Viewing the sunrise in Toronto is likely more rewarding than the sunset because you have to work for it a bit more. You have to set an alarm and be in your chosen spot at a time when sleep would be more convenient. But no light is more appealing than that which is cast at the break of dawn, and the experience of witnessing the rising sun over the city can be downright restorative.

Here are 10 beautiful places to watch the sunrise in Toronto.

Eastern Beaches
From Woodbine Beach all the way to the R.C. Harris Water Treatment plant, there are few places more alluring than here to watch the sunrise. Make sure to arrive before the sun hits the horizon to see Lake Ontario at its most serene.

Leslie Street Spit
One of the few places on this list that also makes for good sunset viewing, sunrise here is a majestic sight. You don't necessarily need to confine yourself to one vantage point here, as the view to the east remains unobstructed for much of the spit.

Scarborough Bluffs
The view of the sunrise from Bluffer's Park Beach is nothing to complain about, but the most memorable place to take in the scene is from the top of the bluffs, where you can watch dawn roll in over the marina and lake.

Humber Bay
There are so many vantage points here to catch the sunrise over the city, by my favourites are from the Humber Bay Arch Bridge and from Humber Bay Park West, where you can curl around the city and look at the skyline from a very acute northeasterly angle.

Dufferin St. Bridge
Here the Gardiner appears as a massive vein drawing cars into the heart of the city, but it all looks wonderfully compelling when the sun first peeks over the horizon and bathes the city in saturated orange and yellow light.

Colonel Sam Smith Park
The souther most tip of this park (which you can park near to) offers a lovely distant view of the city to the northeast. If you're taking photos, be sure to bring more than a wide angle lens.

Rouge Beach
Rouge Beach offers a rather surreal view of the sunrise as it ascends above the Pickering nuclear plant in the distance. Fans of Antonioni's Red Desert will like this spot.

Centre Island Pier
The trick to getting to this vantage point early enough is making sure to take the Ward's Island ferry, which leaves far earlier than the one headed for Centre Island. From there, you'll have to walk over to the pier, but it's well worth it.

Chorley Park
So many of the places on this list have views across the lake, but Chorley Park hovers above the Don Valley, which provides a nice combination of urban activity and natural beauty. You can walk down to the Brick Works for breakfast after the sun comes up.

Cherry Beach
Cherry Beach is almost always deserted at the earliest hours of the day. The Leslie Street spit blocks a long view across the lake, but that just makes the view more novel as you watch the sun rise above the tree line.

Photo by EvidencE in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Hotel burgers in Toronto may bring up bad memories of terrible room service but it's time to wipe the slate clean. Toronto hotels have stepped up their game in recent years with decadent and gluttonous burger offerings.

Here are my picks for the top hotel burgers in Toronto.

Thompson Diner at Thompson Hotel
This 24 hour hotel diner near King and Bathurst boasts a variety of different burgers including their Brunch Burger ($14.45) served on doughnut buns and their epic Grilled Cheese Burger ($18.95) wedged between grilled cheese sandwiches.

The Drake Hotel
The burger ($19) at this West Queen West hotel features dry aged beef loaded with bacon, cheddar, Russian dressing and pickles on a milk bun. The whole thing is then topped off with a side of fries.

The Beverley Hotel
The House Burger ($16) at this Queen West hotel is a beef patty topped with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, red onions and house sauce. Simple and delicious.

Gladstone Hotel
This West Queen West boutique hotel offers a satisfying selection of burger creations including their spice filled Sriracha Burger ($15) that comes with pickled jalapeños and sriracho mayo and their Cowboy Burger ($15) which gets smothered with Russian dressing. Veggie burgers like the Cauliflower Burger ($15) are also available.

dbar at Four Seasons
This Yorkville eatery is just one of Daniel Boulud's many culinary conquests. The menu currently boasts two gourmet burgers including traditional offering The Yankee ($20) and the more unique Firehouse #312 ($22) which is smothered with bbq pulled pork and jalapeños.

TOCA Restaurant at Ritz-Carlton
The Il TOCA Burger ($23) at one of Toronto's top tier restaurants doesn't disappoint. Feast on prime rib loaded with pickled eggplant, mint and cheese. This is a flavour combination too good to pass up.

One Restaurant at Hazelton Hotel
The popular Hazelton Burger ($25) at this Yorkville hotel comes topped with vintage cheddar, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, house made pickles, chipotle ketchup and mustard aioli. Take it to the next level by adding black pepper molasses bacon.

SOCO Kitchen + Bar at Delta Toronto Hotel
The restaurant at this Southcore hotel serves a beef burger ($19) packed with smoked cheddar, bacon,red pepper jam, pickled onion and finished with whisky BBQ sauce.

Library Bar at Fairmont Royal York
The All Canadian Beef Burger ($26) at one of Toronto's best hotel bars is a must-try. The burger is stacked with aged cheddar, chipotle aioli, bacon, lettuce, pickles and tomato. They also serve a Grilled Ontario Portobello Burger ($24) and a Canadian Bison Burger ($27).

