Food events in Toronto this week are all about the steins, schnitzel and sauerkraut as Oktoberfest is on all over the city. You can pick yourself up free ice cream, pizza and mini pies and there's two food truck festivals to check out.

Less than 30 minutes from Toronto is a hidden paradise that serves as the perfect spot to escape the city for a couple hours. Nestled along the Mississauga shoreline, you'll find Rattray Marsh Conservation Area that has become best known for its stunning raised boardwalk.

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Although Rattray Marsh is a pretty popular destination in the summer months due to its massive stone beach along the 90 acres of Lake Ontario, it definitely shouldn't be missed in the fall due to the spectacular colours that will be reflecting off the calm waters in just a few weeks.

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As the last remaining lakefront marsh between Toronto and Burlington, this environmentally important wetland offers a unique escape just minutes from downtown Mississauga.

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Due to the short distance from Toronto, the Rattray Marsh hiking trails are the ideal fall destination for those of us who want to enjoy untouched nature, but aren't up for long drive to cottage country. 

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Inside the conservation area, there are three nature trails to choose from that are all pretty easy to hike, so it's definitely possible to hit all three when you visit (the longest trail is only two kilometres long).

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The area is also a hot spot for tons of wildlife - including beavers, swans, and families of deer - who have become famous all over Instagram. 

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Other notable parks to check out that are all within a few minutes from one another are the Jack Darling Memorial Park (with an off-leash dog park) and Erindale Park.

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Rattray Marsh Conservation Area has ample parking available, (although the lot can get extremely busy on weekends) and is open year-round. 

The top events in Toronto for October welcome a few newcomers by way of the Red Bull Music Festival and two days dedicated to soup. There's a big party at the library and a cask festival. Hasan Minhaj is here and there's lots of free stuff to check out as well.

New barber shops in Toronto are the latest places to hang out and get fresh while you're at it. Whether you're looking for a dependable, no-frills line up or some straight razor work in an LGBTQ-friendly space, this handful of shops has what you're looking for. 

Here are my picks for the top new barber shops in Toronto. 

Cabin

Perfect for the condo-dwellers on the waterfront, this rustic Port Credit transplant offers free espressos to-go with a fresh cut, beard sculpting, or some hot towel pampering in the Queen's Quay Terminal. 

6City Barbershop

People are flocking to this new Camden St. spot for professional, clean cuts. Head barber Nate Johnson is bringing back the social element to your clean up experience, with an atmosphere so chill you might be compelled to cheat on your current barber if you haven't already. 

Queen West Barbers

With an old school macho-macho set up complete with a barber's pole, cushy armchairs and a motorcycle in the window, this barbershop at Queen and Bathurst does $30 walk-ins, and if you're looking for a quick fix before a night out, they're open until 10 p.m. most days. 

MPL Cuts

From offering free haircuts to LGBTQ youth in a single salon chair to now owning his own barbershop, Tyler Lumb has created a colourful space in Little Italy for the community to hang and get fresh cuts. 

Fade Room

Head stylist Claudio Ferreira's past clients run the gamut from athletes to crooners including J. Cole, the Raptors' Bruno Caboclo, Karl Wolf and Dallas Green. Keeping to his roots, his shop is officially open on Rogers Road, with some Kroken chairs from Honest Ed's and set of The Time Traveller's Wife. 

Many around the world became fascinated (or repulsed) by Toronto's city council after the infamous Rob Ford crack scandal. But, don't let that overshadow our other ridiculous city councillor—Giorgio Mammoliti.

The councillor, who has represented Ward 7 York West for almost two decades, and been an elected politician for almost three, is well-known for his outrageous, outlandish, and often highly-offensive talking points.

Take, for example, his insistence that Parkdale is a "Pedophile district," or that one of the few times he has pushed for a bill to pass was when he wanted a giant flagpole installed in Emery Village. 

Giorgio Mammoliti makes me confront the frightening possibility that Rob Ford wasn't even the worst choice for mayor.

— Chris Tindal (@christindal) October 30, 2012

But, a new poll conducted for the current municipal election says that ol' Giorgio might lose this one, as he is currently trailing behind opponent Anthony Perruzza, the incumbent from Ward 8. 

