The worst lineups you'll face in Toronto this holiday season naturally centre around shopping and travel. While the horror of Black Friday is fading, there's still the mad rush on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day to get through. Luckily, most of us are feeling pretty cheery at this time of the year, so why complain if you have to wait a little while?

Here's where I think you'll face the worst lineups in Toronto this holiday season.

Toronto Christmas Market
The Toronto Christmas Market gets so busy that organizers introduced a new fast pass option - you can skip the line at the entrance for $20.

Balzacs (Distillery District)
This is still the most popular coffee shop in the Distillery District and it fills up pretty quickly when the Christmas Market's on. Visitors need their coffee and eggnog-cold brew beverages.

Fashion Santa
Fashion Santa might've been replaced by a different male model, but if last year was any indication, people will still wait around to take a selfie with this year's imposter at Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Pearson on the busiest travel day of the year
The check-in and security lines at Pearson are usually jam-packed on the Friday before Christmas - this year, that's December 23.

The LCBO
The LCBO is packed before all major holidays but it's going to be especially busy before Christmas and New Years because no one wants to run out of booze during the festive season.

The skating Rink at Nathan Phillips Square
Most of Toronto's outdoor skating rinks open today, including the one at Nathan Phillips Square. Though you may have to wait if you want to rent skates and go for a spin, especially during winter vacation when school's out.

The parking lot at Yorkdale
Yorkdale was a shopping destination even before its expansion. It now boasts Uniqlo, Nordstrom and a standalone Canada Goose store, which means you'll have to wait in your car and fight for a while before you see a spot. Save yourself the grief and subway in.

Boxing Day outside of Sporting Life
I dare you to try to get into Sporting Life on Yonge Street on Boxing Day. The lineup curls around the block before the crack of dawn and it's pretty intimidating - but if you wait, you might score quite the deal on new winter clothes.

Sweet Jesus
Sure, you might have to wait in line to get into midnight mass, but this house of worship is a tad bit sweeter. While those queuing can still get ice cream, they're probably looking for epic hot chocolate and other hot beverages.

Movie theatres
Those of us who don't spend December 25 unwrapping presents usually head to the movies. There are usually some awesome new releases out as well as lengthy lineups for tickets, seats and snacks.

Toronto's main streets looked remarkably different in the 1960s. Even as the city is much denser and more vibrant today, the aesthetic of the urban landscape was at its busiest during this decade and the one that followed. Streets like Yonge and Bloor were a cluttered mess of irregularly shaped signs, flags and awning, but there was an undeniable beauty in the chaos.

This, no doubt, is why photos from the decade inspire such deep nostalgia these days. Toronto has grown up, but its lost much of its messy character along the way. Neon signs had burst onto the scene in the 1940s, and in the span of about 20 years it completely changed the North American streetscape.

From movie marquees to towering restaurant markers to steel-framed rooftop ads for beer and cigarette companies, streets were packed with a dizzying array of visual stimuli that seemed to announce Toronto's arrival as a big city in a blaze of red light.

Business owners could get away with far more outlandish signage during this period, and they took advantage with ostentatious self-promotion that protruded onto the street and hovered atop many buildings. No one would endorse this type of urban planning today, but despite the overt commercialism, there was an energy that this bright hodgepodge lent to the city.

Behold, the cluttered beauty of Toronto streets in the 1960s.

Looking up Yonge towards Queen St.

Similar view during the holidays

Yonge and Dundas

Yonge and Gould streets

Opposite view

Looking west on Bloor from Bathurst

Looking east on Bloor from Lansdowne

Looking north on Lansdowne from Bloor

Bloor near St. Clarens

Bloor near Havelock

Looking east on Bloor at Dovercourt

Looking north up Bathurst at Dundas

Bloor and Islington

Queen and Parliament

Danforth and Coxwell

Photos from Chuckman's Toronto Nostalgia series.

