When Gunther Von Hagens' Body Worlds came to town in 2005 almost half a million of us went to see it at the Science Centre, and 32,000 alone over the marathon 61-hour final weekend. Visitors were amazed by the full-body plastinates on display, each of them created using the body of a deceased human being who had donated their remains to Von Hagens' Institute for Plastination (IfP).

The process goes like this: the body is dissected and processed so that previously living flesh is replaced with a polymer. After this, the preserved "body" is manipulated into an imaginative pose to reveal elements of our human nature, physicality, or to demonstrate how our internal structures work.

With Nuit Blanche still occupying Toronto's artistic consciousness, I contemplated the usefulness of compiling an art agenda this week. But, after a little thought, I realized that it's quite possible that gallery shows around the city might benefit from the increased artistic enthusiasm the all-night art fest brings to town every year.

Sure these shows differ considerably from the primarily installation-based exhibits at Nuit Blanche, but that's not to say that they're all boring or conventional. On the contrary, these days it's easy to find galleries doing more than just hanging paintings on walls (which isn't necessarily a bad thing either!).

Nuit Blanche 2009 offered a variety of unique installations located in the Downtown North area (Zone A): from giant inflatable rabbits to hallucination-inducing light machines.

Last year, the lights at City Hall flickered on and off one half of the building battled the other in an epic, all-night game of Pong. This year I saw a plethora of four letter words suspended in the air illuminate the crowds at Nathan Phillips Square.

Nuit Blanche 2009 zone B featured projects that addressed issues of loss, economic instability and altered perceptions.

I found Dan Mihaltianu's Vodka Pool to be a tremendous letdown. The pool of 80-proof vodka seemed half empty by the time I arrived at Commerce Court West, and pennies were scattered throughout the reflective liquid.

I spent my Nuit Blanche in Zone C, starting in Liberty Village and making my way along West Queen West from Dufferin St. to just east of Ossington Ave. Here's a look at what impressed me most along the way.

The most memorable moment for me came in front of a busy Queen West sidewalk near The Drake Hotel. An elaborately dressed woman was enticing passersby to create their own award for themselves or someone else.

After wandering into several art galleries along the strip that smelled of freshly painted work, I awarded my Nuit Blanche companion the Sexiest Sneezer Award. She was led to a podium, where she stood, got sprinkled with sparkles and received the award, complete with a stamped certificate of authentication. Brilliant. But is it art?

Over in the Distillery District, what was meant to be quick peek turned into my stomping ground for the better part of the Nuit Blanche night.

The neighbourhood is a year-round car-free and creative zone, so it was easy to toss away the map and the app, meet up with friends and spend hours going from store to pub to gallery to bakery.