In the mood for cheap Filipino eats? Head to this food stall where waffles come filled with ube, custard or hot dogs and can be had for a mere $2. They also make a really good Halo-Halo.

Read my profile of Pinoy Waffles in the restaurants section.

When did fun become so not fun? Dress codes, wait lists, reservations, VIPs...sometimes going out can feel like waiting in one long line all night. Now one bar owner has crashed this lame party, and created a unique bar where everyone is welcome.

Read my profile of Locals Only in the bars section.

This listing at 5 Hanna Avenue gives new meaning to floor-to-ceiling windows. This light-filled condo boasts 17 foot ceilings and windows all the way up. Whether or not that much light is appealing, you can't deny the wow-factor of this bright corner loft.

Situated at the southwest end of Liberty Village, this two-bedroom soft-loft comes equipped with a modern kitchen and two bathrooms, with a loft bedroom above the kitchen. While the balconies are on the smaller side, at least there's two of them, with one off of the main-floor bedroom and a slightly larger one just outside of the living room.

The amenities in the building are attractive, with an indoor basketball half court, a fitness and yoga studio and a spot to wash your pooch after a muddy dog-park visit. Built in 2013, the building offers soft-loft additions like polished concrete ceilings and concrete pillars for an industrial touch.

SPECS

• Address: 5 Hanna Avenue #439
• Price: $769,000
• Square Feet: 1,000+
• Bedrooms: 2+
• Bathrooms: 2
• Parking: 2
• Maintenance Fee: $709
• Walk Score: 93
• Listing agent:
• Listing ID: C3586077

NOTABLE FEATURES

• Two-storey floor-to-ceiling windows
• Two balconies
• Corner suite
• Polished concrete ceilings
• 17 foot ceilings

GOOD FOR

Sunshine seekers. This spot is built for someone that wants to lounge in the sun, wake up in the sun and work in the sun. Thank goodness it comes fully-equipped with motorized Hunter Douglas blinds in case your partner doesn't agree.

MOVE ON IF

You're looking for some privacy. The floor-to-ceiling windows may not be the best for those who want to keep their business to themselves. And parading down the stairs from your bedroom into the living room is quite the entrance if you're having guests over.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
What do you think about this modern loft? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks to Bosley Real Estate Ltd, Brokerage for sponsoring our House of the Week. All content and editorial selected and written by blogTO.

Toronto Restaurant Openings highlights the latest restaurant openings and closings in Toronto and also gives a preview of what's coming soon. Find us here every Thursday morning.

OPEN NOW

• Salt & Tobacco, which is serving up pizza topped with black cabbage and n'juda, is now open at 521 Parliament in Cabbagetown.
• Montgomery's Restaurant has replaced Tom's Restaurant at 996 Queen St. W. It has an eclectic menu featuring dishes like goose creton with fried bread and lake fish with dill beurre blanc.
• The Dime, the newest $4.95 kitchen from the Warehouse family, is now open at 538 Queen St. W., where Rock Lobster used to be.
• Zimbabwean meat pie shop Mnandi Pies is now open in the 707 Market at the corner of Bathurst and Dundas.

RECENTLY REVIEWED

• Poke Guys
• Funky Munky
• Pizzeria Oro di Napoli
• Paramount Fine Foods
• Junction Local
• Big Beef Bowl

OPENING SOON

• Oakwood Hardware Food & Drink, a new restaurant from Chopped Canada winner Chef Anne Sorrenti, is slated to open this September at 337 Oakwood Ave.
• Davy Love, ex-The Bristol Yard, is about to open Janie Jones, a new cocktail bar and brunch spot featuring a menu described as "Brits on holiday." Find it in a couple weeks at 1030 Gerrard St. E.
• The Boil Bar is expanding with a new location slated to open later this year at 442 Bloor St. W., in the Annex.

Have you seen restaurants opening or closing in your neighbourhood? Email tips to liora@blogto.com

Photo from Salt & Tobacco by Liora Ipsum.

The Jack Layton Ferry Terminal is no longer the best place to play Pokemon Go in Toronto. That's because Mayor John Tory contacted PoGo developer Niantic and worked with the company to reduce the number of lakeside PokeStops - instead of nine, there are now four, as the Toronto Star reports.

Earlier this month, city staff came up with a plan to manage the Pokemon Go-playing crowds at the JLFT by putting up fencing and signage. However, it looks like the mayor took it one step further by actually changing the mobile augmented reality game.

Naturally, some PokeTrainers weren't too pleased with this development.

@JohnTory you ruined the best place in Toronto to play Pokemon Go. You suck.

— Big T (@fxckinfaded) August 25, 2016

Yet anothr ex. of so-called "Toronto the Good" crippling jackbooted state over-reach in removal of pokéstops from Jack Layton Ferry Terminal

— Ron Arsenault (@RonArsenault) August 23, 2016

And along with the city, the Ed Mirvish Theatre is also trying to curb gameplay. It's asked audience members refrain from playing PoGo during performances of Matilda.

Photo by @leemarclao via Instagram.

The Whippoorwill Tavern in Bloordale is no more. The popular restaurant and watering hole at Bloor and Landsdowne closed earlier this summer, much to the chagrin of its neighbours.

However, owners Shawn Creamer and Tyler Cunningham decided to let the place go in order to spend more time with their respective families.

"Tyler Cunningham (my business partner and chef) and I both have young families that we felt weren't getting as much of our time as we wanted them to have," Creamers tells us via email. Along with running the Whippoorwill and the Dakota Tavern, he's also behind the Hayloft Dancehall in Prince Edward County.

Another team is opening a restaurant in the Whippoorwill spot. Creamer says the neighbourhood will probably be happy with it, but he wouldn't reveal anything else about it.

Photo by Jesse Milns.

No one really liked the Sound Academy. It was hard to get to and had bad acoustics considering its size and the calibre of artists it attracted. But Toronto's oft-derided Port Lands-area music venue is no more. On October 1, 2016, it'll be reborn as Rebel (well, REBEL).

Ink Entertainment has been revamping the Sound Academy for nearly a year. Frequent Ink collaborator Studio Munge designed the 45,000 square foot nightclub, which will include four different and distinct spaces. The main room will feature a 65-foot stage and a terrace overlooking the lake.

"REBEL is a truly distinctive and transformative nightlife destination, offering guests access into the extraordinary, the unique and the unparalleled," says INK Entertainment CEO says Charles Khabouth in a news release.

"We look forward to introducing a new luxurious entertainment space with unexpected and dramatic elements of intrigue and opulence that have yet to be seen in a nightclub setting in Canada."

This luxurious entertainment space definitely sounds like a departure from the old Sound Academy.

There's no word yet on the opening party lineup, but Rebel seems more like a nightclub than a bonafide music venue. And if you're curious and eager to see the space on October 1, check out this strangely epic-sounding trailer for it below.

Weekend events in Toronto feature lots of food, beer, midway rides, dancing and a monstrous cosplay tournament at the ACC. It's the last weekend before Labour Day when it will surely feel like summer has come to an end, so the pressure is on to make this one count!

Here are my picks for the top events this weekend to keep you entertained from start to finish.

FESTIVALS

The CNE (until September 5)
There's nothing like the sights, smells, tastes, rides and people watching at the Ex. We've made a list of things to do once you're there this weekend to make it all just a bit easier to navigate.

TaiwanFest (August 26-28, Harbourfront Centre)
Dancing, food, visual art, film, panel discussions and something called a Friendship Picnic round up this major cultural fest at the Harbourfront Centre. Admission is free and you can check out the official website for the full lineup.

Bloorcourt Arts and Crafts Fair (August 27, Bloor Street West)
This street festival takes over Bloorcourt as local residents and community members bust out their best arts & crafts. The fair features vendors, artists, musicians, and masters of all crafts - plus all that generic inflatable street stuff we complained about a while back.

CityFest (August 27, Canoe Landing Park)
This is the 4th annual CityFest, which is expected to draw big crowds. There's art, food trucks, DJs, activities, green turf, and a sense of community. It's an easy breezy festival in a park just outside your condo door.

North American League of Legends Championship (August 27-28, ACC)
The ultimate cosplay event magically appears in Toronto. You should check out this video trailer right now and then get a ticket. I don't even fully understand what goes on at the Summer Finals, but I know there are e-sports and lots and lots of amazing costumes.

FOOD & DRINK

Coconut Festival (August 27, David Pecaut Square)
I know pineapples are the trendy tropical food item of the moment, but coconuts are still living their beach fantasy all over the place, don't you find? This fest helps you learn more about the many health benefits of coconuts (my parents use coconut oil as deodorant!) and try all kinds of coconut-fuelled goodies. Admission is free.

Hop City Beer Bingo (August 27, Brewhaha)
Join a bunch of beer lovers at 9 p.m. for a game of beer bingo. There will be a wide variety of brews and snacks available via Brewhaha's yummy menu. I'm hoping bingo dabbers will also be happening.