Free events in Toronto this week will keep your spirits lifted high until next weekend rolls around. Sounds of the Season on December 2 is one of your best bets. From 5:30 a.m. on, you can walk into the CBC building and catch live broadcasts of radio shows and concerts from Tanika Charles, Ria Mae, the Jerome Tucker Band, The Good Lovelies as well as giveaways and snacks all day until 7 p.m.

The top birthday brunch restaurants in Toronto all accept reservations, making it easy to celebrate stress-free. These spots will also let you indulge in either sweet or savory dishes and many offer delicious cocktails and brunch-time drinks at well. Bottoms up!

Here are my picks for the top birthday brunch restaurants in Toronto.

Wish

With an adorable interior, this spot will make your birthday pretty special. And if you reserve a table for six or more people, you get to dine for free. Just bring your I.D. to prove it's actually your special day.

Lavelle

What's better than a panoramic view of the skyline? Peanut brittle, Nutella French toast! Get both at Lavelle, the swanky rooftop restaurant on King Street West.

Beaumont Kitchen

Shop for your own birthday present after dining at this restaurant next to Saks at Sherway Gardens. Here, brunch features crème brûlée yogurt parfait, steak and eggs and PB&J French toast along with lots of other indulgent dishes.

Maple Leaf Tavern

This understated, yet swanky restaurant on Gerrard will give your birthday some much-needed pizazz. Head here for the relatively affordable brunch menu, which features hashbrown BLTs, buttermilk waffles and big breakfasts for two.

Lisa Marie

From the same team behind the Fidel Gastro food truck, this Queen West spot does junk food right. Stuff yourself silly with dishes like the double pancake pork burger, the bacon explosion Benny and lamb shank hash. If you're a vegetarian, you might want to skip this spot.

Mirvish Village takes up a small stretch of Markham Street adjacent to the iconic Honest Ed’s building. A row of businesses, bars, restaurants and artist studios sit in the shadow of the discount store’s bright marquee lights.

But by February 1, 2017, the entire street will be boarded up. All of the tenants have to move out to make way for the new development replacing Honest Ed’s and the surrounding area at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor.

I spoke to some of the business owners and artists as they get ready to say goodbye to Mirvish Village.

Ed Mirvish bought up most of Markham Street in the early 1960s and later in the decade, it became an artist’s colony; even Anne Mirvish had a studio on the street. Today, it’s still home to studios as well as an eclectic mix of shops.

Darrel Dorsk started visiting Markham Street when he moved to Toronto from California in 1974. Like many, he would head to David Mirvish Books to buy the Sunday edition of the New York Times. Back then it cost 25 cents; he was a regular customer until the store closed in 2009. By then, the paper was $7.50.

Dorsk runs The Green Iguana Glassworks at 589 Markham St. He’s been in the same spot since 1981 and fills with storefront with his handmade frames, glass baubles and a variety of prints and pictures. “It’s very messy in here, but hopefully people find it interesting,” he says.

Neighbours refer to Dorsk as the mayor of Mirvish Village and he has plenty to say about his time on the street. “I like to tell people I’ve been suffering from an obscure medical syndrome working on Markham Street and the acronym is TMF. It stands for too much fun.”

Dorsk got his start in the 1970s selling stained glass boxes, which he made with his girlfriend at the time. His zoology degree from Berkley hangs in his store and he notes he once wanted to be a veterinarian – that’s why there are so many natural history prints on his wall.

He’s sad to be leaving Markham Street but plans to move his business into a building he bought at 948 Bloor Street West.

His neighbour Julia runs the vintage-inspired lingerie store Gigi’s House of Frills next door. She’s a newbie on the street but has found a place in the Mirvish Village community. The street’s a starting point for lots of local businesses thanks to its cheap rent.

For her, finding a new location has been difficult, but she has plans to share a space with a vintage clothing store when she moves out at the end of January.

Scott Cramer from Neurotica is also solidifying his post-January plans. He’ll probably relocate his vinyl shop to Little Italy. While he’s only been on Markham Street for a couple of years, he says leaving it will be bittersweet. And he’s no stranger to moving around.

