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Drake tops Soul Train Awards with 12 nominations

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DrakeToronto's favourite son Drake has had quite the remarkable year. He's released a short film, broke Michael Jackson's 32-year record for most American Music Award nominations, and now he leads the pack of nominations for the 2016 Soul Train Awards.

Drake has been nominated for a whopping 12 awards for his album Views - that's four more than Beyonce. He's up for awards like Album/Mixtape of the Year, Video of the Year and Song of the Year.

The 2016 Soul Train Awards will tape on November 6 and air on November 27. Drizzy has done exceedingly well with nominations over the last while, but his trophy case is yet to burst, so it'll be interesting to see what kind of hardware he might take home.

Photo via @champagnepapi.


Toronto to get a new 80 seat brewpub

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Eastbound BreweryToronto is about to boast a sprawling new brewpub, complete with a full kitchen and retail shop. Eastbound Brewing Co. will open smack dab in the heart of resurgent Riverside in a 3,500 square foot space right beside the Broadview Hotel. The opening date is pegged at sometime in early 2017.

The open concept, 80-seat space will include a fully functioning in-house brewery, a beer focused kitchen and menu from chef Tara Lee, a retail shop with cans to takeaway and suds from Brewmaster David Lee, formerly of Kensington Brewing Company, Mill Street Brewery and Grand River Brewing.

The building's history includes a furniture store and short lived cinema called the Teck Theatre. Visitors will be able to see the kitchen and brewery from any seat in the house.

Drake's new whiskey sets LCBO single day sales record

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drake virginia black whiskeyIt seems like everything Drake touches turns to gold these days. Case in point, when his new whiskey finally hit LCBO shelves at the end of September, it promptly set a single day sales record, moving 1,779 bottles out the door. Since then, it's sold more than 775 cases of Virginia Black American Whiskey at $39.95 a pop.

According to the Toronto Star, the sales record was aided by the LCBO's decision to carry the product at 220 stores for launch, something that it rarely does with new items. For a little perspective, the paper notes that Ciroc Vodka did 1,885 bottles in sales over the course of its first week in June 2015.

At present, Virginia Black is still available at LCBO stores and online. It remains to be seen whether or not its popularity will take a dive after the initial novelty period wears off, as is often the case with celebrity-backed products. Somehow that doesn't seem likely right now, particularly given the OVO crew's drinking habits.

Photo via Virginia Black.

What department stores used to look like in Toronto

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vintage department store torontoThe department store in Toronto might not be dying, but it sure has changed in the last 30 years. Gone are the days when a diverse array of companies battled it out for consumers who expected to buy just about everything under the Sun in such stores.

Before the death of Eaton's in the 1990s, the department store wars involved many more players. If you've been around long enough, you'll remember names like Kresge (later K-Mart), Simpson's, Woolworth, Woolco, Morgans, and Towers, not to mention discount shops like BiWay, Bargain Harolds and the more recently departed Zellers.

Through the 1980s, the retail economy had yet to centralize in massive corporations to the degree that it has now. There were the big players like Eaton's, Sears, Simpson's, and the Bay at malls across the city, but despite the reach of these sprawling shops, they never came close to the size, sprawl, and buying power of box stores like Walmart and Costco.

It's hard not to look back at these store's with a bit of nostalgia. These were, after all, the places where a kid's dreams came true in the toy department. In the days before the internet made consumer choice endless, these retail hubs were repositories of desire, as evidenced by the advertisements of the time.

Behold, what department stores used to look like in Toronto.

vintage department store torontoThe Bay at Fairview Mall

vintage department store torontoSimpson's at Fairview Mall

vintage department store torontoTowers at Midland and Lawrence

vintage department store torontoWoolco

20140917-Eaton-Centre-Eatons.jpgEaton's at the Eaton Centre in the 1990s

vintage department store torontoWide view of the anchor Eaton's at the Eaton Centre

vintage department store torontoThe Yonge and Dundas entrance to Eaton's in the late 1970s

vintage department store torontoSimpson's at Yorkdale Mall

vintage department store torontoEntrance to Simpson's at Yorkdale in the 1970s

vintage department store torontoEaton's at Yorkdale Mall in 1965

vintage department store torontoThe Eaton's location at College Park

vintage department store torontoWoolworth flagship at Yonge and Queen streets

vintage department store torontoEaton's at Shopper's World

vintage department store torontoThe exterior view of the Bay at Fairview Mall

vintage department store torontoSimpson's location at Sherway Mall

vintage department store torontoMorgan's Department Store at Lawrence and Bathurst

vintage department store torontoThe old Eaton's at Queen and James streets

vintage department store torontoThe opulent interior of Eaton's at College Park ca. 1940s

Photos via the Toronto Archives, Chuckman's Blog, and Vintage Toronto.

