It’s time for the 133rd CNE! Canada’s largest annual community event takes place along Toronto’s waterfront for 18 days leading up to and including Labor Day. There’s live entertainment, a wide variety of events, a working farm, parades and sports, lots of international food, a Kids World, an airshow and best of all, a huge midway.
Aerial acrobats have teamed up with Olympic skaters for a dazzling acrobatic/ ice-skating show this year. The human cannonball is back. A strong man will bend and lift things you didn’t think possible. There’s a Master of the Unusual ( inventor, acrobat, comedian and musican rolled into one) and the Flowrider Boarders with their dazzling board tricks. Got some horse fans in your household? Meet a mare and her foal. Learn the life of a race horse and how to groom and shoe a horse at the HorseCapades and a crowd favourite, the Super Dogs are back.
My favourite place of all is the CNE midway. I first visited it back in 1964. The Beatles had just appeared on Ed Sullivan and I remember being so excited at winning a Beatles hat at one of the Midway booths. I rode my first Ferris Wheel ride then too. My friend Deb and I and two 10 year olds had a blast at last year’s midway. I enjoyed my annual CNE treat – a waffle ice-cream sandwich, and then soaked up the scene with the Nikon. The colors were incredible especially against the overcast sky.
This year’s CNE runs August 19-September 5, 2011. Tickets are $16 general admission. $12 for kids 13 yrs and under and a family pass is $48 (2 kids, 2 adults or 1 adult and 3 kids). 4 years and under are free. The midway rides take 3-6 tickets per ride. Today’s opening day special is 10 rides for $20 or opt for the Kids’ Toonie Mondays (August 22 & 29) when 30 tickets are $22.
Tags: Canadian National Exhibition, CNE, Flowrider, food, human cannonball, ice cream sandwich waffle, Let's go to the Ex, midway, SuperDogs, Toronto
I love everything swim, surf and sunscreen and I discovered all three in Midland, Ontario as well as right here in my hometown of Toronto.
A two-hour drive from Toronto, Midland is the place for those who feel likewise about the sun, a sandy beach and diving headfirst into refreshing chilly water.
Balm Beach on Georgian Bay, Ontario
We discovered the Shamrock Motel in Midland, Ontario last summer. The beauty of this particular motel is that it is family-run and every room sports access to BBQs and picnic tables and has a fridge. There is a playground for the kiddies, and usually a trampoline – I say usually because this time it was broken, silly adults jumping on it no doubt! I happen to know for a “yea, I did that” fact that adults are not allowed to jump on it. Note: it was still fully intact and NOT broken the last time I left it. The Shamrock is located within a five minute drive to downtown Midland and, in the opposite direction, a five minute drive to Balm Beach.
Balm Beach: Huddled in the midst of Georgian Bay this modest public, sandy white swimming spot offers change rooms, washrooms, an arcade, a swim suit shop and a fish & chips /ice cream strip. Wading in, once past the two or so metres of rocky beginnings, you are in knee-deep chilly clean water that stretches out forever. This is some of the best fresh water swimming you’ll find close to Toronto! Diving in makes you catch your breath and is a welcome relief after sitting on a towel dripping in the heat. A buoy five hundred or so metres out tells you where your circumference of safety lies. This beach with all of its ethnic diversity is, in my experience, almost never crammed with people, absolutely delightful, and best of all, it’s only a couple of hours drive from Toronto. Note: no lifeguards were noticed.
What’s this? A twin sister beach? An also fabulous and much-closer-to-my-home impostor? Enter my discovery of Ward Island Beach.
Wards Island, a short ferry ride from Toronto
Ward Island: A quick ferry ride from Queens Quay ferry launch at the foot of Bay Street in Toronto (www.toronto.ca/parks/island/ferry-schedule.htm) and a short walk and we were on sandy white Ward Island beach. Toronto Islands – Ferry Schedule.
