The Expanse at Fort York

During COVID lockdown, I've been going on a daily walk, which often takes me down by Fort York. Imagine my surprise when it turns up as Baltimore in The Expanse.

In Season 5, Amos returns to Earth to wrap up some affairs; he then visits an old friend / crime lord at his headquarters. The sequences are shot on the grounds of Fort York, in Toronto, although futuristic elements have been grafted on: 

I've matched a couple of the shots (as well as I could). It's kind of fun to see the movie magic: not just filters applied, but areas knocked out or enhanced with digital effects. In the image above, the entrance, they've added a wall, construction work in the background, and removed the overhangs and highway. Below, they've added a ginormous building on the left, and removed the condos south of the Gardiner Expressway. They also added a train running along the highway's underside. 

Then the whole thing is tinted blue. Because... The Future!

Looks like they even hauled in a slew of props and shot inside:

Certainly looks like the same space, just redressed. 

The Expanse is a great show; takes a little time to get into (it's rather complex) but well worth the effort.

Fun!

 

Red Bicycle Knight of Lakeshore

Weight: 35 lbs 

Height: 3.5 feet

Operational range: Depends on fitness level of operator

Maximum speed: Depends on fitness level of operator

Crew: 1

Engine: Muscle power

Armarment: Provided by operator

Suspension: Dual

Cargo: None

The Red Bicycle Knight of Lakeshore is a jousting fanatic, infamous for cycling at all oncoming traffic along the bike path with his lance lowered and braced. 

He frequently dismounts cyclists and knocks flat pedestrians, much to their consternation. He then throws a white rose at them for nonsensical reasons. 

Red is also very nimble, and has many secret lairs along the bike path, staffed by enablers who hide him from authorities, to their great consternation. 

The Bathurst unicorn plague hunter

 

Bathurst unicorn plague hunter

Weight: 1.5 tons 

Height: 17 feet

Operational range: 30 miles (Coaling stations along Bathurst increases range to 80 miles)

Maximum speed: 35 mph

Crew: 1

Engine: Crumplette 492-B ThunderSteamer

Armarment: Forward mounted fencing sword 

Suspension: Torsion bar

Cargo: 5 boxes of masks, 1 paper towel rack, 20 incense burners

The Bathurst unicorn plague hunter was designed by Herbert Bumpledot to cull the hordes of plague carrying unicorns that have overrun Bathurst Street since 2015, when the drunken elephants were driven out. 

Unicorns have steadfastly refused to wear masks or socially distance, causing the spread of disease to increase exponentially. 

They have proven themselves highly resilient to disease, reproduce at an incredible rate, and constitute a plague in their own right.