La Carnita apology fails to quiet its critics

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la carnitaLa Carnita found itself in the midst of a firestorm of social media attention for all the wrong reasons today following a sexist caption on an Instagram post that was subsequently removed. An initial apology followed on Twitter a number of hours later, but it did little to dampen the flames.

In the meantime, those following the story had revealed a lineage of problematic social media posts and behaviour at the restaurant, including tweets referencing women as tacHOES, a juvenile and dangerous washroom sign, and allegations of discriminatory hiring practices. Given the history on display, the initial apology wasn't deemed adequate by many people.

la carnita tweetAt around noon today, owner Andrew Richmond finally took to Facebook in an effort to explain what the restaurant will do to prevent prejudicial posts and behaviour like this from happening in the future.

The post was more thoroughgoing than what had appeared on Twitter earlier, but after the day's events and all the information that had come to light, questions persist on social media as to whether it's enough.

La CarnitaFor his part, Andrew Richmond said that "it kills him" that the initial post was made under the La Carnita name. The restaurant, which is from the same owners as the popular Sweet Jesus ice cream shop as well as Good Fortune Bar, has given itself eight weeks to have all staff take sensitivity training, and will donate proceeds from its Tuesday sales to a yet to be determined charity that "works to stop violence, poverty and empower women."

For some, the donation doesn't go far enough because the amount hasn't been disclosed and the funds come from the pockets of customers.

There are 70 comments on the Facebook post at present, many of which question ownership's resolve to address systemic misogyny or ask for specifics regarding the sensitivity training. La Carnita is under the microscope, to put it mildly.

How the restaurant responds in the coming days and weeks will ultimately demonstrate how seriously the situation has been taken. Here's a sampling of the responses on Twitter this afternoon.


Lead photo by Hecto Vasquez.

23 Halloween costume ideas for 2016

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halloween costume ideasHalloween costume ideas will get you all set for the coming parties at the end of this month. On this list, you won't find anything super expensive or overdone but instead some cheap and cheerful suggestions to get you a lot of Insta likes. Make sure to hit up your local Halloween costume store, army surplus, art supply or vintage clothing store for all your costume supply needs.

Here's a round-up of Halloween costume ideas for 2016.

Jailbird Capybara
Those sneaky, giant rodents escaped from the High Park Zoo this past summer and had the city in suspense before they were eventuallycaptured. You'll be able to run around the city yourself with this costume and hopefully be caught be a hot animal control officer. All you need is some cheap, vintage fur or faux-fur and a jailbird outfit.

Blue Jays tall can with prohibited sign on it
The now infamous beer toss at the Rogers Centre during the ALDS made headlines and quickly got beer cans banned from the Rogers Centre. Wrap yourself in cardboard, paint it like a beer can and then encircle it with a prohibited sign. Easy!

Edwin Encarnacion
Take Encarnacion's "walk the parrot" home run moves to the streets and carry a parrot on your shoulder or shirt ... hell dress as a parrot and knock your look out of the park. Just make sure to do some good shoulder stretches that day... that bad boy's going to be up in the air a lot Halloween night if you chose this active look.

The ghost of Pokemon GO
Pokemon Go absolutely took over Toronto this summer with Poke stops, parties, and meetups. Towards the end of the summer the trend and hype died down. Dress as any Pokemon trainer, character or team, ghost them out and you're on point.

Justin Trudeau at Pride
The Prime Minister's Pride Toronto look was relaxed, summery and very white. It made for one giant wet t-shirt contest. Trudeau smiling, soaking wet in his casual, temporarily see-through white and light pink attire put a smile on everyone's face. Imagine what you can do to a party.

