I’ve been dying to go to the Barbie Expo since it opened in Montreal. When a Canadian trip became preferable due to the pandemic, I jumped at the chance to finally visit! It’s a free exhibit inside a mall downtown. Les Cours Mont-Royal is steps away from Universel, which is one of my favourite restaurants for breakfast. Super convenient!
Montreal is one of my favourite cities to visit, right after New York, so I was excited when a family celebration led me to visit not only Montreal, but Ottawa too. The trip was made complete by good food, unique shopping and fun at the casino. The best part? Walking away a winner from the Michael Jackson: King of Pop slot machine.
We stayed at Le St-Martin Hotel Particulier, which is centrally located in the downtown core. Upon checking in, the front desk representative gave us complimentary cold water bottles, which was a nice bonus after a long trip.
Western University graduates Josh Stern and Russell Citron are inspiring Gen Y to pay it forward and people are listening. Their charitable initiative #FeedTheDeed discourages people from playing an online drinking game and encourages random acts of kindness.
#FeedTheDeed has sparked a huge conversation about the power of social media. Instead of producing videos of themselves chugging beer, #FeedTheDeed participants are donating blood, clothes and toys.
In the last 2 weeks, my Facebook news feed has been filled with photos and videos of friends distributing popcorn, coffee and TTC tokens. To extend the reach of #FeedTheDeed, participants are nominating friends, family and celebrities around the world. For example, Josh Stern nominated Canadian singer-songwriter Nikki Yanofsky and then she handed out candy in Montreal on Valentine’s Day.
I love Twitter. I like Starbucks.
When my friend Sam Pollack nominated me to #FeedTheDeed, this is what I did to support a few charities I care about:
I used Twitter to send Starbucks gift cards to Anaphylaxis Canada, Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Non-profit employees deserve to be rewarded for their hard work and I hope they will encourage more people to continue the chain.
Here are some ideas:
For more information, follow Kindness Counts on Facebook!
“The Prismatic World Tour is coming to light up some of my favorite North American cities this summer, as well as some new cities that you introduced me to through your video requests,” said Katy. “This colorful show will bring you all the songs you know as well as ones from my new album, PRISM.” Colourful would be an understatement though. Last time I saw Katy Perry, there were inflatable beach balls tossed around and “colourful” barely begins to describe her wardrobe.
Katy Perry’s coming back to Toronto this summer, so you can bet there will be thousands of fans roaring with excitement at the Air Canada Centre in July. Opening acts will include Capital Cities, Kacey Musgraves and Tegan and Sara, although unfortunately my favourite twins (aside from Mary-Kate & Ashley) will not be joining Katy in Toronto. Instead, local Katycats can watch Capital Cities perform hits like Safe and Sound.
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dtFZ8CFo8′]
Molson Amphitheatre hosted an amazing concert with the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty on Thursday night. The Goo Goo Dolls were up first and played many of their big hits, including Slide and Black Balloon, but the crowd didn’t stand up until they started singing Iris.
Although it was disappointing that the two bands were never on stage together, they were both incredible. The Goo Goo Dolls’s music is more rock-heavy, whereas Matchbox Twenty’s set list was more mellow. Going to the nearly sold out concert was the perfect way to satisfy my nostalgia for the 90s and the crowd of 15,000 fans seemed to agree.
Typically that would’ve been enough live music to keep me happy for a few months, but then I went to another concert Friday night in Montreal. Just in time for Canada Day, Feist opened the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
TD was a prominent sponsor, which made sense considering their large presence seen at the Molson Amphitheatre on Thursday night, where they gave out neon green wristbands printed with a #TDmusic hashtag.
Feist took the stage a few hours after my VIA Rail train arrived, so it was very good timing. (Have I mentioned that taking the train is the best way to travel?) I’m not a huge Feist fan, but I’m always down for a good free concert, not to mention the opportunity to support Canadian musicians.