No chance I was making any dip in Lake Ontario though! Until I saw the water… are you kidding me?? This is a stellar beach with a white sandy run into clear wonderful water that runs for an impressive distance before you are unable to effortlessly touch bottom! The water is cool and clear and amazingly refreshing. This can be attributed in part to the zebra mussels that began to arrive in Lake Ontario around 1985 (for more info please visit www.aquatichabitat.ca/cultural_influences.shtml). I never thought I would be encouraging anyone to slip into Lake Ontario, but I stand mistaken! This beach has never even been remotely busy or crowded (mind you my experiences have all been mid-week) and it seems to attract couples and clusters of friends in their late twenties and up along with a small clustering of children with doting parents. The last time I was there I noticed a few dog-owners helping their canines cool off in a controlled and non-intrusive-to-other-beach-goers manner. Check out Ward Island Beach, it will blow your mind!!! Note: many lifeguards on duty, both on the beach and in the water.
Toronto’s CN Tower as seen from Ward’s Island
Departing for Toronto on the Wards Island Ferry
Tags: Balm Beach, beaches, Georgian Bay, Kelly, lifeguard
In the Canadian Badlands between Cypress Hills and Etzikom, Alberta
Even though we’re big travelers of Canada, there’s still plenty to see. Canada is so big and the average vacation so short ( 2 weeks) that it’s difficult to cover a lot of ground. One way to do it is a fly-drive.
Hoodoos and beehive hills near Drumheller, Alberta
A 4-hour flight west from Toronto will put you in Calgary. A car rental and an hour later and you’re in southeastern Alberta, a landscape so foreign from central Canada that a travel writer from Toronto described it as reaching out and slapping her. 63 municipalities have coined it the Canadian Badlands and aim to make it Canada’s next iconic travel destination (just like the Canadian Rockies, an hour west of Calgary). From a road trip perspective, we think it’s already there.
The massive prairie landscape is intersected by river valleys with hills that look like giant beehives. The valleys are part of a prehistoric sea that once occupied a good portion of North America. Wind and water have stripped away the sandstone and they’ve revealed something else. Dinosaur fossils. Millions of them. Two places to learn about the biggest finds are Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Royal Tyrrell Museum, the world’s largest devoted to palaeontology.
If you love driving but hate traffic, this is the place. Armed with an Alberta road map and GPS, we crisscrossed the region by paved and gravel road, sometimes not seeing another car for the better part of two hours. Gas stations are scarce though. So are corner stores and other things that we take for granted in the city. Topping off the gas tank and having lots of drinking water in the car quickly became necessities.
Streetcar in downtown Toronto, Ontario
On the Trans-Canada Highway west of Brooks, Alberta
Tags: Alberta, blog, Calgary, Canada, Dinosaur Provincial Park, dinosaurs, fossils, gravel roads, hoodoos, no traffic, Ontario, road trip, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Toronto, traffic, Trans Canada Highway
Kelly’s back with her take on what beer the gang in Toronto is drinking these days…..
It’s beer drinking season in Canada (it’s always beer drinking season) and I thought it would be fitting if I gave a few of my own opinions on what’s HOT (but served cold) in the Toronto beer drinking community. This is based on my years slinging beer in various Toronto bars and my extensive collection of beer drinking buddies. What I wanted to focus on, naturally, are local, truly Canadian ales and lagers from the buzz breweries right now (with one *delish exception!). In no particular order, I will begin:
Mill Street is a thriving brewery located in Toronto’s funky distillery district and was founded in 2002. Two of the top sellers right now that I have noticed are Mill Street Organic and Mill Street Tankhouse. The Organic is wildly popular: light in colour and not too strong in flavour – it is the perfect ale to drink with pub fare or on its own. When asked to describe the Mill Street Tankhouse my good buddy (and solemn fan of this particular dark ale) Andre, a man of many words, condensed his feelings to a few: “Spicy. Rich. Full-bodied. Refreshing. The best thing to drink after a hot day in the sun”. Mill Street is available in most LCBOs (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) and on draught in plenty of bars throughout the city.
Moving on to a newer brewery, and one of my favourites for their quirky name and design flair, Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery located in Barrie, Ontario. Founded in 2005, FMB has a popular strong India Pale Ale called Smashbomb. Andre obliged me in a taste test of this particular ale. In Andre’s words: “Grassy. Citrus-y. A long pleasant aftertaste. Hop-py notes”. (From what I understand only available at a few bars in Toronto including Shakey’s in the Bloor West Village.
