The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (TOAE) can easily claim to be one of the oldest annual traditions within the City of Toronto.  It’s certainly one of the oldest contemporary traditions, with 2008 being the 47th year in which the exhibition is being held.

One of the reasons that people tend to find the TOAE so special is the fact that it is a rarity not just in Toronto, but across all of Canada as well.  It is an exhibition taking place completely outdoors, allowing people to walk around one of the biggest outdoor squares in Toronto, taking in the great weather as well as the beautiful works of art.

The TOAE takes place in Nathan Phillips Square, which is located in the heart of downtown Toronto.  It’s about equidistant from both the Queen and Osgoode Subway Stations and is around many other Toronto attractions, allowing you to easily combine a visit to the TOAE with other events you might want to visit on the same day.

Admission to the TOAE is completely free and the exhibition will be held on Friday July 11 (10 AM to 8 PM), Saturday July 12 (10 AM to 7 PM) and Sunday July 13 (10 AM to 6 PM).

Overall, it’s expected that around 500 different artists will be showcasing their works at the various displays available around the square and the styles of art are expected to encompass everything under the Sun.  Many of the artists will be recognizable to people that follow the art industry whereas many of the others will be complete unknowns or alternatively students looking to make some cash to help pay the next year’s tuition.  It’s this melding together of the known and unknown that is one of the reasons that this year’s exhibition is expected to draw over 100,000 visitors during the 3-day event.

More information about this event is available on the TOAE 2008 website, including a list of artists, gallery of past events and contact information.

Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Pancakes are most definitely wonderful things.  Whenever I have a bit of extra time in the morning I love making them just because getting the chance to sit down and devour them is so amazing.

Whether you take your pancakes plain or with syrup and butter however, you can start the day off right with a Free Pancake Breakfast courtesy of the City of Toronto!

Starting at 8:30 in the morning on May 26th, the City of Toronto will be holding the 19th Annual Pancake Breakfast.  It started off as an event to promote the use of environmentally friendly means to get to work, but it has since become much more than that.  They maintain the event on a Monday however in order to allow people to start their work week off in a fun way, but tourists are invited as well!

Breakfast will be served at Nathan Phillips Square which is right in front of City Hall.  It will go until one in the morning, so even if you don’t have time to stop in for breakfast, you can stop in for a delicious late night snack on your way back home.

Not only will pancakes be served, but there will also be fair-trade coffee created organically, croissants, fruit and the condiments to go along with each food or drink item.  All of the plates and utensils will be fully biodegradable, allowing you to eat to your heart’s content without having to worry about how to dispose of the items afterward.

At the same time as the breakfast is going on, there will be an Open Air Fair for people to take in, where you can meet a number of the more environmentally minded people in the local community.  Overall, it promises to be a fun event.  And hey, getting free stuff is always nice!

Photo Credit: Flickr

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

The City of Toronto is a very diverse place and even when you are not at one of the major tourist attractions, you have the chance to see something spectacular.  If you’re interested in a way to tour the city as us locals see it, then I’ve come with a way that you might be able to do that for a very reasonable price.

I call it touring the city on the TTC.  All you have to do is get on a bus or streetcar route that goes by a number of places that you want to see and then either stay on the vehicle the whole time (paying just $2.75 for your trip) or get off at various intervals to see different things, getting back on the next bus or streetcar when you feel like leaving.  Because a day pass on the TTC is $9, you’ll never actually end up paying for more than 4 trips, so this is a great way to save some money if you really want to get down into the cultural underpinnings of the city that prop up the great tourism industry it enjoys.

The 506 Streetcar

Route 506 is a streetcar route known colloquially as the Carlton Streetcar.  While TTC copyright prevents me from posting a route map of the streetcar, you can check out a list of TTC routes and select 506 from the drop-down menu in order to get the map of the route I’m talking about.  Essentially, the route starts in the west on College and continues along Carlton and Gerard, covering about 2/3 of the East-West subway line that the city has.  It’s a particularly fun trip to take because of the ease of sitting down on streetcar during off hours and staring out the window at the world going by.

Highlights of the Trip

College and Ossington

College and Ossington is the first place that I’d like to point out.  It’s the first of the highlights that you reach if you’re coming from the West and the last if you’re coming from the East.

What makes this particular intersection so interesting is that it happens to be the heart of the Portuguese community in Toronto and for that reason mixes immigrants from both Portugal and Brazil in order to create a flair that is probably unique to the City of Toronto.  You can eat at both Portuguese and Brazilian restaurants and buy music and drink that originated in both countries.  The people in this area are extremely friendly and I still have the Brazil soccer jersey I purchased at one of the stores here a decade ago.

College and Spadina

Not soon after you’ve crossed out of the Portuguese area of the city, you’ll come to College and Spadina (assuming you’re coming from the West).  There are two things in particular that warrant interest about this intersection and they are both things that I get the pleasure of enjoying whenever I’m at the University.

The first of those things, as the previous sentence implied, is the University of Toronto St. George campus.  If you want to tour the university, then getting off either at this stop or at the next one is a great place to start and even if you don’t want to tour the university you can get some good shots of the campus as it looks from College Street right from the seat on your streetcar.

In addition to that, there is also Chinatown on Spadina south of College.  While getting a picture would be hard from the streetcar (you only get a brief glimpse as the streetcar goes through the intersection), you can certainly get off and walk a bit to encounter restaurants, clothing stores and souvenir shops that all have an Oriental flair.

Gerard and Coxwell

Gerard and Coxwell is the final intersection/area I’d like to draw your attention to, because it is the heart of the South Asian community in Toronto.

Whether you are interested in figures and sculptures such as the ones depicted in the picture or great food cooked in one of the many South Asian culinary styles, Gerard and Coxwell is definitely where you want to start your search.  There are literally hundreds of different establishments with a South Asian theme that are in walking distance of this intersection.  That makes it the final highlight of the 506 streetcar route.

Final Thoughts

While touring the city using public transit is not exactly the most conventional thing for a tourist to do, I think that many people would find it a fun exercise if they give it a chance.  For just $9 (make sure you buy the day pass if you want to get off at all three highlight locations), you can do the following things:

- Start at High Park and take pictures in one of the most beautiful natural areas of the city

- Visit three of the major cultural areas within the city

- Take time out of your day to relax on a scenic trip even if you don’t want to get off the streetcar

- Have access to dozens of different authentic foreign cuisine types

- Fit some genuine interaction with Toronto residents into a 1-2 hour chunk of your day that otherwise would have been spent doing nothing

If you’re up to it, touring the city on a bus or streetcar can be an extremely cost effective and authentic experience.  The 506 is by no means the only bus or streetcar route that gives you this chance, but it is most definitely one of the most intense.

Photo Credit: Flickr (Streetcar Starbucking), Flickr (college/ossington), Flickr (Spadina x College), Flickr (Sacred Hindu Cows)

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Are you interested in visiting Toronto sometime in the near future?  Well, whether you’re planning to drive across the border from the US, hop into Pearson International Airport from another continent or simply take a bus or train ride into the city from elsewhere in Canada, the upcoming weekend of May 24th and 25th should be your top priority when doing the scheduling.  The reason for this is that a great event will be taking place during this time. 

Known as Doors Open Toronto, this event will showcase some of the best of the city as 150 buildings will open their doors to the public over the weekend.  These include places that show off Toronto’s distinct multicultural heritage and religious diversity as well as the historical heritage that the city has come to be proud of over the years of its existence.  Some of these buildings would not normally be open to tourists because of their private nature, but during Doors Open Toronto you can tour them to your heart’s content.

