Our flight from Lisbon to Toronto yesterday was happily uneventful: no delays, no hassle, no turbulence! The flights take a northerly trajectory across the Arctic Circle, hence the relatively short flying time of seven and a half hours. Since Toronto is five hours behind Portugal (six hours behind Spain) we landed just an hour and a half after departure from Lisbon. I watched two good films to pass the time, Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star is Bornand then enjoyed watching the sun setting as we flew down towards Toronto on a SW heading, from our seats on the right-hand side of the plane. High above Lake Ontario, we were spellbound by the beauty of vibrant slashes of orange, gold and red, set against an almost translucent blue heaven, whilst below us lie a blanket of clumpy black cloud and misty cold Toronto city was below all of that!
Customs and baggage collection were tedious and a lengthy process but then a speedy taxi transfer brought us to our cheap Howard Johnson hotel (a bit jaded and worn but clean and OK) just west of downtown Toronto and close to the lake. A good location, however “cheap” in Canadian dollars is expensive compared to prices back in Europe; Canada is very expensive, accommodation, food, drink, the lot. We knew this, however, so are budgeting accordingly. When one is on holiday for two months, such careful spending is a necessity, so outdated and well-worn Howard Johnson it is! Today, Tuesday, was for serious full-on sightseeing, so now we have aching feet and feel very tired. It is only 10.30 p.m. but our bodies know that it is really 4.30 a.m. tomorrow morning! We started off by taking the tram to the CN Tower and eight hours later we took the tram back here again to our hotel. The trams are great! Fast and frequent, they are a great way to travel about town. Toronto is a young city, only settled in 1750, the old historic districts being no older than early 19th century “Georgian” and late 19th Century “Victorian”. It is a lively cosmopolitan place; however, it took a while for us to appreciate it. This morning in drizzle and mist its tall dark concrete and glass skyscrapers looked cold and inhospitable. Having hot-footed it from sunny ancient Lisbon it appeared bleak and devoid of colour. We didn’t pay to go to the top of the CN Tower, there were no lake and city views to enjoy through the damp mist! As the day wore on, however, and the skies cleared a little, we started to absorb the feel of the city and its easy pulse; Toronto is unpretentious, friendly, what you see is what you get! Yes, we like it now. The harbour area, the historic distilleries district and the old 19th Century St. Lawrence food market were three highlights of the day. This market proudly announces that it was hailed as “The Best Food Market in the World” by National Geographic. Well, it is pretty good but it isn’t Borough Market (for those who know London). It is along the lines of the latter, with food from many different cultures. We lunched on some pretty good Chicken Parmigiana with added hot chillies from a stall of food from “The Old World”. Powerful stuff those hot chillies! French baguettes, Spanish empanadillas and even Portuguese custard tarts! Home from home! The Distilleries, set up in the early 19th Century are fascinating; old industrial buildings juxtaposed against a backdrop of skyscrapers. The town was called York back then, and this eastern end of downtown Toronto still has York as its neighbourhood name. This evening we ate at a little Mexican Bistro across the road from our hotel and we also booked a tour tomorrow to Niagara. We saw the Falls many years ago, in 1981 and we just hope that their splendour hasn’t been diminished by the growth of hotels and “attractions” surrounding this famous natural wonder. We want to be blown away by the power and spectacle as we were thirty-eight years ago, so shall turn our backs on the tatty development that now exists there, according to ‘Lonely Planet” and focus on the water cascading down an enormous drop in the bed of the Niagara River, of over a hundred metres, from Lake Erie to the lake beside us here, Lake Ontario. Looking forward to that experience tomorrow but now, to bed! Two nice quotes espied today, the first in the old distilleries, the second in the Mexican Restaurant over the road… “Let your smile change the world but don’t let the world change your smile! “ “Two wrongs do not make it right, but two Margaritas usually do the trick!” The post "From the Old World to the New" was seen first on Travel Blog
IV Vitamin Drip Therapy Toronto Clinic - The IV Lounge
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This year, the City of Toronto is turning 185 years old and it's looking good for almost two centuries of existence. It's also important to note that Toronto sits on land occupied by Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years which include the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat and the Mississaugas of the New Credit. It's part of the Dish with One Spoon territory, a treaty to peaceably share and protect this land, through friendship and respect. We can't imagine celebrating the city's literary scene without acknowledging the history of the land in which storytelling takes place.
