Browsing Tag

Toronto

Free Family Fun at Ashkenaz Festival

Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre and theatre seem inseparable because TheatreKids was my first foray into arts camps, where I played one of ‘The Women in Blue’, among other roles. I loved doing activities on the waterfront and I daydreamed about larger events happening on their multiple outdoor stages.

Today marks the first day of the ninth biennial Ashkenaz Festival celebrating local talent while engaging Toronto’s Jewish community. The event ultimately caters to anyone open to learning about multiculturalism, especially artsy premiere-hungry folk anxiously counting down to TIFF.

If you’re heading out-of-town for Labour Day weekend, then stop by Indigo Manulife on Bloor to hear and see the North American premiere of OPA! on Thursday. Any event at Indigo is a fabulous way to spend your lunch break, especially one filled with lively music!

I suspect a major Festival highlight will be Sharon and Bram performing such hits as ‘Skinnamarink’. You can catch them at Harbourfront’s Redpath Stage on September 2 in front of a huge nostalgic crowd. And people wonder why I still love elephants…

Also, if hype surrounding snacks at The Ex is making you hungry, you may want to hear about food from award-winning author Michael Wex on September 3. The talk is free, so you can save your cash for a treat at Aroma afterwards.

Check out the Ashkenaz Festival’s full schedule to decide where and when you’ll be playing Jewish geography this weekend.

August 28, 2012 by

Coldplay Presents: Paradise at the ACC

When musicians offer concertgoers not just a phenomenal performance, but a souvenir too, it sure makes you feel like you’re in paradise.

Pun with Coldplay’s song lyrics intended, as that’s precisely how I felt last night at the Air Canada Centre, where I received a special Xyloband. With my cell phone stashed away in my purse, the stadium was brighter than usual each time the tech crew activated fans’ Xylobands; no one needed to wave lighters or waste cell phone batteries as they swayed their arms – the special bands imported from the UK did justice and then some.

If you missed the show, here are the highlights of my concert photos:

July 25, 2012 by

Nuit Blanche

When I’m at school in London, I long for exploring Toronto’s sprawling downtown core, whether it is for shopping, dining or entertainment. Hence, when I went home I was elated to finally experience Nuit Blanche.

After returning home from a shopping excursion over the border, I refuelled with my second Starbucks pumpkin spice latte of the day, this time with an extra shot of espresso. I refused to let a lack of sleep put a damper on participating in one of Toronto’s largest cultural events.

Once my friend and I exited Dundas subway station, we were confronted with food trucks selling cotton candy and corn on the cob, which immediately brought back memories of The Ex. Though I was familiar with my surroundings, Toronto’s downtown atmosphere had been completely transformed into an artsy extravaganza. There were at least three couples square dancing in the street, friends posing for photos all over the place, and street performers galore.

Tweets from friends and overall hype about Nuit Blanche assured me that there were exciting surprises and attractions to come. More importantly, I’m thankful that I skimmed the Twitter stream on the official event website because I’m grateful to whoever recommended wearing gloves! Boy, did they come in handy. Pun intended. I wish I’d twitpic’d and captured it on camera when I walked by a convenience store with a storefront sign that read, “Ice Sold Here” because that was the last thing anyone wanted when they’d pulled out winter jackets (or hoped that they did) for the first time since March or April.

My three favourite exhibits were Honey, I’m Home, inspired by 90’s sitcoms; Observer FX, a multimedia installation that offered commentary about surveillance; and McLuhan’s Massage Parlour, inspired by Marshall McLuhan’s work.

If you’re looking for Nuit Blanche GIFs to share on your Tumblr page or forward to co-workers, The Grid has you covered. I’ll admit that as I reviewed the GIFs, a couple of the male artists closely resembled male artists I’d seen at other exhibits – it must be because they fit the Queen West [West] stereotypical hipster mould.

This techie would be an exception however; he seemed like a cool guy:

Special thanks to She Does the City and Notable for their lists of recommended exhibits! Including the location of each was much appreciated while planning my night out. Unfortunately the Nuit Blanche BlackBerry app is incompatible with my temporary loaner phone, but I managed to navigate the downtown core without difficulties. The truth is that when it’s so cold outside, you don’t want to be taking your gloves off to use your phone, so I did minimal live tweeting.

October 12, 2011 by

Second Helpings, Please!