Event Details

Doors Open Toronto 2008 is the 9th incarnation of this event and it is going to be the biggest one yet.  Admission to all of the buildings participating under Doors Open Toronto is completely free during the May 24-25 weekend.  To get an idea of how remarkable that is, every single building on the list is either a building that would not normally be open to the public during those hours or alternatively would charge an entrance fee for you to enter.  However, during the weekend that Doors Open Toronto is going on, admission is free and accessibility is universal.

More information about the event can be found by visiting the Doors Open Toronto Website, by e-mailing doorsopen@toronto.ca or by phoning 416-338-0628.

Buildings on Display

A full list of buildings on display is readily available from the Toronto City Website, but in looking over it I’ve come up with some highlights that I think warrant special attention:

Allan Gardens, located on 19 Horticultural Avenue, is one of the premier botanical garden sites in Toronto.  It was created in an act of philanthropy more than fifteen decades ago and ever since that time it has been a must see site within the City of Toronto.  During Doors Open Toronto, it will be open on both days from 10 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon.

The City of Toronto Archives is a site that doesn’t get mentioned much in traditional tourism, mostly because access to the archives is restricted by the city’s governing council.  However, all of the information that you could ever want to know about Toronto’s rich cultural and historical tradition can be found inside the archives and for people that love to totally immerse themselves in a city both past and present, the accessibility to the archives during Doors Open Toronto is an opportunity that can’t be missed.  The archives will be open on Saturday from 10 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon and will be closed on Sunday.  It is located on 255 Spadina Road.

There’s no specific reason for me to mention these two out of the 150 that will be available aside from the fact that I haven’t covered either before on The Toronto Traveler.  The fact of the matter is that every single site on the list is an important one for understanding Toronto, so you can quite easily scan the list and pick out the buildings that interest you the most.

Photo Credit: Flickr, Flickr

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Toronto, like many of the other cities, is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of many different pools around the city.  Swimming is a great exercise to pursue if you are in the city not only because it is extremely fun for the whole family, but also because swimming is considered one of the best forms of exercise you can do; it works all of the muscles in your body.  This combination of fun and fitness makes it the perfect tourist activity and in Toronto during the summer there is no dearth of places for you to go if you’d like to swim.  The swimming areas in Toronto are divided into four distinct areas, each with its own set of rules and opportunities.

Some General Rules

Here are some general swimming rules to be followed when you are in one of the city pools:

- Those with serious medical conditions should consult a doctor before swimming and should also have someone with them that understands their condition; they should also notify the lifeguard before entering the pool

- Children seven years of age or older need to use the change room of their own gender, unless special arrangements are made with the pool staff beforehand

- No street shoes are allowed in the shower or in the deck areas and a pre-swim shower is recommended in order to keep the pool clean

- Using devices like cell phones is prohibited anywhere in the change room or washroom

- Children 5 years of age and under must have at least one adult supervising per two children; Children 6-9 years have that ratio at four to one unless they can pass the faculty’s swim test in which case they may swim alone.

Different Pools

There are dozens of different pools across the city (both indoor and outdoor) available to people that are interested in grabbing a swim.  The city catalogues their pools through the use of four different regions.  The links below will lead you to a listing of pools and special events being put on by each region during the upcoming summer months:

Etobicoke Region
East York Region
Scarborough Region
North York Region

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Monsoon is a Japanese restaurant located in Toronto.  However, their menu is a little bit different as it combines the great Oriental cuisine that we’ve all come to know and love with North American influences in order to create a final taste sensation that is wholly unique.

Location

Monsoon is located at 100 Simcoe Street, which places it very close to the intersection of Adelaide Street West and University Avenue (MAP).  It is also just southwest of the Osgoode Subway Station located on the University line at Queen Street West and University Avenue.  If you’re traveling there by subway, simply get off at Osgoode Station, walk west along Queen Street until you get to Simcoe and then walk south on Simcoe until you get to number 100.

