The Harbour St. pedestrian bridge is almost ready to open, extending the PATH system from the Air Canada Centre to Waterpark Place at Queens Quay. Last weekend the final segment was installed in an elaborate procedure that lifted the the bridge over the Gardiner Expressway. Now that it's in place, the public can expect to start using the elevated corridor in early October. A formal opening is scheduled for December.

Designed by WZMH Architects, the glass structure is attractive in an understated sort of way. It certainly looks interesting as it extends over the expressway, hinting at the density that Toronto now boasts in the area dubbed Southcore. Here's a look at the freshly installed final section.

Photos courtesy of WZMH Architects

Weekend events in Toronto is our guide to events happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here's what's happening in Toronto this Sept 26-28, 2014.

Toronto Underground Market
It's time to say goodbye to a huge influence on Toronto's food scene. This is the last call to attend Toronto's premier market -- the one that launched restaurants like Rock Lobster Food Co. and Fidel Gastro's and was often imitated, but never duplicated. Taking place Saturday, September 27 at 99 Sudbury, the third anniversary of the food fest will also be its last. Say goodbye one munch at a time. LI

CASSETTE STORE DAY

Cassette Store Day 2014
Yes, Cassette Store Day is a thing, baby sister to Record Store Day where music fans can demonstrate their love for the little rectangles of warbled sonic bliss (well, at the few stores who still carry them). Cassettes are coming back for small labels and bands looking to put our super-limited editions to clog up the works (and even some larger acts are jumping on board). Celebrate on Saturday as Sonic Boom reopens on Spadina and June Records highlights their favourite local releases. Psst, Soundscapes has a great section too.

FOOD

Soupalicious
As fall settles in Soupalicious will stir things up this Sunday, September 28 from noon to 3pm at Artscape Wychwood Barns (601 Christie St.). Advance tickets are $15 and include 10 free soup tickets (additional soup tastings are $1.50 each) from more than 30 Toronto restaurants, chefs and farmers . At the gate, admission is $22, though reduced rates will be offered for seniors, students, families of four. LI

See also

• Canada's Baking And Sweets Show (Sept 26-28)
• Midnight MRKT (Friday, 2nd Floor Events)
• Island Harvest Dinner (Friday, Artscape Gibraltar Point)
• The Evergreen Urban Rodeo and BBQ (Saturday, Brickworks)

PARTY

Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa
Two living legends of hip hop come together on one night, with a special appearance by DJ veterans Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. DJing has changed a lot since they started chopping together breaks in 1970s NYC, but both can still rock a party like few other with their eclectic genre-hopping mixes. September 27, 9pm, Phoenix Concert Theatre, $30. BB

See also

• Otherland (Friday, Tattoo)
• ITAL (Saturday, Double Double Land)
• Blood Sweat & Queers (Saturday, Steady)
• ITZSOWEEZEE (Saturday, Drake)
• Summerdaze & Slow Burn Present...Mario Basanov Boso (Sunday, Burroughs Building)

FILM

Toronto Palestine Film Festival
From Saturday September 27 - October 3, the 7th annual Toronto Palestine Film Festival will run at the TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King St West) and AGO: Jackman Hall (plus a Mississauga screening). The opening night film is Palestine Stereo by Rashid Masharawi. Check out more programming info here.

See also

• Nick Cave's 20,000 DAYS ON EARTH (TIFF Bell Lightbox)
• Filmi Presents "Little Terrors" (Saturday, Carleton Cinema)
• Free Screenings at Bloor Hot Docs (Saturday)
• Bad Movie Night (Sunday, Clinton's)

MUSIC

Fucked Up
These hometown punks have been going full-force all summer since the release of latest hardcore opus Glass Boys. They've already played a bunch of Toronto shows, including sets at Field Trip and The Rivoli; clearly they love playing at home, so it makes sense they'd be back so soon for this pair of dates at one of our oldest music institutions. Whether they're ripping up a bathroom or bringing their kids on stage, rely on Fucked Up for amped up antics. Then catch Damian Abraham at the ArtsVote debate on Monday. September 26/27, Horseshoe Tavern. SK

See also

• Man Made Hill (Friday, Milk Glass)
• Safe In Sound (Friday, Kool Haus)
• Brandee Younger & Dr Matthew Dunn and Company (Friday, Music Gallery)
• Conduct Us (Friday, Roy Thompson)
• Cross Waves Sound Art series (Friday, NAISA)
• Field Trip Discover Series V (Friday, Garrison)
• Chromeo (Sat, Kool Haus)
• Skate Party (Saturday, Soybomb)
• NSFW feat. Oldies 990 (Saturday, Drake One Fifty)
• Sandro Perri & Friends (Saturday, Tranzac Club)
• Wavelength - Lee Paradise (Saturday, Handlebar)
• Wish // Anamai // Zones (Saturday, White House)

FASHION & LIFESTYLE

Etsy - Made in Canada
The contrast between a huge pay-per-listing website like Etsy and the spirit of homegrown DIY crafting may be a widening one, but Etsy's Canada-wide showcase of local vendors can still give you a glimpse of some of Toronto's best sellers of handmade items and foods as well as vintage goods and clothing. Network and spend your dollars IRL this Saturday at MARS and OCAD from 10am-4pm.