Leslieville Beer Fest (August 27, Dundas and Carlaw)
They're shutting down Dundas Street East between Logan and Carlaw from 1-8 p.m. It's true. 17 different craft brewers will be on hand! There will also be food and some other types of vendors, but let's be honest, you're going for the beer. All the beer.

The Cookout (August 27, Hanlan's Point)
Hanlan's Point will be transformed into the summer neighbourhood BBQ party of your dreams this weekend. The day's activities includes games like Twister, relay races, dominoes, spades, euchre, '90s jams, and lots of BBQ. Dress to get dirty; this will be a lot of fun.

Toronto Cider Festival (August 27, Yonge-Dundas Square)
Kick back and relax in some Muskoka chairs andt taste a variety of refreshing ciders from across Canada and abroad at Yonge-Dundas Square. Do your best to pretend you're at the cottage and taste 30 different craft ciders starting at 11:30 a.m. This is a ticketed event and runs into the evening.

2nd Annual Seafood Boil (August 28, The Gaslight)
Guest chef Garth Legree promises a mouthwatering afternoon of shucking oysters, frying calas and of course dishing out the boil. Expect crawfish, shrimp, crab, corn and all the traditional fixings, beer, New Orleans inspired cocktails, and live music from 5-8 p.m.

MUSIC

Karmaxwave (August 26, Adelaide Hall)
Combining music, fashion, health, and fitness, this shop on St. Clair has been tiny cultural force that keeps on giving. This showcase shows no signs of stopping with guest performances by Toronto's own, J-Soul, Top 5, as well as up and coming Karma artists Dutch, Stevie, Khan, and Nike,

• RJD2 (August 26, The Hoxton)
• Aeroplane and Alex Metric present Metroplane (August 27, The Hoxton)
• Dianetics V (August 27, Electric Perfume)
• Weaves record release show (August 27, Horseshoe Tavern)

FILM

Outdoor film in LV Park (August 26, Liberty Village Park)
Enjoy these final days of summer by spending every last minute outside. Catch a screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Liberty Village Park and meet all the people you've only seen through condo windows. There will be giveaways too.

Sister Act II Quote and Singalong (August 27, St. Peter's Catholic Church)
Ok, I know this is happening in a churchyard, but really, it's an appropriate spot for this screening. I'm just not sure if the church is ready for all the Sister Act II/Lauryn Hill fans about to show up to this party. Sing along with Whoopie, the sisters and Miss Hill -- just bring your own blanket.

SHOPPING

• Akin and Xspace artist garage sale (August 27, Xspace)/li>
• The Ultimate Sneaker Show (August 27, Sheraton Centre)/li>
• Holy Oak Vinyl swap (August 28, Holy Oak)/li>
• Toronto Green Market (August 28, The Great Hall)

DANCING

Turning Point - last summer session (The Garrison)
This tropical dance party has been going for over 12 years! It you're into dancing to rhythms and beats from around the globe on a giant (I mean giant) sound system, then this is your party. It's always laid back and inclusive, but be warned, it's all about the dancing and friend making.

• 20 Years of Freerange ft. Jimpster (August 26, The Den)
• Essence Brown (August 26, The Steady)
• Brown Rice dance party (August 26, Bar 499)
• You Dig? (August 26, The Yukon)
• Fit - end of summer bash (August 27, The Beaver)
• Function: Bassline's 4 years anniversary (August 27, Bassline)
• Hey Girl Hey (August 27, The Steady)
• Robert Babicz (August 27, Coda)
• Tenderness Disco (August 27, The Emmett Ray)
• Keys n' Krates Birthday Party (August 28, Sunnyside Pavilion)
• Promise x Get Leashed: Dog-Friendly Cherry Beach Party (August 28, Cherry Beach)

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events section and have a great weekend!

Thanks to Big Rock Brewery for sponsoring this post.

Photo by Kevin Morris in the blogTO Flickr pool.

The hottest new restaurants in Toronto can attribute their popularity to more than just food and drink. Sure the brisket, pasta and brunch options are on point, but more than that, these places also boast lively dining rooms, killer patios and party vibes that everyone seems to want in on.

Check out my picks for the hottest new restaurants in Toronto.

Piano Piano
Chef Victor Barry's casual Italian restaurant replaced the high-end Splendido earlier this year. The well received menu boasts pizza, pasta and family-style feasts.

The Dime
The Dime has just opened and it's already attracting a crowd. The newest bar from the Warehouse group offers a punk rock party vibe along with its signature $4.95 menu.

J&J Bar-B-Que
Don't snooze on this new Kensington Market smokehouse. I mean that literally. Go early in the day or you might just find out that the melt-in-your-mouth brisket and peppery ribs are sold out.