Drake's broken ankle
The year's most famous ankle! Drake cancelled his remaining Summer Sixteen tour dates because of this injured body part. The hobbled ankle has many fans confused, but who cares! It'll make for a great costume. Just grab rolls of medical grade bandages and wrap them around yourself. Huge bonus if you already have some OVO merch.

The ghost of the TTC fare collector
With eventual full rollout of PRESTO anticipated by the end of next year, ticket booths will be abandoned in favour of roaming customer service agents. Strap on your finest TTC wannabe uniform, hat and faux-tokens, complete it with a ghost face and you've got an iconic lost Toronto look.

Sushi Burrito
There's no yummier costume than going to this summer's hottest food trend. You'll need some seaweed looking fabric to wrap all that rice and veggies, but obviously you're going to be the salmon sushi in the middle. People will be lining up to have you as they did all summer for places like Rolltation, and numerous other sushi burrito joints.

Olympic bromance
Grab your bestie, pull on some spandex and reenact the Usain Bolt and Andre De Grasse bromance that captured everyone's heart at this past summer's Olympics in Rio. The respective country's outfit would be pretty easy to put together, but it's the brotherly love you'd really need to pull off to win the room over. The eyes, the smiles, the hugs, were one of summer's greatest memories.

Bloor Street Bike Lane
All hail the new bike lanes on Bloor Street! It took a while, but they finally arrived this year and they're glorious. Pulling off this costume will be pretty simple. Grab some bristol board and the bike lane symbol will do. Let the joy of the existing lanes do the rest.

No AC on TTC
This Halloween look could be really terrifying or super sexy depending on how you swing it. This summer was not the one to not have air conditioning on our subway system. With record temperatures some of the older subway cars shot up to 30+ Celsius. This costume would require you looking like you're on the way to work, but very, very, very sweaty.

Creepy Clown
The creepy clown pandemic has swept Ontario for the past few weeks with terrifying circus folk wandering the streets, luring children and generally scaring the life out of young kids everywhere. This costume not only is super easy to put together, but in 2016 is creepier than ever.

Gender neutral washroom sign
2016 was the year that washrooms changed forever. Not everywhere, but in some pretty important locations, washrooms became gender neutral, a big move and strong message of support for our city's trans community. Create a big gender neutral sign, slap it on your body and call it a super inclusive night.

Poop to celebrate our toilet-themed cafe
The city's first poop cafe has finally opened its doors and flushed its way into our hearts. The washroom-themed restaurant features a bunch of items you can take inspiration from. But just being a piece of poop this halloween is enough to turn heads. Three words: lots of felt.

The letter T from the Toronto sign covered in graffiti
Nuit Blanche is always an early fall highlight and crazy art celebration that takes over the city. This year it was marked with more than just drunk-20-somethings and large instillations. Our beloved Toronto sign was vandalized. So dress as a giant blank T and cover yourself with a bunch of tags for the ultimate newsworthy effect.

Toronto's housing market
Our city became Canada's hottest real estate market as of September, so why not flaunt it dressed as a giant bubble that's sure to burst? Unless you can think of a way to dress up as a land transfer tax, this is probably your best bet to dress in the theme of real estate.

The ghost of the Weeknd's hair
When The Weeknd dropped the album art for his new single "Starboy" with Daft Punk one thing stood out right away: his haircut. The R&B star's iconic do had been chopped, so why not try to recreate it with some ghost-like details to mourn the loss of our city's favourite haircut.

Broken Presto Machine
PRESTO is both a hero and a villain this year. While it will be a great system to have in place once it's working, for now, the issuesareendless. A busted PRESTO machine or card swipe box from the streetcar would not only be very relevant to many commuters at any Halloween party, but a great conversation starter.

A Toronto ice cream lineup
This one may sound a bit out there to pull off, but think about it! It's a group costume where the first person is the cone, and friends follow along holding onto a rope. The cone would have to be extreme, but it's the line that really makes the costume. It was an ever present character downtown this summer thanks to Sweet Jesus, and now you and your pals.

The King Street commute
Another great group costume for the transit nerds among us would be the morning commute along King St. All you have to do is get a few people to dress vaguely like streetcars and then walk around all bunched together all night. Just make sure to arrive late to every party you're invited to.