The Mainstreet Research poll places Perruzza in the lead with a solid 30.2 per cent of decided voters, while Mammo (as he is often nicknamed) is tied with public school trustee Tiffany Ford (no relation to Doug) at around 21.1 per cent, leaving former provincial hopeful Deanna Sgro in fourth at about 17.2 per cent. 

Tiffany Ford received a lot of media attention due to another ridiculous Mammoliti comment—that some residents of Jane and Finch are "cockroaches" that need to be eradicated.

Hey #Ward7, how about a councillor that actually cares about you? One that treats you like a human being and not a "cockroach" one that won't tear down your house and abuse homeless people. Vote out that crook bully Mammoliti.@TiffanyFordTO will care for you. #topolihttps://t.co/bKJMzWiGGU

— Techmission 🇨🇦🏳️‍🌈 (@Techmission0) September 3, 2018

The long-time councillor, who once showed up to council completely shirtless to protest a clothing-optional beach at Hanlan's Point, has been pitted against his colleague, Perruzza, thanks to the new ward boundaries put in place by the provincial government's controversial council cuts. 

While Mammo's politics and initiatives can often raise the ire of most people with a moral conscience, such as the time he pushed for a red light district on the Toronto Islands, he does make council...interesting at times. 

Imagine two city councillors almost getting into a physical brawl. Sounds crazy? Well, welcome to Toronto. 

This is from the same man who has frequently given the middle finger to his coworkers, from the time he flipped off the mayor in the middle of a meeting, to the time he participated in the anti-King Street Pilot attempts. 

Looking forward to an announcement by King Street business owners and their employees at 10 AM tomorrow at Kit Kat. #ReverseKingCarBanpic.twitter.com/NkKFcUUcep

— Giorgio Mammoliti (@mammolitiward7) January 21, 2018

However, Toronto's most controversial sitting councillor isn't always harmless, sometimes he's downright offensive and kind of a step back for the betterment of the city. 

Anti-gay Councillor Mammoliti stalks dyke march with camera: http://t.co/Acp3dOj

— Zoe Whittall (@zoewhittall) July 3, 2011

Mammo has caught a ton of criticism for some really not-okay stunts, like the time he filmed topless women at the Dyke March in Pride 2011 to make a convoluted political point that ended up not existing, or the countless number of times he has tried to vote against progressive initiatives or downright derail council intentionally. 

Mammoliti expressing belief that building bike lanes will encourage people to transport "dirty laundry" mattresses, and fridges by bike.

— Ben Spurr (@BenSpurr) October 18, 2017

As a councillor, he has drawn criticism for neglecting and harming parts of his own ward, severe mismanagement of funds, touring a strip club (which he claimed was for work), and his abysmal attendance record year after year.

Despite all of this, and more (as there's too much to mention), Mammo is elected time and time again. Perhaps voters have finally given up and are ready to kick him out the door. 

The best pizza slice in Toronto is one of the quickest, cheapest and yet most satisfying on-the-go meals you can have in the city. While cheese and pepperoni are cheapest and most common, Toronto would never stop there: we also have lots of sources for foldable Margherita slices, vegan options, and of course, slices of pizza topped with shawarma.

Here are the best pizza slices in Toronto.

Late night eats at Nuit Blanche will keep you fuelled up during the witching hours of this annual art crawl. This year's edition will see a few special food events in and around the top exhibits, plus Nuit Blanche's first-time entry into Scarborough means an excuse to head near STC for some of the area's best 24-hour spots.

Here's your guide to late night eats available during Nuit Blanche this year.

Food Trucks

As usual, there'll be food trucks slinging cheap quick eats at the main event centres all night long in partnership with Nuit Blanche. 

Nathan Phillips Square

• Prince Edward Fries
• Delight Bite
• Born2Eat
• Pancho's Bakery
• La Fiesta
• BeaverTails

Scarborough Town Centre

• The Suya Spot
• Max's
• Chiefties on the Go
• Ital Vital
• Shelley's Catering
• Tiny Toms Donuts
• The Ultimate Food Truck

Festival Food Pop Ups

International Dumpling Festival

This public food court-meets-art installation by Canadian artist Ken Lum is taking over the little side street running between the Eaton Centre and Old City Hall with dumplings from all over the world.