Hop City is a brewery that makes a refreshing and popular traditional Bavarian style Hefeweizen that I have noticed making an appearance on many of my friends’ coasters. Lawn Chair, as it’s comfortably named, is a wheat beer with a cloudy appearance and an aroma of banana and clove. I happened to run in to a beer rep for the Ontario based brewery and asked him how he would describe Lawn Chair, “Traditionally drier then Rickard’s White, Lawn Chair is very ‘hop-py’ so it’s fruity but not in a citrus way. It’s very crisp. A very good summer beer.” After thanking him I mentioned that I would be blogging his description and he thanked me with a cute Lawn Chair tee! Yay swag! For more info on this and their other beers visit the brewmasters Kevin and John’s funky Hop City website.
**delish exception**
For those feeling like a Snakebite this summer (read cider cut with beer, not the real version that could be poisonous or at the very least in Ontario painful and traumatic) or a “straight-up- liquid-apple-jolly-rancher-concoction-that-will-fool-you-into-thinking-you-are-not-drinking-an-alcoholic-beverage-and-therefore-you-cannot-be-blamed-for-the-surprising-intoxicated-result” I have the cider for you. Somersby was recently introduced to me by a good friend who happily took on my request for a taste testing description. Brought to us by the Canadian Carlsberg Group (though brewed in Falkenberg, Sweden) and served over a quarter pint of ice, Somersby was described to me as having “immediate aromas of crisp green apple. Heavy green apple. First sip is sweet and fruity which dilutes as you drink, thanks to the ice. Not as carbonated as Strongbow and not as sweet as Magners. Refreshing and awesome”
I hope this post helps navigate you toward a perfect beer pick that’s both delicious and local! For more info on beer, lagers and the like, visit my buddy Cass’s website The Bar Towel, Ontario’s Premier Beer Resource. This home-grown Canadian site includes beer news, a discussion forum and an array of beer-related events as well as meet n’ greets for Canadian beer aficionados. Also, check out NOW Magazine’s (Toronto weekly alternative news and entertainment paper) first ever Beer Guide and beer style showdown pitting several local beers against similar imports.
Cheers to good beers!
Tags: beer, Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery, Hefeweizen, Hop City Brewing Company, Mill Street brewery, Shakey’s, Somersby cider
If you’ve never played on Lake Erie’s north shore, go!! Not only will you find some interesting ports of call along the shoreline of the smallest Great Lake, the beaches on Erie’s north shore are GORGEOUS.
The beach at Port Burwell Provincial Park after a big rain storm
We discovered our favourite at Port Burwell Provincial Park. There was hardly a soul on its 2.2 km of sand even though it was a sultry Saturday in early June. Obviously, the summer weekend crowds had not yet materialized. Port Burwell Park is one of several Ontario Parks you’ll find along the north shore of Lake Erie and all of them have beaches. We liked Long Point Provincial Park‘s beach too, where you can also camp among massive sand dunes. It’s part of a gigantic sand spit jutting out into Lake Erie that is recognized as a biosphere reserve and world-renowned refuge and stop over for migrating birds in fall and spring. While touring it with a park staffer, I couldn’t believe the chorus of songbirds. In nearby Port Rowan we heard how up to 20,000 Canadian and American boaters anchor off of Pottahawk Point on the Canadian side the second Sunday of every July in knee-deep water and hang out for the better part of the day drinking beer and catching up. The Pattahawk Bash as she’s known has been going on for more than 30 years. You gotta believe the OPP (provincial police) are all over this one.
The beach at Long Point Provincial Park. All the spring rain had left the water level high
Our two ports of call were Port Dover in Norfolk County and Port Stanley in Elgin County. Port Dover was hopping with lots of motorcycles rolling through town on a Friday night. Its Erie Beach Hotel is famous for its perch and pickerel dinners and it did not disappoint. Since there were only two of us we chose the hotel’s more sedate Terrace dining room downstairs.