Auston Matthews as the Greek god Atlas
He's given Maple Leafs fans hope by being their number one draft pick, and the pressure he's currently feeling must be crazy. Why not make this a physical thing by dressing as the Greek God Atlas to show that you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders? Any hints of Maple Leaf gear will really help.

Vanishing TIFF movie ticket
TIFF's ticket woes stole headlines this past September when the festival made the move to a Ticketmaster system. It created chaos for an already faulty system and every time you thought you had a ticket and were ready to check out, the system logged you out. Why not dress as a big, crisp movie ticket with the TIFF logo? Feel free to disappear throughout the night. Also, popcorn.

Barb from Stranger Things
Characters from Stranger Things will most definitely be a hot ticket costume this year, so be careful who you choose. We suggest tactfully selecting Barb. Not only because she rules, but because there was a party in her honour this year and a slew of Stranger Things events to show her off at around Halloween. Short red wig, high waisted jeans and glasses, voila!

Did we miss a Halloween costume idea you think will fly this year? Let us know in the comments!

Photo from last year's Halloween by yedman in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Auston Matthews has historic debut in Leafs opener

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auston matthews leafs debutAuston Matthews had a historic first regular season game in a Toronto Maple Leafs uniform tonight, scoring a whopping four goals in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators. Yes, that's right, he scored all of the Leafs' goals. I guess we should start talking about the parade route again.

He's the first player to score four goals in his debut in the modern NHL. If there was any doubt that he was the real deal, Matthews just answered that question very loudly. And now the pressure will only amplify around him even more.

It was shortly past the eight minute mark of the game when Matthews potted his first marker. The last first round pick to score in his first game was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for the Oilers back in 2011. By the time the first period was done, Matthews already had two! The hat trick came in the second period, at which point the ample Leafs fans in the crowd threw their hats on the ice.

What a profoundly auspicious start for this young man. Here's how Leafs fans reacted on Twitter.


Photo via the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Today in Toronto: X Avant Festival, Bianca Del Rio, King, Trek Talks, Songbuster, Les Femmes Fatales

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The Music Gallery TorontoToday in Toronto the X Avant music festival kicks off at the Music Gallery with an electronic music triple bill to blow your mind (and ears). Egyptrixx, The Dun Dun Band, and Deenzi take over the amazing-sounding church venue, and then it's four days of electronic, dance and noise exploration.

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 section.

Photo of The Music Gallery from their Facebook page.


Toronto Restaurant Openings: Harry's, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Montaditos, Matcha Tea Dessert

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matcha tea dessertToronto 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

  • Grant Van Gameren has taken over and revived Harry's Charbroiled, a greasy spoon that lasted 48 years in Parkdale, and it's open for business at 160 Springhurst Ave. Let's hope this diner lives on for at least another 48.
  • American chain Potbelly Sandwich Shop opened its first Canadian location on Wednesday at 83 Yonge St. This chain originates from Chicago, and features signature sandwiches like the A Wreck, a toasted sandwich with salami, roast beef, turkey & ham and Swiss cheese with your choice of bread and toppings. A second location will soon open across from the ROM at 180 Bloor St. W.
  • Spanish sandwich shop Montaditos is now open at 824 Dundas St. W. at Euclid St., with snack-sized sammies (which is basically what "montaditos" means in Spanish) filled with ingredients like serrano ham, chorizo and manchego cheese.

RECENTLY REVIEWED

OPENING SOON

  • Vancouver coffee mini-chain JJ Bean apparently really lovesToronto, as it's opening its third location here this year, this time at Yonge & St. Clair (at 2 St. Clair W., specifically). Inspired by the homes in the area, this shop's design will look like a house, with a roof and a patio. It should be open on Oct. 24.
  • The former Pisco 1641 in Little Italy will soon transform into Mochica at 614 College St. The restaurant, which already has a location in Montreal (and an affiliated hotel in Peru) will remain Peruvian.
  • The Drake will soon open a Drake Commissary on Sterling Rd. right by Henderson Brewing and the future MOCCA. Funnily enough, Drake (the rapper) has a history on that street as well.
  • Matcha Tea Dessert is putting the final touches on its first Toronto location at 407 Spadina Avenue in Chinatown. Expect ice cream, baked goods and all sorts of matcha-infused sweets.