Victor Restaurant at Hotel Le Germain
This Mercer St establishment is serving up all your favourite comfort foods. Their The Big Vic Burger ($20) gets loaded with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, aged cheddar, Russian dressing and double smoked bacon.

What did I miss? Add your favourite hotel burger in the comments.

Photo of Thompson Diner by Jesse Milns.

To imagine what Toronto might look like in 2050, you need only to go back to 1982. That was 34 years ago. The city's skyline had yet to explode from the condo boom, trolley buses still ran on some streets, and vast areas like Liberty Village, the Distillery District, and the eastern waterfront were still industrial zones awaiting renewal. I could go on, but you get the idea.

The Toronto of today shows us just how much can change in a 34 year span. It also serves as a reminder that a few decades doesn't guarantee major progress in all areas of city development. Toronto's transit networks are not vastly different in 2016 than they were in 1982, though they should be by 2050.

There's obviously too many variables in play to make any surefire predictions about what Toronto will specifically look like 34 years from now. We might all be immersed in VR environments by then, but I'll take a shot at painting a conservative picture of the future of this city. Here are a few categories to track the changes on the horizon.

TRANSIT
Aside from projects already on the books (e.g. the Spadina extension, Eglinton Crosstown, Finch West LRT, Sheppard East LRT, and whatever replaces the Scarborough RT), Toronto really needs to expand its rapid transit network. The three most likely additions by 2050 are a Downtown/Yonge Relief Line, Waterfront LRT, and some version of John Tory's SmartTrack.

POPULATION
Yes, there will be a lot more people here in 2050. Toronto's population could reach 4 million people, while the GTA will be pushing towards 10 million. It's no joke when urban planners speak of the need to address transit and infrastructure needs now as the trends show almost alarming rates of growth in the absence of appropriate sustainability measures.

DEVELOPMENT
The city will continue to become more dense, but the most stark visible change will surely be the development of major areas like the Lower Don and Port Lands. 300 metre towers will be common around busy transit hubs, and condos will finally push into Parkdale. The once-quiet stretch of Dupont will be a major residential corridor just as south Etobicoke's population will spike with a new LRT.

COMPLETE STREETS
Those interested in urban planning should keep very close tabs on Eglinton Avenue right now. LRT construction has given rise to the Eglinton Connects project, which is a major effort towards rethinking the design of our streets. Expect our streets to focus more and more on pedestrians and cyclists over the next few decades as development intensifies.

THE GARDINER
Will this thing still be standing in 2050? I'll go out on a limb and say that a future mayor is smart enough to see the potential in tearing it down and pursuing further development east along the city's waterfront. It will take a bold vision, but should this concrete relic still define our lakefront in 35 years?

THE PATH
The PATH system will stretch from the waterfront to Yonge and Bloor well before 2050. Who knows how far the underground city can expand? Imagine never having to walk outside in the winter again.

THE WATERFRONT
By 2050, the Toronto waterfront's transformation from post-industrial waste zone to a vibrant and inviting space should be complete. East Bayfront will be a mixed-use community with a bustling lakefront promenade, the mouth of the Don River will have been naturalized, Ontario Place will serve as a huge urban park, and Humber Bay shores will be as dense Liberty Village is today.

ENTERTAINMENT
When people aren't hooked to VR machines like Oculus Rift at all times, they might head out to watch Toronto's NFL team play in a sprawling stadium that doesn't exist today. The Leafs should have an inner-city rival, while places like the Hearn will serve as entertainment venues that allow for a mix of historical tourism and cutting edge technology. Mostly, we'll just stay inside, though.

GREEN SPACE
With all this intensification, Toronto will need to get creative with the creation of new parks and green space options. Section 30 funds should help to subsidize the creation of new parks in rapidly intensifying areas, but more exciting is the prospect of a project like the Green Line coming to fruition and the potential posed by the revitalization of the Lower Don Lands.

What did I miss? Add your predictions in the comments.

In the 1980s and early '90s, the TTC really was the better way. A cash fare hovered around a dollar, service levels met the cities needs, and the transit provider could even advertise how great it was on television. Not only that, but big plans were in the works to expand the TTC over the next few decades to ensure that it met Toronto's rapidly growing population. Then everything changed.

The date was June 26, 1995. Mike Harris was elected the 22nd Premier of Ontario, and one of his first orders of business was to cut provincial contributions to the TTC's capital projects. The Eglinton West Line, which had broken ground only a year before, was promptly killed.

That spelled the end of major expansion projects until the arrival of the Sheppard Line in 2002, though that remains one of the most ill-conceived plans the TTC has seen come to fruition given its ridership numbers.

After funding was slashed to capital projects in 1995, subsidies to the TTC's operating budget were also killed in 1998. That's when service really took a hit. Transit expansion was certainly important, but ridership only climbed with the formation of the Megacity, and the TTC had less money to cover its day-to-day operations.

