This Portuguese-roasted chicken spot near Bathurst station - formerly known as Sammy's BBQ - is an affordable and tasty option when fast food chains don't suffice. They don't offer many choices in terms of sides - but who really cares, with chicken this good?
Read my review of The Queen Of Chicken in the restaurants section.
The best mussels in Toronto entice diners to dive right in. Gently coaxed into opening up by booze-spiked broths, these plump shellfish will arrive at your table in deep steaming bowls that seduce your senses of sight and smell - before you even have the chance to pluck the first morsel from its shell. When it comes to mussels, Toronto bistros, beer halls and oyster houses happily adhere to tradition, supplying frites and/or fresh bread to sop up the broth - and all its decadent flavours.
Here are the best mussels in Toronto.
See also:
The Best Seafood Restaurants in Toronto
The Best Oysters in Toronto
The PATH just got longer. You can now walk underground from Dundas and Bay all the way to Queens Quay, which is actually quite impressive when you think about it. The latest extension isn't so polished in some places (it passes through buildings currently under construction), but it's a very cool spot to look down on Lake Shore Blvd. and the Gardiner Expressway.
The official opening date isn't for a while, so the meandering passage is quiet right now, which makes it feel at least somewhat secret. That will all change as word gets out that it's open (sorry to those who have enjoyed quiet lunchtime strolls here) and when construction wraps on Waterpark Place, which will eventually be home to thousands of RBC employees. In the meantime, it's now possible to access the waterfront from Union Station without stepping outdoors.
No, you're not the only person who's sick of watching your rent swallow an entire paycheck whole every month. According to a new poll by Ipsos, 38% of Torontonians agree or strongly agree with the statement that they're "thinking of leaving Toronto because it's too expensive to live here," and 90% of people believe it's becoming tougher for average people to eke out a living in the city.
Interestingly, the poll, commissioned by Global News, shows residents of (relatively wallet-friendly) Scarborough are the most likely to want to get out of town (48%). That's followed by those in Etobicoke (41%), York/East York (40%), North York (32%) and the old City of Toronto (31%).
But there is a silver lining to life in one of the world's most expensive cities: Three-quarters of folks agree, either strongly or mildly, that "even though Toronto is pricey to live in, it's worth it." The folks most likely to feel that way are downtown Toronto residents (83%), followed by Etobicoke (74%), North York (73%), York/East York (71%) and, finally, Scarborough (68%). Man, Scarborough, are you guys OK?
Photo by Robert Ong via the blogTO Flickr pool.
Nuit Blanche, while magical and illuminating in theory, can be overwhelming. Depending on what time you hit it up (tip: after 3am is the best), it can be overcrowded, loud and super corporate. Still, with Les Rues des Refuses, a website dedicated to bringing you the unofficial events planned for Nuit Blanche, you can be sure to have a unique experience, away from the throngs of people looking for the official events.
One of the benefits of not being on the official exhibit list, is that these artists are free to be more subversive than those gathered together for the main event. There's over 50 of these unofficial installations and performances spread across the city, so make sure to check the Les Rues des Refuses map to ensure that you also get your dose of counter-art on Saturday night.
Free City @ The White House Studio Project, 277 ½ Augusta Ave
Acting as the official headquarters for LRDR for the night, stop by and see a multi-disciplinary exhibition whose purpose is meant to exactly oppose the corporate displays of Nuit Blanche. Dancing is expected.
Renegade Parade
Who doesn't like being part of a huge, sweaty, parading group of people? A yearly event, this year's promises to be larger and more glittery than ever before, so pretty much, we're down. Theme: SUPER SHINY DISCO CAT ATTACK, so presumably everyone will be wearing cat ears and dancing to beats. Check their Facebook page for their secret starting location.
Views From The Edge
An exhibition of the photographs taken of guests at community breakfast at St-Stephens-In-Field Paris Hall, with live interviews of those pictured. This is a great antidote to the big money installations positioned as art-entertainment for Nuit Blanche.Takes place at St. Stephens In Field Parish Hall, 103 Bellvue Ave.
Nuit Vert
For all those 420 friendly adults, MIB Toronto presents a little plot of stoner heaven, with a bouncy castle, prizes, and a fun photographic scavenger hunt around Christie Pits. Need we say more? Launch, 166 Spadina Ave.
TRIANGLE: Ascension into another golden age
Focusing specifically on Roncesvalles & Dundas, three spaces--The Black Cat,Belljar Cafe, and House of Dada--meet to encourage neighbourhood camaraderie, and create a triangle pathway. Expect a barrage of sound and performance.
BONUS
Free Your Mind: Street Hypnosis Demonstrations, Amanda-Mazing at Chinatown/Queen West
The description for this offers only that the artist in question will be "roaming" Chinatown and Queen West, looking to take you on a fascinating journey through your mind. Sounds cool to me. Nuit Blanche could use a bit more weirdness, and this fits the bill.
Photo from last year's Renegade Parade
Not all Toronto's wildlife is cute, cuddly, and small. An increasing number of urban coyotes live in our ravines and forested areas, picking off our fluffy kittens and backyard-dwelling pooches, occasionally scaring the wits out of a walker or early morning runner.
While there are only estimates on the number of coyotes within the city limits, David Sugarman, an animal expert from the Ontario Science Centre, says sightings are likely to become more common in future.
"The traditional places to live are being encroached upon by humans, farmland being turned into suburbs," Sugarman says. "These guys are quite adaptable. They've been very successful at accommodating the shift from the wild to living in cities. In a place like Toronto or the GTA where we have a lot of ravines and river valleys, it's perfect for them."
Outside of the city, coyotes typically dwell on the outskirts of grasslands, in river valleys, and scrubland. In Toronto, The Beach, Humber, Don, Rouge, and other river valleys, and open spaces in the suburbs make for happy hunting grounds. The habitat of the coyote covers almost all of North America, save for eastern and northern parts of Canada.
Though they often hunt alone, Coyotes are social animals that are raised in a pack oriented around a reproductive female. Sexually active pairs are monogamous and usually produce litters of around six pups. Well-fed adults can weigh up to 25 kilos--similar to a medium-sized domestic dog.
Urban coyotes, which often get mistaken for foxes or feral dogs, generally feed on mice and other small animals, but backyard pets also make tasty morsels for hungry canines. Like raccoons and opossums, coyotes are equally comfortable foraging for scraps of food among bins and urban detritus. "They'll eat garbage, they'll eat fallen fruit," Sugarman says. "They catch rabbits, they catch mice ... they are omnivores."
"The fact that we see them in city means they are OK there."
Unlike other animals, however, coyotes may pose a threat to humans if they are hungry, desperate, or cornered. Sugarman points to the tragic case of 19-year-old folk singer Taylor Mitchell, who was killed by the animals while walking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Mitchell's was the first recorded case of coyotes attacking and killing an adult, but there have been recent close encounters in Riverdale Park. In the last couple of weeks, a sick coyote was humanely captured roaming near the Scarborough Bluffs.
In the unlikely event of an encounter, the best course of action is to make yourself appear large and aggressive by shouting and waving your arms, Sugarman says. "Usually what they'll do is just go away from you ... since they're a members of the dog family, you want to do what another dominant dog would do: stare it down, show it that you're the boss. You don't want to turn your back and run away from it."
The dangers aren't just limited to one-on-one encounters, either. As a parasitologist, Sugarman has studied all kinds of nasty invasive organisms, one of them being the coyote-dwelling Echinococcus multilocularis which, if ingested, can cause seriously unpleasant long-term health complications, sometimes death.
If eaten, the microscopic parasites can form tumour-like masses in the host's internal organs or brain. Though rare, human cases often occur following direct contact with coyote scat or an animal, like a pet dog or cat, that has encountered the poop and is carrying it on its fur or paws. It's also possible to contract the parasite after touching plants or grasses contaminated with infected coyote poop.
Despite the possibility of danger, Sugarman thinks wild animals like coyotes enrich the experience of living in a city.
"In a way, it makes living in city rather interesting because you get this wildness to the city," he says. "I guess we can just enjoy it if they don't become bothersome, it makes our environment richer."
Further Toronto animal reading:
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Image: G. Andrew Crump/blogTO Flickr pool.
Toronto might have earned the nickname "The Good" for its upstanding Victorian morals, but in the twentieth century, sensational high-profile crimes were splashed across the front pages of the city's newspapers, shocking and titillating the conservative denizens. Revenge shootings, curious disappearances, and spectacular bank robberies sell newspapers, after all.
Here are 5 of the most electrifying crimes in the history of Toronto.
The shooting of "Bert" Massey
The Massey family name is all over Toronto. The numerous decedents of Hart Massey, the founder of agricultural machine company H. A. Massey and Company, lived in luxury thanks to the continued success of the company into the 20th century. "Bert" Massey, the grandson of the company's founder, was "a vain ne'er-do-well, a respectable cad," in the words of Torontoist's Kevin Plummer.
In February 1915, walking up the path to his home on Walmer Road, he was shot dead by a family servant, Carrie Davies. "You ruined my life," she screamed. 18-year-old Davies alleged that Massey had tried to rape her the day before and, at her closely watched trial, told the court her employer offered her a ring and said that he "liked little girls" like her.
Davies was eventually found not guilty of murder. She later married a farmer and died in 1961.
The disappearance of Ambrose Small
One of the most famous Toronto police investigations may not have involved a crime at all. Wealthy theatre magnate and notorious womanizer, Ambrose Small, ran a small but extremely profitable theatre empire in 1919. That year, at the peak of his power, he decided to sell his company for a staggering $1.7 million--about $21 million in today's money.
The first cheque he deposited from the company's new owners was for $1 million. He deposited it at the Dominion Bank at King and Yonge and vanished the next day. He was never heard from again, and no trace of his body was ever found. John Doughty, the tycoon's closest employee and ally, was later found to have stolen $150,000 in bonds from the company safe but police lacked evidence tying him to the disappearance. The case remains unsolved.
The bloody murder of Jimmy Windsor
Jimmy Windsor was an underground bookie in the 1930s. One evening in January, 1939, four men, their faces shielded by handkerchiefs, gained access to the Windsor household, where they shot and savagely beat the gambling ring leader to death in front of his family.
The murder was labeled by the press as the first gangland killing in Toronto, and the case attracted widespread public attention. When detectives failed to turn up any significant leads (much less make an arrest) for weeks after the brutal slaying, speculation began to grow that hired goons from Buffalo were responsible.
In the end, police managed to charge Donald "Mickey" McDonald with carrying out the killing. McDonald, known as the "mad dog of Jarvis Street," was already in custody in connection with the murder of a Toronto bootlegger but was eventually acquitted of the Windsor murder. As David Wencer recalls at Torontoist, McDonald became one of the city's most notorious criminals before famously escaping from Kingston Penitentiary in 1947 and vanishing for good.
The Boyd Gang's spree of bank robberies
In 1954, police in Ontario launched the biggest manhunt in Canadian history. Their quarry: Edwin Boyd, Leonard "Tough Lennie" Jackson, Willie "The Clown" Jackson, and Steve Suchan, aka The Boyd Gang, a notorious team of bank robbers whose gun-happy exploits terrified and entertained a straight-laced Toronto.
Boyd met his partners in crime while serving time in the Don Jail. They hacksawed their way out of the prison and fled into the streets of Riverdale. Gangs of cops armed with rifles and machine guns scoured the city, but couldn't scare up the group. Over the next four months the Boyd Gang conducted several high-profile bank raids, stealing almost $75,000--almost $700,000 in today's money.
The group were eventually re-captured and returned to the Don Jail where they escaped again into the Don Valley. They were picked up without incident four days later. Suchan and Lennie Jackson were hanged in 1952 for capital murder. Boyd was sentenced to eight life sentences and Willie Jackson got 30 years. Both were paroled in the 1960s. Boyd died in 2002.
Brian Molony gambles (and loses) $10 million of CIBC money
Molony just couldn't stop himself. By day, the 26-year-old Toronto CIBC bank clerk was responsible for approving loans from an office at Bay and Richmond, by night, he was a serial Atlantic City gambler, spending money he had gifted himself from of his employer's coffers using fictitious names.
At his peak, Molony dropped $1.2 million in a single night. His spree might have lasted longer had he not been pulled over for speeding on the way back from Toronto International Airport in 1982. Cops found $30,000 in U.S. bills in Molony's trunk--more than his annual salary--and another $7,000 at his High Park apartment. Molony spent six years in prison before returning to the financial sector. His story was later the subject of the 2003 movie Owning Mahowny, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Images: Tomitheos, Toronto Star, Toronto Telegram Archives, The Spokesman-Review, March 7, 1937
Halloween costume ideas are ample in Toronto this year, and I can't wait to see what your dogs dress up as. There will be plenty of places for you to strut with and without pup: Church Street Halloween Block Party, Sorauren Pumpkin Parade, Night of Dread, Zombie Walk, and Death to TO are sure-things - then look out for our upcoming guide of parties, parties, parties.
Unacceptable costumes for 2014: Rob Ford, Rob Ford's [anything], Rob Ford as [anything], [anything] as Rob Ford. Doug Ford saying "folks?" Sure. John Tory with his mouth taped shut? Yep. Don't forget to vote in the chaos surrounding your final decision(s).
Here are the top 20 Halloween costume ideas for you and your pet in Toronto this year.
Queen Street West
The Vogue listicle placing this Toronto street #2 on the world map of cool was a game-changer. People stopped making fun of West Queen West after the era of Stillepost, Wolf Parade, and flip phones, but the strip is a relevant costume again this year. Get inspo from this scene-peeking Weeknd video, but remember what we learned in jr high: snorting flour = nosebleed.
Couples option: Caught drinking in Trinity Bellwoods
Your partner dresses for the park. Rosy their cheeks, cover their body with bright yellow tickets, affix a giant tennis ball and chain to their ankle, and stick a $9 wine bottle in a brown LCBO bag under their arm. This also makes a great doggie costume.