In this special blog post, we featured some of the oldest bookstores who've watched the city change over the years including how and what we read. We also shout out bookstores who represent the feature of bookselling and the people who frequent them! University of Toronto Bookstore Est. 1897 The University of Toronto (U of T) Bookstore's beginnings can be traced back to the Students' Books Department in 1897. It started to grow quickly which wasn't a surprise given that its stock was being held in the basement of the University's library. A library staff member, Miss McMicking, was tasked with selling the books when she wasn't on duty. 23 years later in 1920, University of Toronto Press (UTP) bought a building near campus to give Students' Books Department room grow. Buying the fledging bookstore wasn't enough for UTP. They decided to buy the operation and rename it the University of Toronto Press Book Department in 1934. At the time, the bookstore had a grand total of four staff members! The growing didn't stop. There was an addition of the newly minted special order department in 1954 which ordered books from around the world. Four years later, a new building was built at King's College Circle with the bookstore in mind and another name change: University of Toronto Bookroom. In 1985, the Bookroom would be renamed (for the final time) as the U of T Bookstore and moved into what was formerly the building that housed the Toronto Reference Library (seen in the first image in this post). It officially became the Festival's official bookseller in 2017. Acadia Art and Rare Books Est. 1931 Arcadia Art and Rare Books was founded in 1931. Its specialty is in selling out-of-print and used books, and houses a large collection of art books including monographs, photography, architecture and original graphics. The art focus has been a recent development (30 years to be exact). The store was a bit more generalist in the types of titles it carried but a combination of its location, near the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD U), and the ownership at the time shifted the direction. It's a longtime member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Associaton Canada (ABAC). Formerly located on McCaul Street north of Queen St West before moving to Sherborne and Queen St West, the bookstore was most recently seen in the new Netflix show, The Umbrella Academy, as the storefront sitting below Ellen Page's character's apartment. David Mason Books Est. 1967 David Mason Books (DMB) was founded by David Mason in 1967. Its specialty is in 18th Century Literature, 19th Century Literature, Canadian Literature, Fine Bindings, Modern Firsts, Science and Medicine, and Travel and Exploration. It started out as a cataloging business that focused on modern first editions before Mason moved into the offices above the Village Book Store on Gerrard Street. He apprenticed under Joseph Patrick, who ran an antiquarian bookstore called Joseph Patrick’s Books, and then opened DMB storefront in 1969. There were a few more moves since then: Church Street from 1973-1984, Twice between 1984 and 1985, and finally, Adelaide Street West in 2005. At one point, DMB was a proud member of Booksellers Row, a stretch of Queen Street West that was the home to many bookstores. It's the only shop remaining from Booksellers Row that is still operational, albeit in a new location. Fun fact: DMB appeared in David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis. Also, Mason helped bind a book for the Pope before opening the bookstore. Glad Day Bookshop Est. 1970 Glad Day Bookshop was founded in 1970 by Jearld Moldenhauer which made it Canada's first LGBTQ+ bookstore. It started out in Moldenhauer's apartment in The Annex before moving to a house in Kensington Market and then to Yonge and Wellesley in 1981. In 2016, the store moved to its current location at Church and Wellesley, making it more accessible and also includes a cafe where entertainment such as drag shows occur. After New York City's Oscar Wilde Bookshop closed in 2009, Glad Day Bookshop became the world's oldest surviving LGBTQ+ bookstore. The store is now owned by a collective of community members.