See also

• Paper Doll Pop-Up Consignment Shop (Saturday, Bionic - Workshop / Boutique)
• Toronto Antique and Vintage Market (Queen Elizabeth Building, )
• Annex Flea: Autumnal Edition (Sunday, Honest Ed's Parking Lot)
• Meet and Make (Sunday, MakeWorks)
• The Post Market (Sunday, Great Hall)
• Ratio Artist Market (Sunday, Ratio)

COMMUNITY

Yes In My Back Yard Festival 2014
The cleverly titled YIMBY festival is back! Meet groups involved with "community development, civic literacy, neighbourhood improvement, environmental action, culture and creativity, and collaborative consumption." Saturday, September 27, 11am-4pm, University of Toronto Schools (371 Bloor Street West).

See also

• 4th Saudi Festival Day (Sunday, Dundas Square)

COMEDY

JFL42
On now, Just for Laughs comedy festival includes the likes of Nick Offerman, Seth Meyers, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, Joe Rogan, and Lena Dunham, plus tons of smaller comedians and troops. Branded as JFL42, they take trends in the laughs business seriously and plan to to launch an assault on your tender funny bone. Toughen up with our preview here. and watch the video below to learn how ticketing works. September 18-27.

See also

• Good News, Toronto presents: #NOTJFL42 (Friday, The Well)

THEATRE

Freda and Jem's Best of the Week
Judith Thompson directs Freda and Jem's Best of the Week, a play concerned with the changing nature of love and family in the face of the end days of a long-term relationship. After falling in love and building a family, Freda and Jem say goodbye to their same-sex partnership in their own unique and beautiful way. The play explores how queer culture charts its own path towards family creation and also separation. Read our review here. Buddies in Bad Times, September 18 - October 5, $20-37 KB

For more events on stage, check out our The top theatre productions in Toronto September 2014 post.

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

Contributions by Benjamin Boles, Shazia Khan, Liora Ipsum, Keith Bennie. Photo by Jesse Milns

Photo by aida_dasilva in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Toronto Food Events rounds up the most delicious events, festivals, pop-ups, winemaker dinners, supper clubs and other food related happenings in Toronto this week and next. You can find us here every Friday morning.

THIS WEEK

• The Toronto Underground Market celebrates its three-year anniversary and last-ever event this Saturday, September 27 at 99 Sudbury. Tickets for the 19+ event are $15, and doors open at 5pm.
• The Evergreen Urban Rodeo and BBQ takes place this Saturday, September 27 from 7:30pm to midnight. The all-inclusive fundraiser event, priced at $150, includes 10 all-you-can-eat BBQ stations paired with Creemore Springs craft beers, plus cocktails, wine, a live auction run by Bob Blumer, mechanical bull rides, carnival games, live music and dancing.
• Soupalicious will stir things up this Sunday, September 28 from noon to 3pm at Artscape Wychwood Barns (601 Christie St.). Advance tickets are $15 and include 10 free soup tickets (additional soup tastings are $1.50 each) from more than 30 Toronto restaurants, chefs and farmers. At the gate, admission is $22, though reduced rates will be offered for seniors, students, families of four.
• 86 Mondays at The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St. West) presents The Everyday Squash Cook book launch this Monday, September 29 from 8pm.
• Canada's Baking and Sweets Show is on this weekend from Friday, September 26 to Sunday, September 28 at the Toronto Congress Centre (650 Dixon Rd.). The Wizard of Oz-themed show will feature headliners Fabio Viviani, Anna Olson and master baker Ron Ben-Israel as well as fun new hybrid foods like the infamous wonut. Single day admission is $15 per adult and $10 for seniors and students, while the three-day pass is on for $30.

UPCOMING

• The fifth annual Smoke's Poutinerie World Poutine Eating Championship is back on Saturday, October 4 from 10am to 5pm at Yonge Dundas Square. Major League Eaters from around the world will face off at 3pm, while amateurs can try to win the 10-minute eat-off at 2pm. Everyone else can enjoy free poutine, a beer garden, live '80s glam-rock and a kids zone.
• Tickets ($300) are available now for the 10th anniversary edition of The Stop's What's On The Table. Taking place Wednesday, November 5 from 7pm to 11pm at Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas St. East), the all-inclusive event will feature food stations from almost 30 Toronto restaurants, plus bevvies from 10 wine, beer, coffee and tea labels.

Photo by Jimmy Lu.

Road closures in Toronto for the weekend of September 27 and 28 rounds up the key transportation shut-downs affecting the city, including street and TTC closures.

KEY ROAD CLOSURES IN TORONTO

Gardiner: Carlaw--Highway 427. Annual maintenance work on the Gardiner Expressway, including catch basin cleaning, pothole repairs, road paint improvements, sign maintenance, and safety inspections, will close the road to all traffic from Friday, September 26 at 11 p.m. (eastbound), 11:59 p.m. (westbound) to Monday, September 29 at 5 a.m.

Dundas West: Runnymede--Fisken. Closed to vehicles from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, September 28 for the Harvest Festival.

Various: Cherry, Leslie, Lake Shore, and Lake Ontario area. The Toronto 10 Miler and Cherry Street 5K event will close various roads in the vicinity of the Port Lands on Sunday, September 28 between 7:30 and 11:30 a.m.

ONGOING CLOSURES

Over and above the special closures this weekend, construction projects across Toronto result in numerous other road restrictions across the city. For a comprehensive list of such closures, you can consult the official map maintained by the City of Toronto (also available as a PDF.)

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Oktoberfest is finally here. It's a special time of year when we gather in pseudo-German beer halls to drink large quantities of beer from steins and, for once, no one looks down on me for my proclivity for inhaling sausage while wearing leather underwear.

While you probably already took part in Steam Whistle's excellent Oktoberfest bash at our recommendation (since it was included in our highlights of Toronto Beer Week), there are still a handful of opportunities coming up to unleash your inner Bavarian.