After two days of enjoying some of the best recipes in Second Helpings, Please!, a staple in any Jewish home, with my family, I tasted new concoctions by Chef Jason Bartenger at the Oliver and Bonacini Canteen in the TIFF Bell Lightbox. There, I reunited with ladies whom I’ve affectionately categorized online as the “Indigo Tweets Crew”. For this reunion dinner however, there were not even any Indigo employees present! They were greatly missed though, especially by those of us who hadn’t seen Captain Awesome (aka Cammy, the author of @indigogreenroom tweets, who arranges for fans to meet celebrities across Canada) at the Word on the Street Festival last weekend.

Jennifer, a librarian technician at Humber College who made tonight’s reservations, showed off her new “practical, yet sexy” pumps from Naturalizer, which received the group’s stamp of approval for being stylish too. If only I had been on the other side of the table to capture it on camera when she pulled one off to show us… That was a funny moment, right there in the restaurant on a Friday night. Oh well. It just goes to show you how after meeting each other only once or twice at Indigo events, we already share a great camaraderie.

The reunion dinner couldn’t have been scheduled much later in the fall because after exploring all that Toronto has to offer, including a gig working at CTV, Elizabeth is returning home to Newfoundland this week! Hopefully she’ll be able to squeeze in a trip to the theatre to see Kim Cattrall on stage, which is on my to-do list as well, time permitting. It has already been agreed that a tweet up will be built around her next visit to Toronto. Plus, I just documented it, so now it’ll for sure have to happen!

Oh yes, and then there’s the food, i.e. the scrumptious platters that Chef Bartenger delivered to us himself, accompanied by detailed explanations of the ingredients and preparation. There’s a reason we returned to eat at the Lightbox and it wasn’t just because of the chef’s good looks.

Tonight marked the first time I’ve ever had a beet salad and liked it and I wasn’t alone in loving each piece topped with Greek yogurt and granola.

Servings of flatbread, chicken pate, steak tartare and frites with grated cheese were also slid down the table in between us and enjoyed by all. At this point, the menus doubling as placemats beneath our plates had been nearly forgotten about, but we continued to indulge by ordering beef brisket sandwiches, scallops and desserts, including a root beer float. The float was also served to an eleven year old birthday girl upstairs who apparently has impeccable manners and an excellent vocabulary, or at least that’s the word on the street.

There was some conversation about book signings, recent purchases and the new augmented reality interactive experiences offered by Indigo, but there was surprisingly little talk about social media at all this time. We were simply 8 friends gathered in downtown Toronto, unwinding at the end of the week and enjoying each other’s company before returning to our regular routines as students, young professionals, teachers and mothers.

At the the end of the evening, as we reached for our coats and decided to institute our tweet up as a quarterly event, Jennifer generously offered tickets to a blogger event. Things like that just don’t happen in London, Ontario, nor does the event Word on the Street I’m afraid.

Marketing professionals are continually seeking ways to make their initiatives appear organic. There’s something quite authentic about women feeling inspired by a corporate-sponsored event to coordinate their own that’s equally as intimate as the first by using the tool that brought us all together in the first place: Twitter.

October 1, 2011 by

Let’s Go To The Ex!

I haven’t been to The Ex in about five years, so I was excited to return and take advantage of working within such close proximity to the CNE grounds. From concerts and performances to midway games and small roller coasters, the CNE has something for everyone.

Some game operators were quite aggressive in trying to entice festival-goers to play coin toss, but they always greeted passersby with a smile (unless texting on the job was keeping them distracted, that is).

Speaking of salesmen, one sales associate in the Direct Energy Centre implied that there may be haggling opportunities for visitors to take advantage of. Pointing to the price sticker, I asked if that was the correct price, to which he responded, “Back home, we have a sign in the store that says you get it cheaper based on how much you smile,” and added that flashing my pearly whites granted me a $20 discount. Smooth.

I didn’t make it to The Taste of the Danforth this year, where I’ve enjoyed a candy apple for the last few summers, so I carried on this tradition tonight instead. The red sauce melted instantly and dripped all over my hands, making me feel like a somewhat sloppy middle schooler who could star in a TV ad for Wet Ones. Nevertheless, it was a healthier alternative to the abundant deep fried item on sale at kiosks throughout the Food Building. Perhaps next year I’ll discover what a deep fried pickle tastes like.

The Ex continues until the end of Labour Day weekend and is a worthwhile summer outing for Torontonians and tourists alike. I suggest bringing a bag in which to carry your prizes to avoid schlepping an oversized bumble bee or stuffed blue Smurf doll on the way home.

August 24, 2011 by