Partnering with six different vendors, expect dumpling variations from vendors like TC's Tibetan Momo, Kiza Restaurant, Patty King Bakery, and Mis Amigos Festival Catering.

Drake Commissary

With Sterling Road installations at the newly-opened MOCA, Double Happiness Project and by the Drake Commissary, the latter will be running a fried chicken stand and satellite bar outside the restaurant (inside is closed for a private event) until 2 a.m. 

Satisfy your cravings this weekend with a big meal from Chimac, open until 2 a.m. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Restaurants

Whether you're looking for late night Chinese food, burgers, or 24-hour joints, there's no shortage of options in almost every neighbourhood of the city. 

Open until 2 a.m.

• 416 Snack Bar
• The 47
• Albert's Real Jamaican Foods
• Arepa Cafe
• Bar Isabel
• Bar Raval
• Bar Begonia
• Bar Buca
• Bar Fancy
• Bier Markt (multiple locations)
• Baro
• Chantecler
• Chimac
• The Dime
• Earls
• El Rey
• Express Pizza
• Food & Liquor
• The Greater Good
• Halal Guys
• Han Moto
• Harry's
• Hemingway's
• Joey (multiple locations)
• Jumbo Burgers
• Lopan
• Lou Dawg's
• Macho Radio Bar
• Mahjong Bar
• Mini Moe's
• North of Brooklyn (multiple locations)
• Nome Izakaya(multiple locations)
• Oddseoul
• Otto's Bierhalle
• People's Eatery
• Pinkerton
• Pinky's Ca Phe
• Poor Romeo
• Swatow
• Three Hands

Open until 3 a.m.

• Ali Baba's (multiple locations)
• Fancy Franks
• Johnny's Charbroiled Hamburgers
• Mama's Boys Burgers
• Thompson Diner

Open until 3:30 a.m.

• Owl of Minerva (Chinatown)
• Poutini's (multiple locations)

Open until 4 a.m.

• ASAP City (multiple locations)
• Drake Hotel
• Hong Shing
• New Ho King
• Roywoods
• Smoke's Poutinerie (multiple locations)
• Sneaky Dee's

Open until 5 a.m.

• Alexandros Take-Out
• Canton Chilli
• New Sky
• Sang's Great Seafood
• Taste of China
• Wah Too

Open until 6 a.m.

• King Place Restaurant

Open 24 hours

• 7 West
• Bagel House (multiple locations)
• Commisso Bros.
• Fran's Restaurant (multiple locations)
• Lakeview
• Markham Station
• Owl of Minerva (Koreatown and North York)
• Perfect Chinese Restaurant
• Pho Pasteur
• Rol San
• Vesta Lunch

The best restaurants in Toronto can be places on your bucket list or places you've been to a million times, where some of your fondest memories were made. These places are all about good food, good times and the essential flavours of the city.

Check out all 100 essential Toronto restaurants in this photo gallery.

Toronto's annual all-night art celebration Nuit Blanche is taking over city streets from dusk until dawn this Saturday. As part of the celebration, a selection of restaurants and bars have extended 4 a.m. last call licenses.

Here are the bars with 4 a.m. extended last call during Nuit Blanche this year.

• Bovine Sex Club
• Drake Commissary
• Drake Hotel
• Drake 150
• Horseshoe Tavern
• BarChef
• Queen Mother Cafe
• Rivoli
• Drom Taberna
• Remington's 

Toronto is getting a new craft gin distillery promising to bring wild flavours to Leslieville.

In this episode of the Only in Toronto podcast, we talk to the family behind the city's soon-to-be booziest destination

Plus, Junction City Wresting brings live wresting to the Stockyards district and Scarborough’s source for burek.