“I was at three different places on Queen Street and I’ve never been in a community with my shop like this,” he says, noting that the Markham Street community is a tight one. “It’s pretty remarkable.”

Although over the past years, customers have been persistently asking him what’s happening with the neighbourhood and his business. “It’s become frustrating,” he says. “I almost got t-shirts made up just that said, ‘I don’t know.’”

He didn’t, but the Vancouver-based developer Westbank revealed its plans for Mirvish Village and they include multiple high and low rise buildings with rental units and a pedestrian-only zone along Markham Street. To many, this sounds better than condos, however, it’ll never replace what came before it.

Catherine Carroll who runs Black Rock Studios is painting hexagonal tiles when she reflects on her time working on Markham Street. She knows Mirvish Village is private property but isn’t happy her community’s being dismantled.

“They’re displacing a community,” she says. She’s been looking for a new space and even considered moving to Hamilton where rents are cheaper – she’s not ready to leave Toronto quite yet.

Charlotte Hall, who ran an art gallery, moved out of her space in early November. Her fondest memories of the street involve sitting on her front steps and chatting about art and politics with her neighbours over coffee.

She tells me that the local residents association is planning a New Orleans-style Second Line party to celebrate the life and death of Honest Ed’s and Mirvish Village.

Nearby Butler’s Pantry is also going out with a bang by hosting a pop-up Syrian brunch in partnership with The Depanneur’sNewcomer Kitchen. Westbank is even sponsoring the project.

The Depanneur’s Len Senater approached Butler’s Pantry’s Atique Azad about the project. “I basically said to him, what do you want to do? Do you want to sell your last couple of sandwiches and just die this slow painful death? Or do you want to go out in a Thelma and Louise blaze of glory and turn your restaurant into a Syrian refugee pop-up for the last few months of your lease?

The brunch will stick around every Sunday until December 18. Afterwards, it’ll hopefully move to the Butler’s Pantry’s other location on Roncy.

But before January, everyone still has a few months to enjoy the street as well as the massive party happening at Honest Ed’s in February. And while many find it hard to imagine the end is coming, the construction will eventually arrive. “They can’t believe it because this is such a beautiful street” says Cramer. “I mean, there’s nothing like it in Toronto.”

Winter resorts near Toronto aren’t exclusively about skiing. Chalets and skiing destinations are a whole category unto themselves. Instead, the top resorts to hit up in the winter distinguish themselves with superb ambience, spa facilities, and gourmet food offerings that’ll warm your soul in the midst of the cold Ontario countryside.  

Here are my picks for the top winter resort getaways near Toronto.

Viamede

Located on Stoney Lake about a half an hour north of Peterborough, Viamede has been hosting vacationers for more than a century. A major renovation a few years ago brought upgraded decor but more importantly an indoor/outdoor pool and sauna that overlooks the lake. Food is the big story here, though. Chef Kevin McKenna serves up a sophisticated farm-to-table menu that’s wildly good.

JW Marriott The Rousseau Muskoka

While tourism drops off significantly in the late fall through the winter, Muskoka is about as pretty as places come when blanketed in snow. The JW Marriot on Lake Rosseau has the look of a modern chateau with cozy but classy rooms (many with fireplaces) and amenities galore. The indoor pool and spa is a major draw here, while there are an array of dining options to suit most tastes.

Oakwood Resort

Grand Bend is best known as one of Ontario’s best beach towns, but Oakwood Resort is at least one reason to visit the area after the leaves fall. The resort is made up of cozy wood-filled rooms and cottages, features top notch spa services through the winter, and there’s the requisite indoor pool and fitness centre for indoor R&R. 

The Briars

One of the closer full service resorts to Toronto, the Briars is a well established destination in both the summer and winter thanks to the variety of activities on offer when the weather turns. Lake Simcoe is a hotbed for ice fishing and cross country skiing. When you’re done outside, there’s both fine and casual dining options, as well as an indoor pool and spa.

