Category: Toronto

Plutarch wrote that Alexander the Great sought “to combine foreign things with things Greek.” Though more sensational than historically accurate, one could imagine Plutarch’s fictitious version of Alexander visiting Toronto’s Greektown today, laying down his sword and exclaiming, “Eureka!” And why not? “The Danforth,” as it is affectionately called by locals, is not only the largest Greek diaspora neighbourhood in North America, it has also become one of the city’s most cosmopolitan areas, making it one of Toronto’s hottest tourist destinations. Recently ranked the 3rd Greekest Place in North America, this vibrant, must-see neighbourhood, stretching along Danforth Avenue between the […]

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Carrot Common 348 DanforthAn oasis of Health & Wellness Shops tucked away in a peaceful little courtyard, featuring health foods, minerals, gourmet coffee, organic juices, massage products, books, unique jewellery and clothing, and much more. The 2nd floor is home to a host of wellness services such as massage, shiatsu, aromatherapy, acupuncture, reiki, and yoga classes. Climb up further and discover the tranquility of the Carrot Green Roof & Garden, with 8000 square feet of vegetation and garden exhibits. Moss 544 DanforthBilling itself as a “Canadian-owned-and-operated lifestyle store,” Moss offers indoor and outdoor gems for your home or cottage, everything from […]

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The Bata Shoe Museum is a fairly new (1995) place to check out in Toronto. The obvious question for people with no sense of fashion (e.g. me) is “how could there be enough about shoes for a museum?” Well, I’m a nincompoop on that point. I was drawn in on the first level to the early history of shoes and how different ancient cultures took shoes from foot protection to haute couture. There was a floor dedicated to high Arctic clothing and footwear that showed just how smart indigenous peoples were at working with the available material. This leads us […]

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This place has great ice cream. It’s close to the original old part of Oakville near the lake on Lakeshore Rd W. We had the great fortune to go during a work day when it was quiet. As you can see from the photos, there are a ton of flavours and many not typical, like Sicilian Pistachio. However, you could tell by how the place is arranged, it’s rigged up for line ups. So you if you go at a popular time, be aware and plan for patience. For more information see: www.ladolcevitaoakville.com

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Bloor West Village in Toronto runs from High Park to Jane St on Bloor St. West. It’s an interesting walk to take and you’ll never know what you’ll bump into. The shot below is a gift shop specializing in Lavender. The other photo is of a church called St. Olaves. Is this the plural of Olaf? We did find an old fashioned book store, Book City. It was nice to be able to browse a variety of titles instead of insanely clicking online. I forget the name of the store, but it specialized in storage stuff and I bought a […]

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It was a very hot holiday Monday in Toronto and the decision for dinner was to do pot luck at our rented apartment. For fresh foods, it was suggested the Sorauren Farmers’ Market could provide what we need. This market is tucked in the Roncesvalles/Parkdale neighbourhood and is open even on holiday Mondays, which worked out well for us. The market features we took advantage of was some wonderful sourdough bread, sugar pears, water buffalo cheese and awesome perogies from very authentic people. Enjoy the snacks! westendfood.coop/market soraurenpark.wordpress.com/park-features/farmers-market/

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When you visit Ajax you may not be inclined to think about Sushi, especially along the mall lined Kingston Road. But Makimono near Salem Road, which is in a mall, is a decent choice. The portions are pretty large – my dynamite roll was bigger than I expected and the Udon was good. There were six of us at the restaurant and I did see some confusion from the staff over the orders. Nothing was wrong, but things were being handed to the wrong people. That aside, if you are looking for Sushi, this will work. See these for more […]

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Rare timing allowed me to hang with a friend in the Bay and Bloor area of downtown. She lives in one of the older towers tucked in between Bay and Yonge Streets. It had been many years since I visited the neighbourhood and as I drove in (slowly) on Bloor Street, Toronto looked familiar to me until I came close to Yonge. Then strange new buildings greeted me and I almost lost my bearings. Once I had hidden my car in underground parking, we went for a walk – not very far as there was a heat advisory in place […]

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The original name for Kelsey’s includes the suffix “Original Roadhouse”. It was a frosty January night when we visited Kelsey’s on Kingston Road in Ajax. I can’t recall when or if I ever went to one. It was not busy, but they were dealing with a bus load (literally) of people. We were seated in a booth in the bar area, which was quiet. The service was slightly slow because keeping on top of such a large group was challenging. But our server was friendly and surprisingly honest. My brother ordered a dish that she could not recommend. It had […]

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Fionn MacCool’s on Front Street in Toronto was a nice quiet place for a drink when visiting on an afternoon between Christmas and New Year’s. My suspicion is that it’s not so quiet at other times! Our objective was to catch up with a Toronto friend while waiting for other friends who were seeing a show at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. As reasons for drinking in an Irish pub go, I had seen White Christmas a couple of days earlier and thought, “Well, it’s not good, but it’s a reason.” I like trying local brews and was not disappointed by […]

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