Thursday Doors: A Day At The Museum

My recent excursion was not intended to be a quest for interesting doors.   Doors were found, but that was simply an unexpected bonus.

On this particular hot and humid day, I was braving the subway and downtown crowds for rarer game – a Chihuly exhibit.

I’ve been a blogger for 3 years now and on several occasions I’ve been in awe of other people’s posts about Chihuly displays of blown glass in fantasy designs.  I had hoped that one day I too would get to experience some of that magic.

Good things come to those who wait because Chihuly has finally arrived in Toronto at the Royal Ontario Museum.

The ROM building itself is a visual delight and although I’ve been there several times over the years, I’ve never devoted proper attention to its exploration.  I really must return one day to correct that omission.

At least a dozen photos later, I finally got one that I deemed ok.

The original limestone building was constructed in 1912 and has undergone numerous expansions in its 100+ years as its collections and research facilities continue to grow.

Do not be deceived as I was.  This is not the main entrance.

However, I was here to see Chihuly glass.  My interpretation of the exhibit is that there were 4 distinct themes …a nautical presentation including a spectacular coral reef, a display of trees and campfires that reminded me of the Canadian North, a trellis of floral discs, and a collection of delicate bowls.

I never miss an opportunity to check out a gift shop, but the price tags approaching 5-figures for a little bit of take-home Chihuly was certainly WELL OUTSIDE of my snack bracket.

On my way back to the subway, I noticed a discreet side door that looked worthy of investigation and I wasn’t disappointed.  It is in the same style as the doors to the Special Events area shown in the 2nd photo, but these doors tucked away on the side are the entrance to an Art Deco theatre available for private functions within the ROM.

I love the stylized *ROM* in the left window, but I’ve been unable to identify the meaning behind the *93*

These weathered doors remind me of great portals one might find on an ancient castle.

Instead of simply being able to check an item off my TO DO list with the satisfaction of finality, this trip to the museum only managed to spark my interest enough to want to return again to explore more of the ROM and some the other interesting buildings in the area.

So much to do ….

Thursday Doors is a weekly photo feature hosted by Norm Frampton at Norm 2.0.