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

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Photo Credit: Flickr

The Toronto Blue Jays will be wrapping up their series with the Red Sox today and on this last game of the series, it appears as if Roy Halladay will be taking the mound for the Blue Jays.  Facing off against the Blue Jays’ ace will be the ace of the Boston Red Sox, Josh Beckett.  This pitcher’s duel is likely not going to be seen that often this year even with the number of games the two teams play against each other, so be sure to tune in or head to the field and buy your tickets in order to see what promises to be an absolutely fantastic game!

As always, ticket prices range from $9 to $68 depending on where you want to sit within the Rogers Centre and they can be purchased directly from the Blue Jays website which I’ve included in the blogroll for your convenience .

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Photo Credit: Flickr

The Toronto Blue Jays are set to host the Boston Red Sox in the second of three games that the two teams will play against each other at the Rogers Centre.  The probable starter for the Toronto Blue Jays in this game is Jesse Litsch, who is coming off a breakout first season and hoping to continue some of that momentum into this year.  Tickets range from $9 to $68 depending on where in the stadium you want to sit and can be purchased directly from the Blue Jays website which is listed on the blogroll to the right.

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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.

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But, that aside, the Toronto Maple Leafs are set to play the Pittsburgh Penguins saturday evening at the Air Canada Centre.  Pittsburgh is one of the most exciting teams in the league to watch because of players like Crosby, Staal, Malkin, Armstrong, Christiansen and Gonchar and despite their low ranking of 12th in the east at the same time (with Toronto being ranked two places above then at 10th), I would be willing to argue that the Pens have a much better chance of making the playoffs this year than the Leafs do.

In any case, it will be an exciting game to watch, so make sure you’re by a television (or even at the centre if you feel like being there live) at 7pm saturday evening when the game starts.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs, recently on a streak of futility having lost their last three games after an excellent 3-0 win against the Ottawa Senators, are going to be hosting the Montreal Canadiens this evening at the Air Canada Centre.  Toronto has played reasonably well this year against the Habs with a 2-0-1 record against their historical rivals.  This game could be the chance the Leafs have to halt this losing streak here and do what they can to pick up the pieces of their season and try to get themselves back to within striking distance of a playoff spot by the all star break.

You can expect the pubs downtown to be packed with spectators for this game as a Montreal/Toronto matchup always draws the part-time hockey fans out of the works and into the pubs to watch.  Furthermore, since tickets are so expensive to watch the actual game itself, many of the pubs have promotions going on during game time in order to entice people out to watch the games at the pubs.  One pub near the University of Toronto has $0.25 chicken wings during each game and another pub in Scarborough near where I live has half-price appetizers during all games.  If you’re a fan of hockey then you’ll find little better than a matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, so make sure that you find a nice place to sit down and watch the two teams go at each other!

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With the Grey Cup ready to be awarded today in the heart of downtown Toronto at the Rogers Centre, take a moment and start your Grep Cup pre-game routine with a quick read through of CBC’s 2007 CFL Grey Cup preview.

Then, with a firm grasp on the teams and the players that are about to play for a spot in CFL history, take a look at the 2007 Warriors as chosen by CBC analyst Chris Walby.

And then finally, take a look at this map to find yourself a place to kick back and watch the game.  While only a handful of events are highlighted here, you can expect pubs all around the city to have the Grey Cup on television and therefore just a short walk anywhere in the downtown core will get you a seat to the big event.

Well, I think that covers everything in the last minute category of Grey Cup Fever; have fun watching the game and I’ll see you on the other side!

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

The Grey Cup is back in Toronto this year as the finals are going to be taking place in just a few hours. 

For those of you that are not familiar with the Grey Cup, it is the trophy awarded annually to the champion of the Canadian Football League.  The CFL has been around for decades and the Grey Cup almost as long and while Canada may not be thought of as a nation that has a lot of football fans, a quick trip to the Rogers Centre for the Grey Cup final will show you just how seriously CFL fans take their sport.

Considering that the Grey Cup is taking place this year inside the Rogers Centre in Toronto, it would have been nice if the Toronto Argonauts had managed to make it to the finals; such an event would have been cause for great celebration in the city, especially with the recent history of sporting failures that Torontonians have had to endure.  However, fate had decided something else and my beloved Argos fell 19-9 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in last week’s semi-final match.  That means that the Grey Cup Final will be between Saskatchewan and Winnipeg in the Rogers Centre.  Up to the time of the actual match starting, there will be performances and fun games for the family to play in and around the Rogers Centre and with tickets available to the match for as little as $20, if you are a football fan this is definitely something to consider attending.

More information can be found on the official CFL website or by calling 416-872-5000.

Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons

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The Maple Leafs have not been having the season they thought they would have and at this moment in time are already in a fight to retain a playoff spot this year.  The Bruins aren’t much better off and since both teams at the current moment are desperate for points, we can expect this match to be a very good one.  The Bruins and Leafs faced off last week in Boston and the Bruins got the best of the Leafs there with a 5-2 victory, but all of us loyal blue Leafs are predicting that the results will be different back here on the home turf!

Where: Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay Street

When: 7 PM

While the actual game starts at 7, the doors to the ACC open way before that for people that want to avail themselves of the free gaming facilities available at the ACC or for people that need to buy tickets.

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Probably the newest sports venue to be constructed within the City of Toronto, BMO Field is home to the newest member of Major League Soccer; the Toronto Football Club (Toronto FC for short).

There is not a whole lot to say about this field at the moment because of the newness of the venue, but if you are a soccer fan then you should definitely think about taking in a game if you happen to be in Toronto during the MLS season.  Toronto FC is not in contention at the moment, but at the same time they are also a fun team to watch!  As time goes on and the field finds its place within the plethora of Toronto sports venues, I’ll have more to say about it, but for now just be aware of the fact that Toronto has a major professional soccer team should that sport be a special love of yours.

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