Bakka-Phoenix Books
Est. 1972 Bakka-Phoenix Books was established in 1972 but was initially known as Bakka Books. Its original location was on the Queen Street West strip and specialized in science fiction, fantasy and comics. "The name, Bakka, was taken from Frank Herbert’s Dune, and means ‘the weeper who mourns for all mankind’." In 1976, the comics section spun-off into its own business: The Silver Snail. In 2003, the "phoenix" part of Bakka-Phoenix Books was added to mark the new ownership but doesn't shy away from its title as the country's oldest sci-fi and fantasy bookstore. The bookstore prides itself on staffing writers in the genre including former employees like Leah Bobet, Robert J. Sawyer, Tanya Huff, Michelle Sagara, Cory Doctorow, and Nalo Hopkinson. Of course, we want to use this moment to acknowledge some of the bookstores that may not own the title of oldest but add variety and vibrancy to the literary scene such as Little Island Comics (specializes in kids comics), Mabel's Fables (a children's bookstore that recently celebrated 30 years!), A Different Booklist (a Black owned bookstore that focuses on the African-Canadian diaspora) and the Monkey's Paw (home of the Biblio-Mat which is the world's first randomizing vending machine for old books). Unfortunately we can't list every single bookstore in the city but please use the city's anniversary as an excuse to explore the bookstores that call Toronto home. The post "Happy Birthday, Toronto! Five of Toronto’s Oldest Independent Bookstores" was seen first on festivalofauthors.ca
Dr. Amauri Caversan - Toronto Naturopathic Doctor
I may be biased but Toronto, Canada is one of the best cities in the world. Not only is it one of the most livable cities but there is so much to do for tourists. Between the sports games, museums, nature, and restaurants you won’t find it hard to fill up a weekend or even a week in this city.
While you could spend a week touring around Toronto, you could also see all of the major sites within a long weekend. The best time to visit is definitely in the summer. The city and the people seem to come alive after so many months stuck indoors from cold weather. Like most major cities, Toronto is located along a waterfront which definitely adds to its charm.
Having entertained many foreigners and visitors to Toronto we have a pretty good sense of what itinerary can make a great trip. Here are 7 unique things for you to do on your next trip to Toronto.
TOP TRAVEL TIP –Many travelers require a visa to travel to Vietnam, or at very least a pre-paid E-Visa. Make sure that you check your visa requirements before you travel. If you need help with a visa application and return flight reservations, you can apply for Kach’s Travel and Visa Coaching Services and Rent-a-Flight Service. 1. VISIT THE TORONTO ISLANDS In the summertime, travelling to the Toronto Islands is a local favourite. It’s a place that no one really knows about if you haven’t travelled to the city before. Even locals sometimes forget how amazing the Islands can be. To get there you need to take a ferry or a water taxi. Both are under $10 per person and the ride is about 15-20 minutes. If you take the ferry there are three ports to choose from; Ward’s Island, Hanlan’s Point and Centreville. The view from the ferry is also unbelievable, it’s definitely the best view of the city skyline. Ward’s Island is a mini beach town with one of the best-secluded beaches in Toronto. The beach is usually filled with 20 and 30-somethings looking to relax for the day. It’s also one of the only places in Toronto where you can drink in public with little repercussions. While it’s illegal to drink in public in Ontario, there’s definitely quite a few people that sneak over a beer or two to secretly enjoy. Hanlan’s Point is the nudist beach of Toronto. Yup, you read that right, we have a nudist beach. I personally have never been there but I do know clothing is not an option. You must be nude. Also, no pictures, which I think goes without saying. Centreville is the best spot for families. It’s a mini amusement park surrounded by greenery and a few other beach options. I used to spend a lot of my childhood summers here enjoying the rides. I absolutely loved it. 2. WATCH SPORTS GAME While going to a sports game may not seem that unique, it’s definitely a different experience in Toronto. In Canada, we only have one basketball team and one baseball team which are both based out of Toronto. For that reason you basically have a nation of dedicated fans supporting one team. Depending what season you’re traveling check out the Toronto Blue Jays (baseball), Toronto Raptors (basketball), Toronto Maple Leafs (hockey), Toronto Football Club (soccer) or the Toronto Argonauts (football). All of the stadiums are right in the city so you won’t have to travel far to catch a game. Tickets can be rather expensive so make sure to look into them sooner than later. Worst case there are always tons of scalpers around for you to take advantage of. 3. GO TO KENSINGTON MARKET Kensington Market is such a cool part of the city. Located almost smack dab in the middle of downtown it’s pretty easy to get to by transit or the downtown core. The spot is a hippie’s paradise. All of the buildings are covered with graffiti and the restaurants are really cheap. This is also the perfect place to be if you’re on a budget. The food is probably the cheapest in the city (and in some cases the freshest). Plus, the restaurants are quite reasonable as well. 4. ST. LAWRENCE MARKET The St. Lawrence Market is one of the oldest spots in Toronto. The indoor market is filled with vendors and mini shops that have been passed down from generation to generation. Locals love grabbing lunch or groceries here because most of the markets have food grown or produced locally. The prices are pretty great as well. Bring your hunger if you are visiting though because this place has the best peameal bacon sandwiches in the country. That’s not an exaggeration either. Although make sure you check the days because the market is closed on Sundays and Mondays, as it has been for many years. 5. DISTILLERY DISTRICT The Distillery District is the most beautiful spots in Toronto. The old world charm just can’t be beaten. Most of the area is just nice to walk around in but there are some amazing restaurants here as well. El Catrin and Cluny’s are local favourites.