The upstairs is a perch and beer affair perfect for groups of friends or family. Besides its famous fish dinners, our salad bar was memorable. Right out the 1950s, our own personal ” bar” came on wheels and had a variety of salads to choose from including homemade pickled pumpkin and jellied horseradish. Both were tasty.
Perch Tugs line the shore in Port Stanley Harbour
Port Stanley is a pretty beach town that is home to one of the last commercial fisheries on the Great Lakes. Perch tugs which are bizarre-looking all-steel boats line the harbour here. We stayed at the Inn on the Harbour where I had a perfect harbour view. Saturday night dinner was on the patio at the Kettle Creek Inn close by. It was a fine way to end a great weekend.
Early morning on Port Stanley public beach on Lake Erie
Tags: commercial fisheries, Erie Beach Hotel, Inn on the Harbour, Kettle Creek Inn, Lake Erie, Lake Erie north shore, Long Point Provincial Park, Pattahawk Bash, perch dinners, pickerel, Point Burwell Provincial Park, Port Burwell, Port Dover, Port Rowan, Port Stanley, tug
When I first met Kelly and she expressed an interest in doing a couple of posts for roadstories.ca, I didn’t realize she was such a Lady About Town. We talked about traveling in Canada and swapped stories about all the great places we had been. I don’t know what I was thinking. Perhaps that she would write about leisurely drives through pastoral Canadian landscapes, or antique shops, or maple syrup. But no. Kelly’s into the bright lights and culture of the big city. Big time. She’s out, like, every night! So until I can rein her in, here are a couple of her latest adventures…
kd lang on stage at Luminato in Toronto
I was thrilled to watch kd lang as dusk descended in David Pecaut square in Toronto last week. The once cow-punk grrl from the prairies and now, at 48, a crooner of extraordinary range and style, dazzled during the city’s Luminato Festival, Toronto’s annual artistically-inspired week of concerts, theatre and art happenings.
In front of an adoring crowd Lang held nothing back, entertaining with a mix of humor, appreciation of her fans and full-on vocal power. At one point, before a song in which she plays banjo, she warned the audience not to be concerned at how much they would be drawn to the stage for the next song – it happens all the time! As a newcomer to kd lang‘s music, I was blown away by her powerful voice, enchanting melodic range and charismatic stage presence.
But even as someone who has never really paid much heed to kd and her music, I was surprised by the amount of songs I did know! Now, armed with an arsenal of tunes to download (Read: ‘Summer Fling‘ and ‘Constant Cravings‘), I have difficulty expressing my wonderment watching (and discreetly videotaping) her chilling rendition of Leonard Cohen‘s ‘Hallelujah‘. Many strong responses were evoked by her emotional delivery of Cohen’s haunting classic and I found myself watching and re-watching the video. kd continued the Canadian leg of the tour the next night in London, Ontario and will be performing sets in Montreal and Ottawa later this month.
Editor’s note: kd lang hails from Consort, Alberta. It’s a long way from L.A. where she lives now.
Main street, Consort, Alberta, 2008. Birthplace of kd lang.
Wow! What an event in downtown Toronto! The Much Music Video Awards were held on June 19th, 2011 at the City TV “legendary home of Much Music” building, and surprisingly enough, I got a ticket in!!
Lurking around backstage at the Much Music Video Awards in Toronto, 2011
Amazingly I managed to get right into the back stage pre-party where we walked in and immediately spotted The Black Keys . I am 99.9% certain that’s who it was, though I must admit I am not terribly ‘down’ with what the bands kids are listening to look like in person. They were sprawled across a semi-circle white leather couch next to the sushi bar and it was my date that advised me not to lean over (as I was in the process of doing, to ask where the open-bar was, to get a glass of wine) as I could clearly see they were enjoying the cold white themselves. We spent some time in this pre-party room gazing out at all the kids on Queen Street West, who were frantically trying to peer in across the red carpet.
While strolling through our exit maze to leave the backstage area, my date decided to grab my hand and casually walk up the back steps onto the backstage of the MMVAs. In a classic situation of “don’t ask permission just beg forgiveness”, coupled with a dash of “if you look like you should be there no one will stop you”, I found myself backstage. Literally. So moments later we were standing behind the huge light screen that screaming fans were facing, with Justin Bieber steps away, calling down to guys standing right next to us about who was on his shirt (from what I could tell it was a pic of his gf Selena Gomez). A great hooting and hollering erupted as we all watched Biebs saunter onto the stage. All we could hear backstage was the waving swell of screaming fans (they had lined up for days), the octaves rising and dissipating as various celebs entered and exited.
After that we waited around backstage, (me waiting for someone to tell us to scram, my date using Lady Gaga’s stage prop as a stepping stool) when Justin swished by us again with gf on arm to their next appointed position. In the meantime we spotted Snoop Dogg and Fefe Dobson heading onto stage in a red and white classic car of some sort and I grabbed a pic of someone clearly important (as I wasn’t the only one taking her pic) can anyone help out on this?
Please leave a comment if you can identify this mystery celeb at the Much Music Video Awards in Toronto, 2011
Tags: Fefe Dobson, Justin Bieber, kd lang, Luminato, Much Music Video Awards, Snoop Dogg, Toronto
Not all of the city of Vancouver is by the water, but when I am walking around there, the ocean and the mountains are never very far away.
And the people of Vancouver always seem to be jogging or riding their bikes.
Granville Island is as much for the tourists as it is for the local people.
Vancouver has the highest real-estate prices in Canada.
It is a thriving port city on the Pacific coast of Canada.
The climate in Vancouver is mild (for Canada) and much of the city’s social life takes place out-of-doors.
In Vancouver, the ocean and the mountains are never very far away.
Tags: Granville Island, Vancouver
“When I get home I shall write a book about this place. If I ever do get home.” (Alice)
The Four Seasons Centre in Toronto
This post about the National Ballet’s latest production is by Kelly, who is working with us this summer. Kelly will be attending Toronto’s Humber College post-grad PR program in September. Welcome aboard, Kelly!!
The National Ballet of Canada’s production of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ saw Toronto’s creme de la creme for it’s premiere, June 4th, 2011. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance (creme status not applicable).
The show premiered at the Four Season’s Centre for Performing Arts, with its remarkable glass lobby atrium, worthy of checking out even if not attending the ballet.
It was a whimsical dance, filled with childlike wonder and curiosity, that garnered rave reviews from audience and critics alike. Here’s a review from the Globe & Mail.
Opening with a fantastic set of Alice’s childhood living abode (enter: mansion) and moving wordlessly forward with her dramatic fall through the rabbit’s hole and drink me/eat me commands from the set design behind the feisty ballerina’s dance movements, the story unfolds in true Carroll-esque fashion. (Check out Lenny’s Alice in Wonderland site for an interesting explanation of Alice’s history) The ballet includes convincing harried movements of the white rabbit, a eerily staged Cheshire Cat and adorable “needs to be seen” pint-sized child ballet dancers, used as the Queen of Hearts croquet balls.
Dreamlike, fantastical and married to the original story, The National Ballet of Canada’s production of Alice in Wonderland is spectacular enough to engage the “mock-est” turtle of ballet.
If in Toronto during the running dates (June 4th-12th, June 23rd-25th) it is a definite must see.
Tags: Alice, Alice in Wonderland, Cheshire Cat, Four Season’s Centre for Performing Arts, National Ballet of Canada, Queen of Hearts, rabbit hole
Everybody in Toronto calls it “Dundas Square”, but its proper name, although a bit more cumbersome, is “Yonge-Dundas Square“. This is Toronto’s take on the more famous and much older Times Square in New York City. Like its venerable American cousin, Dundas Square is ablaze with animated neon and television-style signage. It’s a busy place. People in Toronto have adopted it as a mecca for public concerts, events and promotions of all sorts.
