Pregnant? Got a Dog? Visit Leslieville!

Hello Everyone!

The other day I decided to head on over to a little community in Toronto called "Leslieville". It's located in the Queen Street East area, after the trains tracks but before Coxwell Ave. Follow me?

I decided to take the streetcar over, and I must say, it was pretty interesting! I was able to watch Queen street transform from trendy fancy feel to small town feel in just about 15 mins.

It's filled with cute environmentally friendly coffee shops, bakeries and boutiques. If you're pregnant, it's very family friendly, so I recommend! Also, if you're a dog lover, you'll find loads of stores that specialize in making your best friend look at his or her finest!

I also found this burger shop:

Double D's eh!?

Maybe I'll try it out nice time I visit! I didn't stop into any coffee shops while I was there, but there was lots of cute places to visit for sure!

keep smilin',

Monica

Get me some Moonbean!

I thought today I would "spotlight" my favourite coffee shop in all of Toronto. It's nestled in the Kensington Market area, and is rather special to me. It's a place that I love to go on "coffee dates" and somewhere I like to sit and journal. It's a place where people come together to talk about music, art, life, and love. This place is called 'Moonbean Coffee Company'.

Moonbean offers a variety of fair-trade coffee flavours, different types of smoothies, and hot drinks. But what I go for is this...

Doesn't that look good?! Sometimes it even comes with colourful sprinkles :) Now I can't think of the name off the top of my head, but there is an excellent winter drink that you should try. It's made with fresh lemon, ginger and honey. It's a warm drink that's perfect for any sore throat or cold.

So if you're ever in the Kensington Market area, and don't know where to go and sit down for a nice drink, check out Moonbean on 30 St. Andrew's Street. You won't regret it!

keep smilin',

Monica

NxNE in Toronto!

If you've never been to Toronto during a music or film festival, you should. It's the best way to get to know a city.

I had the pleasure of adventuring around Toronto for the North by North East festival in downtown Toronto, and I visited so many awesome venues! I'll be sure to post some links and such in the "Music Venues" category on the side there. I wish I could have gone to more of them, but there's only so much time!

For now, here's a video of my adventures around Toronto and the festival with some of my special friends!

Enjoy!




Monica

Are You Manic About Coffee?

It's been awhile eh?
Well, today I'd like to share with you a little coffee shop that I discovered with a friend while walking down College street. It's called 'Manic Coffee' and is located on 426 College Street. Cute little place. Looks like lots of the "young" people enjoy spending their time there, journaling, people watching and sipping on their double espresso. I can only imagine what it would be like during exam week.

Anywho,  I enjoyed a green tea as always. Not to pricey. Around $2.62 I believe? But the green tea isn't the only thing that makes this place a "go-to" coffee shop, it's the community that it has joined called "The Toronto Coffee Conspiracy". Here's a blurb from their site:

"Harking back to when the word conspiracy meant a group of righteous people trying to topple an evil power, The Coffee Conspiracy consists of seven, independently-owned coffee shops in the Toronto area – all dedicated to the highest level of the coffee-brewing art.  The Conspiracy believes every coffee lover deserves the best coffee for their money and not just another water-downed cup or over-manufactured mixed drink from the megalithic franchises and corporations." -- http://www.maniccoffee.com/disloyalty-card/

Pretty cool eh?
So they have something called the Disloyalty Card which looks like so on the other side:

You pick up the card at one of the shops, then go around to the others to get stamps and then return to the original shop to get a free drink! I think it's a brilliant idea. This way you're encouraged to visit and try different coffee shops around the city. I love it, and I highly recommend you participate!

So without further adieu, here's some snap shots of the drinks my friend and I had. I like the way the tea is served. Real tea leaves, and in a separate filter. I like it.

If you find yourself in any of the locations listed on the Disloyalty Card, make sure to go in and pick up a card. Go out and discover some local Toronto favourites!


keep smilin'

Monica

The Phoenix Has Risen with a Fun Night of Music!

Last Friday I had the opportunity to see Basia Bulat (plus The Wilderness of Manitoba and Julie Doiron) at The Phoenix Night Club in Toronto.

Now, I had never been The Phoenix, let alone been in that neightbourhood, but thankfully with my new TTC monthly pass (yes I caved) it was alright for me to get lost. I could always hop on to some form of public transportation and I'd be alright.

Anywho, I did have to phone a friend when I got off the subway, which I am gracious for my roommates help :) Thanks Carina :)

The Phoenix is located off Carlton Street on Sherbourne Street. Pretty alright looking part of the city. There was a wide varitey of people there. Young and old, men and women, (a girl with a fake ID which apparently since her Dad was with her was able to get in?). As I made my way in I couldn't help but feel like I was in a mini version of The Sound Academy. Personally, I enjoy smaller venues where the stage is lower and not so high up (ie. The Horseshoe Tavern). Alas, The Phoenix's stage is a bit higher but I'm alright with that.

The Wilderness of Manitoba were great. Really reminded me of Fleet Foxes.

Brixton Sessions #008 - The Wilderness of Manitoba 'November' from Blindeye | Films on Vimeo.

I'm not the biggest Julie Doiron fan, but she did put on a great show, and I could feel that the crowd really loved her and had a great time. I did as well, but I was more looking forward to some Basia. :)

Basia is awesome. Full of sweetness and talent, and a great smile. I highly recommending seeing this gal when she comes to your town. Full of energy and spank. Very good show!

Here's a little clip of her performance:



I would post some pictures, but they honestly all really suck. Therefore, the video will have to do :)

Anywho, The Phoenix was a pretty good concert venue. Fits a large amount of people, the bathrooms are decent, there's a bar if need be. Personally I love smaller venues, but when you want to see your favourite play then you have to make the sacrifice!

Cheers for now!

Monica

ps. hope you're smilin' :)

Dancin at the Supermarket

Hello Hello Hello,

How was everyone's weekend?
Mine was quite lovely, filled with drinks, cheese and lots and lots of cupcakes. It was my roommates' fella's birthday weekend, so there was lots of fun to be had.

Now, I would have to say that the most interesting part about Saturday night was not the fact that I was stuff with delicious cupcakes, but the fact that I went to my first ever club. Yup, you read that correctly. My first club. I've never gone to a 'dance' club. It was just never my sort of thing. I know what you're thinking.... "Monica? The best dancer in the world hasn't gone dancing to a club?". I know. It's pretty sad. But I finally did!

The birthday boy decided on a place called "Supermarket" in Kensington Market. It was $8 to get in after 11pm, and there was a lovely line up in the rain before we got in. At least we didn't have to bribe the doorman with $40 to let us in like some people did later on in the evening.

It was an interesting group of people. It was apparently "funk/hip hop" night, but I just didn't really feel that it was. I mean, yes it was, but I wanted a little more. I know... I shouldn't be picky... but I just wanted some more tunes that I knew. They did play some TLC 'Waterfalls' so that was good times! In terms of the bar, I was told the beers weren't that good and they were overpriced. Therefore, beware of the bar.

In all I had a great time. Filled with dancing, drink spillage on my dress, butt grabbing, oh and did I mention I was given a compliment on my dancing? I was just sitting there minding my own business, and this girl walks by, and says "I was totally watching you dance to Aretha and you were great"... as she walked away I could help but wonder if she mixed me up with someone. I swear I was sitting during that song while doing some "chair dancing". I'll just have to go ahead and assume she was lovin' my chair dancing skills. My skills are pretty hot stuff. You've been warned.

That's all for now so keep smilin' everyone!


Monica

Strollin' Through Korea Town

Hello Everyone,

So I forgot that I live near something called "Korea Town".

I decided to take a little scroll with a blanket in hand, and visited Christie Pitt Park which is located in Korea Town.  It was lovely, especially on such a hot day! It's not as busy of a "town" like Chinatown, but still filled with people.

But what intrigued me about Korea Town was the lovely art that I found while walking along the street. I saw a group painting these and thought I would share some of them with you!

Enjoy!

T.Dot Through the Eyes of an Architect: Part Two

Hello Hello,

Welcome back for Part Two of my little series here. It's only two parts, so here is the next day of my adventures around Toronto for Doors Open.

This time I went all the way down to King Street to visit the Royal Alexandra Theatre. I've been inside before to see musicals, but I've never had the opportunity to wander around throughout the entire building, visiting the box seats etc. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take photos inside the theatre, but here's a view of it from the outside:

Also, here's a look at Roy Thomson Hall which is where I went to for the symphony last Wednesday. It's a pretty interesting looking building. I quite like it actually:

Next stop was Union Station. I signed up for a "behind the scenes" tour, which is offered at the end of every month by the Toronto Railway Historical Association. The tour is the last Saturday of every month and costs $10. I got to go for free, and it was pretty interesting to see and hear what Union Station is really like.

Now, I can't remember everything that I heard on the tour, but here are some fun facts that I do remember:

• Union Station is one of the busiest stations in the world. More passengers pass through here than the Toronto Pearson Airport, Grand Central Station in New York, etc. This is due to the traffic created by VIA Rail, GO Transit and the TTC Subway. 
• This is the 3rd and final location of Union Station. 
• There use to be a bath located in the Station which cost 50 cents. This was popular with the women who would stand in line and wait to have a bath. Just imagine these people travelling for hours and hours and hours, and are pretty smelly, no wonder it was popular! 
• There was a barber (which is still there), who would shave all the men passing through the station. All the business men would be arriving after long trips and need a nice clean shave! 
• Jack Nicholson filmed a movie in one of the men's washrooms near the barber shop. 
• The glass panels that you see when inside actually acts as a corridor between the hallways located behind the walls of the station which you can't actually see. It's also used for ventilation: 

• On one of the doors in the hallways within the walls is a sticker that says "New York City Police" which was left behind during the filming of a Bruce Willis movie. The name of the movie escapes me.. and I didn't get a shoot of the door. My apologies. 
• The Station is a very popular place to shoot movies because of it's "1920s" vibe. However, with the new renovations that are to come, all the rooms and offices that have been unoccupied for years will now house many employees, making it harder for film crews to get in there. Thankfully the doors and other heritage elements will be preserved. 
• Next time you pass by, check out the names and dates carved on the exterior of the building. You will notice that it says "1919" which is actually the wrong date. The stone mason got carried away and thought the building would be complete in 1919 when really it was done in 1920. However, the building didn't open until 1927. 
• Inside the building, if you look up, you'll notice there are names of the major cities the trains use to travel too. You will notice a slight error with "Sault St Marie" which should really be spelt "Sault Ste Marie". However, you can erase stone can you? 

Later, I wandered over to Toronto's First Post Office: 

I attempted to wait in line for the tour of The Flatiron building, but it was an hour wait. I didn't feel like waiting, but it's a pretty cool building eh?: 

After these buildings, I had no other plans to visit any other places. I decided to wander down to the CN Tower to see what was going on there. I ended up stumbling upon Steam Whistle Brewing, got a free glass of beer, and a free tour of the brewery. How cool is that? I was amazed they didn't ID me, and thankfully they didn't cause I didn't have it on me, but I saw a group of young people that already had a drink in hand and a security guy stopped them and started questioning them. I tried to steer clear of the security guy... 

I had a lot of fun on the tour and learned a lot! I'm a big fan of Steam Whistle now! Especially since I don't actually drink beer.... 

Did you know there is something called a "Brew Master" who oversees the making of the beer. They have to study for 8 years in Europe to become one. Isn't that crazy? 

Anywho, I recommend going on a tour, it's kinda fun :) 

After a long day in the downtown I eventually made my way back home. 

The weekend was lovely, and I saw parts of Toronto that I never thought I would really pay attention too. 

If you're in Toronto, take the time to visit different parts of the city, you'll be amazed at the "coolness" of Toronto. There's a reason why people visit! Take that Vancouver! :p 

Actually, I recommend just checking out your own town in general. Take a look at your city like a tourist would, it's tons of fun! 

:) 

keep smilin', 

Monica