Spooky version: Vampire caught drinking in Trinity Bellwoods.
Zombie Grilled Cheese Festival
You're a grilled cheese sandwich, and you're a zombie, and you're sick of waiting in line.
Couple: NXNE VS CMW
Everything you're wearing was given to you by an influencer courting beer company. You hype every band you've ever heard of while your grey haired date, who's dressed like they're going to alternative prom in the early 00's, shadows you in their Chucks & tie combo as you trash talk them and anyone who questions you from within earshot.
Olivia Chow artist
There are a few spins you could give to Toronto's most famous napkin artist/mayoral candidate. You can do the traditional cliche beret / palette, customized with a black bob wig, napkin-on-mini-easel, and Chow for Mayor pin, but why not go full Marina Abramović? Stare into their eyes until they vote for you.
Food truck
No one will let you sit down anywhere.
Captain John's
You're covered in barnacles and you can't move.
Done Mills
Dress as Toronto's newest subway station (use our handy TTC typography guide to get the right colour scheme). Ask everyone at the party for White-Out (for your iPad screen).
Shirtless jogger
Jog shirtless through the streets on Halloween dishing real talk at the top of your voice. Burn calories, make friends.
Hype restaurant
You're wearing a blackboard and you keep changing the menu from tacos to donuts to Turkish pizza.
Couples option: A bar that looks like a cabin
You're a bar that looks like a cabin -- it's fool proof.
Couple: Tanya Tagaq + Morrissey
The moment Moz saw Tagaq's vicious throat singing beat box throw down was the moment that sealed his fate (and put him on a plane to Canada).
Family option: sealfie kids
The alcohol monopolies
LCBO: Collect everyone's liquor at the party. Sell it back to them at an inflated price before 10pm.
Beer Store: If it's craft beer, they get a Molson instead.
Kensington Market gutter goth
Subculture of the year. It's been Halloween 24/7 since you were born and everyone can tell you're Tumblr, but no one can find it because you change the URL all the time. You got a DETH Records tattoo the day DETH Records joined Facebook and you shatter bongos just by side-eyeing them.
Couples option: SINS
Your date has to figure out where to buy a gimp mask.
Group option: SARIN
You're also out with that other mask guy
Pug
You're the unofficial dog of Toronto. You'll need a costume, though. Pugoween is November 3rd.
Gluten free baked good
How do you know it's gluten free? You don't.
The PanAm Games
Where are you, again? Ask people if they want to watch you flex while worrying about how you're going manage taking TTC home.
Falling ice
You're the girl from Frozen but you keep falling on people.
Couples costume: Chunk of the Gardiner
You both fell and now no one can get around you to get to the bar.
Jets at Porter
You yell all night that you're not loud at all. People can ride you.
Butter coffee
You're so creamy.
The White Squirrel
The only question is this: Sexy White Squirrel, or Fried White Squirrel? The answer of course is a group costume: Posse of White Squirrels in Marching Funeral Procession. Bonus if you link arms with Queen Street West and Drinking in Trinity.
Bloordale and the Junction Triangle are neighbourhoods that have changed profoundly over the last five years. The latter, for instance, didn't even have a name until 2009 when a competition was held to bestow a moniker on the area nestled between the Junction and Bloordale. Since then, the neighbourhood has experienced a major boom. Sure, there are still empty storefronts along Dupont, but the number of new businesses that have opened is at times staggering.
Bloordale has also experienced its own surge, particularly as pertains to restaurants, which have graced the neighbourhood in droves. That said, it'd be a mistake to characterize the rise of both of these neighbourhoods as solely food-oriented. As Toronto art galleries have migrated away from West Queen West, there's a burgeoning scene in and around Sterling Road, and the stretch along Dupont between Lansdowne and Dundas is home to a number of quirky shops that are as interesting as the city has to offer.
Here's how I'd spend a day in Bloordale and the Junction Triangle, from morning to late at night.
BREAKFAST AND COFFEE
Neither of these neighbourhoods could be accused of being brunch capitals of Toronto, but with the surge of restaurants come a healthy dose of options for your morning meal. For weekend eats, I'd head to the the Whippoorwill for excellent eggs Benedict and one of the city's better Caesars. If I was looking to indulge my sweet tooth, I'd mosey over to Starving Artist for its waffle-focused offerings. Or, I f was feeling a bit more adventurous, I'd snag a table at the Farmhouse Tavern.
When I want to do the diner thing, I love Wallace & Co. and Duffy's Diner. If I'm eating with vegetarian friends, Hello Darling is far and away my favourite neighbourhood spot to take them.