The 2000s witnessed customer satisfaction dip and a spike in public complaints. Once beautiful stations like Dupont were rundown and filthy. There was massive crowding at Bloor Station each morning and few staff on hand to guide passengers. Public pride in the TTC fizzled.

The bold plans of the 1980s were supposed to come to fruition by 2011, but instead the year was marked by Rob Ford's dubious promise of Scarborough subway line funded by tax-increment financing. Bus routes with low ridership were also cut during this period as municipal funding was also clipped (though they've since been restored).

Although Transit City never came to fruition as it was initially proposed, the province has once again put up cash for the transit expansion projects. Toronto wouldn't get to look forward to the opening of the Spadina Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown, and LRT projects on Sheppard and Finch without help from this level of government.

That said, the subsidies to operating expenses have never returned. People often wonder why the TTC is one of the most expensive transit systems in North America, but the answer is straightforward: the Commission is forced to recoup a startling amount of its operating costs from the fare box.

It wasn't always this way.

Photo by Peter Muzyka.

Vinyl in Toronto, as elsewhere, has undergone a major resurgence. This has surely made it more difficult to snag bargains on used records, but it's also provided the Toronto collector with more options than they have had in a few decades. With so much overlap in terms of genres stocked, it's useful to categorize the city's shops beyond just what kind of music they stock.

Here's a guide to buying vinyl records in Toronto.

For the night owl
They may not open the doors 'til noon, but who wants to buy records that early anyway? Grasshopper Records stays open until midnight every day of the week. Located at Dundas and Ossington between The Garrison and the Dakota, Grasshopper is the best, if not the only place to buy a record after a show.

For the turntablist
Play De Record is a must for anyone shopping for new or classic hip-hop and electronica. Owner Eugene Tam has also established the Play De Record Academy, where beginners can take DJ and production courses to familiarize themselves with new hardware and software before renting or buying turntables, or any other audio equipment.

For the singles people
If 45s are your thing, Kops Records should be your first stop. Now with threelocations, Kops has been around since the mid-1970s and has amassed a remarkable collection of 45s and other rarities. The collection housed at the Danforth location is a veritable archive of music history.

For the established collector
Experienced DJs with sizeable collections and those with good taste and ample budgets will be familiar with both Cosmos Recordslocations, which boast one of the best collections of hard-to-find hip hop, soul, funk, jazz, disco, and R&B. It ain't cheap, but the records are immaculate and well curated.

For the hardcore fan
Faith/Void has been open less than a year, but they've already proven themselves as a live music venue by regularly putting on shows featuring local groups. The store fills the hardcore void in Toronto left after Hits & Misses closed in 2012. It also importantly serves as a venue as well.

For the newbie collector
Sonic Boom is cemented in Toronto's music scene as the biggest record store not only in the city, but also in Canada. That means there's excellent generic diversity and stock levels of new product. Turntables are also for sale, and customers can sell their vinyl any day of the week. This is the perfect spot to get started.

For a taste of Europe
Quixotic Sounds at Dovercourt and College traces its roots back to Switzerland, which means that its Toronto location offers tons of Euro-released records that rarely see the light of day in this city or country. Go here for hard-to-find soul, R&B, and jazz.

For the record seller
Run by Lincoln Stewart, Good Music will make house calls to appraise and buy vinyl Monday through Wednesday every week. Kops and Sonic Boom are also good places to sell.

For the collector on budget
Neurotica Records in Mirvish Village is a destination for anyone looking to build their collection without breaking the bank. With $1 bins, and even a seven for $5 section, customers who aren't too picky can get a lot for a little. New releases are also reasonably priced should you be after something specific. Discount bins at Kops and Around Again are also worth a look.

For the concert-goer
If you long for the days when you had to buy your concert tickets from a retailer, Toronto has a couple of options that will satisfy your nostalgia. Rotate This on Ossington sells mostly new records, with a focus on indie rock. They also sell tickets to hundreds of upcoming local shows. Soundscapes is, of course, another good shop for tickets, though they carry less vinyl.

For the quirky treasure hunter
LP's LPs is a great spot to find a record or two that you wouldn't expect to find anywhere. Lorenz Peter sells records that might be more obscure, or more difficult to find in the city. His collection is full of electronic, punk, and rock rarities, and is priced accordingly.

For the online shopper
June Records is definitely worth checking out in person for their organized collection of fairly priced new or used vinyl, but they also offer one of the best online shopping experiences for an independent store. With a pre-order list for items with higher demand, a page for items on sale, and even a well-maintained blog, it's the city's top spot if you don't want to leave your couch.

For the old school record buyer
Before vinyl became the next big thing (again), Toronto had shops were you could expect to snag a deal or two, have a conversation with the owner about music, and return the following week to do it all over again. For some of that old school charm and reasonable pricing, check out Chris Gibson's Parkdale Platters.

For the best pre-loved records
Open for almost 35 years, Leslieville's Discovery Records is the best spot to find used vinyl of any genre. Known for their fair prices and the consistent quality of the records available, Discovery is perfect for anyone looking to fill holes in his/her collection. Owner Jim Levitt maintains a comprehensive inventory list on the store's website, with information on the condition of every record.

For the lover of swag
Run by former Sunrise Records employees, Bloordale's Dead Dog Records differentiates itself with close attention to merchandizing and a plenty of accessories and swag that you won't find at many other record shops aside from Sonic Boom.

For the book lover
If you like to do your record shopping with some literature on the side, make your way to Pandemonium in the Junction, She Said Boom on Roncesvalles or Spadina, and Circus Books & Music on the Danforth. All feature solid used collections of vinyl and books.

For the underground radio fan
If you support underground radio in Toronto, head to City Beat Records, which shares a space with TRP, one of the city's most underrated sources for independent music of all kinds. The shop is small, but you might stumble up a live radio show while perusing the latest dance/electronic releases.

For those who want to explore by label
Tonality Records doesn't curate its stock by band or genre first. Instead the idea is to showcase record labels, which leads to a pretty eclectic stock and a rather interesting way to discover new bands.

For fans of the little guy
City Beat Records is pretty small, but if you're looking to support a little guy with a wider selection of vinyl, Tiny Record Shop is the place to go. Located in the back of Token gift shop, it's collection of records belies its diminutive space.

BY GENRE

Classic Rock:Kops, Sonic Boom, June Records, Rotate This, Grasshopper, Discovery Records,Loon Records, Circus Books & Music, SRC Vinyl, Tiny Record Shop, Parkdale Platters, (basically everywhere that carries second hand stock)...

Indie Rock: Sonic Boom, June Records, Rotate This, Kops, Grasshopper, Tonality Records, Tiny Record Shop, SRC Vinyl

Hip hop: Grasshopper, Cosmos, Play de Record, Neurotica

Electro: Play de Record, City Beat Records, Cosmos, Sonic Boom

Reggae: Play de Record, Paradise Bound

R&B: Cosmos, Kops, Discovery Records, Play de Record, Around Again

Soul: Cosmos, Around Again, Quixotic Sounds, Loon Records

Jazz: Around Again, Kops, She Said Boom

Blues: Kops, Discovery Records, Around Again, Sonic Boom

Classical: Around Again

Country: Sonic Boom, Kops

Writing by Julian Staniewski. Photos by Matt Forsythe, Jesse Milns, Ryan Bolton, and Hector Vasquez.

For fresh baguettes, croissant and colourful macarons head to this French food emporium where you can dine and shop for an array of products that are all sourced directly from France.

Read my profile of Douce France in the grocery section.

Free events in Toronto this week will let you save your dollars and blaze on a budget. From poetry readings and film screenings to 420 celebrations there are plenty of ways to have fun for free this week.

Here's a roundup of free events in Toronto this week.

Anansi Poetry Readings (April 19)
Treat yourself to free poetry readings at the Garrison on Tuesday night. Anansi is throwing a book launch featuring five of its poets who will all be on stage that night reading from their newly published work.

The Future of Digital (April 20)
Want to get up to speed on virtual and augmented reality, digital marketing, robotics, digital storytelling and publishing? This free event presented by Ryerson's Digital Media program and sponsored by Google will have demos, exhibits and free food and drinks.

My Internship in Canada Free Screening (April 20)
This quirky film out of Quebec screened at TIFF and won the People's Choice Award at Canada's Top Ten. Now you can see it for free at Cineplex Yonge and Dundas. After the screening stick around for a discussion with MPP Michael Mantha and filmmaker Amita Zamaan.

420 Toronto (April 20)
Toronto's stoner population will congregate at Yonge and Dundas Square this Wednesday for the annual 420 celebration. Expect live performances, vape vendors, munchies and - obviously - tons of weed.

Open Show #12 (April 21)
The Belljar Cafe hosts this ongoing event series that shines a spotlight on the work of local photographers, filmmakers and multimedia producers. This week discover the latest creations from Ian Willms, Finn O'Hara, Wyatt Michalek, Seth Stevenson, and the Don Newlands Archive.

Have a free event you'd like to plug? Submit it to our Toronto events calendar using this form

Photo by Christian Bobak.

The Toronto Blue Jays may be hometown heroes here in Toronto, but they're not the only super people to step foot in the SkyDome, or Rogers Centre, or whatever you're choosing to call it these days.

That's right, Spiderman himself showed up to our world-famous stadium back in the May 1, 1991 issue of Marvel's The Amazing Spiderman.

This 25-year-old comic - written by the late Dwayne McDuffie - resurfaced on Reddit thanks to Robert_Danger after it appeared on a site called Scans_Daily back in 2009.

A user with the handle parsimonia.insanejournal.com uploaded photos from the Toronto-focused issue, which features some awesome-looking panels, including one where Ghost Rider hits Spiderman with a Toronto Sun newspaper box.