Interior

The interior of Monsoon is one of the coolest experiences that you can get in the city.  The overall restaurant seats 150 people in a subterranean setting with a dark ambiance that is partly the effect of the lighting and partly the effect of the colours used in decoration.  If you want to get an up close and personal tour of the restaurant’s interior, simply visit Monsoon’s website and take a look through their gallery of pictures, conveniently presented to you in slide show format.

Food and Drink

The main reason to go to Monsoon is ultimately the quality of the food that they have.  They have menus for lunch, dinner, corporate events and weddings.  Their lunch menu features such excellent dishes as Asian Salmon Tartar and Indochine Spiced Sirloin Beef, while for dinner you can get entrees like Kobe Beef and Organic Vietnamese Pork Tenderloin.  The menu also has wonderful selections for the vegetarian-minded, with vegetarian dishes such as the Butternut Squash Gnocchi clearly marked on the menu.  Monsoon also offers a large assortment of wines for you to choose from, allowing you to get the perfect wine to go with your meal.

Other Useful Information

Reservations can be booked online through the Monsoon Restaurant Website, with reservations for normal parties and large groups required.  More information on Monsoon Restaurant can be discerned through a visit to their website or alternatively through phoning them at 416-979-7172. 

The Monsoon Restaurant, like the recently blogged about Mink Nightclub in Toronto, is one of Toronto’s happening hotspots.

Photo Credits: Flickr, Flickr

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

One of the things I haven’t talked that much about on The Toronto Traveler is the outdoors in Toronto.  Most of the things I mention are either places you can visit or things you can do inside one of the many buildings located in the city, but I have yet to discuss something that you can do outside if you’re just looking for some time to kill or want to get some fresh air.  Well, there are many great places that you can walk in Toronto, but one that should definitely get first mention because of its close proximity to many of the main tourism areas in the city is Philosopher’s Walk.

Beautifully crafted thoroughfares like the one shown to the left are commomplace in Philosopher’s Walk, which is a walkway that starts on Bloor Street West between the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Royal Ontario Museum and continues southward to Hoskin Avenue.  The walk itself is only a few minutes long, but it gives you a chance to bask in a beautiful walkway and take the pulse of the city in a very real way.  It also gives you the chance to encounter a number of people.  University students, music performers, city residents that live nearby and tourists walk back and forth through Philosopher’s Walk all day and with the benches that are available for your use you can just sit there and watch them come and go.  It is a great place to reflect and a great place to relax.

One final point that is worth mentioning about Philosopher’s Walk is the fact that it allows you to branch off and visit many of the other nearby areas.  In addition to being able to visit the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Royal Ontario Museum, you can also go take a look at the University of Toronto’s Varsity Arena and field as well as tourisn some of the nearby campus buildings, most notably the very beautifully constructed Trinity College.

Philosopher’s Walk is also located walking distance from St. George, Bay and Museum Subway Stations; if you check out the subway line map and take a look at many of my past posts, you will notice that these three subway stations form part of the downtown core where most of the action takes place vis-a-vis tourist attractions in Toronto.  That is the main reason why Philosopher’s Walk is shorter than normal, but there are other places in Toronto where you can take a really long walk without stopping that I will talk about in later posts.

Photo Credits: Flickr, Flickr, Flickr

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Toronto is a city with lots of fantastic artwork attached to it.  Sometimes, as in the case of the above photo, the artwork manifests itself on one of the walls of the city or some other such public place.  However, in most cases, to see great Canadian art you have to head to one of the many artistic venues in the city such as the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, which from now on will also occupy a place on The Toronto Traveler’s blogroll.

The MOCCA as it’s known for short is exactly what the name implies and between May 2, 2008 and June 1, 2008, they are going to be having an exhibition of art entitled Between Memory and History: From the Epic to the Everday.  Here is a partial list of people that will have works on display at the event:

Raymonde April

Raymonde April is indicative of the large pool of French Canadian artistic talent that Canada is privileged to have.  She’s one of the contemporary photographic artists that Canada has built a reputation for turning out and ever since she got her start in 1979, her photographs have been in high demand for display around the country.

