People-watching in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood is the pastime of many. One can sit for hours observing the glamorous shops and their patrons, trying to pick out the rich and famous.

I, however, prefer to watch buildings. We chose this particular spot that day not because of the glitz and glamor, but rather because of the richness of vision it offered. I am rarely in this particular neighbourhood, so I found it rather enjoyable to place myself above it - and its people - if only for a few hours.

The view north was stunning. Although not as high up as we usually like to get, due to the generally low-lying buildings in this older area, the view offered was on a par with some of the far more challenging (and tiring) climbs we have done...

On the flip side, although marred somewhat by the rather odd architecture close at hand, the view was equally far-reaching...

Looking west on Bloor, one could see a few of Toronto's more... controversial landmarks...

We milled about the neighbourhood after our descent, and decided to hit one last roof before calling it a night...

Rooftops will always have a fond place in my heart; the charm of distance they provide offers a unique clarity when it comes to the built environment, and in a very Picasso-esque manner, allow one multiple viewpoints at the same time.

Viewed from a height and distance, Toronto is a city that seems to emerge from a great forest as it heads down toward the lake. This, of course, mimics our own move from nature as the basis of all life, toward technology as our host. No matter what one's view on the subject matter, it is a ubiquitous truism.

With no people around to distract, one is able to engage and encounter the man-made environment in a manner which forces it to be the subject, rather than merely being wallpaper which we are so acclimatized to, we barely even notice.

(To see the rest of the set, as well as high-res versions of those pictured above, you can check out my flickr set below.)