BJ Birdy also makes an appearance (because of course he does), and just seeing him will surely make you feel nostalgic for when he was the Jays' mascot - no offence Ace.

Have you ever seen the Toronto issue of The Amazing Spiderman? Let us know in the comments.

Little Italy might just be one of Toronto's preeminent brunch neighbourhoods. This densely populated strip offers so many options; you'll always have a plan B if lineups at one place are too long. And you can dine on morning meals from around the globe, including tastes from Trinidad, Mexico, Spain, Iran and beyond.

Here's where to brunch in Little Italy.

The Depanneur
The Thick Cut Brunch menu offers dishes like the flapjack stack, featuring fluffy pancakes with bacon, sausage, greens and a runny egg, as well as mix-and-match options such as corn grits, potato hash, sausage patties, and of course thick slabs of bacon.

Aunties & Uncles
This quirky cash-only eatery is notorious for its weekend lineups. You'll find cinnamon French toast, breakfast tacos and a daily breakfast burger on the menu as well as my go-to order: the breakfast pocket, a sandwich loaded with scrambled eggs, cheese, peameal, tomatoes and caramelized onions.

Takht-e Tavoos
You can find Persian brunch dishes such as haleem, a steaming bowl of wheat berry porridge flecked with morsels of lamb, at this Iranian cafe. If you're craving eggs, try the paneer boroshteh, a dish with sunny side up eggs over halloumi cheese with marinated olives, tomatoes, smoked salmon, herbs and potatoes.

Bar Raval
Breakfast at Grant van Gameren's all-day spot includes lemon and fennel pollen doughnuts, ham croissants and salt cod tortas. Snag a seat on the patio if you can and settle in for a spread of small plates and strong espresso.

Windup
Oxtail Benedicts smothered in herbed hollandaise and spiced duck confit with caramelized apples and sunny side up eggs, along with a couple of vegetarian options, are on the brunch menu at this Trinidadian restaurant.

Easy Restaurant
Popular picks at this all-day breakfast joint include the huevos divorciados and toast soldiers with soft boiled eggs. Those who prefer sweet over savoury can mow down on brioche French toast or mini Belgian waffles with fruit compote, fresh berries and whipped cream.

Utopia Cafe
Open for more than two decades the heart of Little Italy, this cafe and grill has attracted a local and loyal following. On the brunch menu you'll find breakfast poutine, breakfast burritos and fried chicken karaage and waffles.

Me & Mine
Eclectic and seasonal menus at this College Street spot are always in flux. You might find a fried chicken Benny or breakfast poutine one week and huevos rancheros or a croque madame bread pudding the next.

Sneaky Dee's
Mexican breakfasts are the specialty at this Bathurst and College bar. The extensive, and affordable, options include spicy scrambled eggs with diced sausage and concha con huevos featuring poached eggs in crispy corn tortilla cups.

Kalendar
Soak up sun on the street-side patio at this College Street stalwart. The brunch menu here features five types of omelettes, an array of naan bread sandwiches and stuffed French toast served with optional sides of honey-glazed ham.

What did I miss? Add your favourite Little Italy brunch spots in the comments.

Photo of The Depanneur by Jesse Milns.

There are plenty of young, up and coming hip hop artists in Toronto. The city's hip hop scene is currently going through a bit of a renaissance; with hometown hero Drake at the height of his international stardom, the spotlight has begun shining on Toronto's underground. These artists are experimenting with a variety of sounds in hopes of striking while the iron is hot.

Here are my picks for the top up and coming hip hop artists in Toronto.

Roy Wood$
It's been a big year for Roy Wood$. After signing to Drake's record label, OVO Sound, and dropping his debut EP, Exis, Roy is sitting pretty. His moody brand of hip hop/R&B fusion has garnered him a lot of attention, and not too long ago he announced that his next project, Waking at Dawn, is on the way.

Sean Leon
Founder of the IXXI initiative in Toronto, Sean Leon is one of the more exciting hip hop artists in Toronto right now. Having worked with fellow Torontonians BADBADNOTGOOD and Daniel Caesar, Leon is gearing up for the release of his next project, Black Sheep Nirvana. Keep your eyes on this guy.

TRIPSIXX
TRIPSIXX is a member of UTU, the OVO affiliated collective which includes Roy Wood$. He blurs the lines between singing and rapping on his latest EP, We Own The Night, a collection of high-energy, melodic trap cuts. I'm sure we'll be hearing from from TRIPSIXX in the near future.

Jahkoy
Jahkoy is a promising young talent, and another example of an artist who's very comfortable with both rapping and singing. He uses this skill tastefully, incorporating elements of R&B and up-tempo dance music that gives his tracks contagious amounts of energy.

$ha Hustle
$ha Hustle is another Toronto artist who's got ties to OVO. He's an affiliate of P. Reign's Reps Up collective, and has been making moves in Toronto's underground for a while now. According to his Soundcloud, $ha expresses himself "through any form of art, whether [it's] producing, shootin' videos, rapping or singing."

Kieta Juma
Kieta Juma is a Missisauga based rapper, producer, and DJ. His music is an eclectic mash-up of genres, drawing influence from hip hop, electronic, and grime to name a few. He's certainly one of the most unique hip hop artists making noise in the city, and he's planning to release another project this summer.

SAFE
SAFE came seemingly out of no-where, uploading his first song to SoundCloud less than a year ago. Since then, he's gotten nods from the OVO camp, released an eight-track EP, titled Stay Down, and sold out the Mod Club. Impressive to say the least.

Jimmy Prime
Jimmy Prime can be given credit for nicknaming Toronto "The 6," a term that has become synonymous with Drake and the Toronto hip hop scene at large. Jimmy raps with a lisp, something that makes him unique compared to a lot of other artists. Sometimes his music is dark and gritty, other times it's smooth and more reserved.

Clairmont The Second
Clairmont The Second is a recent high-school graduate. He's young, which makes his success even more impressive. He's released several mixtapes, and about a month ago he jumped on a track with Toronto producer Harrison, a good sign that the young MC is just getting warmed up.

Ramriddlz
This Mississauga rapper landed firmly in the spotlight when a Drake cover of his slow jam Sweeterman surfaced last spring. Drizzy cleaned up some of the wildly immature verses (check out the original video) as the cover went on to rack up 10 million views on YouTube, but to listen to the original is to hear a then 21-year-old brimming with talent.

What did I miss? Add your suggestions for Toronto's top up-and-coming hip hop artists in the comments.

Writing by Adam Pugsley. Photo of Jimmy Prime.

Toronto is blessed with some excellent if mostly flat road biking routes, but those willing to travel outside the city will find the southern Ontario landscape offers a host of scenic and physically challenging rides. From the Niagara Escarpment to back country roads, there's an adventure within a short drive of the city that will suit all stripes of road cyclists.

Here are five places to go for a bike ride near Toronto.

Beyond the Zoo / Taunton Rd.
If you can't drive to a cycling destination near Toronto, your best bet is to ride out to the zoo, winding through the lush landscape around Rouge Park until arriving at Steeles and the Scarborough-Pickering Townline. Head east along Taunton Rd. (Highway 4) and then loop around the concession roads of Durham County.

Rattlesnake Point / Milton
One of the most savage climbs in all of Ontario is located just west of Milton as Appelby Line twists up the Niagara Escarpment right beside Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area. Even if the climb is a bit much for recreational riders, the entire area is great for cycling. A good route strategy is to loop around the side roads that connect with Derry Rd. Tip: Bell School Line also has a tough climb.

Grimbsy / Beamsville
You can head here to crush yourself on the various climbs that head up the escarpment (Woolverton is the toughest) or to meander around wine country at a leisurely pace. There are few places nicer to ride within an hour of Toronto, as the combination of vineyards, low-traffic sideroads, and elevation change is pretty much ideal. Park at the Beamsville Town Centre and head to Mountainview Rd.

Grey County
For my money, this is the best cycling region in the province. From backbreaking climbs (Scenic Caves Drive and Grey Road 19) to vistas of the Blue Mountains, the scenery and terrain here are just about ideal. If you're not staying at Blue Mountain, there's a parking lot at a soccer field complex (10th Line and Sixth St.) that serves as a great access point to riding the region.

Niagara River Recreation Trail (Niagara Parkway)
This is a long and flat trail the follows the Niagara River from the Falls all the way to Fort Erie. It's not overly challenging (though a headwind can be a pain), but it's a wonderfully scenic and nearly deserted route that encourages long distance rides even for those who don't get out on the bike as often as they'd like.

What did I miss? Add your suggestions in the comments.

Photo via Grey County Tourism.

The Toronto Raptors began their 2016 playoff run on Saturday with (yet another) first game loss, but it didn't diminish the frenzied scene outside the Air Canada Centre. And you can bet the early-series stumble will only have fans even more enthusiastically pumping up the team come game two. Raptors Fan Zone parties bring out the best outfits, signs, and a hyped-up vibe that's completely infectious.

Check out all the Raptors tailgate action in this photo gallery.

The unveiling of the Hearn Generating Station as a venue for last year's Luminato Festival was one of the highlights of Toronto's year in arts and culture. More than a few people wondered how such a novel but risky venue was ever approved in this red tape-friendly city.

Now, a year later, the Hearn is coming back in a major way. In the wake of glowing reviews, Luminato decided to expand beyond merely welcoming back the Unsound Music Festival. With the Hearn set to serve as the hub for the entire arts festival, a series of upgrades is planned for the moody industrial space.

The most significant of these is surely the 1,200 seat Hearn Theatre, which will be built out of shipping containers at the east end of the building. To look at this space today, it's almost unfathomable that such a transformation will be complete in a month and a half, but the whole idea is to intervene as little as possible.