Articles referenced in this episode include:

• Toronto mayor says drinking should be allowed in local parks
• Toronto ranked 3rd biggest real estate bubble in the world

Places mentioned in this episode:

• Reid's Distillery
• Mak European Delicatessens
• Shackland's Brewing
• Coffee and Clothing

Ways to subscribe to the Only in Toronto podcast:

• Apple Podcasts
• Google Play Music
• Stitcher
• Tune In
• Libsyn

You can also listen to the Only in Toronto podcast on Alexa. Just ask Alexa to play the podcast Only in Toronto.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford seems to have some different plans for cannabis legalization than his staff. 

Earlier this week, the province said that smoking cannabis would be allowed wherever tobacco can be smoked currently. That indicates a relaxing of the former laws, where it could only be consumed in private households and other non-public places. 

However, Ford said today that he would push for his staff to no longer allow consumption in parks, contradicting the plans set in motion. 

Should it be legal to smoke weed in #Toronto parks?

— blogTO (@blogTO) September 28, 2018

"We won't be allowing [cannabis use] close to parks," the premier said to reporters. 

However, since Ford added that his priority was to keep children safe, his spokespeople are now saying he meant playgrounds, not parks. 

Ford also commented on Toronto mayor John Tory's remarks that he would like drinking alcohol in parks to be legalized. 

"I don't like people walking around drunk or smoking weed or any of that in a public area of a park," he said.

Whichever the province decides, cannabis legalization will come into effect on October 17. Make sure you double-check where you're allowed to indulge, though, as it seems the people deciding can't even make up their minds. 

What better way to spend a Saturday than at an all-night art festival? Nuit Blanche is here and there's tons of interesting things to check out. Elsewhere, events in Toronto today have heaps of vintage clothing, unlimited beer, a new food festival and a big party on. 

The top markets in Toronto for October will have you spooked at haunted events, rocking out at the punk rock flea and filling up on vegan goodies in time for Oktoberfest. There's a big Israeli market and the last Toronto Flower Market of the season as well.

If you’re looking for a weekend getaway from Toronto or even just a day trip, there are many quaint small towns that feel like an entirely different world than the big city.

A perfect example is Elora. Located just north of Guelph, this small town is known for its natural beauty and local charm.

The Elora Mill, which will reopen as a hotel and spa in the spring. Photo by alljengi.

One place you probably already know in Elora is the famous Elora Gorge.

Located on the western side of the city, this conservation area covers over 350 acres of natural land. The Grand River flows right through it, and provides countless opportunities for a great photograph or picnic lunch. A campground is also available if you want to stay the weekend.

Sections of the Gorge are stunningly beautiful. Photo by Grand River Conservation.

If you like hiking or spending time on the water, the Gorge is an ideal destination. The limestone cliffs can reach up to 25 metres, and this particular section of the Grand River is perfect for tubing, swimming, and fishing.

Nearby is the former Elora limestone quarry, which is home to one of the province's best watering holes. The spot has become progressively more crowded during summer, but it's also a picturesque place to visit in the fall when it's not overrun by people.

The Elora Quarry is a very popular swimming spot. Photo by Grand River Conservation.

Towering on top of the tall cliffs of the area is the Elora Mill Hotel and Spa. This historic spot reopened as a hotel at the beginning of 2018, and has a lot to offer visitors.

The Elora Mill is placed on top of the huge cliffs by the Grand River. Photo by Mike Hewitt.

Located inside an old, restored grist on the river’s edge, this full package allows visitors to experience a ton of things in the city and the Gorge.

You can zipline over the river and go rock climbing up the cliffs. Or, stay in at the spa and try some of the cuisine options available.

When winter comes again, you can also try your hand at snowshoeing or dog-sledding, both of which would be a ton of fun in the area.

The Grand River provides for picturesque spots all over the city. Photo by the Grand River Conservation Authority.

If you’re looking for something different, the Grand River Raceway is also a popular spot. The horse racing track and slots are popular destinations for those who like to gamble a little (or a lot).

And when you get hungry, Elora has a ton of options. The Elora Brewing Company is extremely popular. Try the Elora Borealis, Ladyfriend IPA, or one of their several other options. The Shepherd's Pub, Box Social and The Cellar are also good options.

The Bradley Bridge reaches over the Grand River. Photo by cmh2315fl.

Downtown, you can spot the seriously beautiful 19th century architecture that still dominates the town. Galleries, shops, and restaurants now call these historic buildings home.