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

Photo via Matcha Tea Dessert on Facebook.

Where to drink sangria & eat grilled chicken in Toronto

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bairrada torontoAny true Torontonian knows the chicken in this town is insane. Stop by this old-school restaurant, named for a region in Portugal, and feel transported to another country with a pitcher of Sangria and a classic half chicken plate.

Read my profile of Bairrada Churrasqueira in the restaurants section.

Rare triple supermoon in store for Toronto

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supermoon torontoThe full Hunter's Moon will rise above Toronto on Sunday, October 16 at 7:16 p.m. marking the first in a rare trio of supermoons that will continue through December. This month's full moon will be the second largest of the year, appearing noticeably larger than the smallest if you've been tracking its steady growth since April when it was at its smallest (the farthest away from Earth).

The Hunter's Moon isn't significant in and of itself - it's merely the name given to the moon each October for centuries - but the fact that it's a supermoon and will be rising shortly after sunset means that there's the possibility that it will look particularly stunning as it rises in the east-northeast.

Given the location of the moonrise, a good spot to plan a moon viewing session would be around Humber Bay Park, where you will be able to see it rise above the skyline. In instances like this, the moon appears especially large thanks to an optical illusion. Add a long camera lens to the mix, and you might be able to get a jaw-dropping photo.

You can also take a look for this moon on Saturday, October 15, as it will be so close enough to full that it your eyes won't be able to tell the difference. Even better, if you happen to miss this one, the next two moons will be supermoons, with the November edition (a.k.a. the Beaver Moon) appearing as the largest of the year. Mark your skywatching calendars!

Photo by Nicoli OZ Matthews in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Condo of the week: 306 Sackville Street

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306 Sackville StreetListed at $1,049,000, this two bedroom plus den loft is spacious and the maintenance fees aren't as frightening you might expect. Situated on a residential street in Cabbagetown, this building was a former peanut warehouse and processing plant, and was converted into a residence in 1989, now aptly named the Peanut Factory Lofts.

306 Sackville StreetUnits aren't frequently available in this boutique building, and the size and unique nature of them could be why. The floors in the living room were salvaged from the original peanut factory, and the aged maple offers a nice touch of contrast with the white fireplace adjacent to the staircase heading upstairs.

306 Sackville StreetWith two nicely sized bedrooms upstairs, a den and a private rooftop terrace, this loft offers many features that are attractive to a young family (or couple looking for extra space) with some room to grow.

306 Sackville StreetSPECS

  • Address: 306 Sackville Street, #2
  • Price: $1,049,000
  • Square Feet: 1,860 Square Feet
  • Bedrooms: 2 + den
  • Bathrooms: 3
  • Parking: 1
  • Taxes: $5,311.16
  • Maintenance Fee: $375
  • Walk Score: 93
  • Listing agent: Sherille Marion Layton
  • Listing ID: C3626999

306 Sackville StreetNOTABLE FEATURES

  • Original maple hardwood floors
  • 12-foot ceilings
  • Modern fireplace
  • Private rooftop terrace
  • Floor-to-ceiling windows

GOOD FOR

Living in a unique space with some Toronto history. The original maple hardwood is a neat feature, and one can only wonder what happened on those floors as they stored endless amounts of peanuts.

306 Sackville StreetMOVE ON IF

You have a peanut allergy. Who knows what kind of cross-contamination is around from the '80s? Jokes aside, move on if you're looking for a loft with more hard-loft features. With carpeted flooring in the bedrooms and drywall ceilings, this unit is missing some of the features we've grown used to in Toronto, like exposed brick, wooden beams and polished concrete.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
306 Sackville Street306 Sackville Street306 Sackville Street306 Sackville Street306 Sackville Street306 Sackville Street306 Sackville StreetThanks to Bosley Real Estate Ltd, Brokerage for sponsoring our House of the Week. All content and editorial selected and written by blogTO.

Is this loft space worth the asking price? Let us know in the comments.

Photography by Leading Image.