I can think of few materials more suitable to the space than shipping containers. The balcony seats will be some of the hottest tickets around come June. Kudos goes to Toronto-based architecture firm PARTISANS for a design that's both simple and exciting.

The music stage will also get an upgrade for this edition of Unsound. Given the soaring ceiling height in many areas of the massive 400,000 square foot space, shipping containers will also be used to enhance the lighting, sound, and scenery above the stage. It's worth mentioning is that acoustics consultancy Charcoalblue helped to plan both of these key spaces.

There will also be musical programming on the third floor at the western end of the building, which is in immaculate condition. More intimate performances from the TSO, Unsound participants, and Kid Koala will happen here.

While the food trucks were a hit at Unsound last year, the plan is to knock it out of the park this year with a pop-up restaurant in the eerie but beautiful abandoned control room. Operated by Frederic Morin (Joe Beef, Le Vin Papillon) and John Bil (Honest Weight), it will go by the name of Le Pavillon, a reference to the pioneering French restaurant in 1940s New York.

Those looking for a less refined experience will be able to imbibe at the open-air Biergarten at the back of the Hearn. Beer will be handled by Mill Street, while a variety of sausages and grill-friendly eats will be offered by Parts & Labour. If it's chilly out, there will also be a communal dining area indoors known as the Canteen.

The expansion of this year's programming at the Hearn has also led to a serious rethinking of logistics and transportation. The main entrance will now be at the back of the building, bike parking has been highlighted as a major priority, and special shuttle buses will run 12 hours a day from Union Station (as well as the Westin Harbour Castle and the Commissioners TTC loop.

There's a laundry list of other additions and improvements in store for this year, which will showcase the building during daylight hours for the first time in its new life as an arts hub. To listen to Luminato Festival Director Jorn Weisbrodt speak of the interplay between the programming and the space is to witness someone with a bold vision and the stubbornness to pull it off.

"The Hearn is not just about Luminato - it's about Toronto's cultural future," he says of the unique venue. He's right, course. Assuming all goes according to plan, the scale of this year's programming at the Hearn might very well serve as a breakthrough for Toronto's arts and cultural scene.

We'll have more on Luminato's programming as the festival nears. For more information on shows, tickets, and this year's festival in general, visit the official website.

Renderings via Luminato, control photo by ~EvidencE~, other photos by the author.

Today in Toronto the Images Festival continues with a host of art-oriented events. If you've already gotten your fill of gallery crawls, head to the TIFF Bell Lightbox for the latest instalment of Books on Film; Clement Virgo will be discussing In the Heat of the Night.

For more events, click on over to our events section.

• TIFF Books on Film: Clement Virgo on In the Heat of the Night (TIFF Bell Lightbox)
• Images Festival (Various Locations)
• Magic Man & The Griswolds: Hotline Spring Tour (Mod Club)
• Shoeless Monday (Horseshoe Tavern)
• The Merger: Visual and Digital Arts Graduate Exhibition (L Space Gallery)
• Fun Palace Radio Variety Show (Burdock)
• Pryde, Flex, The Anti-Hero & Jutes (Smiling Buddha)

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events section.

Photo via Magic Man & The Griswolds.

The Toronto Zoo's gotten a lot of international press lately, mostly thanks to its slew of baby animals, including its two new panda cubs. Now, it's gaining world-wide attention yet again, but for a different reason.

This weekend, a woman jumped into the zoo's tiger pen to apparently retrieve her hat. She wasn't in direct contact with the wild cat, but onlookers weren't too pleased with her rash decision - someone said she set a bad example for children and another called her move "moronic."

The Zoo, as the Toronto Star reports, is investigating the incident. A spokesperson told the Canadian Press that the tiger posed no danger to the woman as the two were separated by a fence.

However, it's against zoo by-laws to "climb, break, injure, mark, tamper with or deface any building, fence, cage, enclosure, equipment, installation or structure."

Toronto woman almost proves any zoo can be a petting zoo if you're dumb enough! #bonehead - https://t.co/6YxtuF298c

— Robin Harper (@harpersbazaar) April 18, 2016

One such passerby caught the entire incidence on video and the nearly minute and a half YouTube clip already has more than one million views, and counting.

This video's already been shared with news outlets here at home as well as with publications in the United States, the U.K. and Australia.

The war between Toronto's taxi industry and Uber is raging on after last week's Licensing and Standards Committee meeting. City Councillors voted 5 to 1 late Friday night on a slew of taxi-related reforms, yet got rid of many that would help legalize UberX on Toronto streets.

As the Globe and Mail reports, about 100 people - many representing the taxi industry - spoke at the two-day-long marathon of a meeting. While Uber Canada didn't show up, the company sent in a response to the proposed new by-laws on Friday prior to the vote.

Uber Canada questioned many of the new rules, as the Globe writes, including those in relation to the age of its drivers' vehicles as well as the city's proposed driver-related fees.