Many of the buildings still retain their historic roots from the 1800s. Photo by Bastian Sander.

If you’re looking for a getaway idea from Toronto, Elora should be on your list. It offers a great mix of natural attractions and quaint architecture. It's just over an hour from Toronto, but it feels like a different world.

The best fish stores in Toronto are where to go when looking for that true pescaterian showstopper: a weighty lobster, fresh oysters, beautiful fillets of salmon, or the clams to top off your perfect spaghetti alle vongole.

Here are the best fish stores in Toronto.

It's hard to believe how much Yorkdale Shopping Centre has changed since it opened in 1964. One of Toronto's first major suburban retail destinations and the biggest mall in Canada at the time, it was anchored by Eaton's and Simpson's department stores, a combination that was unprecedented at the time.

The mall's origins can be traced back to the Timothy Eaton Company, who first acquired a 99-acre site at Dufferin and the 401. When Simpson's bought adjacent land, the concept of the mall was born and work began to connect these two giants with other retail that would attract customers accustomed to shopping downtown.

In some sense, Yorkdale changed the shape of the city. While the rise of the suburban shopping centre was happening elsewhere in Toronto (and all across North America), none proved so successful as this one, which encouraged more developments of this kind in other parts of the suburbs.

Car culture was at its peak when Yorkdale took shape, and the mall's location is indebted to its proximity to both the 401 and Allen Rd. The latter was originally planned as the Spadina Expressway, a highway that would link the 401 with downtown Toronto.

While community activists successfully halted its southward extension, Yorkdale waited to open until the portion that exists today was complete. It made no sense to open until cars could access the mall with complete ease. The subway would come almost a decade and a half later.

They don't build shopping centres quite like this anymore. Upon opening, Yorkdale boasted a grocery store, a buffet restaurant, a two-screen movie theatre, and duelling department stores. It was a place where you could do all of your shopping. The lure of driving to the suburbs was that everything was in once place.

Since the 1990s, it's become progressively more upscale, now attracting high end fashion and jewellery brands like Tiffany's and Burberry.

Its current anchor tenants are Nordstrom and Holt Renfrew, the latter of which partially occupies the space where the old Dominion grocery store once was. It's a bigger, flashier space, but from the start is was designed to be the ultimate retail destination.

Behold, what Yorkdale Shopping Centre looked like when it was born.

No problems finding a parking spot back in Yorkdale's early days. Photo via the Toronto Archives.

That said, it was still a pretty hopping place as far as suburban destinations went. Photo courtesy of Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Some sections of the mall still look remarkably similar to the original layout, even as the retailers have mostly changed. Photo via the Toronto Archives.

Outside the Simpson's Court Restaurant with car display and fountain. Photo via the Toronto Archives.

Rendering of the Vista Restaurant at Eaton's. Photo via Chuckman's Nostalgia.

Postcard for Yorkdale Shopping Centre in the in the early 1970s.

Some colour views of the Vista Restaurant and area surrounding Eaton's thanks to an early postcard.

How cool do those leaf-like outcrops from Vista Restaurant look? Photo courtesy of Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Holt Renfrew had humble roots in the mall. Photo courtesy of Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Back when Fairweather was a big deal. Photo courtesy of Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

The original layout of the mall. It's undergone numerous additions since then. Photo courtesy of Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Toronto is home to hundreds of notable artists, authors, athletes, musicians, intellectuals and bonadife comedic superstars. After some internal debate - would they be just as likely to know this person in Paris? - we rounded up the biggest, 6ix-born household names.

Here's a short list of some of the most famous people from Toronto.

Drake

Before he was winning Grammys and ruling the world of pop culture, Aubrey Graham lived on Weston Road and in Forest Hill. He also played a wheelchair-bound teen on Degrassi. Our beloved 6ix God is still verymuchconnectedto—and proud of—his hometown.

Jim Carrey

The A-list comedian grew up inside and around the GTA, with stints in Scarborough and North York, and came up in the Toronto comedy scene in the late '70s. Carrey moved to LA by the time he was 21, but apparently, he still loves the Leafs.

