Tomorrow I make my first excursion outside Toronto. Bitter is already out in Georgetown with her Grandma, and I will head out tomorrow after work on the Go Train. This will be the first time in close to eleven years that I've been out there. There's also the chance that we'll get to see some Alberta friends, who are currently living in Sudbury, but camping near Guelph for the next few days, while we're out there.
I don't really know if Georgetown/Guelph counts as the country or not. It probably depends on whether or not you live there. And no one out there is reading this anyway.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
A night at the movies
I know I said that this blog was going to be about the experience of traveling and living in other places and not about the regular crap of life like what movies we see, but this is different. Maybe. Sort of. So, we went to a movie last night. The application I use in Facebook to track the copious amount of wine we drink was offering a chance to see an advance screening for a new movie called Bottle Shock. For free! About wine!! What's not to like?
The screening was at the Varsity Theatre on Bloor, which is quite nice and similar to Silver City theatres out West. We got in a little later than we intended (talked to a couple of people, stood in line, got referred to more people before finding the guy standing out front with the tickets - but that's what you get for going through some application on FB), so we ended up sitting in one of the front rows. The movie was alright. There were several elements that were familiar (father and son reconciliation, underdog vs. the establishment), but the scenery was good - the wine fields (some might call them vineyards) of northern California. If I won the lottery, I would totally buy a winery. Right now.
We left the theatre with a strong desire for some wine (they should have at least had some tastings), but ended up at a Korean BBQ place with a pint of Sapporo. Enh. What are you going to do?
The screening was at the Varsity Theatre on Bloor, which is quite nice and similar to Silver City theatres out West. We got in a little later than we intended (talked to a couple of people, stood in line, got referred to more people before finding the guy standing out front with the tickets - but that's what you get for going through some application on FB), so we ended up sitting in one of the front rows. The movie was alright. There were several elements that were familiar (father and son reconciliation, underdog vs. the establishment), but the scenery was good - the wine fields (some might call them vineyards) of northern California. If I won the lottery, I would totally buy a winery. Right now.
We left the theatre with a strong desire for some wine (they should have at least had some tastings), but ended up at a Korean BBQ place with a pint of Sapporo. Enh. What are you going to do?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
It's a day in the beautiful neighbourhood
Today we ventured into The Annex. It's an upscale neighbourhood a little northwest of where we live. The shopping along Bloor is similar to Robson in Vancouver and the houses are very nice and very expensive. While some areas we've seen so far are mostly older-looking, brick row houses, these were mostly standalone (with some duplexes) and newer-looking. Margaret Atwood and other celebrities apparently live in the area.
We also found a cute little shopping area south of Bloor and Markham (not technically The Annex). We stopped in a few shops and had coffee on a patio.
On the way home we walked through the U of T, which has some amazing old buildings, and we sat in Queen's Park for a while. It was a gorgeous day after thundershowers yesterday.
We also found a cute little shopping area south of Bloor and Markham (not technically The Annex). We stopped in a few shops and had coffee on a patio.
On the way home we walked through the U of T, which has some amazing old buildings, and we sat in Queen's Park for a while. It was a gorgeous day after thundershowers yesterday.
It's Bryan Adams on the phone, it's Bryan Adams on the phone...
We went to The Cameron House for a concert last night, which is a sketchy little dive bar on Queen West. The stage was in a small back room. There were never more than 40 people in the place at one time. Richard Laviolette was the first up - an intense singer/guitarist that was folky and had a strong conviction about Native rights. Next was Tripping Hazard, a decent power trio, but they did get points for incorporating cello. The drummer was fantastic. Imagine a Linux-loving sys admin with anger management issues let loose on something he could hit.
The final act was Wax Mannequin. We'd heard about him from different, completely unconnected, Toronto people. He's a great performer and is apparently known for songs such as The Price and the one where he starts meowing in the middle. Very strange, but well worth the $10 cover.
The final act was Wax Mannequin. We'd heard about him from different, completely unconnected, Toronto people. He's a great performer and is apparently known for songs such as The Price and the one where he starts meowing in the middle. Very strange, but well worth the $10 cover.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Toronto restaurants part 6
Two restaurants with M&G:
Kalendar is in Little Italy at College and Euclid. It has a nice patio and the food was very good.
Epicure is at Queen St. W and Denison. We started on the upstairs patio, but moved inside when the rain began. The food was very good, but probably the slowest service I've seen yet - apparently this was unusually bad.
Baldwin Street is a two block neighbourhood close to where we live. In that two blocks are probably twenty or more restaurants. They sit side-by-side in converted homes in the middle of a residential area. We found it completely by accident when walking home from another restaurant.
Margaritas has good Mexican food, but only mediocre sangria. While we were there the restaurant lost power for half-an-hour while the hydro company replaced something where the power cable attaches to the building, so we got to watch them work while we ate.
Bocca is Italian and has decent, reasonably-priced food. The patio is good.
Kalendar is in Little Italy at College and Euclid. It has a nice patio and the food was very good.
Epicure is at Queen St. W and Denison. We started on the upstairs patio, but moved inside when the rain began. The food was very good, but probably the slowest service I've seen yet - apparently this was unusually bad.
Baldwin Street is a two block neighbourhood close to where we live. In that two blocks are probably twenty or more restaurants. They sit side-by-side in converted homes in the middle of a residential area. We found it completely by accident when walking home from another restaurant.
Margaritas has good Mexican food, but only mediocre sangria. While we were there the restaurant lost power for half-an-hour while the hydro company replaced something where the power cable attaches to the building, so we got to watch them work while we ate.