In the summer there are usually a bunch of things happening in this pocket of the city. Anything from artisan markets to outdoor concerts you’ll find it. In the winter you’ll find the best Christmas market in Ontario. You can do a bit of research before your trip to figure out what’s going on here to really take advantage.
6. STEAM WHISTLE BREWERY Located right near the CN Tower, and beside the Toronto roundhouse, the Steam Whistle Brewery is a favourite among Torontonians. Founded in 2000 the distillery quickly became a local favourite and in some people’s opinion, the beer of the city. There are only four ingredients used in making the beer. The ingredients include; spring water from nearby Caledon, hops from Czech Republic and Germany, two-row barley and yeast. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily a beer connoisseur but I would definitely say this beer is pretty damn good. Take a tour of the facility and you’ll get to try your fair share as well! 7. SCARBOROUGH BLUFFS Last but not least is an area located a bit outside of the city but a spot to check out if you love nature. There is street parking all around or a mini marina you can park in as well. There are some great trails around the area but the best are down by the rocks. The highest point is 300 ft above the water. They are famous for being a ‘geological wonder’ in North America. Visiting them you won’t feel as if you’re close to the city at all. Just make sure you’re careful around the area. Taking an epic picture is great but the fall is really steep. WHERE TO STAY IN TORONTO, CANADA? BEST BUDGET HOTEL IN TORONTO, CANADA – HI TORONTO HOSTEL HI- Toronto Hostel is within walking distance to CN Tower, Rogers Centre, Air Canada Centre, a bus terminal, Union Station, and other major attractions. This property is 13 minutes walk from the beach. Rooms at HI- Toronto Hostel have large windows and a reading lamp for each guest. . WiFi, linens, and towels are included in each room. Guests can use the coin-operated laundry facilities at the hostel. The hostel also has a tour desk to assist guests in finding their way around Toronto. BEST MID RANGE HOTEL IN TORONTO, CANADA – THE NOVOTEL TORONTO CENTRE The Toronto Centre Novotel is a 4-minute walk from the Hockey Hall of Fame. The CN Tower is less than 1.5 km away and 8 minutes walk from the beach. Located within a 10-minute walk of Toronto Union Station and the Air Canada Centre. Large windows, cable TV and a minibar are provided in the modern rooms of The Novotel Toronto Centre. A coffee maker, work desk and ironing facilities are also included. An indoor pool, whirlpool and fitness centre are open to all guests of the Toronto Novotel. Vending machines and laundry facilities are also available. Café Nicole serves international meals in an intimate setting. Cocktails can be enjoyed at the Stage Door Lounge and room service is available at all times. BEST LUXURY HOTEL IN TORONTO, CANADA – THE RITZ-CARLTON This property is 11 minutes walk from the beach. The Princess of Wales Theatre is 1 block from the Ritz-Carlton Toronto. The Hockey Hall of Fame is 2 blocks from the hotel. Ripley’s Aquarium, Rogers Centre and Air Canada Centre are all less than 850 m away. Each of the modern guest rooms at The Ritz-Carlton Toronto is furnished with floor-to-ceiling windows and a minibar. The marble bathroom has a large soaking tub. An iPod docking station is provided. The on-site spa boasts an indoor lap pool, hot tub, and a yoga studio. A gym with cardio machines and strength training equipment is also open to guests. The post "7 UNIQUE THINGS TO DO IN TORONTO, CANADA @RESTLESSWORKER" was seen first on Two Monkey Travel Blog
IV Vitamin Drip Therapy Toronto Clinic -The IV Lounge
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AuthorHi I'm Frank, lets find more on Toronto Ontario, welcome to my blog and enjoy reading. List down the things and don't forget to share... Archives
August 2021
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