Yet, for taxis, limos and private transportation companies (PTCs) - such as Uber and even Lyft - the committee passed a motion saying that all drivers must have snow tires, be able to communicate in English and have in-car cameras. It also voted to implement a 10 per cent fare levy, which would go towards an accessibility fund.

My @Uber_Canada driver just asked me if we were driving on the right side of the road. I totally feel safe right now. It's fine.

— Joscelyn Tyra Longo (@joscelynlongo) April 17, 2016

The committee, reports CBC News, scrapped the entire part of the bylaw pertaining to PTCs. This means, for instance, it recommended against giving PTCs a separate set of rules, including conditions such as lower licensing fees and the ability to use surge pricing models.

The so-called Vehicle-For-Hire Bylaw will go before city council, likely at the next meeting in early May. The bylaw sets out different rules for taxis, limousines and PTCs.

Photo by Ryan in the blogTO Flickr pool.

The Union Pearson Express may get you from downtown Toronto to the Mississauga-area airport quickly, but it's not exactly the most popular service in the city.

When it debuted, many called the train too expensive - and that was hard to argue with considering a one-way fare used to cost $27.50. And at one point, trains were running at just 10 per cent capacity.

In March, Metrolinx slashed its fare; a ticket is now $12, or $9 if you pay with a Presto Card.

While ridership is up, the Globe and Mail says that the UPX won't be making money for the province any time soon. In fact, it's a loss leader and will continue to require taxpayer money in order to run.

The Globe analyzed a 228-page internal Metrolinx report and writes that the transportation agency initially made UPX fares higher in order to recover its costs. When that didn't work, it lowered them.

However, after eight months, the UPX is about $23.3 million short on its operating costs. The Globe also notes that the service required a $46 taxpayer subsidy per rider.

And even though more people are riding it now, the Globe reports that the UPX will likely continue to have a significant revenue shortfall - about $20 million annually - in the coming years.

Photo by Jason Cook via the blogTO Flickr pool

This global gym brand has opened its second luxury gym in Toronto. In addition to the swank setting and equipment, you'll find a huge array of specialty classes, full spa services, an IQ Food Co. cafe, and a fully stocked clothing shop.

Find out more in my profile of Equinox Fitness in the fitness section.

Toronto is about get a little more star-studded this May, with celebs like Beyoncé and Bieber slated to touch down in the city. While its more than likely that you won't be able to get last minute tickets to their events, you may be able to catch a glance of them dining at Fring's or checking into their five star accommodations.

Here are some famous faces coming to Toronto this May.

Dan & Phil (May 7-8)
YouTube's golden boys Dan Howell and Phil Lester are hitting the Sony Centre on May 7 and 8 for their joint show, The Amazing Tour is Not on Fire. The two U.K.-based web personalities are known for their lol-worthy vlogs, challenges and sketches and have garnered millions of views for their online antics. Expect to see all that brought to life when they hit the stage.

Chelsea Clinton (May 16)
Chelsea Clinton is hitting town mid-May to discuss her work as Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation and her solo efforts. The conversation will focus on her role in the foundation and its efforts in aiding health systems in developing countries, fighting climate change and more. Fingers crossed that the talk includes a little bit of Trump trashing.

Justin Bieber (May 18-19)
The Biebs is back in Toronto this May for a two-day stint at the ACC. As expected, Beliebers took to Ticketmaster immediately after passes were released, selling out the show before casual fans could even consider snagging tickets. So, unless you're OK will dropping around $1000 on Official Platinum Seats, you'll have to take a leap of faith with Craigslist or StubHub.

Selena Gomez (May 22)
Almost as soon as her former flame skips town, the reigning Queen of Instagram will touch down in our fair city. On May 22, Selena will take to the stage at the ACC for the Toronto stop of her Revival Tour. DNCE (helmed by Joe Jonas) is opening the show, so you'll be getting a double dose of ex-Disney performances.

Beyoncé (May 25)
Ok, Beyhive, now let's get in formation. Queen B is headed to the Rogers Centre at the end of the month for her latest world tour. Tickets sold out in a flash, so you'll either have to spend double the initial cost on StubHub or cross your fingers that you'll see her buying Blue Ivy a cone at Sweet Jesus (unlikely).

Who are you stoked to see? Let us know in the comments.

Photo via Beyonce on Facebook.

Donald Trump may be making waves south of the border, but there's trouble brewing at Toronto's Trump International Hotel and Tower too - and now, it's going beyond a potentially shaky antenna.

Talon International, which owns the building, wants to end its relationship with the Trump Organization, reports the Toronto Star today. Apparently, Donald Trump, as a brand, is no longer so hot.

The Trump Organization licensed its name to Talon. It also manages the hotel and tower. In December, it filed a motion against Talon in December and also threatened to sue the development company.

Issues between these two corporations go way beyond brand recognition. While Talon wants to end its licensing agreement now, the project, as the in-depth Star feature reveals, has been plagued with financial and managerial issues from the start.

Photo by @lusin14 via Instagram.