Both neighbourhoods have coffee shops that are fixtures in my weekend routine. Cafe Con Leche is an underrated gem near Dupont and Symington, complete with Nutella lattes. The Intergalactic Travel Authority is a hit with the kids, though I try to get to Propeller Coffee as often as I can to buy beans and snag a quick shot. I'm also a fan of Wallace Espresso. If there's work on my plate, I like to settle in at the homey Holy Oak Cafe.
MORNING ACTIVITY
With a full stomach and some caffeine in my system, I might hit up go for an easy ride down The West Toronto Railpath. If the weather's good, I might hit up the Campbell Avenue Park for softball, soccer and general running around. Depending how playful a mood I'm in, I might contemplate joining the circus or doing some hardcore crossfit training.
LUNCH
Lunch is a casual affair in Bloordale and the Junction Triangle. Brock Sandwich is one of my absolute favourites, while Clara's Gourmet Burgers is an underrated player in the city's burger wars. I head to Charmaine's Place if I'm seeking the comfort of a home-cooked meal, while a visit to Foodbenders always makes me feel just a bit healthier, which I don't mind one bit.
SHOPPING AND CULTURE
There are two things these neighbourhoods do particularly well: vintage shops and art galleries. That's not really surprising in that both of these businesses tend to be signs of recent gentrification, which doesn't need to be the bad word it's so often understood to be.
As someone who lives in the area, I'm ecstatic to see the burgeoning gallery scene in the former industrial area around Sterling Road. Clint Roenisch just relocated to a new warehouse space on St. Helens, joining Daniel Faria, Scrap Metal Gallery, and Arsenal Toronto. I also like to pay regular visits to Mercer Union, Katzman Contemporary and Jessica Bradley Annex.
For vintage clothing, Odd Finds General Store is my top pick, which also sells high quality tea. There's also the Kind Exchange and Ransack the Universe and the Vintage Depot.
Perhaps the best part of shopping in these neighbourhoods, however, is the quirky one-off stores. For Euro-bike accessories I drop by La Carrera, for paper goods Town is the spot. There's also shops devoted to bee products, get authentic letterpress printing, and puppetry puppets here. Yeah, really.
MID-AFTERNOON SNACK
Phew. After all that art and shopping, it's time to fuel back up. For an afternoon snack, I'd indulge in one of the impossibly good doughnuts at Through Being Cool Bakery. If I was lacking a sweet tooth, a visit to Caribbean Queen would be in order. They make one of the best beef patties in the city. If it was warm out, I might stop by the Lansdowne Cone for a treat.
DINNER
My ideal day in Bloordale would certainly involve having dinner at Ortolan, which does Mediterranean-inspired fare impeccably and always has interesting wine on offer. The Emerson is also a favourite for comforting food and ambitious cocktails. If it's a seafood kind of night, I head to the The Farmer's Daughter. Piri Piri is a bustling churrasqueira that is great for family-style feasts. For Scandinavian fare, there's no better place than Karelia Kitchen.
DRINKS AND ENTERTAINMENT
While the Junction Triangle isn't much of a hot spot for evening entertainment, Bloordale is chock full of fun places to drink. For cheap drinks and a good patio, I'll head to 3 Speed. The newly revamped Steady hosts tons of parties and events, and features daily drink specials that make my lush heart swell. For top notch cocktails, Bar Neon is my place. For a good jukebox and a retro vibe, the iconic Duffy's Tavern is a local standby. If live music is on my agenda, I'll head back to Holy Oak, which fosters up and coming musical talent and makes an amazing hot toddy.
LATE NIGHT
If there's chink in the cool armour of this area, it's late night offerings, but that doesn't mean us locals are entirely out of luck. Chito's Pizza does a decent late night slice, as does Plizza along with Italian sandwiches and gelato. Ali Baba's falafel works in pinch when I'm starving at 1am. That said, my favourite late night spot is right on the eastern edge of the neighbourhood. Jerk King is open until 4am and serves heaping plates of jerk chicken, oxtail and other Caribbean specialties. A dose of Jerk King will kill your hangover before it even begins.
What did I miss? Add your suggestions for how to spend a day in Bloordale and the Junction Triangle to the comments.
After six years, a coffee shop so Queen West-oriented it's named for Trinity-Bellwoods' resident mascot has finally made the move out of the neighbourhood with a new location. Their destination? Rosedale, where the staff are working on swaying the locals from their daily Starbucks one by one.
Read my profile of the Rosedale location of White Squirrel Coffee Shop in the cafes section.
Nuit Blanche Toronto 2014 gets started in a just a few hours. In an effort to help you out with last minute preparations, here's a roundup of our pre-coverage of this year's all-night art event and a few helpful links as pertains to getting around the city. The proceedings officially get under way at 7pm and extend to 7am, though if past years are any indication, the event starts to wrap at around 5am.