Drake Devonshire

Prince Edward County has become an overflowing summer vacation destination, but during the winter things slow down, the tasting rooms at the wineries thin out, and everything just seems far more relaxed. If food and wine are your main priorities, a winter stay at the Drake’s country outpost will be about as relaxing as it comes. 

Toronto’s only true dead mall can be found at Dundas and the East Mall, almost directly across the street from Cloverdale Mall. Where the latter shopping centre has managed to carve out a lasting purpose in the shadow of the far busier Sherway Gardens, the former has fallen into virtual ruin after being closed down completely a few years ago.

Prior to being fenced off, Honeydale Mall spent its last years in a sort of zombie state, not fully alive but not entirely dead either. The majority of the vendors had cleared out, leaving only a weekly flea market as the action in the sprawling retail space.

During these years, Honeydale served as a playground for photographers looking to capture its peculiar end-of-the-world aesthetic rather than as a bonafide shopping destination.

It wasn’t always this way. While the mall was never the type of wildly popular destination as Yorkdale, back in the mid 1990s, the presence of Wal-Mart, a major grocery store, and a host of independent retailers meant that it served a valuable community presence, even as the older Cloverdale was always more popular. 

Photo by Patrick Cummins.

When Wal-Mart moved out in 2004, the major decline began. The No Frills hung on for about a decade, but eventually things got so dismal that it packed it in as well. The entire property was finally fenced off at some point in 2014, leaving only the hulking shell of the former mall to be viewed from a distance. It’s remained that way to this day.

As the mall declined following Wal-Mart’s departure, however, plenty has taken place behind the scenes as its owner the Azuria Group has tried to convert the property into a huge mixed use development in concert with Metro, who owns adjacent properties at 5559 Dundas St. West and 25 Vickers Rd. In fact, Azuria’s plans to redevelop Honeydale Mall date all the way back to 2005 (pdf).

What’s perhaps most amazing about the saga of Honeydale’s failed redevelopment is just how close the property has come to being transformed. While the initial rezoning application filed for the city was put off until a major study of the area could be completed, there was a time in 2011 when it seemed like redevelopment was inevitable. 

Following the extensive Dundas/427 Planning Framework (pdf), it seemed like Azuria, Metro, and the City of Toronto were on the same page to proceed with the rebuilding process. Shortly after, things fell apart when the property at 10 Shorncliffe Rd. was added to the application, which required a new agreement. 

In early 2012, a hearing at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) once again revealed that the developers and the City were close to agreement about the future of the site (pdf), which would involve some 4,500 condo units as well as retail and significant office space. The rapidly deteriorating mall seemed destined for new life. 

The interested parties just needed to work out a few Zoning Bylaw Amendments and the final form of the Section 37 agreements, which would outline the community benefits provided by the developers for not complying precisely with the zoning of the site that had been worked out during the Dundas/427 Planning Framework.

Fast forward to 2014 and the parties had yet to agree on the wording of the Section 37 agreements (pdf). The sticking point has to do with Metro and Azuria’s desire to amend the agreement to read “acting reasonably” in some clauses of the agreement that left discretionary decisions with the City. 

Photo by Patrick Cummins.

Representatives for the City argued in turn that the OMB didn’t have the power to reword Section 37 agreements. While the Board deferred any decision on the extent of its jurisdiction, it did find that the developers’ desire to add such amendment was unnecessary, as the City is entrusted to act in good faith in carrying out the Section 37 agreement. 

As such, the OMB withheld its decision on the proposed development until an agreement could be reached between all the parties, essentially sending the appeals process back to its state in 2012. And that, somehow, is where it remains today. According to the office of local councillor Justin DiCano, there’s no recent news to share about the project. 

Honeydale Mall is still stuck in some fenced off limbo awaiting a new future.

Section 37 agreements are tricky things. In some cases, they allow developers and the City to cross major hurdles in ways that ultimately benefit the community, but not everyone believes that they always work in their current form.

The failure to move forward on the Honeydale site would seem to support this opinion.

Honeydale Mall as it looked in March, 2015. Photo by Trecentimillelire.