Weekend events in Toronto October 14-16 2016

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weekend events torontoWeekend events in Toronto are a noisy bunch. Seriously, there's a lot of music happening in the city starting Friday night with an impressive list of concerts from folks like Plants and Animals, Boy & Bear, Lisa LeBlank and Boys Noize. If you need something soothing, there's a huge bakers market as well as some stellar theatre to catch.

Here are my picks for top weekend events in Toronto.

BIG EVENTS

FNL ROM: Beer Me! (Oct. 14, ROM)
Enjoy craft beer and discover the history of beer making at this party at the ROM. Running Violet, DJ Tim North, DJ Fathom, the University of Toronto Faculty of Music and the Sidewalk Crusaders will perform throughout the night. A $13 ticket gets you in the door.

Fall Opening Party (Oct. 14, Power Plant)
This huge gallery is always free to enter, but this nighttime event is a bit more exciting. Be the first to experience three new exhibitions by artists Yto Barrada, Maria Loboda and Latifa Echakhch.

OktoberFEAST (Oct. 14, Airship37)
Down on Parliament Street at Airship37 is this Oktoberfest fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society. Tickets are $25 afterwards with VIP options (though the ticket doesn't include plates from a range of food and beer vendors, which include North Poke).

Hush Hush (Oct. 15, Bloor/Gladstone Library)
Party inside the Bloor/Gladstone Library for one night only at this TPL fundraiser and dress up as a hero or villain! Hush Hush is an after hours party in the stacks featuring cocktails, eats and live entertainment.

Unplugged Expo (Oct. 15-16, Westin Harbour Castle)
The Unplugged Expo at the Westin Harbour Castle delivers the latest in geek culture. There will be everything from a Just Dance competition to a masters of cosplay competition, a Harry Potter Room of Requirement and a Japanese video arcade.

Horror-Rama (October 15-16, Hyatt Regency Hotel)
Toronto's only all-horror convention and expo creeps its way into the city just in time for Halloween. Expect to find vendors, panels with horror experts and filmmakers, and screenings of your favourite horror flicks.

Toronto Bakers Market (October 16, The Great Hall)
Head to West Queen West's Great Hall to find treats such as bread, cookies, savoury empanadas, custom cakes, macarons, ice cream, gluten-free/guilt-free desserts and donuts from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bare Decks (Oct. 15, Free Space)
See a skateboard deck art show featuring decks decorated by creatives from all around the world at Toronto's Free Space. This show is on until October 22.

Ski and Snowboard Show (October 13-16, International Centre)
Winter is coming. One of the surest signs of this truth is the arrival of the massive ski and snowboard show at the International Centre this weekend. There will be demonstrations, sales, and lots of entertainment.

THEATRE

Pearle Harbour Solves all your Problems! (Oct. 14, Theatre Passe Muraille)
See this one-night-only standup, sketch and musical comedy by Canada's biggest fan, Pearle Harbour. "All Torontonians, Ontarions, and Canadians welcome: we're gonna unpack your baggage," she says. It's like a late-night, self-help talk show.

All But Gone: A Beckett Rhapsody (Oct. 14, Berkeley Street Theatre)
See this contemporary musical exploration of the absurd and evocative imagery of Samuel Beckett from director Jennifer Tarver. It features Jonathon Young (Betroffenheit) and Canadian opera stars Shannon Mercer and Krisztina Szabó. Tickets run from $39 to $69.

FILM

CineIran Film Fest (Oct. 14, TIFF Bell Lightbox)
This annual festival of contemporary Iranian cinema will showcase all types of film genres. Screenings often sell out so make sure to get your tickets in advance. Sound & Fury by buzz-worthy director Hooman Seyyedi opens the fest.

Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (October 15, Bloor Hot Docs Cinema)
The VIMFF Best of Fest Tour brings the best films from the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival to Toronto for one night only. Tickets are $20 and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

SHOPPING

Frank + Oak Women Pop Up Series (Oct. 14, Offsite)
Check out the first ever womenswear collection from Montreal's Frank + Oak in person. Be warned: quantities are limited. It's open various times through the weekend, check out the website for a preview of what you'll see.

MUSIC

X Avant XI (Oct. 13-16, The Music Gallery)
A full festival pass is just $40 if you want to blow your mind with new sounds, you should invest in this experimental electronic music fest. From celestial club music to ephemeral improvisation, X Avant XI includes concerts, dance parties as well as lectures and talks about the future of music.

More concerts

DANCING

Rangeela (Oct. 14, Club 120)
This is a queer Bollywood dance party where all the divas of the genre are set free on the multiple dance floors inside Club 120.

More dance parties

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

Photo of Friday Night Live via the ROM.

Vancouver sushi chain opens first Toronto location

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Ebisu TorontoA Japanese fusion restaurant chain that's been serving seared box sushi and ramen to Vancouver for forty years has finally arrived here in Toronto. With influences that range from Italian to French, this is another communal hub for sharing tapas like chicken karaage or chowing down on a huge bowl of spicy ramen.

Read my profile of Ebisu in the restaurants section.

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon road closures and route info

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toronto waterfront marathonThe Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon returns for another year this Sunday, October 16, bringing with it a chance to see some world class runners, but also major traffic disruptions throughout the city. More than 25,000 are expected to participate in the event, which features everything from the full marathon to a 5K run.

Here's the key info you need to take in the spectacle or avoid it altogether.

SPECTATOR AREAS

toronto marathon mapWhile you can watch the run from vantage points all across the route, if you're looking for something a bit more festive, there are designated viewing areas that will draw crowds and feature various forms of entertainment before the runners arrive. The are as follows:

There will also be bleachers set up at the start/finish line near Nathan Phillips Square, but you'll have to arrive super early if you hope to get a spot there.

ROAD CLOSURES

The Toronto Warterfront Marathon has more road closures than any event in the city, but fortunately for people making their way around downtown, many of them will be lifted by late Sunday afternoon. Key areas of the run will, however, be closed from Saturday to Sunday evening. The chart below offers an overview of all the closures (click it for a bigger version).

Toronto Waterfront MarathonFor more detailed information regarding each section of the course that's closed to traffic and what buildings amenities are inaccessible during these periods, consult the official website, which has a detailed breakdown. There's also an interactive map that some might find useful for tracking participants and charting road closures.


The Best Green Retailers in Toronto

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green retailers torontoThe best green retailers in Toronto stock their shelves with eco-friendly products and are located throughout the city for your convenience (you should probably walk or bike to these spots). You can shop confidently at these stores for up-cycled clothing, organic snacks (and even mattresses) as well as an array of beauty and household items that aren't quite so harmful to the earth.

Here are the best green retailers in Toronto.

Baby raccoon rescued atop Toronto Star Building

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toronto star baby racccoonThe Toronto Star Building had an unexpected overnight guest. A baby raccoon, nicknamed Scoop, got stuck on a fourth floor ledge and the sweet little angel was too scared to climb down (I feel you, little guy, heights are tough).

As the Star previously reported, the Toronto Wildlife Centre planned to rescue the raccoon on Saturday if it didn't make its way down itself (have a heart!).

The heroes at Toronto Fire Services, however, decided to step in and save it today. Phew! You can follow the whole #SaveScoop saga here.


Photo by Yana and Denis via the blogTO Flickr pool.

Sprawling twin tower condo proposed for Toronto

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Twin tower condo TorontoAs Toronto rapidly intensifies with more and more condo towers, every once in a while a project will stick out for its design. Sometimes this is on account of how promising it looks, at others it's for the opposite reason, and on occasion it's hard to say one way or another. Such is the case with this new twin tower proposal for 254 King St. East.

The area around King and Parliament is in the midst of a major shift towards density (as are so many others in Toronto), but this double 32 storey tower development with multiple glass connections linking the two structures has the type of flare that many Toronto condo's sorely lack. Architects Page + Steele / IBI Group have got creative with this one.

Perhaps most intriguing is that the glass bridges will also house condo units in them, which will no doubt have significant cachet should the proposal make it through its various design and planning approvals at the city.

Twin tower condo TorontoThe question as to whether this dual building is aesthetically pleasing is a bit tougher to answer. The manner in which the towers are set back from the street helps to keep pride of place for the historical buildings fronting King St., but it looks a bit awkward to have the glass bridges relegated to the back (or north) side of the towers. They tend to get lost as the building recedes.

In addition to this, the space between the towers doesn't meet Toronto's Tall Buildings Guidelines. You might argue that the linked nature of the buildings makes this development an exception to such a rule (towers must be separated by 25 metres), but there's every reason to think this could be a major sticking point when trying to get approval from the city.

The project is in its initial phase, so there's plenty of time for the review process to unfold, which could see numerous alterations to these plans.

What do you think of the design? Let us know in the comments.

Images via the City of Toronto / Page + Steele / IBI Group

10 must-attend upcoming tech events in Toronto

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toronto tech eventsToronto tech events are about to fill the city's meeting rooms, hotels and lecture halls for some futuristic planning and mingling. Some of the smartest tech minds on the planet will land in the city for these highly anticipated meet-ups over the next few months.

Here are my picks for upcoming tech events in Toronto.

TechTO (Oct. 17, Nov. 14, Dec. 5)
This monthly event brings together tech enthusiasts around the city looking to stay on top of current developments and networking opportunities. It's for people who not only want to hear about the successes of others, but who also want to meet others in the field - and get a little tipsy while doing so.

FinTechTO (Oct. 19)
A spin-off from Tech Toronto, this bi-monthly meet up features candid conversations, laid back networking and a healthy dose of beer for innovators in the financial technology sector. The October event will feature three speakers. including the CEO and co-founder of Borrowell and lots mingling before, after and in between.

Innovation in Canada - A talk with Twitter (Oct. 20)
Join this conversation with Rory Capern, managing director of Twitter Canada, as he recounts his time at tech giants such as Microsoft and Google. He's also going to chat about testing out the Twitter market in Canada .

Gift the Code Hackathon (Oct. 21-23)
Coders and designers unite together in one great space for a series of tech-based challenges over two days. The best part? It's for charity. Groups are assigned a charitable group on October 21 and are challenged to create functional, usable tech solutions for organizations who work to help others and make the world better. It's a 40 hour sprint!

Toronto Tech Summit (Oct. 28)
Tickets to this mammoth tech event range from $25 to $125. It focuses on customer experience, innovation, and virtual reality. Lunches, beverages and snacks are included in this day-long meeting of talks, speakers, networking, giveaways and brainstorming.

TAVES Consumer Electronics Show (Oct. 28-30)
One of Canada's largest consumer electronic shows features an innovation pavilion, virtual realities, technology workshops, tech talk, art gallery and an indoor/outdoor electronics playground. It's a place to check out cutting edge technologies, gadgets and advancements in audio. It's happening in Richmond Hill and tickets start at $25.

Designthinkers (Nov. 3-4)
Now in its 17th year, this multi-day speaking event is Canada's only conference for visual communicators. The speakers are top notch, and the sessions fittingly use cutting edge technology.

iTech - IT Infrastructure Conference (Nov. 17)
This one's the country's leading IT conference focusing on infrastructure, cloud, security, data centre and mobility. A place to see new cutting edge products, network with folks in the industry and see the technologies in action. There's also some keynote speakers and learning sessions.

HealthTO (Nov. 19)
$25 gets you into this event which brings together the Toronto healthcare community to talk about topics related to the future of innovation in health and wellness. Lots of mingling and drinks, demos and showcases, a community open mic, panel/keynotes and more mingling and drinks. The presenter list is pretty stacked as well.

Toronto Innovation Exchange (Nov. 22)
This is Canada's longest running and most successful meeting of tech entrepreneurs, founders, investment bankers, technology providers and media. It's an event that encourages connections and collaboration.

capital oneThanks to Capital One Canada for sponsoring this post.

Photo via the FinTechTO Facebook page.

The TTC gets a new Drake-inspired logo

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toronto ttc logoDrake's had quite the influence on Toronto. He's changed our city's name, boosted the Raptors and made the CN Tower relevant again. Now, his moniker has inspired one artist to recreate the ubiquitous red and white TTC logo.

Designer Paul Syng posted his version of the TTC logo to Instagram. While it looks similar to the original, it features a subtle nod to the six god.

Syng, of course, isn't the first person to reimagine our transit logo. Numerous artists and designers have put their spin on it over the years.

Some of these are much more successful than others. And as locals continue to play with this logo, it'll be interesting to see what the TTC comes up with if it ever decides to rebrand.

What do you think of this Drake-inspired TTC logo? Let us know in the comments.

Photo via @paulsyng.

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