Margaret Atwood

Atwood, arguably Toronto's greatest contribution to the field of literature (and now television, with the success of Handmaid's Tale) grew up between the city, Ottawa and Quebec before settling in Toronto during high school. She's lived in the Annex since the mid-'80s.

Mike Myers

Between Wayne's World, Saturday Night Live, Austin Powers and everything else he's done, Myers is known worldwide for his comedy chops. The Scarborough-born Second City alumn was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his extensive body of work.

Samantha Bee

She may be famous for her clever take on American politics, but the former Daily Show correspondent was born and raised right here in Toronto. Bee, who was named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people, is also the first woman ever to host a late-night satire show.

Kiefer Sutherland

The veteran actor, best known for his starring turn in 24, moved to Toronto at age nine from California and attended a whopping nine elementary and high schools over the course of his youth. Bonus Canadian fact: He's the grandson of Tommy Douglas.

Frank Gehry

Considered one of the world's greatest architects, Gehry was born in Toronto in 1929. His grandfather's Queen West hardware store was reportedly a launching pad for his earliest interests in construction and architecture. He lives in California now, but is undoubtedly a local hero.

Keanu Reeves

Before he was Neo or Ted "Theodore" Logan, Keanu Reeves lived in Toronto. He attended four local high schools in five years, including De La Salle College and Etobicoke School for the Arts (which, at one point, expelled him).

Shawn Mendes

While he might call Pickering his hometown, the heartthrob du jour was actually born in Toronto and makes frequent visits to the city including his recent appearance at the MMVAs.

The Weeknd

Drake isn't the only well-known successful rap artist from Toronto. The Weeknd, known for his hugely successful hits and fantastic hair, grew up in Scarborough. He is rumoured to have peddled his mixtape from the stockroom of a clothing shop he worked in at a young age, until he made it big on the world scale. 

Nuit Blanche 2018 is back in Toronto for another round of art beneath the stars, this time with strong undertones of evolution and progress with this year's theme, 'You Are Here'. 

This edition of Nuit Blanche marks a special one: for the first year ever, the arts festival will span into Scarborough—the furthest east the annual all-night affair has ever gone—with tons of must-see installations and creative programming in the Scarborough Civic Centre.

Anyone planning on staying out late into the night should dress for some nippy weather. It's going to be mostly clear once evening hits with a forecast of 11C, and temperatures are expected to drop to a crisp low of 8C overnight—typical weather for a Nuit Blanche weekend. 

How it works

Some artists and builders will be out tinkering away at their installations during the day, but this wondrous evening of arts exploration doesn't technically start until 6:58 p.m. tonight (Sept. 29). 

Once the clock strikes, it's off to check out more than 75 projects (it's physically impossible to see them all) scattered around the city from over 300 local, national, and international artists. 

The busiest time is usually around 11 p.m. when lines really start to fill up. It starts to die down a bit around 2 a.m., with most big displays puttering out around 4:30 a.m., when the sensible crowds have already scattered. 

If you're trying to avoid lines, however, sometime after 3 a.m. might be the best time to go: drunken festival-goers should be passed out in their beds by then, and the witching hours leading up to 7 a.m.—when the festival officially ends—might offer some quiet magic for the dedicated to check out some art. 

What to see

The bulk of installations are in and around Queen Street between Yonge and University Ave, where you'll find the biggest crowds, but there's also things to see on Sterling Road (where the newly-opened MOCA is), in Yorkville, at the Aga Kahn, Ontario Science Centre, and in Scarborough.

From the all-night program of talks in Scarborough helmed by Toronto legend Director X to the the dancers in the Eaton Centre's sky bridge, this edition of Nuit Blanche definitely has it's fair share of must-see attractions. 

See our list of the top 25 exhibits to check out this year here

Nuit Blanche is also a good opportunity to check out the many cool arts institutions around the city if you've never had a chance to visit before, like Artscape Youngplace, the Bata Shoe Museum, The ROM, and 401 Richmond. 

If you have no idea where to begin your journey, head to one of three event centres closest to you to grab a map or get some info from a volunteer and start from there. Otherwise just follow the hoards of people. 

What to eat and drink

If you're going to be traipsing around the city all night, you're going to need some sustenance. Thankfully there are more than enough spots around the city open late to keep you fuelled—some restaurants are even keeping extended hours just for the special occasion.

See our list of late night eat options here

Aside from the usual food trucks around the main festival areas, food options include everything from the International Dumpling Festival exhibit, which will be slinging out worldwide variations of dumplings all night (or until they run out), late night dim sum, and pizza.

See our list of bars open until 4 a.m. here

Getting around

Due to the immense number of human bodies cramming up into specific areas in the city, y0u can expect travelling around Toronto will be a little different than usual. 

For the first year ever, the festival will be doing partial road closures this weekend to ensure pedestrian safety as they wander around.

Closures of Borough Drive in Scarborough and Queen and Bay Streets downtown will last until Sunday morning, so while it may be great for walkers, drivers may have to manoeuvre a little more carefully. They can, however, park at any of the TTC Commuter Parking Lots for free.

To avoid all the fuss you can always just take the TTC, where Day Passes bought for today will be valid until tomorrow at 7 a.m— perfect to take advantage of the all-night service on Lines 1 and 2. 

Same goes for the stations between Kennedy and McCowan stations on Line 3, where entry is free starting at 7 p.m. if you enter through Kennedy, Lawrence East, Ellesemere, Midland, Scarborough Centre or McCowan stations. 

On top of that, there'll be free shuttle services running every half hour between major sites like the ROM, the Aga Khan Museum, Ontario Centre, and Lawrence East Station from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Anytime after that, the shuttle comes every hour until 7 a.m. 

Before heading out, make sure you download the event map on your phone to keep track of all the different installations near you. 

Photo Challenge

Nuit Blanche is a huge photo opp, so why not tag your photos on Instagram for a chance to win prizes? The contest starts when Nuit Blanche does at 6:58 p.m. on Saturday September 29 and the deadline to submit is the end of day September 30.

All you have to do is tag your best shots with the #blogTOnbTO hashtag. Not on Instagram? You can also e-mail the photos to us at photochallenge [at] blogto [dotcom].

We'll then narrow the entries to ten finalists and put the winners to a vote from October 1 to October 7 after which the winners will be announced.

Prizes for the top three photos include:

• 1st place: $200 Scarborough Town Centre giftcard
• 2nd place: $100 Scarborough Town Centre giftcard
• 3rd place: $50 Scarborough Town Centre giftcard

As warm turns to cold, there's still time to enjoy the outdoors at events in Toronto today. PS Kensington is back with a full day of festivities and there's a pug grumble in the park. Wu Tang Clan is performing for free and there's free ice cream to be had.

Motels in Toronto sometimes get a bad rep, but when you're looking for easy booking and cheap lodging under $100, these might be some of your best bets. Motels are just portmanteau for motor hotel, meaning they're perfect designed for those budget road trips to and from the city.

Here are my picks for the top motels in and around Toronto. 

Park Motel

This single-storey budget stop by Kingston Road and McCowan is conveniently located right off Highway 2. Super homey, rooms come with free WiFi and a microwave in case you want to reheat any sad leftovers, though there's a cafe or two nearby if you want to skip that.

Grand Motel

Sitting right off Kingston Road and Morningside, this oldschool low rise offers all the accoutrements of a classic motel: granny duvets, framed pictures of flowers, and the quintessential public pool with a chain-link fence, like in the movies.

New Plaza Motel

Almost directly next to Grand Motel is New Plaza, rivalling the other in prime location and tacky interior. Rooms vary from bare, hardwood-floored bedrooms to gaudy red carpets with pink walls, but the importance is the accommodations are clean, with free WiFi to boot. 

Avenue Motel

After renovations, this Dundas St. East motel is looking a hell of a lot snazzier than it did back in the day. Good WiFi, typically clean rooms and noticeably lower rates than similar motels make this no-frills spot off the QEW and Dixie Road a deal. 

Motel 6

It can be tough travelling long distances by car with furry friends, which is why this pet-friendly motel right off the highway at Winston Churchill Blvd. comes so clutch. With several other locations across the GTA, they also offer free morning coffee—what more can you ask for.