The top markets and pop-ups in Toronto this month are, of course, all holiday from top to bottom. There are so many to choose from in the coming weeks you’ll have no excuse but to cross everyone off your shopping list.

Today in Toronto singer-songwriter and storyteller C.R. Avery launches his latest album of tales at Lula Lounge. Listening to this guy is like sitting around a campfire hearing some amazing stories with their own custom soundtracks. Perfect type of show to get you out of your apartment and your own head on a Monday night.

It's always a little bit of a gamble when you step off a TTC streetcar in Toronto. That's because sometimes cars and other vehicles don't stop when the doors swing open.

But this year's NXT City prize winners - Lucas DeClavasio and Andrew Patterson - have a simple, yet innovative solution to make Toronto's streetcars safer.  They want to introduce street murals on the space between the sidewalk and the streetcar entrance at the city's busiest stops.

As CBC News reports, chief city planner Jennifer Keesmaat led the NXT City prize jury, and she's keen to make these murals happen.

According the DeClavasio and Patterson's proposal, "The mural will bring awareness to the safety zone where cars are not supposed to enter if the streetcar's doors are open.

"The signage on streetcars have proven ineffective. Through extra visibility and public service announcements, Streetcar Safety Murals is a cost-efficient, community-supporting initiative."

This week on DineSafe there are no closures to report. However, a number of popular joints in Kensington Market landed conditional passes including chicken and waffles joint, The Dirty Bird.

See which other restaurants got dinged by DineSafe police this week.

The Dirty Bird (79 Kensington Ave.)

• Inspected on: November 21, 2016
• Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
• Number of infractions: 3 (Minor: 2, Significant: 1)
• Crucial infractions include: N/A

Dolce Gelato (234 Augusta Ave.)

• Inspected on: November 21, 2016
• Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
• Number of infractions: 2 (Significant: 2)
• Crucial infractions include: N/A

Refuel Juicery (2354 Yonge St.)

• Inspected on: November 21, 2016
• Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
• Number of infractions: 1 (Significant: 1)
• Crucial infractions include: N/A

The Famous Indian Cuisine (1437 Gerrard St.)

• Inspected on: November 22, 2016
• Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
• Number of infractions: 1 (Crucial: 1)
• Crucial infractions include: Operator failed to ensure premises cleaned to prevent food contamination.

Wrestlers (198 Augusta Ave.)

• Inspected on: November 22, 2016
• Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
• Number of infractions: 1 (Significant: 1)
• Crucial infractions include: N/A

Ajisen Ramen (5229 Yonge St.)

• Inspected on: November 24, 2016
• Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
• Number of infractions: 6 (Minor: 2, Significant: 4)
• Crucial infractions include: N/A

Tone Sushi (414 Queen St. West)

• Inspected on: November 21, 2016
• Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
• Number of infractions: 6 (Minor: 2, Significant: 3, Crucial: 1)
• Crucial infractions include: Operator failed to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated.

Darband Restaurant (879 York Mills Rd.)

• Inspected on: November 25, 2016
• Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
• Number of infractions: 4 (Minor: 1, Significant: 3)
• Crucial infractions include: N/A

Note: The above businesses each received infractions from DineSafe as originally reported on the DineSafe site. This does not imply that any of these businesses have not subsequently corrected the issue and received a passing grade by DineSafe inspectors. For the latest status for each of the mentioned businesses, including details on any subsequent inspections, please be sure to check the DineSafe site.

What do you think of of having to pay tolls to use the Don Valley Parkway or the Gardiner Expressway? Ever since Mayor John Tory announced his support for road tolls last week, it seems like tolls, which will help pay for transit infrastructure, are a definite possibility in our city's future.

According to a poll by Mainstreet Research for the Toronto Transit Alliance that surveyed 2,280 people across all 44 wards, 70 per cent of Torontonians support the idea of having tolls in Toronto. 

#Toronto must raise funds to pay for #transit expansion. Should 905 get a free ride on DVP + Gardiner or pay a toll alongside Toronto users?

— Sarah Thomson (@ThomsonTO) November 24, 2016

Last week, a Forum Research poll revealed that 46 per cent of Torontonians supported road tolls, 45 per cent disapproved of them, and nine per cent didn't know one way or another. 

As the Toronto Star writes, a lot of this has to do with how the two different polling questions were phrased. The Mainstreet one focused on the notion of having both Torontonians and suburbanites "pay their fare share," while the Forum poll asked about collecting money for transit projects. 

The best diners in Toronto all share a sense of nostalgia, comfort, and a knack for serving simple food well. These places tirelessly serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to hungry folks from morning til night, some for twenty-four hours a day. Slide into a booth, order a milkshake or a beer, and settle in for a relaxing and heartwarming meal at these trustworthy Toronto eateries.

Here are the best diners in Toronto.

If you've got a long list of transit lovers to shop for this holiday season, why not buy all your subway-obsessed friends and family members a TTC-themed gift?

While TTC merch has been available from indie designers and at places like the Spacing Store, now it's easier than ever to buy transit-themed gifts thanks to the revamped online TTC shop, which features way more products than its previous iteration. 

There's lots to choose from, including a 1958 subway map poster ($20), baby onesies ($13.95) and a snazzy looking subway station shower curtain ($90). You can probably grab a TTC-related present for everyone on your Christmas list and easily get free shipping (which applies to orders over $50).

Transit nerds rejoice!

A 130 year old Toronto house that's been sitting on massive yellow rails for months has finally been transported to a new home. While the move only constituted about a 100 metres from 76 Howard St. to 28 Howard St., it was a massive undertaking to uproot the bay-and-gable home and haul it down the street. 

Weighing some 400 tonnes, the house was painstakingly carted on a special flatbed truck by Laurie McCulloch Building Moving, a company which has previously moved important Toronto structures like the James Cooper Mansion and the Island Airport Terminal. 

Built in 1887, William Whitehead House was moved to make way for a massive new development that will bring over 1,000 condo units to St. James Town. The first proposal for the site called for the demolition of the historic home, but a revised application reached a compromise with the City by arranging for it to be moved down the street, where it will be located beside other buildings from the era. 

Toronto's about to get its very own Christmas gift! The first Eglinton Crosstown LRT test vehicle is making its way down to the city from snowy Thunder Bay. 

As CBC News reports, the city was supposed to get this test vehicle from Bombardier about two years ago. 

The delivery is coming just weeks after Metrolinx put Bombardier on notice after planning to cancel a $770 million contract to build 182 light rail vehicles. This, however, might not happen.

The LRV that's on its way to Toronto is the first prototype Bombardier's sending over. The city should be getting 182 LRVs by 2018 and as CBC notes, they should be in service by 2021. 

Torontonians are a bit closer to being able to say goodbye to annoying traffic jams and attendant road rage as self-driving and automated vehicles are starting to be tested on Ontario roads.

A pilot program called the WATcar project created in partnership with the University of Waterloo, the Erwin Hymer Group and BlackBerry QNX, is the first automated vehicle pilot program in Canada, according to a press release from the Ministry of Transportation.

"Automated vehicles are driverless or self-driving vehicles capable of detecting and navigating the surrounding environment, and have the potential to help improve road safety and fuel efficiency, as well as reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions," reads the release.

Three cars will be tested as part of the pilot. They are the University of Waterloo's Lincoln MKZ, The Erwin Hymer Group's Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van, and BlackBerry QNX's 2017 Lincoln.

There's no word yet on when cars like these will be available to the public, but the province aims to be a leader in adopting this groundbreaking technology.

Cavalcade of Lights returned to Nathan Phillips Square this past weekend to celebrate its 50th year in action. The annual holiday spectacle witnessed the lighting of Toronto's official 60-foot Christmas Tree, live shows, fireworks and a skating party.

If you didn't make it to this year's festivities don't fret, we reached out to our Instagram followers to share the photos from the eventful night.

