
 
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