If you can make it out during the 3am to 5am window, you're likely to dodge lines but also to encounter greater instances of public drunkenness, which depending on your perspective might be entertaining or annoying.
What exhibits to see
Where to eat and drink
Road Closures
Spadina will be closed between College and Front, Queen West will be closed between Bay and Cameron, Bathurst will be closed between King and Lake Shore, Fort York Blvd. will be closed between Fleet and Spadina, and Bremner will be off limits to cars between Spadina and Lower Simcoe. For more details, check out the official Nuit Blanche page.
Extended TTC Service
The TTC offers extended subway service on Nuit Blanche, though not for the entire system. On Line 1 (Yonge-University-Spadina) trains will run all night between Eglinton and St. Clair West stations. Shuttle buses will operate beyond this terminal points to TTC commuter lots at York Mills, Finch, Wilson, and Downsview. Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) will also be open all night between Keele and Woodbine stations, with shuttle service to Islington, Kipling, Victoria Park, Warden, and Kennedy.
Photo Contest
We're thrilled to be partnering with the City of Toronto on the official Scotiabank Nuit Blanche photo contest. Tag your best pics from the night with #snbTOBlogTO on Instagram anytime between October 4th to 12th, and you could win! Not on Instagram? Just upload the photos directly to our Scotiabank Nuit Blanche stream.
We'll be giving away prizes to three lucky winners:
Rules and Regs: By submitting photos to this contest you agree to allow blogTO, the City of Toronto and its partners to feature your photos in any future Scotiabank Nuit Blanche related promotion.
Lead photo by Irina No
This brand-new Toronto gym offers a colourful, pleasant atmosphere along with solid equipment and facilities. The commitment level and prices are both refreshingly low - the pay-as-you-go scheme allows visitors to use the equipment for $6 a session, and classes are as low as $8.
Read my review of Striation 6 in the fitness section.
Free events in Toronto this week let you come down from Nuit Blanche with events where you get to sit down, or at least lean on something stable - feminist film screenings, raunchy cult films, anime nights, book launches, art shows, Gilmore Girls trivia... you know, nice, safe things where there's no threat of rain (but the risk of banter may be high). If you're not tired, there are the usual concerts and dance parties, though you might need to show up early. And leave early, since you're taking TTC.
Here's what's free in Toronto this week besides streaming Umberto D and crying at the dog bits.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Also check out these regular free events
Do you want everyone to know about your kinda random free or pay-what-you-can event? Submit it to our event section. (You can also submit your for-money events here, greedy-pants.)
Photo: Mike Charbonneau, Revue Cinema
Buffer Festival, Canada's first-ever YouTube convention, is returning to Toronto for a second year, bringing the world's most-watched YouTubers to our city's downtown. (Well, except all of the ones who decided to go to VidCon this year instead. Curse you, Hank Green.) The fest falls on October 17-19 this year, bringing with it a weekend of screenings, performances, Q&As and meet-and-greets.
In honour of the fest, I've rounded up 10 YouTube personalities and channels you need to know from in and around the GTA (most of whom you'll be able to find at Buffer - check this year's schedule to find your fave).
Lilly Singh (iiSuperwomanii)
Thanks to some hilarious impressions of her parents and better-than-average takes on the "annoying people you meet" YouTube trope, Singh's generated a massive fan base (like "mobbed by screaming teens" massive). It's well-deserved - the woman can even make ranting about Air Canada's customer service funny.
Andrew Huang (songstowearpantsto)
You might know Andrew Huang from goofy viral tunes like this one, or link-baiting musical tricks (like that time he played the Breaking Bad theme using meth-lab equipment). But Huang's channel is full of immaculately-produced rap, electro, pop, and dubstep, along with high-wire feats of musical daring like composing a 26-genre song and rapping in 15/8 time (or in five different languages - see below).
Andrew Gunadie (gunnarolla)
Torontonians might know him for the Ballad of Rob Ford, but like Huang, Gunadie's similarly multifaceted, making Asian-influenced electro tracks and raunchy club bangers on his own channel and hosting an interactive live show, Like/Comment/Subscribe, at Nuit Blanche and NxNE. (The two team up regularly to record summer jams in their 'boy band' Dreamz and make up new license plate slogans.)
Corey Vidal (ApprenticeA)
In addition to masterminding Buffer Festival and running ApprenticeA, a successful video production outfit, Vidal does a little of everything - singing, beatboxing, dancing, acting, solving Rubik's cubes. Find him on his own channel (of particular interest to StarWarsfans), as well as in several years' worth of daily vlogs on the ApprenticeEh channel.
Matthew Santoro (MatthewSantoro)
Santoro does educational video lists of mindblowing scientific and historical facts on his massively popular channel (2,675,656 subs and counting). If you ever wanted to learn about the most haunted places in the world or inventors killed by their own inventions, he's your man.
Jasmeet Singh (JusReign)
JusReign has a few things in common with Superwoman: Bramptonian roots, "most annoying people" skits, hilarious observations on Desi culture, and a last name (no relation!). Some of his best stuff takes some weirdly surreal turns, like in the vid below. (He's also been making forays into music, with a parody album in the works.)
Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown (ASAPScience)
While they don't technically star in the videos, Moffit and Brown boast one of Toronto's most-subscribed channels, at over 3 million viewers, thanks to their whiteboard-drawn animated answers to some of science's most enduring questions. Popular picks include an exploration of the chicken vs. egg debate (and, of course, childbirth vs. being kicked in the balls).
Shawna Howson (Nanalew)
Howson, based out of Cambridge, is an aspiring filmmaker best known for her music, personal vlogs, and collabs with best friend Meekakiity. She's also made some hugely popular unofficial music videos for Crystal Castles and AWOLNATION tracks.
Sabrina Cruz (NerdyAndQuirky)
High schooler Cruz is the youngest face on this list (and probably the most in line with the greater YouTube viewership), but she's got the stuff to charm viewers of all ages. Her spoofs of nerd culture and handy dating advice got her hand-picked by Hank and John Green of the Vlogbrothers to guest on their channel. She's like your awesome little cousin who grew up to be pretty cool.
4YallEntertainment
Jae Richards, Trey Richards, Wayne Ferd and Durran Ferd are the Bramptonians behind this up-and-coming comedy channel. (Why so many YouTubers, Brampton? Is the webcam section at your Best Buy just really good?) Once a week, they poke fun at rappers, ballplayers and shoddy club pickup attempts, then prank each other with live crustaceans.
Who did I miss? Leave your favourite Toronto-area YouTube personality or channel in the comments.
Mount Dennis might be the next neighbourhood to transform itself, but even if real estate here is no longer the cheapest in the city, there's still a waiting game to be played. Spending a day here is nothing like dawn to dusk in any of Toronto's more desirable districts. For one thing, you'll save a lot of money, and you'd better bring some decent walking shoes.
It might take as long as a decade for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT to open its new transit hub here in the old Kodak lands, but the main drag on Weston Road is only gradually shaking itself out of its doldrums and decay. In the meantime, day-trippers to the area can stake their claim to seeing Mount Dennis "when it was still dodgy," and perhaps shop for more house than they'd find in Parkdale or Leslieville.
Here's how to spend a day in Mount Dennis, from morning to as late as you feel safe.
BREAKFAST AND COFFEE
Until this spring, a day in Mount Dennis would have to begin in either the city's most depressing Coffee Time (now closed) on Weston Road north of Eglinton, or at the Tim Horton's in Jane Park Plaza, near the southwestern edge of the neighbourhood. Locals were amazed and grateful, though, when Cassandra Nicolau opened Supercoffee on the corner where her father once ran a sub shop.
Right at the heart of the area, where Eglinton West crosses Weston Road, Supercoffee looks across the broad intersection at the bank and the Anglican church and serves exactly what you'd hope to find in your local indie coffee shop - lattes and espressos, muffins, cookies and squares and freshly made grilled sandwiches. Locals call it an oasis, but you're going to make it your base of operations for your day
MORNING ACTIVITY
There's not a lot to do indoors in Mount Dennis just yet, unless you want to kill some time shopping for high-end kitchen appliances at Caplan's, a longtime neighbourhood business that reinvented itself a generation ago to sell high BTU cooktops and stainless steel fridges to home renovators.
Instead, I'm going to put you on a bus and send you ten minutes north to Weston, historically Mount Dennis' rich cousin, to take a leisurely morning stroll indulging in that most Toronto of pastimes - real estate voyeurism. Weston Road up here is almost as dire as it is at Eglinton, but the streets just to the east of the railway construction pushing the new Union-Pearson rail link through the neighbourhood are packed with gems, a whole shopping list of home types ranging from early Victorian to midcentury modern, built for the professionals and "rich farmers" who built the village of Weston.
A few steps away from the construction crews and you'll feel like you're in some small town in southwestern Ontario as you marvel at the mostly unrenovated detached homes on their big, tree-filled lots. Toronto is a very big place, and if you ever wanted to know where people with Annex money will live when they can't find an Annex house, this would be the place. Tell your friends.
LUNCH
Get back on the Weston Road bus and head south to Golden Crisp Fish & Chips, in business here for over fifty years and regularly overlooked in lists of the city's best chippies. Owner Harry Vandekamp is friendly and garrulous and a booster for the neighbourhood where his family have been a fixture since Dief was chief.
