No photography is allowed in The Nature of Diamonds exhibit (which is running until through March 2009), but I can tell you that you will find a huge amount of history and scientific information alongside the decadence. I found it particularly interesting to read about what’s being done to prevent "blood diamonds" with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which I will admit is one thing that has given this avid diamond lover much pause.

Beautiful examples of how diamonds have become symbols of wealth and importance, as well as the history behind De Beer’s famous A Diamond Is Forever slogan (which is still very much in part of their brand to this day) are fabulous reminders that history is cyclical, people will always love luxury and things will most certainly bounce back.

Image: Ian Irving on Flickr

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

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 figures reported $130,000 in gift-shop sales (25 per cent higher than projected), $26,000 in café sales (35 per cent higher than expected) and a fully booked slate of tables at the posh Frank restaurant. Staff also sold 521 memberships on-site.

While admission is no longer free, that also means the opening crowds will have tapered off at least a little. Let’s face it – while it’s one thing to wait in line to see a hotly anticipated movie on opening night, enjoying an art exhibit takes time to soak it all in.

Who really wants to rush anything as beautiful as this with thousands of people pushing through right next to you?

General Admission
Adults – $18
Senior (65 and over) – $15
Student (full-time with valid ID) – $10
Youth (ages 6–12) – $10
Children (5 and under with adult) – FREE
Members – FREE

For more information visit The AGO’s website.

(c) Andrew Currie on Flickr

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

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

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

Singles: For people that are single and traveling around the world, Toronto is a great city to visit.  In addition to all of the major tourist attractions that are available in the city, Toronto is also home to a very bustling entertainment district containing bars, nightclubs and various other forms of entertainment that tend to appeal to single people.

Married Couples: People that are married and traveling the world will love Toronto because it is home to many different world class landmarks.  Not only is it home to the CN Tower, but Casa Loma, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario are all considered world class aspects of the city and they are definitely things worth visiting.  There are also many great romantic destinations within the city that married couples could visit, including walkways, boat rides and restaurants with fantastic atmosphere.

Families: When reading through tourism guides for different cities as I did a few years ago, one thing I noticed time and time again was that a lot of cities are great for singles or couples, but not so hot when it comes to all around family entertainment.  Even if they did have such entertainment available, chances are the adults would probably feel like they were missing out on other things.  The great thing about Toronto however is that so many of the best attractions work just as well with families as they do with singles.  The CN Tower, SkyDome, Rogers Centre, Casa Loma, Royal Ontario Museum and many other major tourist attractions within the city are all family venues, allowing your family to have just as much fun in Toronto as you would by yourself.

Sports Lovers: Sports tourism is definitely an undertaking that I would like to try at some point.  That having been said, for the bunch of people that already do it, Toronto is definitely a place to visit.  Not only is it home to professional franchise in the highest leagues of soccer, baseball, basketball and hockey, but it is also home to dozens of minor sport teams, minor league teams in major sports and post secondary teams as well.  For a person that just generally loves sports and sporting events, Toronto is absolutely the place to be.

These are just four groups of people I came up with off the top of my head.  Feel free to suggest others and I’ll see what I can come up with as a starting point for them for a Toronto vacation!

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

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 regarding Henna painting.

Details

Event: Hands-on Henna workshop
Date: March 8, 2008
Time: 1 PM to 5 PM
Cost: $50 for members, $65 for non-members, $40 for students and $20 for materials
Location: Textile Museum of Canada, 55 Centre Avenue (MAP)
Closest Subway Station: St. Patrick Subway Station on the University Subway Line
More Info: 416-599-5321, advance registration is required at extension 2221

Venue

The Textile Museum of Canada has a history extending back more than 30 years to 1975 when it was originally incorporated as the Canadian Museum of Carpets and Textiles.  During the years of its existence, it has moved from humble beginnings in a small room in Mirvish Village all the way to being a full fledged museum with its own facilities located at 55 Centre Avenue.

Throughout its growth, the TMC has maintained a high level of quality when it comes to their presented collection and with a combination of good marketing skills and excellent events revolving around their many collected items, the Textile Museum of Canada has earned the right to be named amongst Toronto’s many and varied artistic venues.  Anyone that is interested in textile work should have the TMC on their visiting agenda as a must because it is truly a fantastic place to visit.

Their current collection is in excess of 12,000 items that come from over 200 regions of the world and represents one of only eight museums in the world solely dedicated to the collection and display of textiles and textile materials.

Event

At the Hands-on Henna workshop you will learn how to paint Henna designs on your body and you’ll learn all of the required preparation for doing such things.  In addition to that, some of the history regarding Henna painting internationally will be discussed.  According to the TMC, this event should be good for both adults and children over the age of 12, meaning that for some it can be an afternoon of family fun in addition to adding a new skill to your collection.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

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 the United States, Europe was practically obliterated.  The combination of amazingly artistic buildings and destruction all around was a rather interesting juxtaposition of the incongrous and Mohwald took advantage of this, turning destruction into opportunity and creating some of the most interesting ceramic works of her time.

Now, her collection has come to the Gardiner Museum.

Event: Gertraud Mohwald Exhibit

Date: Up to January 20, 2008

Cost: $10 to $19

Location: Gardiner Museum (map)

Nearest Subway Station: Museum (big surprise, eh?)

More Information: 416-586-8080

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

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 people that are interested in learning about other cultures it is definitely a site worth visiting.  The museum is just a short walk away from St. Patrick subway station, so it is definitely accessible should you wish to go.  The event itself is free, which is an added incentive for anyone looking to fill a slot of time with something interesting.

The opening remarks start at 6:45 PM sharp and the event itself goes until 8 or 9 PM depending on how many people are present.  More information about the event can be found by calling 416-599-5321.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler