Allan Gardens

Six months into winter, you learn to appreciate this sight more. It's been a long time since I walked into a glass house and felt so awed.

Picture from Blog.To

Hard to believe it was two degrees and snowing outside. Fingers crossed for a snow-less May!

The Joy of Doing Absolutely Nothing: Visit to the Toronto Islands

July 23, 2012

Ever since we got to Toronto, I've been philandering around town checking out my new home-city. My husband, on the other hand, has largely been to work. And back. And repeat. (Hey I've to get some sadistic kicks out of being in between jobs :)) 

To make up for the lost time and reward me for being such a patient uncomplaining dedicated wife (my words, not his, unfortunately), the husband whisked me off for a surprise all-day picnic on the Toronto Islands this Sunday. He'd bought flowers home on Friday, and done the laundry on Saturday, so this was the absolute icing on the cake. Yes, I'm aware that I'm super lucky :) He's a ridiculously good husband.

From Toronto.ca

We turned our mobile phones' data off, picked up some books, and went off to have a touristy picnic on the Toronto Islands. Over the course of the day, we walked the 7-ish km between the three islands, read a lot, and reveled in doing absolutely nothing. The islands themselves are beautiful - you can see the city if you look really hard, but largely you see trees on one side, the beach on the other. It's a writer's haven. I should take along a journal next time.

Visiting the islands gave us a chance to see, in person, how much the coastline of Toronto had changed over the years. The former lighthouse is now in the middle of a landlocked territory. It supposedly takes nature only 10 years to reclaim urban land if left unhindered. That's scarily impressive. Very Jumanji.

I was delighted with how superbly maintained it all is though. These are the things that your admittedly super-high income tax goes into preserving. While I haven't felt the pinch of my own salary being deducted yet, I can see how it's worth it when you're spending a Sunday unwinding. I also wondered, as always, when the Ontario Tourism Board's going to start seriously promoting eco-tourism. It'd be a definite hit.

Little Taste of Toronto: Little Italy + MMVA

June 16, 2012

The Event(s)

The Taste of Italy is a recurring annual event in the boisterous and lively neighborhood of… where else?...Little Italy. I’m a big fan of cheese (really, who isn’t?) and it remains my number one reason for not being completely vegan, so, as you can probably guess, I’ll happily line up when someone says ‘Italian.’

Combine lots of authentic Italian food with the robust tones of Italian music and you have an idyllic Sunday evening. After a quick round of the event, a friend and I planned to hit the much talked-about MMVA to check out the vibe. Co-hosted by LMFAO with pop music’s favorite love-to-hate boy Justin Bieber also performing, the event at Queen West definitely attracted Teen Toronto.

Me at the Event(s)

Though it would seem pretty apparent to everyone, I was rudely shocked when the streetcar I was on suddenly said it wouldn’t go any further because of the Taste of Italy festival. Irony of ironies. I ended up walking through the entire festival not once, but two times… once to get to where my friend was waiting, and another time to check it out full force. May I say, it was well worth the detour.

The energy in the area was palpable, and I kind of pitied my husband watching soccer alone at home, when he could be watching it at one of the crowded, noisy, superfriendly patios lining the road. Not all the food items on display were conventional Italian, but we managed to sneak in a couple of very authentic Gelatos. I cheated and got creamy ones which were practically ice creams. I live for sinful pleasures.

Picture courtesy Torontonicity.com

As for the MMVA… my GOD, was that area crowded! It was interesting to note the crowd that gathers when you combine free entrance with Justin Bieber on a Sunday with good weather. I have never seen that side of Toronto (ok, fine, I know I’ve been in the city for less than a month. What can I say?  It’s easy to get used to!) and it was a whole load of fun!

What I loved: The energy everywhere! With Sundays like this, your Monday blues are guaranteed to disappear.

What I didn’t love: The shooting at Little Italy the next day. This is the second shooting in Toronto in the short time that I’ve been here, and though I know the city’s supposed to be super safe and the law enforcement agents are doing all they can… it’s just sad. On a related note, Christine, a woman I briefly met online through Meetup, is organizing a fund to support the 13 year old boy who was caught unawares in the shootout at Eaton Center on June 1^st. Go here to learn more and spread the word.

Overall: I’m thinking of exploring one neighbourhood in Toronto thoroughly each month going forward. Good idea? Suggestions of what I should check out? Want to come with? Leave me a comment!