For something more exotic, walk down to where Eglinton crosses Weston for some Caribbean food at First Class Delites, a Restaurant Makeover survivor; try the red pea soup.
SHOPPING AND CULTURE
Apart from food and drink - and depending if you want that Garland range at Caplan's - there's not a lot to tempt the money out of your wallet yet in Mount Dennis. Brave little businesses like MV Liquidations, a recently-opened thrift shop, soldier on among the storefront churches and hair shops on Weston, but be warned that thrift shop picking in a neighbourhood like this is very different from the curated experience you get somewhere like Bloordale.
Make sure you make time to check out the new Mount Dennis library, opened last year after a major renovation and probably one of the greatest successes of the Toronto Public Library's series of high quality updates of their facilities. Take a seat on the bench by the big windows out front and look out at Weston Road and imagine when the street was full of shoppers and Kodak workers on their lunch break.
Right now, though, time spent in Mount Dennis will take you outdoors, best of all near Topham Pond in the northeast quadrant of the Eglinton Flats. Once market gardens, then a scrubby expanse of bush and grass around a raw hole dug out near a spring, it's grown with careful tending by the city and local volunteers into one of the city's loveliest parks, beautifully landscaped to an almost Olmstead-like series of picturesque views on paths wandering around the pond and its wildlife-filled wetland borders.
You can use Topham Pond to launch yourself into a stroll around the streets between Weston and Jane, with their small but house-proud homes - make sure to try and spot the row of onetime rental cottages on Marshall Boulevard, a remnant of a day when Mount Dennis was the country, and a place where people went to escape the city.
Or you can explore the green belt surrounding the area, following Black Creek past the under-construction community centre, along the concrete channel that contains it as it passes through parkland on its way to Smythe Park, named after Conn Smythe, once the owner of the Leafs and the former gravel pit he donated to the city, where his players used to train on the paths between the pits and the creek. Or you can follow the Eglinton Flats and their playing fields all the way to the banks of the Humber. That should build up an appetite.
MID-AFTERNOON SNACK
Back to Supercoffee for a caffeine and muffin recharge.
DINNER
Perhaps one day Mount Dennis will let you choose between competing charcuteries, but until then your best bet for dinner is Churrasqueira Beira Mar, just near where Weston Road crosses Black Creek. The chicken is great, and once again you'll be amazed to discover that someone is playing soccer nearly every hour of the day, somewhere in the world.
DRINKS AND ENTERTAINMENT
There used to be two movie theatres in Mount Dennis and another one in Weston, but that was a long time ago, and right now you should keep an eye out for when UrbanArts, the local community arts centre, has one of their open air movie nights in the big parking lot outside their studio building.
Apart from that, night life in Mount Dennis is either at the Legion Hall or contained inside the walls of the Irish Rose, the area's only pub. There are Irish and English beers, karaoke and locals who can get a little rowdy on the odd night, but I can guarantee that you'll have an evening here unlike any dozen you'll spend at Parts & Labour or Wrongbar.
LATE NIGHT EATS
It's not generally a great idea to be found on Weston Road after the sun goes down, but if you're there with an appetite, head to 244 Pizza & Wings, a big favorite with locals who are happy to argue about what's best on the menu. Take care of yourself, though, and maybe you'll wake up the next morning, meet your friends for brunch and tell them about this great neighbourhood that could just use a Ravi Soups or a gallery or two.
What did I miss? Add your suggestions for how to spend a day in Mount Dennis to the comments.
Longstanding menswear retailer Stollerys will close its doors in the new year after a run of over a century at the southwest corner of Yonge and Bloor streets. Speculation that the store was in trouble has been tossed around for a while now, reaching a fever pitch a couple years ago when reports surfaced that Apple was planning to open a flagship store in the space. You can cue up the rumour mill once again now that the store has confirmed that it's set to close.
According to a report in the Globe, a developer has purchased the building but not further details are known at this time. The announcement of the closure comes on the heels of the unveiling of Holt Renfrew's sprawling new men's store in the former Roots space at Bloor and Bellair. Stollerys, for all its old school charm, just isn't in the same league as this new brand of luxury shop. The shop will be around for a few months yet should you want to soak up some history or hunt for a deal on a new suit.
Photo by Chris Barker on Flickr.
Today in Toronto Videofag continues its new PWYC feminist film screening series with I Shot Andy Warhol. Show up with your copy of Valerie Solanas' SCUM Manifesto, and snacks? This week's New Music 101, a free series for fans of experimental music, features Arraymusic with Martha Baillie and Music in the Barns. MOCCA is hosting a panel on the relevance of contemporary museums as part of their TBD: To Be Determined exhibit. For more events, click on over to our events section.
Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.
Photo: I Shot Andy Warhol