Robert Burley

Robert Burley, like Raymonde April, is a design photographer and one that has been working for over two decades.  According to his website, the work he does explores the relationship between nature, architectures and the overall urban landscape.  He has many excellent pictures that deal with the meat of this conceptual area, including very awe-inspiring pictures of large pockets of nature next to significantly smaller urban areas.

Martin Parr

Martin Parr is a man that refers to himself as the “chronicler of our age.”  He is a man that has been highly critical of mainstream media photography and serves to counter that photography with what he refers to as “criticism, seduction and humour.”  This gives us a chance to take a look at his interpretation of many famous media shots over time and that in itself is a very interesting thing to do.

MOCCA’s Location

MOCCA is located at 952 Queen Street West, which puts it at a major intersection nearest to Queen Street West and Ossington Avenue.  This is actually somewhat far away from the Subway, although there are busses that run along Ossington Avenue from Ossington Subway Station on the Bloor-Danforth line as well as streetcars that run along Queen Street that intersect both the Yonge and University Subway Lines, so the TTC coverage to this particular location is still extensive.

Summary

Event: Between Memory and History: From the Epic to the Everday
Location: Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), 952 Queen Street West
Dates: May 2, 2008 to June 1, 2008
Museum Hours: 11 AM to 6 PM Thursday-Sunday, closed Monday
Admission: Free to the gallery
More Information: 416-395-7490 or mocca@toronto.ca

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Photo Credit: Scarborough Canada Day from cbcstreetteams on Flickr

Click here for a map of Thomson Park

In honour of this month’s Travel & Culture Theme Day, I thought I’d talk about a park in Toronto that I’ve been to many times.  Thomson Park is one of the premier parks in the city and since it also happens to be walking distance from my house, that works out pretty well for me!  I’ve travelled around most of the continent and I’ve rarely seen a combination of natural beauty and community spirit as good as the one that Thomson Park has going.

First and foremost, Thomson Park is a monument of natural beauty situated right within the Scarborough suburb of Toronto.  It’s just over 50 acres in terms of the total area of the park and this allows seclusion for people that want it from the rest of the events that go on daily.  There are many trails available for hiking, roller blading or bike riding and you can easily lose yourself inside the park’s trails for a day if that’s your idea of relaxation.

For the people that are interested more in the group outdoor activities, then the fact that Thomson Park has a number of amenities to facilitate that should be something to take notice of.  With public parking, picnic areas and washrooms all located within easy walking distance of each other, there are many families that choose to make Thomson Park part of a weekend afternoon spent with each other.  There’s also a playground for the kids and during the summer months a public pool that everyone can enjoy.

If you’re sports orientated, then you can have your pick from baseball, football, rugby, soccer or tennis facilities or you can even just head out into the field and come up with a de facto field for any other game that you might want to play.  There’s enough room to accommodate over a dozen different games going on at the same time and it’s a good thing too because of how often the park is used.

All in all, Thomson Park is one of the great outdoor places located within Toronto and since it’s also one of my favourite places in the city to go, I thought it would make a good Nature Theme Day addition.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Cary Fagan is a children’s author whose most famous book is Ten Old Men and a Mouse.  The book has sold reasonably well in North America, so it is quite possible that your child has read it and is a fan of Cary Fagan already.  In any case, Fagan is scheduled to speak at the North York Central Library on November 23rd at 10 AM.  If your child would like to meet Cary Fagan or simply would just like to meet a children’s author that has the power to inspire awe in children of all ages, then this would definitely be a cool event for you to attend with the family.  Admission is free, which is another incentive to attend.

The North York Central Library is located near Mel Lastman Square which in turn happens to be right next to North York Centre subway station (isn’t it awesome how everything in Toronto is close to a subway station?).  I’ve never been to the library, but I have been to Mel Lastman Square and it is a pretty cool place, named after one of the more recent mayors of Toronto.

If you want more information about this event, you can get it by phoning 416-395-5535.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler