I'm getting closer and closer to my departure date. It's getting harder to come to terms with the fact that I will be leaving Toronto. It's such an amazing city. If you currently live in Toronto, I strongly suggest you take advantage of this wonderful city. There is so much to discover, see and be inspired by. If you aren't from Toronto, I recommend you visit. Anyway, before I start gushing about Toronto to the point of tears, I'll get started with updating you on my Week #18 adventures!
The Common
1071 College Street
The Common is a pretty interesting coffee shop. Tucked away near Dufferin and College, you can easily miss it because of it's low key appearance. It's a simple looking place. It doesn't try to be anything more than just a place where people chill out, drink some coffee and chat with their friends and locals. Everyone there seemed to be in the "indie" scene, and everything about the place felt that way as well. I felt pretty at home. A room filled with artists types. Perfect. I pulled out my journal and let my thoughts flow. It was nice.
Now, when arriving to The Common you'll notice there is no menu hanging anywhere. Usually I would found this disconcerting. However, for whatever reason, I didn't mind this time. Obviously, when you see an espresso machine you know they can whip up any espresso based drink, and with tea tins neatly stacked on a shelf you know they have tea. Therefore, it's not that hard to think of what to order! I decided on a latte. Simple order. Also, a great way to see the barista's skills. Personally, I feel that if a barista can make a good latte, then I can trust that coffee shop. Am I being a coffee shop snob? Probably, but hey, I paid for a latte, I want a good one! The latte turned out to be pretty good! Foam was nice, espresso was tasty. They use an Elecktra espresso machine, no wonder it was good! The price of the latte was also a reasonable! I decided not to go for any sweets on the counter, though it did look like they had some cookies.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere in this place. Really low key, and non-judgemental. Just relaxing. There was enough seating at the time, but I can imagine this place really packed with people in the evenings or on a Saturday morning/afternoons. They also provide free wifi, so that always makes it a hot spot for lap top lovers!
I would recommend The Common for those looking for a low key environment where they can feel comfortable, and let loose. Interesting people are constantly walking in, and it's a great place to eavesdrop on conversations. I may or may not have listened to various people talk about their lives... it's quite fun actually! You never know who is listening, just sayin...
5/5 Smiles!
Full of Beans
1348 Dundas Street West
One day, after work, I felt the need to to get out and visit a coffee shop. I was looking for something that would be opened later in the evening, and decided to head down to Dundas West. As I was walking towards the coffee shop I had picked out, I passed by Full of Beans and thought "maybe I'll go here instead!", so I did! It's in an interesting part of town. Full of Beans sits on the edge of Little Portugal. The street is lined with little Portugese shops, older Portugese men yelling at one another, and little odds and ends boutiques. Felt like I was in a small town for a moment.
There was a sign on their window advertising that they roast coffee beans, so I thought it must be a pretty legit coffee place. To my delight, it was ;) Upon entering I saw an array of beans to choose from, however I was feeling more like a tea. Strange right? I should have gone for coffee, but I wasn't feeling it. I went for a tea latte. A rooibus tea latte to be exact! It was even served in a Christmas mug!
This place has lots of seating. There were couches, cute tables and chairs, etc. It felt like I was coming into someone's living room with the bookshelves and art work hanging up on the walls. The barista was really nice, and made some lovely foam for my tea latte. I should also mention that they offer free wifi!
In all, if I found myself on the Dundas West strip again, I'd probably pop in for some coffee! I enjoyed the warm and welcoming feeling I got from this place. Perfect for those wanting to meet up with friends, or get some work done.
4/5 Smiles!
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
Part One
317 Dundas Street West
You know what's pretty awesome? Art galleries and museums that offer free admission once a week. How can you NOT go?!?
Wednesday evenings from 6pm - 8:30pm, you are free to roam the AGO. That is, only the permanent exhibits. You can't sneak into the cool "visiting" exhibitions. However, I did notice that it was only $10 to get into the MoMA exhibit Wednesday evenings! This is much cheaper than the regular price! I think I'll have to go back to see it!
Now, I'm not sure if I told you folks before, but I'm dating an architecture student. Therefore, visiting the AGO was also an excuse to take photos and show him how it looked from the inside. The newly renovated AGO was designed by Toronto native and world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. He has designed many famous buildings: Walt Disney Concert Hall and Guggenheim Museum in Spain, among others. He's known for making pretty funky and fun designs. I'm not an expert, so I'll just stop there. But, the AGO is an interesting building. It's glass "body" bellows out onto Dundas street and the wooden beams inside make it appear to be scales of a fish, or perhaps even resemble a canoe. Inside the staircase is also this wooden structure that looks really grandeur and funky. Fun Fact: Frank Gehry grew up in a house just around the corner of the AGO! They couldn't have chosen a better architect for the job!
Inside there was lots to see. Even a beautiful painting by Group of Seven artist, Tom Thomson. I don't know much about art, but what I do know is that it's beautiful. I love wandering around and just looking at all the paintings and photos, etc. Art has this funny way of taking you into another world and letting your mind run wild. If you're feeling uninspired I'd suggest wandering into an art gallery, you never know what ideas you'll come up with!
I'll be visiting the AGO one more time before I leave Toronto, so I'll share more at a later date!
Capital Espresso
1348 Queen Street West
Parkdale! Who doesn't like Parkdale?! Alright, many Torontonians don't like Parkdale, but it's not that terrible... at least during the day. For those who aren't from Toronto, let me explain. Parkdale is kind of the ugly brother of the Queen Street neighbourhoods. Now, I've been trying to find the proper names of all the neighbourhoods along Queen Street (which stretches from Roncesvalles to The Beaches). However, if you were to go from about Yonge Street to Corktown, you'll see that Parkdale has an even uglier twin sister. Anyway, Parkdale has this reputation for not being the nicest part of Toronto. But, it does have a lot of character. The personalities you'll meet down there are pretty awesome. There are lots of little coffee shops, fabric stores, unique places to eat, etc. Lots of artist types and immigrants live down there. Rent is cheaper, but the area isn't the most up and coming.
Alright, now onto the topic at hand, Capital Espresso. I wasn't sure what to think of this place when I walked inside. Menu was standard. People stared as you walked in... it was interesting. I did notice that there was a girl whipping up fresh batches of muffins, so this made me pretty excited! I guess they bake their own baked goods on site! Nice! I ordered a coffee and chocolate muffin, which also happened to be a banana muffin. It was fresh and fluffy. Just perfect. The coffee was alright, nothing to write home about.
I enjoyed watching the unique people walk in and out of the shop. I wouldn't say it's the most comfortable place to come and do work in. It felt more like a place that you get your coffee, read your morning paper and then go about your day. Not a "study" friendly place. However, maybe I'm wrong. To each his own!
Anyway, it was a nice place, though I don't think I would visit it again. Maybe? Maybe if I found myself in the Parkdale area and in need of a muffin?
3.5/5 Smiles [the half smile is for the fact that they bake their own muffins!]
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Alright, I'm not sure how many more weeks I have left in Toronto. Maybe 3? Maybe 4?
I still have 6 weeks left in Canada, so I'll just start that countdown instead!
6 weeks!
ah!
- Monica
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