So I've placed the first four votes on this one myself… even though I've arbitrarily allowed for up to five. That's for a few reasons: 1) there were a number that I had a hard time choosing from to make my fifth choice, 2) this was created more to test our ability to have up to 30 choices in a poll now, 3 times as many as we used to be able to put in a poll, and as a bit of an academic exercise of the polling, it shouldn't be taken too seriously, and 3) I wanted to display some rebellion against the arbitrary choice of a top 5 and hopefully encourage some talk.
Of those I chose, I'll say…
• Old Mill: Not because it's my home station, but I should declare that (if my home station were Jane, I don't think a local bias would put it into my list), but because of the obvious: it's mostly on a bridge in the middle of a beautiful valley, and takes advantage of that fact through the windows.
• Dupont: It's looking very tired these days, but I've always loved the relentless tyranny of the orange circular tiles and the curved edges, but more so the mosaic flowers an two-storey high space. The station needs restoration work along with the mobility improvements currently taking place.
• Downsview: Love the tile work throughout, especially its restricted colour palette, love the arched station area which is vaguely cavern-like, and the bus terminal is one of the better ones on the system; airy, modern, appropriate its proximity to an airport (even if it's a pretty limited one).
• Bayview: Love Panya Clark Espinal's single perspective artworks throughout the angular spaces, which if you catch them from the right angle will pop out as 3D objects in space. It's next to impossible to find the right angle for some of them, however.
Of those I held off choosing as a fifth…
• Yorkdale: if Arc En Ciel were reinstalled, presumably with LEDs and modern controls this time, it would likely jump right up to the top of my list. Here's hoping that its reinstallation is made a matter of a Yorkdale Shopping Centre Expansion Section 37 benefit in the near future.
• Dufferin: The reworked main entrance and the new artwork throughout the station is a huge improvement, and has turned what was another drab Bloor-Danforth bathroom tile station into something inviting. I'm aware that purists don't want to see original tile designs lost.
• Kipling: not a beautiful station, and despite the clunkiness of renovations and expansions over the years, I still really like the vaults over the bus terminal, especially with reflected lighting at night.
• Eglinton West: here's hoping that once the Crosstown LRT stops finished and this station expanded, that some of the unkind renovations and lack of care from over the years are reversed. This is a beautiful station that needs some love.
• Union: I really like the new mural, which I suspect is more than most do. The moody, roughly sketched characters in Stuart Reid's art are the antithesis of cloying cuteness, and they have real soul. Love the depth of the colour in the glass, and the text is worth pondering when waiting for the train.
Of those I did not include with the 27 that appear…
I tried to include most stations that would appear in the average transit enthusiast's top five list, but I'd love to hear about ones that I missed and why they re on your list.
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