Here are our picks for the best Oktoberfest celebrations in and around Toronto, so grab your day planner and launder your dirndl, it's drinkin' time. Prost!

Toronto Oktoberfest
Now in its third year, Toronto Oktoberfest bills itself as Toronto's "only authentic Oktoberfest party" and while authenticity might be a tough claim to prove, at 30,000 square feet they may have a legitimate claim at being the city's biggest. Held over two days in the parking lot of Ontario Place, the festival boasts German and European beers like Weihenstephan and Erdinger, Bratwurst, Wieners, and Schnitzel prepared by chef Marc Thuet and "an atmosphere so authentic, you'll feel like you're in Munich."

Date: October 3rd and 4th
Location: 909 Lake Shore Boulevard West
Cost: In advance, $25 general admission for evenings and $22 for the afternoon, $30 and $25 at the door.

Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest
The world's second biggest Oktoberfest (guess where the biggest one is?) has been taking place for 45 years and seems uniquely suited to people who want to celebrate without pesky distractions like decent beer. Taking place over the week at 14 different festhallen spread throughout K-W this event has more corporate sponsors that their website can handle--among them Canadian Tire, Pepsi, Schneiders, and, tellingly, Molson Canadian.

Date: October 10th - 18th
Location: Various
Cost: Varies by event, see website for details.

OktoberFEAST 2014
Featuring beer from a handful of craft brewers, food from Toronto restaurants and food trucks like Gourmet Gringos and The Pie Comission, and music by local bands, OkotberFEAST doesn't seem to have all that much to do with the events in Munich from which it derives its name, but oh well, there's beer! Amsterdam Brewery, Junction Craft, Mill Street, and Steam Whistle are all listed among the event's participants and if un-aged locally made whiskey is your thing, it seems the fabulous folks from Toronto Distillery Company will be there, too.

Date: October 16, 5pm-11pm
Location: Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie Street
Cost: $25 for general admission

Oktoberfest at the Mill Street Beer Hall
There's probably few places better to hold an Oktoberfest shindig than an actual Beer Hall, so Mill Street's festivities might well be worth checking out. In addition to an appropriately named venue, the event will feature 20 Mill Street beers on tap including seasonal offerings like their Oktoberfest, Father John's, Frambozen, Palomar, and Altbier. There's also Bavarian food stations, live entertainment and, hopefully, no Putsches.

Date: October 4th
Location: Mill Street Beer Hall, 21 Tankhouse Lane
Cost: $25 for general admission

Oktoberfest at the Amsterdam Brewhaus
For three nights next week, Amsterdam Brewery will be celebrating Oktoberfest at their lakeside brewhouse location. Each night will feature an official keg tapping, along with live music, a German-inspired menu and, at the end of the night, you can take home your 1-litre stein. As an added bonus, they'll be running free brewery tours so you can get tipsy and touch brewmaster Iain MacOustra's stuff. He loves that!

Date: October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
Location: Amsterdam Brewhouse, 245 Queens Quay West
Cost: Free!

BONUS (out of town)

The 6th Annual Beau's Oktoberfest
You may think that a five hour drive to Vankleek Hill, Ontario is a bit much just for a day of drinking, but quite frankly, this one is worth it. Beau's annual Oktoberfest bash is largely considered one of the best beer events in Ontario and was recently recognized with an Editor's Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Beer at the Golden Tap Awards. There's a ridiculous musical lineup that includes Rural Alberta Advantage, Tokyo Police Club, The Strumbellas and more. Importantly, there will be 13 different Beau's beers available, in addition to cider and cask offerings. Let's carpool!

Date: October 3rd (Tickets for the 4th are already sold out)
Location: Vankleek Hill Fairgrounds, 92 Main Street West, Vankleek Hill, Ontario
Cost: $22 for general admission

Ben Johnson also writes about beer over on Ben's Beer Blog. You can follow him on twitter @Ben_T_Johnson.

For a city chock-full of night owls, it's weird that Toronto didn't get 24-hour television until the fall of 1980. Back then, local broadcasters would tell viewers to go to sleep after the news by way of patriotic-but-slightly-ominous sign-offs, and run colour bars throughout the night until the early morning. No Jillian Michaels Body Revolution, Aero Knife or Flex Seal infomercials to keep insomniacs company, just the eerie drone of 400hz.

In September of 1980, CFMT Channel 47 Cable 4 (then known as MTV - Multicultural Television, now OMNI) fried a million local synapses with the advent of The All-Night Show, a no-budget late night filler which kept the broadcast (and party) going all night. Hosted by amiable Chuck the Security Guard (portrayed with great chutzpah by Chas Lawther - catch phrase "Hey You!") and his unseen co-host Ryerson, The All-Night Show screened movies and reruns of offbeat TV series such as The Outer Limits, The Prisoner and The Twilight Zone from 2:00AM until dawn, with bizarre skits and live phone calls between programs.

It kinda took Toronto counterculture by storm: precipitating the irreverent pop culture riffing VJs which MuchMusic was about to usher in, Chuck and his gang of merry misfits also breathed life into aged, back catalogue junk by turning it into comedy gold. Future revered series such as Mystery Science Theater 3000 did not get there first.

Although the anarchical premise was that these hosts were illicitly broadcasting material on the CFMT wavelength after hours, the reality was not much different. After bumping heads with CFMT's befuddled management too many times, the format was scrapped in 1981. In addition to giving a local comedian named Jim Carrey some voice work for his fledgling demo reel, The All-Night Show proved there was indeed an appetite for all night televisual hijinx.