It’s a perfect spot for the kick off of Tourism Week in Ontario, which runs June 6-12, 2011. On Friday, June 3, Dundas Square wil turn into a one-stop shop for Ontario summer vacation ideas. The folks at Ontario Tourism want to get a little buzz going about all the great stuff to do in the province – and there’s lots of it – so they’re pulling out a few stops and throwing a party. As you find out about vacation resorts, Ontario Parks, boating stuff, outdoor adventure, culinary destinations, historic sites and that sort of thing, you can hang out with the crowd and listen to the music.
Here’s the agenda… Starting at noon, the main stage entertainment will feature an Elvis tribute, courtesy of the Collingwood Elvis Festival. There will be Greek music and dancing supplied by Taste of the Danforth and a nod to the Fab Four from the Orillia Beatles Celebration. They’ll pick it up again at 5:30 with musicians and dancers from the Mirvish production of Billy Elliot, Toronto Caribbean Carnival (formerly Caribana), Salsa on St. Clair and the Toronto Jazz Festival. Don’t miss Shania Twin and her tribute to Canada’s favourite diva. The whole thing will wrap about 7:3o. That leaves at least an hour of sunlight, during which time you can watch the lights start to come on as the day recedes and the night takes over Dundas Square.
Tags: Billy Elliot, busker, Caribana, Collingwood Elvis Festival, Dundas Square, Hard Rock Cafe, Mirvish Productions, neon, Ontario Parks, Ontario Tourism, Orillia Beatles Celebration, Salsa on St. Clair, Shania Twin, Taste of the Danforth, Times Square, Toronto, Toronto Caribbean Carnival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Tourism Week, Yonge-Dundas Square
This little piggy went to St. Lawrence Market
If you’re planning a visit to Hollywood North (aka Toronto), you’ll likely end up on a former movie set. X-Men, Chicago, Incredible Hulk, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Rules of Engagement, Goodwill Hunting, Hairspray, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen are just a few of the films that have been shot in Toronto in the last decade.
James spending a sunny afternoon at the Distillery District
The Distillery District
A film company favourite and a funky place to hang out on a weekend. In the 1990s it was the hottest film location in Canada. Against the Ropes, X-Men, Chicago and others have used it for a set. Gooderham and Worts once produced Canadian whiskey here. Today, walk the cobblest0ne streets, stop for a pint at the Mill Street Brewery or head to one of the distillery ‘s restaurants , cafés or artist studios.
Looking east towards St. Lawrence Market
St. Lawrence Market
A Toronto meeting place for over 200 years. Fever Pitch and Rules of Engagement filmed here. Hundreds of Torontonians shop here every week for their fresh seafood, meats and veggies. Peameal bacon (back bacon) sandwiches are a Saturday breakfast tradition. A good walking tour starts in the market and then swings through Toronto’s oldest neighborhood. The Sunday Antique Market here is also a weekend find. I haggled for a better price on a primitive Rankin Inlet soapstone walrus head here just last week.
Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto
Staying at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel?
You’re in good company. This historic property has been the scene of many films including Cinderella Man, Serendipity and the television movie, RFK. G20 Summit leaders stayed here in 2010 and the Royal Suite has been HRH Queen Elizabeth’s home away from home.
Yonge Street, Toronto
Yonge Street
I’ve never been a huge fan of Toronto’s main street but its gritty feel is obviously a film company’s dream. Cinderella Man, The Incredible Hulk and Confessions of Teenage Drama Queen filmed here. Dundas Square, a take-off on NYC’s Time Square is a big improvement, especially for people-watching.
Bride at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
A favourite walking route of mine is through the university’s downtown campus bordering College to the south, Bloor West, University and Avenue Road and Bay Street with Queen’s Park in between. The University’s Philosopher’s Walk is a good bet too. It links Harbord Street to Bloor West. Expect big trees and lots of green set against a backdrop of university buildings, some dating back to the 1850s. Mean Girls, Capote and Chicago among others were filmed on its grounds.
Tags: Chicago, Cinderella Man, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Distillery District, Dundas Square, Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Goodwill Hunting, Hairspray, Hollywood North, movies, RFK, Rules of Engagement, St. Lawence Market, Sunday Antique Market, The Incredible Hulk, Toronto, University of Toronto, Yonge Street