Lavelle
This rooftop restaurant and bar on King West offers an air of exclusivity in addition to soaring views, cabanas and a menu of seafood platters, tuna tartare and dry-aged rib eyed steak.

Rolltation
This Little Tokyo eatery won Toronto's race to open the city's first bricks-and-mortar sushi burrito joint. You can get massive, handheld maki rolls packed with ruby red tuna, sweet tamago, avocado and lotus root chips.

Her Father's Cider
The bar at this Harbord Village restaurant is devoted to craft cider, while the kitchen supplies thoughtful accompaniments to the fruity brews. Sample flights from the collection of 80-plus ciders along with deviled eggs, pork rilettes and mini raclette.

Platito
Filipino soul food in Baldwin Village became an instant sensation when images of Platito's ube waffles and fried chicken started to surface. Initially, this place couldn't even keep up with demand, but it's finally found its footing.

Cherry Street Bar-B-Que
In this sparsely populated area near Cherry Beach, the patio and menu of slow smoked BBQ has proved a major draw for this joint. During peak hours, you might even need to eat your beloved brisket and ribs, gasp, inside.

Belfast Love
King West has truly embraced this West Coast transplant. Find the place bustling at lunch, dinner and brunch as locals pour in for the 40 craft beers on tap, menu of elevated pub grub and lovely corner patio.

Three Hands
This Dundas West restaurant is a popular new destination for drinking and dining. Look forward to bowls of mussels loaded with parm fries, snackable fried olives, and ultra hot wings smothered in Death Mango sauce.

Ardo
This sophisticated Southern Italian restaurant on King East is winning over locals and tourists with its pizza, house-made pasta and freshly piped cannoli.

Gyu-Kaku
This Japanese BBQ joint debuted in Toronto this summer and has attracted an instant following for its meaty offerings grilled at the table. Standouts include the Kobe-style rib eye steak and DIY s'mores for dessert.

What did I miss? Add your favourite new restaurants to the comments.

Photo of Belfast Love by Hector Vasquez.

Ten years after it was abandoned and became an urbex favorite, Building 9 on the old Kodak lands in Mount Dennis was moved off its foundations today, as work on the western terminus of the Eglinton Crosstown began in earnest.

Knowing that moving 3,000 tons of heritage building was a big deal, Metrolinx made it a party, setting up a grandstand and a shuttle bus so spectators could watch the show and partake in a community barbecue when the old Employee's Building had reached its temporary resting spot, some 200 feet away from where it has stood since 1939.

The move began just after 9 a.m., as the hydraulically-powered dollies beneath the building began edging Building 9 slowly backwards at a maximum speed of eight inches a minute.

Crews on either side of the building carefully monitored its progress, and while it might have looked like everyone was intently watching paint dry, if you stood in one spot for a couple of minutes, squinted and fixed your eye at a point just past the walls, you could see Building 9 creep along.

Crosslink Transit Solutions and Western Mechanical had spent the previous several months excavating and separating Building 9 from its foundations and threading huge steel I-beams into its base, while building the concrete tracks on which the structure would roll and eventually come to rest.

Representatives from Metrolinx said that, despite being abandoned for a decade and open to the elements for much of that time, Building 9 was still structurally sound.

The old basement will be demolished and a new one built to house the new concourse level for the Eglinton Crosstown's Mount Dennis station, which will become part of a new transit hub joining the new transit line with the Georgetown GO line and the UP Express.

The work will take eight months, after which Building 9 will be moved back and tied into its new foundation. It will then become the secondary entrance to the new transit hub, joined to the main entrance at Weston Road and Eglinton by a new tunnel, all of which is expected to open to the public in 2021.

Metrolinx spokespeople say they are still in consultation about the future use of the upper floors of Building 9, and are hoping that a community partner will take on the lease of the restored top half of the building and sublet spaces to businesses and community groups.

The size of the crowd and the undeniable interest from locals on site for the move shows that the future of Building 9 remains a hot topic in Mount Dennis, long one of the city's most underdeveloped neighbourhoods.

Photos by Rick McGinnis.

Toronto's Graffiti Alley is one of the most Instagrammed spots in the city - it really does make a great background for broody, pseudo-gritty fashion shoots. But now this downtown laneway is a star in its own right thanks to a new project by Heritage Toronto and Havas Worldwide Canada, an advertising firm.

Called Instatour, this Instagram-based projects stitches together 1,300 separate posts to create the longest continuous Instagram photo in the world. The result is quite stunning, but make sure you check out graffitialley.to on mobile. Simply turn your phone sideways and scroll away.

