The real beauty of rooftopping is the unique perspective it offers, the defamiliarizing distance which makes the city strange and new. But, for this reason, more southern views of the city near the lake are often underwhelming, as the lake is obscured by a sea of bluish-green glass condos, none of which is very unique.

For this reason, we decided to head West (yet still South), where a few of Toronto's older landmarks still abide. The location offered a spectacular view of the city, unfettered by the metal monstrosities on the other side of the quay.

I used

ultra-wide angle, selective-focus, and ultra-zoom lenses on this particular journey, in order to capture the breadth, vertigo, and depth of the sights to be seen...

The

Princes' Gates

always so imposing on the off-season, seemed very far and distant...

Even the Ex itself seemed almost unrecognizable...

I suppose it was still a bit too chilly for some Toronto boaters.

After they had finished the Tip Top Tailor lofts, I scarcely ventured into that area; I did not realize that a creepy Smallville-esque development had been erected just behind.

On the Western front, I was even able to zoom into a small fire that had developed in Mississauga...

Turning back homeward, and North, old Fort York seemed almost like a model, awaiting toy soldiers...

From the distance of a rooftop, the city's sprawl becomes minuscule, and its constant noise is reduced to strange silence. It is no wonder that those seeking solitude have always sought elevated places: just as distance makes the beauty of nature truly appear, it makes the apparent chaos of the built environment disappear. Indeed, seeing the city from such a perspective brings an unreal but welcome calm, as the stream of silent vehicles flows as peacefully as a natural stream, along the motorways far below.

(If you would like to see the rest of the set from this view, as well as high-res. versions of the images seen above, please visit my flickr slide-show below.)