The Toronto Traveler

With the shaky economy and uncertainty in the air, it was quite a relief to take a moment this weekend and enjoy one of my favorite things: diamonds. Now, I may not have many of them (three, to be exact – my earrings and engagement ring), but I do love to linger around extravagant jewelry. There’s something so irresponsible and ridiculous about it all…which is fun to indulge in, especially when the cost is only the price of admission.
No photography is allowed in The Nature of Diamonds exhibit (which is running until through March 2009), but I can …read more

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Every morning for the last ten months I’ve walked past the AGO and witnessed a transformation from drab, uninspired building to an architectural wonder that is both delicate and impressive on an incredibly grand scale. Unlike the restoration of the ROM (which still bugs me every time I pass by), I was actually excited to see how things would come together…and to my delight, it’s come together beautifully.
Earlier this week, The Globe and Mail reported that last weekend’s free admission to celebrate the reopening was a huge success -
Despite forgoing admissions charges, the weekend proved profitable for the gallery. Official …read more

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Here’s a nice little video I found on YouTube, displaying the world famous gardens of Casa Loma.  These gardens are part of a larger castle structure that happens to be one of the bigger tourist attractions the city has.

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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 …read more

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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 …read more

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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, …read more

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The other day I was reading some newspaper articles regarding some of the news that had recently taken place within the city of Toronto and through unrelated tangents (just cuz my mind works like that), I came to the realization that Toronto really does have a lot to offer almost any group or demographic that wants to visit.  To give you an idea of exactly what I mean, here are some different groups of people and what I personally feel they could get out of a trip to Toronto.
 
Singles: For people that are single and traveling around the world, Toronto …read more

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Photo Credit: Henna painting by greatwhiteyakon Flickr
Henna decoration is big in Toronto, perhaps due to the large number of naturalized South Asian citizens that we have living here.  Henna decoration is a big part of the culture in countries like India and it’s ended up making its way into the Toronto culture as well, with Henna tattoos and paintings featuring largely in a number of different places as you walk around the city.  With more interest in this style of artistic expression, the Textile Museum of Canada has decided to help those interested learn how to get in the know …read more

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If you have no idea who Gertraud Mohwald is, don’t worry.  I actually didn’t either until I did the research for this post!  That might just be me showing my bias for events in the city that are musical in nature rather than artistic, but for all of you I’m making an effort to expand my horizons!
Gertraud Mohwald is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 1950s, as most of her work came through in the conditions of the post-war European continent.  In the wake of World War II and before the reconstruction efforts led largely by …read more

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In a series called Between the Sea and the Desert: The Many Cultures of North Africa, you can get the chance to view priceless North African cultural textiles that have been preserved and kept in pristine condition by the employees of the Textile Museum of Canada, located at 55 Centre Avenue at Dundas and University in the heart of downtown Toronto.

The Museum itself is not one of the better known attractions within the city of Toronto.  I’ve actually only been there once and while it’s not as impressive as the Royal Ontario Museum or the Art Gallery of Ontario, to …read more

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