Local photographer Justin Poulsen documented Graffiti Alley for three weeks earlier this year. His work gives viewers a glimpse at this iconic Toronto spot at a specific moment in time.

"Heritage Toronto is thrilled to be involved in this innovative project commemorating a key site in our city's intangible cultural heritage," says Heritage Toronto executive director Francisco Alvarez in a news release.

"It's a reminder that even our recent past can be fleeting, and how important it is to celebrate moments of creation like Graffiti Alley that create a distinctive sense of place and pride in Toronto."

Since Graffiti Alley is always changing, it probably won't look exactly like the Instatour for long. And if you want to visit it in real life, you can always head down to Queen West. Or hop on one of Heritage Toronto's tours this fall.

Graffiti Alley Instatour from Havas Worldwide Canada on Vimeo.

Strolling around Yonge and Queen streets in the late 1970s would have felt eerily reminiscent of entering a war zone. Massive buildings lay smouldering in half-ruins, work crews scrambled to remove steel and bricks, and everywhere people would stop and stare at the magnitude of it all.

The largest urban demolition project in Toronto's history took place in 1977 around Yonge, Queen, Albert, and James streets. It involved an entire city block composed of 12 major buildings, and upon completion, it temporarily left a gaping hole in the heart of downtown Toronto.

That hole would soon be filled by the southern portion of the Eaton Centre, the construction of which was the reason for the elimination of the company's former flagship store near Yonge and Queen as well as a score of others that made up the giant retail complex dating back to the late 19th century.

The northern portion of the new Eaton Centre opened in 1977, the same year that the Queen Street store was razed. To add to the drama of the demolition effort, on May 9th the Eaton's Annex building - located at Albert and James streets - caught fire and sent a cloud of smoke over the surrounding area as nearby warehouses were ignited in the blaze.

Firefighters eventually got control of the blaze before it had major impact on the shiny new mall beside it, but it was almost the third great fire in Toronto history. Photographs of the scene make it look as though Toronto was under attack, but it was all in the name of progress.

Given the excitement over the new mall, the demolition of the old Eaton's buildings never was the cause for grand public outcry, but it would eventually become clear that something important had been been lost when they were torn down. As wonderful as the Eaton Centre was on the inside, it's cold exterior practically killed off street life on Yonge St.

The Queen Street flagship store animated the street with its dramatic window displays and entrances, but its replacement was turned inward. You entered at Dundas or Queen or drove in the parking entrance at Shuter, but the space between its two ends was a veritable no man's land until a renovation in the early 2000s restored some relationship with the street.

It's hard to imagine these days, but the Eaton Centre was like a suburban shopping centre plopped in the heart of downtown Toronto, and to make way for its arrival, the demolition project was of a scale that the city had never seen.

Additional Photos

Pre-demolition on Albert St.

Aftermath of the May 9th fire

Looking east from Old City Hall

Looking east toward Yonge St.

Looking north from Queen up Yonge St.

Looking northwest toward New City Hall

Photos from the Toronto Archives.

"You can't beat the excitement and the hustle and bustle of the CNE," says Ardo Girado, who's been working at the Ex for about 50 years. He started at age 15 by picking up stray balls at the milk carton game.

Since then, he's amassed a mini carnival empire filled with rides and games. He met his wife on the midway and he and his family are still there - they also run Screemers and appear at a number of Toronto events, including Taste of the Danforth.

Like many of his fellow vendors, Girado's spent much of his career - and life - at the Ex. It's people like him who imbue the annual fair with its distinctly nostalgic vibe and keep adults and kids coming back year after year after year.

Sheryl Rawlings knows this first hand. She runs the Lavender Cart in Heritage Court with her daughter. "We took it out for a couple of years because it was getting too expensive," she says, but that hiatus didn't last very long. "People complained so much so we brought it back. They wanted the cart there or it wasn't the Ex."

Her uncle brought the cart to the CNE about 70 years ago, just after the Second World War. When he retired, Rawlings took it over - it's a job she's held for 40 years or so.

"I actually started working at the CNE when I was 11 or 12 years old. And I'm 68 now, so I've been here a long time," she says with a laugh.

Sam Scanga's also spent a lot of time at the Ex. He and his father Luigi have been doling out 99 cent pasta at the Primo Spaghetti booth in the Food Building for 30 years. But they're the new owners - Scanga thinks this CNE staple has been around for much longer.

But the price of the Primo noodles with Unico tomato sauce has remained the stable."Things keep increasing down here, the cost to eat is very expensive," says Scanga. "So it's nice to have that alternative."

Along with the two spaghetti booths, he runs three other businesses in the Food Building, including Cookie Dough Me, which sells deep-fried cookie dough. He also owns Braised in Leslieville. But for 18 days at the end of the summer, it's all about the Ex.

As for other vendors, Tiny Tom's Donuts is everyone's favourite doughnut booth and it's been a stalwart at the CNE since 1960. Visit the food building to grab a bag filled with one dozen powdered sugar doughnut holes - there's no argument here, powdered sugar is a billion times better than cinnamon sugar.

Like the Girados, the Madden family has had a presence at the Ex for more than 50 years. As a CNE spokesperson tells us, they now run the Northern Comfort Saloon - a country-themed spot where you can drink, dance and be merry.

And when I was a kid, perogies, Pogos and pickles-on-a-stick (and waffles and ice cream) were my family's go-to foods at the Ex. The Perogie Chef has been around for about 40 years, though it's under new management now. But the recipes are all the same because some things never change.

Photos by Hector Vasquez and Jesse Milns.

Toronto Food Events rounds up the most delicious 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

• TAIWANfest is on at Harbourfront Centre this weekend. Admission is free for this festival featuring Pan-Asian cuisine, Hakka-style afternoon tea and live entertainment.
• Leslieville Beerfest 2016 will shut down part of Dundas St. E., on Saturday from 1 to 8 p.m.
• Toronto Cider Festival celebrates fruity brews this weekend at Yonge-Dundas Square. Admission is $40 at the gates.
• The third annual Coconut Festival and Marketplace is on at David Pecaut Square (215 King St. W.) on Saturday. General admission is free for this coconut showcase.
• Fonda Lola hosts its last Tequila Tasting Fiesta for the summer on Tuesday, August 30. Tickets are $30 for the evening featuring six tequilas, free bowls of tortilla chips and salsa, and optional $2 tacos.
• The final Twilight Tuesdays Night Market at the York Street Parkette behind the Drake One Fifty is on Tuesday from 5 to 9 p.m. Expect food, live music and art installations.

UPCOMING

• Toronto's Veg Food Fest is back September 9 to 11 at Harbourfront Centre.
• Join Soi Thai for a Thai Seafood Party on Wednesday, September 13. Reserve seats for $35 per person
• George Brown College presents the Food Court Social on Thursday, September 22. Tickets are $150 for this fundraiser, in support of mental health and addiction programs, featuring 10 Toronto chefs, including Mark McEwan, Anthony Rose and Matt Basile

Know of a Toronto food event coming up? Email liora@blogto.com

Photo from Veg Food Fest by Hector Vasquez.

King West is the long-established epicentre of Toronto nightlife. The bars in this neighbourhood range from bottle service-heavy destinations to watering holes with an emphasis on craft beer. But no matter where you go, you'll always find a party and good times.

Here are my picks for the top bars on King West.

Early Mercy
The bar that took over from the old Grand & Toy at King and Brant comes with top shelf booze, cocktail shots, food trucks eats and a bustling street-side patio.

The Addisons Residence
This clubland oasis just south of King on Wellington feels like one big house party. The bar is divided into separate rooms, like the kitchen, lounge and rec room and you'll everyone sipping cocktails, playing shuffle board and getting down to live DJs. Don't miss the huge patio in the back.

Locals Only
Descend the graffiti-clad stairs to this boisterous lower-level bar that spins hip hop and R&B tracks peppered with throwbacks and classic jams. Come hungry as Locals Only serves up snack food like oysters and fried chicken along with Moscow Mules in tin cans.

Odd Thomas
This Mercer Street hangout is what happens when you combine the aesthetics of a nightclub, bar and craft beer destination. Expect a stellar lineup of brews, hip hop at max volume and fun, loose crowds out to party.

The Hoxton
On lower Bathurst, just south of King, this sprawling (8,000 square foot) nightclub books big talent on the regular. Take not it's only open only on weekends or for special events.

Thanks to Grolsch for sponsoring this post

What's your favourite bar on King West? Let us know in the comments.

Photo of the Hoxton by Matt Forsythe.

It can be tricky to nab a tennis court in Toronto, especially if you're looking to play in a busy area. However, the city's looking to make it easier to book courts - namely, by making you pay.

Next April, the city will kickstart a pilot project at four public courts outside of the downtown core. Instead of simply showing up on a first-come-first-served basis, you'll be able to buy a one hour permit online.

This isn't a money-making scheme, but rather a management system to ensure better access to these outdoor sports facilities.

There's no word yet on which four courts will be targeted in the pilot or how much you'll have to pay to book them out.

Photo by Gary Cummins via the blogTO Flickr pool.

As summer begins to wind down in Toronto, festival and event-related road closures are still a fixture each weekend. Alas, so too are scheduled TTC subway closures. Both are in store this weekend, though Saturday is the far worse of the two days.

Bloor Street will be closed between Dufferin Street and Montrose Avenue on Saturday from 10 a.m. to just after 10 p.m. for the Bloorcourt Arts & Crafts Fair.

Toronto's newest beer festival closes Dundas Street East from 1-8 p.m. on Saturday between Logan and Carlaw as the Leslieville Beer Fest goes down.

It's the last weekend of the month, which means it's a Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market. The entire area will be closed to vehicular traffic from noon until 7 p.m. on the August 28th.

In addition to these closures, there are major events happening at the Harbourfront Centre, Yonge-Dundas Square, CityPlace, and the CNE, all of which will bring plenty of traffic (vehicular and otherwise) to their respective areas.

Yonge Street north of Bloor is going to be congested this weekend as the TTC shuts down Line 1 between Bloor-Yonge and Lawrence stations for scheduled maintenance. Shuttle buses will run along the duration of the route.

For a full list of road restrictions in Toronto, check out the official city website.

Photo by Tyrone Warner in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Fan Expo Canada 2016 in Toronto is particularly special because of the eyebrow raising amount of celebrities appearing. It's really next level, folks. Nerds, geeks and freaks unite for a weekend of autographs, workshops, screenings and many firs and last ever appearances from some super famous sci-fi/fantasy/horror heroes.

Not to diminish the hundreds of other cool things happening at the meet-up (speed dating, special effects workshop, film festivals, panel discussions, fashion shows), but here are my picks for what not to miss at the 2016 Fan Expo in Toronto.

Q&A with The Exorcist's Linda Blair (September 1, 730p.m.)
She walked backwards up the stairs and projectile vomited all over our hearts many years ago, but the Exorcist star (who won the Golden Globe for her role?!) lives on to tell the tale at this exclusive Q&A.

Autograph session with Adam West and Burt Ward (September 2, 11a.m.)
The original dynamic duo! 1960s Batman and Robin appear together for an autograph session and love-in. This will be their last appearance together, ever.

Workshop: Learn to speak Klingon (September 2, 11:30a.m.)
Doctor Marc Okrand is the linguist who actually created the Klingon language! He also wrote the The Klingon Dictionary, and he'll be in attendance for a lesson.

Celebrity Cosplay lineup (Various dates and times)
Scroll down to the bottom of this page to check out what is being touted as the greatest lineup of celebrity Cosplay players ever assembled.

Mark Hamill Live (September 2, 5p.m.)
The 64-year old actor makes his first-ever Canadian appearance at FanExpo this year. He had a teeny tiny role in this summer's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but this will be his true starring role as fans are sure to lose their shit when he takes the stage.

Q&A with William Shatner (September 2, 6:30p.m.)
Helping to celebrate the iconic sci-fi franchise usher in 50 years, William Shatner (as well as George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols) will take your questions and hopefully sing at some point.

Jay and Silent Bob Get Old (September 2, 8p.m.)
Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes tell funny stories together on stage. Clerks, Mallrats, and Dogma have nothing on the hilarity that will surely happen with this odd couple sit down together for an hour.

Official Fan Expo Canada parties
After an exhausting day of autographs, dress up and sci-fi workshops, there are parties! So The big official ones are the Cosplay Kick-off party, Official Fan Expo After Party, Exit Tunes Dance Party and Retro '90s Party presented by Netflix. Check out the official list and get a ticket now!

Q&A with John and Joan Cusack (September 3, 12:30p.m.)
The brother sister duo take your queries, together! This is an epic teaming of talent. John stars in Daredevil, Joan is just there because she's Joan and we love her, and technically because she did voice work for Toy Story 2.

Q&A with Gillian Anderson (September 3, 2:30p.m.)
I'm not alone in thinking Gillian Anderson is getting hotter and cooler with age. Her recent stint on the X-Files revamp and other fantastic shows are proving she works hard for that money... and has a good eye for good work. I'll be in the audience drooling, see you there.

Margaret Atwood Angel Catbird premiere (September 3, 4p.m.)
World premiere of the iconic Canadian author's graphic novel debut, Angel Catbird. A collaboration with Johnnie Christmas, the graphic novel tells the story of an unusual superhero over the course of three all-ages. Atwood is cool as all hell and this should be a fun one.

Q&A with Stan Lee (September 4, 11a.m.)
There are officially three separate events tied to comic God Stan Lee and his last appearance in Canada. One is a meet and greet, another is breakfast, and then there's a Q&A. The comic-book writer, editor, publisher, media producer, television host, actor and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics is a big snag this year.

Q&A with George Takei (September 3, 3p.m.)
Another member of the Star Trek clan makes an appearance to help celebrate the franchise's 50 years on planet earth. Seems like George is here all the time doing cool things, but he's really in his element in a room full of trekkies and space enthusiasts.

Did I miss your favourite upcoming moment at Fan Expo Canada? Let us all know in the comments and we'll meet you there! Also, you can download the Fan Expo Canada App to check out all the programming.

Photo by Jamie Kaiser in the blogTO Flickr pool.

The best Caesars in Toronto go down best at brunch. The Canadian-born cocktail practically runs through our veins and Toronto bars clearly feel empowered to take liberties with the recipe, sprucing up the daytime bevy with hot sauce, rimmer and obscene garnishes.

Here are the best Caesars in Toronto.

"The party is an interesting anthropological thing. To me it's a phenomenon. There's a lot of magic in it." That's Johnnie Greco talking about Turning Point, a monthly dance party that's been plugging music, beats and sounds from around the planet into Toronto for nearly 13 years.

"The music on the dance floor is the main thing," the almost 60-year-old promoter says. "And it's probably music you've never heard before."

What is Turning Point? You've most certainly seen the posters around town in shop windows and city surfaces. It's usually a gorgeous photo of someone in a rural, tropical setting, walking away with a bike or a stick, looking for something new. Greco has worked with the same designer for the posters and flyers since day one. They're also all over Facebook.

The event itself is a special one. It's a dance party promoted by Greco involving DJs and an army of vintage vinyl collectors scattered around the globe who fly in to play. Music from Central and South America, East and West Africa, Jamaica, Ghana, Haiti, Bali, the Caribbean islands and Trinidad all make up a genre Greco can only describe as the Turning Point sound.

DJs come everywhere from Brampton to Paris to play their finds. It's definitely a crate digging group who plays, and rare world music sounds crowd who comes to dance.

"These guys have a fetish... they can't stop looking for hard to find stuff," Greco says proudly of regular DJs like Will Holland and Miles Claret. "One DJ is out of Paris (Superfly). He's got his own record store there. He once said to me 'Johnnie I can't believe this! People are dancing to this music!'"

Greco, who is full of stories and musical wisdom, has a hard time keeping a conversation going in one direction during our talk. A Colombian percussionist he knows walked by on the street as we spoke and everything halted so they could catch up and compliment each other.

He's charming, friendly and surrounds himself from people all over the world who have landed in Toronto and somehow play music and dance together.

"I struggle with describing [the party] because .... If you want an intellectual charge and to talk about the music we can do that, but we can also talk about a dance party with sounds you've never heard before on a powerful sound system," he says before saying goodbye to another lady friend leaving the room.

"We're known for our big sound system. We spent extra money to bring in a new sound system in the Garrison for the party. We call the shots... it's our system, nobody else touches it."

Once a room-filler at The Gladstone, Turning Point now happens at The Garrison, and yup, you read that last point correctly: they bring in their own massive sound system to overtake the room, fill every corner and create a safe, inclusive space where people can dance for hours.

"If you put in a lot of people and hair and clothing, you lose control of your sound in the room," he says only half jokingly. He's a sound junkie and that's how they attract the selectors and music-minded crowd.

Turning Point was already happening when Greco discovered it thanks to two musician friends visiting Toronto. One was from New York and the other from Finland. He went in at 10p.m. and left at 3a.m. and has been deeply involved ever since.

The event is the crown jewel of a collective of parties and groups in the city. Maracatu, Fedora Upside Down, Uma Nota, Lemon Bucket Orkestra, the Black Out Party and the annual Bike Rave are all family.

"You see Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Brazilian, and Greek, all in one band, all learning Maracatu, a music from Northern Brazil," he says. "Playing drums and percussion together, creating. A lot of these people come to Turning Point. They're musicians and this is their dance party."

Greco ends our conversation with a story about him falling off a cliff last Christmas Eve in Grand River. "I was at a party with some Norwegians, we all had instruments, everyone was dancing in this big house on the river," he says.

"I was so drunk, I looked at the water and fell down this cliff. Luckily there were some mountain climbers nearby who rescued me and I was in the hospital for only a week."

That kind of sums up this man's incredible life and the party he's kept alive for the love of Toronto's diversity.

"Turning Point by necessity is where everyone goes to dance and relax," he says. "We get a lot of magical moments."

Image from Johnnie Greco.