Troy Ontario is a staggering hamlet with a population of about 60 located in Town of Flamborough in the Hamilton-Wentworth Region.  In other words, Troy is 33 km from Hamilton, 21 km from Brantford and 18 km from Cambridge Ontario. Four adults and two children enjoyed a Christmas Eve lunch at Troy Café. The value of the meal was pretty terrific. On the menu are interesting items like an Apple and Sausage Pasta, which despite the seemingly conflicting ingredients was a hit with our table. I personally had a steak sandwich — they called it something fancier — but it […]

Read more

Did you know that Niagara on the Lake has some of the best restaurants in Canada? There is a large number of eating establishments competing for the 3 million or so visitors we have each year. It is seasonal tourism with the most activity between April 1and November 30th. One unique feature of the town is that many of these restaurants are walking distance from your hotel or Bed and Breakfast. The accommodations are right downtown in close proximity to the restaurants. Fine dining facilities serve an excellent selection of local wines and often the chef will select a wine […]

Read more

The editors of this website asked local businesses for the essential recommendations for Sarnia. We asked them: “If you imagine that someone has come to you and they are on a totally tight time line, and asked you these questions, what would you tell them?” 1. Where should I eat that I should not miss in Sarnia? Answer:On the Front Restaurant … Front Street, Sarnia 2. If I only have time for one outdoor activity, what should I see or do in Sarnia? Answer:Winter: outdoor ice skating on Lake Chipican in Canatara Park…(off of) Christina St, Sarnia Summer: viewing the […]

Read more

With a full two weeks off from school in December, our daughter finds the house gets a bit small and confining. Here’s our list of winter diversions in and around Toronto: 1. Tobogganing! In Toronto, the big hill in Riverdale Park (a few blocks south of Broadview subway station, bordering the east side of the Don Valley) is classic, as is High Park, but since we’re fortunate enough to have a pretty hilly city, smaller hills also abound. 2. Head to the giant indoor waterpark at Niagara Falls. Several hotels connect directly to the waterpark and have package deals which […]

Read more

I haven’t been at the restaurant in quite some time and I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in to see some changes. What a difference a year makes. What always catches my eye is the big maple tree that’s in the middle of the restaurant. The menu and the decor have always changed. I proceeded into the newly renovated dining room and the view in there is spectacular. I was greeted at the entry by a pleasant waitress by the name of Rebecca. She promptly took my order and five minutes later my food was delivered to the table. […]

Read more

I moved to Toronto somewhat reluctantly a few years ago in order to study at the University of Toronto. Despite my reservations about moving to the big stale city (this is a viewpoint shared by many Westerners!), I’ve found nothing but great experiences, wonderful people and a vibrant cultural scene here. Let me tell you why culture in Toronto is booming… The opinion in general seems to be that the bigger the city, the less personal the cultural experience that one can enjoy there. In Toronto, from my perspective, because there are more events to choose from, it is simply […]

Read more

High Park is one of the great underrated pleasures of visiting Toronto … and half the fun is getting there. The efficient, but boring, way of getting to High Park is to take the Bloor-Danforth subway to High Park station, get off at the High Park Avenue exit, cross Bloor Street, and enter via the main entrance. But you’re in Toronto, and so you have no excuse for being boring … so try one of the alternative routes and see something of the city. The 506 College/Carlton streetcar will take you to High Park from downtown along College Street from […]

Read more

Toronto is a great city for walking, especially if you’re the kind of person who likes to explore urban spaces. Here’s a suggestion for a leisurely exploration of some of the more interesting parts of the Toronto‘s eastern downtown, combined with a look at some of the up and coming transitional parts of the city. (Although Toronto is generally a very safe city, you will probably feel more comfortable on some parts of this walk during daylight hours.) You can start anywhere and end anywhere, but for ease of reference I’m going to start at Union Station right downtown, and […]

Read more

In Part I of this article, I took you from Union Station through the St. Lawrence neighbourhood to Toronto‘s Distillery District. Now that you’ve had your refreshments at the Distillery District, you’re ready for Part II. From the Distillery District, walk north up Trinity Street to King St. E. Now you’re right in the middle of Toronto‘s old Irish Corktown neighbourhood, one of Toronto‘s oldest neighbourhoods and now one of the interesting transitional neighbourhoods. It’s now in a sort of process of re-gentrification, as old workers’ cottages on side streets become converted into highly desirable small urban abodes. As you […]

Read more

Fine dining is sometimes a hit-and-miss experience in Niagara, especially around the popular Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake areas near the border. There are lots of tourists who need to eat somewhere, and who have lots of money to throw around, and so frankly the competition is not always fierce. So if you have the time and inclination, I suggest getting away from Niagara central to visit wine country west of St. Catherines, near the rural farming towns of Beamsville, Vineland, and the like. One of our best wine country lunch experiences in Niagara has been in this area, at the […]

Read more