Bocca is Italian and has decent, reasonably-priced food. The patio is good.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Graphic novel nirvana
I stopped collecting comics years ago, but this week I have been visiting some comic stores in pursuit of graphic novels. I've always liked the form, and in some ways it's better, since you can read an entire story arc without having to wait a month for the next issue (or longer with some of the independent publishers I preferred).
On the way home from the parade I noticed a shop on Yonge. The street presence is just a dingy doorway leading to a scary flight of stairs. It's named The Hairy Tarantula and the cramped space upstairs has the best selection of graphic novels I've seen here so far. The staff were also friendly and helpful, which can be rare in the usual nerd/elitist atmosphere of these places, especially considering I can't pass as a 30-year-old fanboy anymore. Several cats were sleeping in various places around the shop - another good sign. The guy who ran the place was bald (I think) under a ball cap and wore a bra under a button-up shirt that was tied up below his chest, exposing plenty of belly. He was helpful and chatty and mentioned another place I might have to check out as this place didn't have a couple of books I wanted. Someone might have to take away my credit cards, although I think the membership has already paid for itself.
On the way home from the parade I noticed a shop on Yonge. The street presence is just a dingy doorway leading to a scary flight of stairs. It's named The Hairy Tarantula and the cramped space upstairs has the best selection of graphic novels I've seen here so far. The staff were also friendly and helpful, which can be rare in the usual nerd/elitist atmosphere of these places, especially considering I can't pass as a 30-year-old fanboy anymore. Several cats were sleeping in various places around the shop - another good sign. The guy who ran the place was bald (I think) under a ball cap and wore a bra under a button-up shirt that was tied up below his chest, exposing plenty of belly. He was helpful and chatty and mentioned another place I might have to check out as this place didn't have a couple of books I wanted. Someone might have to take away my credit cards, although I think the membership has already paid for itself.
Merry Krishnas
I heard some sort of commotion out on the street on Saturday, so went down to check it out. The Hare Krishnas were having their parade down Yonge Street. I'd seen this in Vancouver and it was the same here. There were three huge, brightly-painted carts, decorated with flowers. Each had a huge tent-like thing above the cart attached to some sort of pole. As the cart moved down the street, the pole moved slowly up and down, extending the awning (or tent or whatever you want to call it) high into the air and then collapsing it. The carts had two large ropes, which the followers, out in front, used to pull the carts through the streets.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Festival update
I got a call from Bitter last night from the festival. UNKLE had just finished a great show and they were waiting for Cat Power to start. Kings of Leon also "freakin rocked" later on. The venue is over an hour away from where they are in Dublin, by bus, and she's only starting to get on local time, so not much sleep. Tons of people, tons of fun, but they stop selling beer at 10:00.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
When Irish eyes are bleary
Bitter left for two weeks in Ireland today. She'll be traveling with a former co-worker and resident of our couch in Vancouver. So, it's Jaded and Ebow again for a little while. Not that a guy and his cat won't have as much fun hanging around the condo for two weeks as going to the Oxegen festival and touring southern Ireland.
It's not the most prepared for travel that Bitter's ever been - there's no Excel spreadsheet this time - but the concert tickets should finally be on their way to the hotel and the bus tickets to get them to and from the concert should be able to be picked up in Dublin when they arrive. There were a few stressfuldays moments when it wasn't certain that the tickets would either arrive in time or be delivered, but that got sorted out just in time today. Let's hear it for the awesome service of Ticketmaster!
Anyway. Two weeks of music, Guinness, and rain. It's almost enough to make you miss Vancouver.
It's not the most prepared for travel that Bitter's ever been - there's no Excel spreadsheet this time - but the concert tickets should finally be on their way to the hotel and the bus tickets to get them to and from the concert should be able to be picked up in Dublin when they arrive. There were a few stressful
Anyway. Two weeks of music, Guinness, and rain. It's almost enough to make you miss Vancouver.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Toronto restaurants part 5
What can I say? We like to eat.
The Sultan's Tent near Front and Church has good Moroccan food. We did the four-course prix-fixe in the rear dining room which included the belly dancing performance (not by us). The atmosphere was dark and cozy, with curtained dining areas that were opened up when the dancing started. The food was quite good, but expensive. The belly dancing was interesting, and worth seeing once. The food is worth going back for, but next time we'll sit in the front, order à la carte, and skip the tourist experience.
The Pomegranate at College and Lippincott has Persian food. We went there for my birthday, and it was very nice celebratory dinner. The food was excellent and reasonably priced. The restaurant is small and intimate, with authentic-looking decor. Our wine was served in pottery cups rather than glasses. We both had the specials, so we'll have to go back to try some of the regular dishes. It's definitely a do-again.
The Sultan's Tent near Front and Church has good Moroccan food. We did the four-course prix-fixe in the rear dining room which included the belly dancing performance (not by us). The atmosphere was dark and cozy, with curtained dining areas that were opened up when the dancing started. The food was quite good, but expensive. The belly dancing was interesting, and worth seeing once. The food is worth going back for, but next time we'll sit in the front, order à la carte, and skip the tourist experience.
The Pomegranate at College and Lippincott has Persian food. We went there for my birthday, and it was very nice celebratory dinner. The food was excellent and reasonably priced. The restaurant is small and intimate, with authentic-looking decor. Our wine was served in pottery cups rather than glasses. We both had the specials, so we'll have to go back to try some of the regular dishes. It's definitely a do-again.
Canada Day
We had our first visitors! We cleaned up our experiment in minimalist living (which consisted of throwing everything with a cord into a box and sweeping up the cat hair), and had M&G over. It was a beautiful day, we consumed many beverages (including some very boozy Manhattans and using all of our glasses), and we played Rock Band, Guitar Hero and assorted sporting games. Yay Canada!
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