Across Lake Ontario, our neighbours to the South were enjoying The All-Night Show so much that local Buffalo NBC affiliate WGRZ created their own version, entitled The Cat's Pajamas. Hosted by the chain smoking, ever smiling Weatherman Barry Lillis, it lacked the rum punch of The All-Night Show but cast a wider and more eclectic net (encompassing everything from Hammer Horror to Hee Haw by way of the Bowery Boys). And of course, Buffalo being Buffalo, there was lots of unintentional comedy on display for even the most discerning nighthawk.

Back in Toronto, it took until February of 1985 for Citytv to get in on the 24 hour act. Their Friday night favourite City Limits - all-night music videos and bizarre interstitials, itself a spin on The All-Night Show - had proven popular enough for "Toronto Television" Citytv to commit to a full 24 hour schedule, including generous late night helpings of their specialty, Movies.

Using the populist, dulcet tones of Mark Dailey, City proudly announced it was open for business all night long, with the newly branded "Late Great Movies" broadcasting all manner of trash and treasure for those red eyes awake in the wee hours.

Invoking memories of The All-Night Show yet again, Late Great Movies started out with a host - legendary Rock'N'Roll hell raiser (and Edison Twins theme song crooner) Bob Segarini, who opened with a slightly gruff ode to late night Toronto:

After an embarrassing on-air incident involving cats, and a bird being flipped at Citytv's head honcho Moses Znaimer, Segarini was exiled to Siberia and Late Great Movies was given the best host of all - the city of Toronto itself.

Quickly becoming as much a hallmark of the station as "EVERYWHERE!", "You're Watching Late Great Movies" was the brain child of John Gunn, creative director of Citytv at the time. He had wanted to capture the visceral, dangerous excitement of late night Toronto on the

Yonge Street strip, where so many wonderful grindhouse theatres like the Rio, the Biltmore, and the Downtown had screened the exact kind of B-movie mayhem that was being shown on Late Great Movies.

As well as dopey kids with big hair standing in front of Sam the Record Man, the most crucial part of Citytv's late night experience was often the darkly comical observations from The Voice, a.k.a Mark Dailey. As the Late Great Movies grew in popularity and awareness, so did Dailey's reputation as the city's Godfather of vox.

Across the dial at Global TV, 1986 saw the creation of 3 memorable late night filler shows which ran on a loop all-night, every night - Night Ride, Night Walk and Night Moves. Using an ethereal jazzy soundtrack paired with a roving camera, these lullaby interstitials remain essential Polaroids of Toronto: 1986. Even though there were only three episodes ever made, the series left such an indelible mark people seem to have collectively mis-remembered them as being new editions every night.

By the 1990s, late night had become an infomercial Hell, and broadcasting for 24 hours was as expected as showing up for work with trousers on. With Netflix and its ilk, torrents and YouTube, the time of day you indulge in visuals is now totally irrelevant; content is spilling out of every orifice, and you are the ultimate programmer.

In the 1980s, Toronto was lucky to have had bona fide classics like The All-Night Show, Late Great Movies and Night Ride to keep that midnight oil burning while the rest of the city slept.

Retrontario plumbs the seedy depths of Toronto flea markets, flooded basements, thrift shops and garage sales, mining old VHS and Betamax tapes that less than often contain incredible moments of history that were accidentally recorded but somehow survived the ravages of time. You can find more amazing discoveries at www.retrontario.com.

Names matter. Just ask all those proud folks who live in the Junction Triangle, a neighbourhood that prior to a few years ago lacked an official designation. It's impossible to build an identity in the absence of nomenclature. Likewise, the wrong name can rob a place of the status that it might deserve. Yesterday we wrote about the most unfortunate renaming of Maple Leaf Square after a car manufacturer. In the grand scheme of things, it won't go down as one of the worst transgressions against (what functions as) public space, but the announcement didn't go without its fair share of concomitant facepalming.

On the heels of the the reaction, I got to wondering about the worst-named building in Toronto. We have some ugly ones, to be sure, but one in particular crossed my mind after the question crossed my mind. The Rogers Centre. Why in the world did this stadium ever have to lose the SkyDome (note the capital D, everyone) moniker? Even if it was just called the Rogers SkyDome, it'd be a whole lot easier to stomach.

Surprise, surprise, when the question was posed to our Twitter followers, my ire was shared by just about everyone who responded. Thankfully, most of us have decided to resist the the corporate rebranding of the building and continue to use its original name. Let's all do the same with Maple Leaf Square.

Here are some candidates for the worst-named building in Toronto:

1. Rogers Centre
2. Bohemian Embassy
3. Chazz Condos
4. Success Tower
5. DNA Condos
6. M5V Condos
7. Yonge + Rich (under construction)
8. Residences of the World Trade Centre
9. King Blue Condos
10. Republic of Yonge and Eglinton

Is there a building name that makes you angry? Let us know in the comments.

Matt Galloway knows Toronto. Four years of covering the city as host of Metro Morning (and Here & Now for six years before that) will naturally make you a bit of an expert on our hometown. But Galloway doesn't just know Toronto because of what he does, but because of who he is: a proud Torontonian.

When you talk or listen to him, it becomes obvious very quickly that he has a deep affection for his city. The word "love" comes up a lot. So does the fact that it's a city that never fails to surprise him. "I've been here for 25 years, but there's always places in the city that I'm stumbling upon. I'm constantly amazed with some of the places I find."

I sat down to talk to Galloway about his beloved Toronto, and what spots he has come to know and love most throughout his time in the city - as a bicyclist, a coffee drinker, and reporter.

You get up really early - 3 A.M you've said - to get to work. Are there any parts of the city that you really love to see at that time in the morning?

Going along Harbord is great because the bakeries there are starting to bake things and it smells lovely at 3:45 in the morning. I love [Grange] Park. In the morning it's just completely still and there's nothing going on. It feels like you're sneaking into something.

Where would you take someone in Toronto who is aspiring to work in radio or media?

We're in the business of storytelling. The city is filled with amazing, untold, great stories in corners of the city that many people don't go to or are unaware of. [So] I send people to Thorncliffe Park all the time that are new here. You go there and you hangout for like half an hour? You meet people and you come back with a half a dozen amazing stories.

Do you have spots in Thorncliffe Park you love in particular?

The community opened a tandoor in the park. It's an amazing thing - an oven but also a gathering place for the community. It completely changed the park. It's a hoot to hang out there and eat. I also go up to Bamiyan Kebab whenever I'm there. Excellent Afghan food. And just north is the new Aga Khan Museum. The collection is incredible and the building itself is a work of art.

You live in the Christie Pits area. What are your favourite neighborhood spots?

The Contra Cafe. It's become a kind of center of the neighborhood. I run into all these people who are there that I never would have otherwise known lived in the neighborhood. It's become a little bit of a town square in a big city.

What about restaurants?

Rikishi. My wife and I have been going there for a long time. It's a great sushi restaurant. We've gone enough that we kind of know every single thing on the menu. I'm always happy when I'm there.

And stores?

I love my grocery store, Fiesta Farms, which is around the corner from my house. I'm there almost every day it seems like. If you like to eat like I do, it's one of those places where you're always surprised by what you find on the shelves.

Are there any places near the CBC building where you work that you love?

I will go to Sam James in The PATH because that's sensational coffee. They really know what they're doing. Life is really too short for bad coffee.

I've heard you're a big Toronto sports fan. Especially the Toronto FC. Do you have any favorite bars or pubs you love to go to before or after a game?

I was a huge fan. We had season tickets for five years, but then we gave them up because the team has been terrible. But on the way down we [used to] always stop at the Cadillac Lounge.

What about watching sports? Where do you like to go for that?

If we're watching football, we often end up out at The Dizzy.

If you had to pick three Toronto locations that you couldn't live without, what would they be?

The mouth of the Humber River, at the foot of the Humber ravine, right by the footbridge that looks out onto the city. That's my favorite part in the whole city. The ramp that goes down into Milkman's Lane in the ravine in Rosedale. It's like secret Toronto. You just disappear from the city in the city.

And the third place? Again, Thorncliffe Park is an extraordinary place. There's something amazing about going and meeting people who have given up everything and decided they're going to change their life and come to another country. People talk a lot about what makes the city special - all the diversity, and the fact that people come from all over the world. You see that there.

ESSENTIAL SPOTS

Coffee shop:Sam James.

Brunch: We don't really do brunch, but we went out for a lovely long lunch the other day at Edulis. It's the opposite of brunch. We sat and ate for four hours and it was insanely great.

Restaurant to take someone from out of town:Cava. It's great food, but it's also really fun. We've taken a lot of people there.

Museum or Gallery: I go to the Art Gallery of Ontario all the time. I make sure I have time to just sit for fifteen or twenty minutes in the Galleria Italia. That's one of my favorite rooms in the city.

Bookstore:Type is great. I buy a lot of books at Type. But I really miss bookstores. I miss the fact that in my neighborhood I can't wander down and find books at the last minute in reading desperation.

Movie Theatre: Because I've been going forever, and I love what they've done with it: The Hot Docs Cinema.

Music or record store: I went back into Play De Record a while back for the first time in forever. It was fun to go back because it reminded me of why I used to buy Vinyl, and why I loved going there every Thursday when they'd release new record and everybody would kind of be streaming in at about 5 o' clock and it would just be madness.

Clothing store:Theodore1922.

Previously: An insider's guide to Toronto with Damian Abraham

Along with transporting commodities for us to fetishize and food for us to consume, the humble truck has another purpose -- or at least it does now. Art. That's right, Toronto is about to get a dose of mobile art in the form of the (awkwardly named) Aimia/AGO Photography Prize Art Truck.

Here's the lowdown: in conjunction with the publicly voted Aimia Photography Prize, the AGO has commissioned a truck to travel across Toronto (and beyond) featuring the four artists shortlisted for the $50,000 award. It's a smart move on the part of organizers given the mandate of the prize. What better way to get the artists' work in the face of potential voters?

It's also a nice diversion in that nothing is for sale. On the contrary, your intellect and creativity is under request. You know those trucks that roam this city carrying billboards? This is the opposite of that.

The art truck left Montreal yesterday and will arrive in Toronto tomorrow. Currently scheduled dates include The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (Sept. 27), the Kensington Market Art (Sept. 28), Bellmedia at Queen and John (Sept 29), Aimia's Mississauga office (Sept. 29), AGO First Thursdays (Oct. 2), and Nuit Blanche (at the AGO on Oct. 4). Pay a visit, engage with the art, and vote.

Roncesvalles, the old predominantly Polish neighbourhood in Toronto's west end, did a major street revamp a few years ago. All the pavement and tracks got ripped up and some businesses, including a few stalwart Polish places, didn't survive. Now it's lined with beautiful trees and flowers, the boulevard wide and teeming with friendly people, dogs and strollers.

The traditional haunts keep the old village spirit, and new additions confirm Roncy as the hippest neighbourhood for young families. Where do the Parkdale/Queen St. art directors and creative types move when they start families? They move to Roncesvalles.

Here's how to spend a day in Roncesvalles Village, from morning to late night.

BREAKFAST AND COFFEE

I start my day early at Mitzi's on Sorauren, making my to-do list and reading the news over a fried egg sandwich with kimchi and bacon. If I've got errands to do I'll slip into Cherry Bomb to grab a coffee to go before hitting all the spots on the street (Kennel Cafe for pet food, Maple Produce for veg, Thin Blue Line for cheese, Custodio's for meat) but if I'm wanting to do some cafe work, I choose Extra Butter. They're similar to Cherry Bomb (some staff were trained there) but the space has more seats and Wi-Fi, perfect for a couple of hours of reading and writing in the morning.

MORNING ACTIVITY

After sitting for a long while, though, I need to get moving, and try to get a run in nearby High Park - the winding hills are great for a workout - or I call up a friend to play tennis at the free courts at Sorauren. For yoga there's Sama studio and then the Ten Spot for post-workout pampering.

LUNCH

Lunch is La Cubana for Cuban style-sandwiches in all their bright neon glory, or a bowl of pink borscht and a potato pancake at Cafe Polonez before hitting the galleries.

SHOPPING AND CULTURE

I follow along Dundas to Narwhal and the Black Cat then stop on Morrow at Christopher Cutts and Olga Kopper. Daniel Lanois's studio is on nearby Howard Park and on rare occasions he is known to play on the roof, or at the Belljar Cafe around the corner - both not to be missed.

With a workout and groceries crossed off my list, I squeeze in a little shopping fun too. Likely General, Scout, and Mrs. Huizenga are great for gifts and one-off treasures, or I'll hunt for clothes at Frock, shoe emporium Imelda and now, new unisex Canadian designers Muttonhead.

One of the most unique shops around is the Herbal Dispensary, full of tinctures, teas and soaps, and a place to get all your homeopathic and natural medical treatments. Plus, Roncesvalles is a magnet for bibliophiles like myself. Between She Said Boom and A Good Read you can find nearly any secondhand book you are looking for and any recent titles can be picked up at Another Story.

AFTERNOON SNACK

The High Park Library is a wonderful old building with great afternoon light, but I get peckish and will run up to Dundas Park Kitchen for a snack, or hit up Benna's for those addictive Polish donuts and finish the last pages on a nearby bench.

DINNER

Sometime during the day I'll have called or popped in and booked reservations for dinner later. It's fabulous seeing the streets in the early evening full of people, but it sucks when you realize you're all just waiting for seats at the neighbourhood boîte.

Hopgood's Foodliner serves East Coast seafood with edge (and was a big hit with Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendez when they visited), and Barque is the neighbourhood barbecue joint. I'm partial to The Westerly or The Ace. Both are relaxed, warm environments with simple bistro menus, great cocktails and even better service and work well for dates or group affairs.

DRINKS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Quiet nights are spent at the Revue Cinema catching a rep film, but who are we kidding, really? Most of the time post-food all I want is some music, more socializing and drinks!

There is always a jazz combo at Gate 403 or a 70's troubadour at Hugh's Room in for a final appearance, but most of the time I like grabbing a couple friends and going for pints at the Local or the Inter Steer. With their unpretentious, all-welcoming energy, they both affirm the village vibe of Roncesvalles.

LATE NIGHT EATS

By night's end, If I can stuff even one more bite into me I go to Rude Boy for a late night burger, though I have been known to regret it - how many good eats can one girl have in a day? It's then that one final Roncesvalles pit stop comes to mind, a morning trip to one of the historic churches on the street, to repent for all my glorious gluttony.

What did I miss? Add your suggestions for how to spend a day in Roncesvalles Village to the comments.

Doug Ford released his transit platform yesterday, and to the surprise of no one it's exactly the same as his brother's. Well, that's not quite true. Somehow in the rush to rebrand the map, a few brutal errors snuck into this terribly optimistic bit of cartography.

New stations on the horizon for Toronto include "Eglington," Eglington West," and "Done Mills." I am no stranger to the typo (the one in this title still bothers me), but I'll take the risk at hurling rocks from my glass house because the spelling errors aren't even the worst thing here. Far more problematic is the plotting of the map itself. Look, everyone would love all these subways, especially with a huge population spike in the works. But this is Ferris Wheel territory. Toronto needs realistic transit planning that can be funded and built as soon as possible.

May Done Mills exist in the nightmares of copy editors everywhere.

I left an outside light on last night. Big mistake. This morning, hundreds, probably thousands of tiny deceased insects littered the ground, their tiny bodies spent after hours of copulating in the yellow glow of my porch light.

By the time the clean-up was complete, the little bodies filled a dustpan. Dozens more were scared up out of the dewy grass when I went to throw the dead ones out.

This is the second such uprising of sex-fuelled midges this year. In May, David Sugarman from the Ontario Science Centre explained how the clouds of insects appear during mating season. The bugs that gather in clouds, usually shafts of sunlight near bodies of water, are females awaiting the arrival of obliging males.

"When you see them, it's mating season," he said. "They don't bite people, they're just a nuisance."

"The reason we get huge clouds of these midges is that you can get, and this is an astounding number, four thousand larvae in a metre square, which means you could get thousands of adults emerging practically at the same time."

Sugarman said this year's swarm was likely triggered by a particularly wet Fall last year. Though they like to gather by water, bright lights and onshore winds easily move the mating clouds inland and into the mouths of walkers and cyclists.

Luckily, the swarms usually only last a few days, though each season could deliver up to four mass orgies. That leaves two more before the snow hits, maybe.

We asked if you had been affected by the latest influx of insects.

@blogTO Yes, for the last two days. Fortunately, they aren't able to get inside. Yet.

— George M ✈️ (@Overlaid) September 26, 2014

@blogTO Quite a few were swirling round our table at C'est What last night.

— Stephen Wickens (@StephenWickens1) September 26, 2014

@blogTO ya it's crazy ... This year so many Of those and wasps

— Ganzi Osteria (@GanziToronto) September 26, 2014

@ccath@blogTO They're simple bugs and think it's Spring right now.

— Adam (@manofthematch) September 26, 2014

@crobins72ca@blogTO They are everywhere!

— Theresa (@Teeda100) September 26, 2014

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: Chris Bateman/blogTO

Do you like the idea of someone taking care of your skin - but not the thought of booking yourself into a schmancy Yorkville spa for a $150 rosehip facial? This laid-back little spot on Dundas West is the answer to your prayers. Opened by two former spa estheticians, the salon does waxing, spray tans and facials - including complimentary beard care for the fellas - without the pressure or the pretension.

Read my profile of Saul's Beauty Shop in the fashion section.

The best seafood restaurants in Toronto stand out through their close connections to suppliers, netting them a steady supply of freshly-caught seafare flown in directly from the dock. On the plate, that translates to succulent shellfish, sublimely fresh fish and seasonal specialties - all of which live up to the impressive hype.

Here are the best seafood restaurants in Toronto.

See also:

The Best Oysters in Toronto
The Best Lobster Roll in Toronto
The Best Fish & Chips in Toronto
The Best Fish Stores in Toronto

Photo by Francisco Silva in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Allen Road is an orphan of the cancelled Spadina Expressway project. Built in two phases between 1966 and 1976, the road was supposed to push south from its current terminus at Eglinton to the Gardiner, roughly following the route of the Spadina subway line to Bloor, but vocal public opposition to the expressway led to its cancellation in 1971 by Premier Bill Davis.

The initial two phases (Wilson Heights to Lawrence and Lawrence to Eglinton) now pose a significant problem for the city. 40 years after the road opened, traffic congestion, poorly planned intersections, dead end streets created by the arrival of the highway, and discontinuous green spaces are having a negative impact on the surrounding community.

In the hope of revitalizing Allen Road, an environmental assessment commissioned by the city has produced a list of five ways to improve the stubby highway: "enhance" the street with minor physical improvements, "modify" it with major improvements, "transform" it into a surface road, bury the road, or remove it entirely, opening the new space for development and new roads. This being Toronto, "do nothing" is also listed as a possibility.

"After more than 40 years of use and with all of its structures, Allen Road is one of the most expensive roads to maintain in the City of Toronto," the report says. "It is now at a natural point in its life-cycle to consider renewal and represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to re-examine this large piece of civil infrastructure."

Here is a closer look at the 5 options, none of which have a price tag, yet.

Enhance
Tweak the existing highway by adding public artwork, landscaping improvements, and better pedestrian facilities. Other possible improvements under this scenario could be improved access points to the subway and adding High Occupancy Vehicle or toll lanes. The core layout of Allen Road and the connecting streets would remain unchanged.

Modify
Make useful improvements to layout of Allen Road. Possibilities include HOV or toll lanes, reconfiguring traffic interchanges, widening bridges, adding ramps and cycling infrastructure. Landscaping and public artwork included in the "enhance" plan could also be added to the highway.

Transform - Surface Road
Fill in the Allen Road "ravine," burying the subway and building a new surface version of the street on top. The new surface version of the street would likely be less of a highway and something closer in appearance to University Avenue. Intersections would be entirely re-worked and the new space either side of the surface road turned into parks.

Transform - Tunnel or Deck
This option would allow the city to keep Allen Road by burying it in a tunnel or an underground deck. The subway would remain and the new surface space created by filling in the road would be used for development, new streets, and parks, much like Boston's Big Dig project.

Remove
Demolish Allen Road south of the 401 to Eglinton, bury the subway, and open the new space for development, parks, and new road connections. Lost road connections would be restored, where possible and highway traffic diverted to other streets.

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: Tom Podolec/blogTO Flickr pool.

King East's design district just got a strong dose of Italian design, thanks to this Markham-based furniture importer's brand-new downtown showroom. Though their specialty lies in high-end furniture brought in directly from Milan's design trade shows, the shop is anything but stale - a laid-back, friendly service style and tons of quirky pieces make for a fun browse. Maybe your place could use a TV unit with built-in speakers ... or a bookshelf shaped like a robot?

Read my profile of the new Suite 22 Interiors in the design section.

The top dance parties in Toronto this October have a lot of competition - next to New Year's Eve, Halloween is probably the second biggest party night of the year. And like NYE, October 31 also has a tendency to turn into amateur night at the club, due to the influx of large numbers of occasional partiers trying to cram a few months worth of steam-release into one night.

Better to blow your dancing budget on some of the more music-focussed events happening over the rest of the month. Having said that, since Halloween falls on a Friday this year, there will be no shortage of costume ragers getting announced in the coming weeks.

Hercules and Love Affair / October 4 / Wrongbar / 8pm / $24
The NYC deep house project returns to Toronto, this time bringing a live lineup that includes ex-vocalist Nomi Ruiz, who is returning to the stage with the group for a small run of shows. See them in a small intimate club like Wrongbar should be an intense experience. Dynamo Azari (of now-defunct house group Azari & III) opens up the night, alongside Phil V.

Green Velvet vs Cajmere / October 11 / Coda / 10pm / $30
It seems like Curtis Jones almost lives here, given how often the Chicago house icon plays in town as either his industrial funk alter ego Green Velvet, or as his more traditionalist house persona Cajmere. This time around he's combining the two tendencies for a night exploring the full range of what he's capable of.