We've narrowed down the submissions to 10 finalists in our photo challenge. Now it's up to you to vote for the winners. The top 3 vote-getters will receive gift cards from Henry's Camera.

Vote for your favourite photo here.

Voting in the poll ends December 4 at 11:59 p.m.

A photo posted by Karthik (@aaartistry) on Nov 26, 2016 at 9:55pm PST

A photo posted by JR Alli (@jralli23) on Nov 27, 2016 at 9:03am PST

A photo posted by Ash. (@ashtontekno) on Nov 26, 2016 at 10:55pm PST

A photo posted by Leemarc Lao (@leemarclao) on Nov 26, 2016 at 9:16pm PST

A photo posted by Helena Chu (@helena.chu) on Nov 27, 2016 at 10:21am PST

A photo posted by Chris Chen (@chriischenn) on Nov 27, 2016 at 8:49am PST

A photo posted by Naeem (@nnvv__) on Nov 27, 2016 at 6:32am PST

A photo posted by Sam Javanrouh (@wvs) on Nov 27, 2016 at 12:57am PST

A photo posted by Alice Lo (@alice_lo) on Nov 26, 2016 at 8:53pm PST

A photo posted by Jared Ploughman (@jaredploughman) on Nov 26, 2016 at 7:09pm PST

Welcome to the new version of blogTO. Yesterday, we flipped the switch on a new design for the site. But the changes go far beyond a new look and feel. For the last few years we've been working on building a completely new infrastructure for the site that will allow us to cover and share news and info about the city in entirely new ways.

So what's new?

At the core of what we've built is a new way for you to interact with all the content you see on the site. It's now simple to save articles or best of lists for future reference, save restaurants or shops you might want to visit or save events that you might want to attend. 

You can manage it all through your personalized dashboard.

Throughout the site we've added buttons to areas to make it seamless to share and save this content. For instance, we've reformatted the way we write about upcoming events so that you can easily add an event to your profile or calendar.

In the restaurants, cafes and other sections where we write about local businesses, we've made it easy to rate a place, create a to-do list of places you want to visit or keep a list of favourites for easy reference.

You can also now share photos that you've taken at places around the city. For business owners, you can keep the page that highlights your business fresh by uploading photos of your new menu, interior design or other updates.

Looking to get to know the city better? We've also updated our neighbourhood pages so you can discover all the great places to visit in Kensington Market or find the perfect cafe in Leslieville.

We've also made it easy to search for restaurants and otherlocalbusinesses. You can browse by neighbourhood or look up places by TTC subway stop, address or what's nearby your current location.

You can also filter results so you only see places that have landed on one of our Best of Toronto lists.

Too busy to check the site all the time? We've rolled out 4 new email newsletters that you can opt-in to get the latest news, find things to do, win stuff or participate in one of our photo challenges.

And there's more....

We're just at the early stages of what we're hoping to do with the site. While you may have come to know us for our lists, restaurant reviews or event listings, we're also changing the ways we create content in general, including our coverage of daily news and local stories that matter. 

And to our app users, we haven't forgotten about you. Our completely rebuilt iPhone app is coming out very soon and Android users, we'll finally have something for you too.

Got feedback or suggestions?

We get that changing something isn't always a popular move so if you have any feedback or suggestions, or just want to report a bug or error please reach out to us.

The site is freshly launched and we understand not everything is functioning 100% as it should yet. We're working hard to get out all the kinks to optimize your experience with the site.

A final thank you

We wouldn't be here without all of you, so thanks for taking the time to read about what we've been up to. A special thanks also has to go out to the team at Studio Function for the new look, Hipo for the many lines of code, Kevin for the server magic, the many freelancers we work with and our team of editors, writers and photographers for their passion and dedication to the site.

Today in Toronto is the very-much-sold-out Metallica concert at the Opera House. So instead of stressing out over getting into that show, why not concentrate on the other cool things happening in the city? Most notably, the Stevie Nicks show at the ACC. The mystical matron of pop brings her biggest hits to the massive venue for one night only.