Travel

Six iconic views from 'The 6'

In celebration of Drake's imminent return to the charts, here are some iconic views of Toronto captured by our readers

Apr 26, 2016
421 words
2 minutes

By Alexandra Pope

Drake, is that you? (Photo: Dan Sedran/Can Geo Photo Club)

On April 28, hip-hop superstar Drake will release his highly anticipated fourth studio album, Views from the 6. The album is a love letter to the rapper’s hometown of Toronto, and its cover art, which Drake recently revealed on Twitter, launched a flurry of memes and speculation over whether it was Photoshopped (the CN Tower has since confirmed it was).

To the city I love and the people in it…Thank you for everything #VIEWS pic.twitter.com/HEXHNwrWwd — Drizzy (@Drake) April 25, 2016

Views from the 6, like the nickname “The 6” itself, seems destined for popularity, but members of Canadian Geographic‘s Photo Club have been sharing their views of Canada’s largest city since long before “Hotline Bling” hit the Top 40.

To join Drake in celebrating Toronto, here are some iconic views of the city as captured by our readers.

1. The CN Tower
It may not be the world’s tallest freestanding structure anymore, but it’s still majestic to us.

Photo: Diane Wharton/Can Geo Photo Club

2. The Flatiron Building
A reminder of Toronto’s Victorian past, the red-brick Gooderham Building, also called the Flatiron Building, was designed by David Roberts Jr. as the headquarters for George Gooderham’s commercial empire — chiefly Gooderham and Worts Distillery.

Photo: wurdemann/Can Geo Photo Club

3. Nathan Phillips Square/City Hall
With an area of 12 acres, Nathan Phillips Square — which forms the forecourt of Toronto’s City Hall buildings — is Canada’s largest urban plaza and a hive of activity all year long.

Photo: Mariam Magsi/Can Geo Photo Club

4. The Royal Ontario Museum
Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind and opened to the public in 2007, the Lee-Chin “Crystal” that forms the museum’s Bloor Street entrance has quickly become one of its biggest attractions.

Photo: Nate Shepherd/Can Geo Photo Club

5. The Gardiner Expressway
Sure, it’s unsightly, hazardous and almost always backed up, but there’s nothing like that first glimpse of the Toronto skyline from the eastbound Gardiner Expressway.