Mark Farina and DJ Diz / October 12 / Ryze / 10pm / $25
Before Mark Farina moved to San Francisco and made a name for himself with his Mushroom Jazz series of downtempo jazzy breakbeat mixes in the early 90s, he'd already cut his teeth playing house at Red Nail warehouse parties in Chicago where he grew up. The veteran DJ will be focussing on that latter side of his personality for this night, reuniting him with fellow Red Nail resident DJ Diz

Junior Boys / October 17 / Club 120 / 10pm / $20
Hamilton electronic pop duo Junior Boys are more known for their moody introspective synth pop than for destroying dance floors, but when the pair do DJ, it's a lot more of a party than their studio recordings might suggest. They're playing a special three-hour set, alongside Breakandenter's Martin Fazekas.

SBTRKT / October 31 (and November 1) / Danforth Music Hall / 7pm / $26
Technically this two night stand by SBTRKT is more concert than dance party, but if people aren't moving to his futuristic bass pop at these shows something has gone wrong. Maybe for Halloween he'll play without his trademark mask for a change? Bonus: this should be done early enough that you can still hit a costume party. Watch out for our Halloween guide.

Photo by Christian Bobak

TIFF's Artistic Director, Cameron Bailey, has a life many a film buff would envy. As a chief orchestrator of the Toronto International Film Festival, Bailey lives and breathes film, and has become one of the festival's most public faces in the process. He has helped makes Toronto one of the epicenters of the film world.

The film professional started out on his path as many do: as a film critic. After realizing his passion for cinema in University, Bailey began reviewing films for outlets like CTV's Canada AM, CBC Radio One, and Now Magazine. At the same time, he also set out on his path as a programmer, contributing his passions to Cinematheque Ontario, the NFB, and, of course, TIFF.

Bailey started programming for TIFF in 1990, and since then - with a lot of hard work - has ascended to greater and greater prominence in the organization. In 2007, he became Festival Co-Director, and as of 2013, he now holds the position of being one of the festival's chief orchestrators as Festival Artistic Director.

That naturally makes Cameron Bailey an ideal person to talk to about the best our beloved city has to offer. I sat down with the TIFF Artistic Director to discuss what parts of Toronto were instrumental in making him the film pro he is now, what spots he can't live without, and the best places you can eat around the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

If you wanted to show someone what makes Toronto such a great place for movie lovers, where (aside from TIFF Bell Lightbox, of course) would you take them?

CineCycle, the completely unique hobby shop for experimental cinema and bike repair. Also, the Cinesphere, the first IMAX cinema still sitting proudly on the grounds of Ontario Place. It's where I saw North of Superior in IMAX as a child, which blew my mind.

What Toronto movie spots have been central to making you the film writer and now the Festival Artistic Director you are now?

I remember the brilliant staffers at Queen Video, The Film Buff and Bay Street Video - especially the ones who shared their faves not with snobbery, but enthusiasm. I spent a lot of time at the Varsity Cinemas. Does anyone remember when they had just two screens? And I still mourn the Uptown Theatre. Especially the Uptown 1, which felt like a palace and a womb at the same time.

Toronto has often been lovingly highlighted by Canadian filmmakers like Sarah Polley and Atom Egoyan. Are there any neighborhoods or places in Toronto you feel deserve to be shown more on celluloid?

Peter Lynch's Arrowhead captured Toronto's ravines and semi-suburban apartment blocks better than I've seen since. To me, that's a classic Toronto environment: Centennial-era high-rises in the midst of urban forests.

You are always impeccably dressed. What stores or tailors can you not live without?

First, thank you. I owe the biggest debt to Hugo Boss, with a second, important nod to my father and my sister, who always set a high bar.

What are your favorite spots near the TIFF offices to get away with colleagues? What about if you want some time to yourself?

Paese is a short hop across King Street and is a welcome refuge for excellent Italian food and wine when we're working late. I often crave RaviSoups, also steps away on Adelaide. For utter tranquility, I'll sometimes retreat to the Shangri-La lobby, which has the additional benefit of being right next to Momofuku's ramen.

You live in Parkdale. What are some of your favorite spots there?

We know our son is a West Queen West five year-old because he always asks to go to the Gladstone for brunch. My wife Carolynne and I also love Ali's Roti.

What are three Toronto locations that you absolutely can't live without?

Everything about Kensington Market. The long, luxurious stretch of Lakefront. King Palace for take-out Pakistani food.

You were raised partly in Barbados. Are there any spots in the city you enjoy going to in order to get authentic Caribbean food?

In addition to Ali's, it has to be Pat's Homestyle Jamaican, especially for the oxtail.

ESSENTIAL SPOTS

Coffee shop: I find the Dark Horse people always stay on the right side of coffee-snob parody.

Brunch:Bivy on Dundas West.

Restaurant to take someone from out of town:Union on Ossington.

Bar or pub:Rhum Corner on Dundas West, because it has all the rum.

Museum or Gallery: I still love the Power Plant, with its amazing director Gaetane Verna and its inspiring location on the water. Also, Scrap Metal Gallery, also in part for its location.

Bookstore: So few indies left. A Different Booklist on Bathurst is one I'd call essential.

Movie Theatre (aside from the Lightbox): The Royal.

Movie Rental Store: These days it's Mubi and Netflix. For DVDs, I love that The Film Buff serves up ice cream along with their movies.

Secret Toronto place you wish more people knew about: The Scarborough coastline.

See also: An insider's guide to Toronto with Matt Galloway