One of our favourite weekends of the year – Doors Open Toronto – is just around the corner, and we’re looking forward to the rare and free access it provides to significant buildings and sites around the city. When we first attended in 2015, we found that one weekend just wasn’t enough time to see anything, and come the 2016 event, our list of places … Continue reading The Best of Doors Open Toronto
Now in its 6th year, Toronto’s European style Christmas Market has been ranked by many as one of the best Christmas Markets in the world. Located in the historic Distillery District, the market features all the festivities you would expect, including Santa, a 54-foot Christmas tree, a mini Ferris Wheel and plenty of mistletoe. It’s the perfect way to kick off the festive season. We visited … Continue reading Toronto Christmas Market
The Santa Claus Parade is a Toronto tradition that’s been going 111 years. It’s broadcast on national television and over half a million people line the parade route ever year. Therefore it’s fair to say it’s a pretty big deal. So on November 15th we stopped what we were doing (looking for parkas in Hudson’s Bay) and headed over to University Avenue to catch a glimpse … Continue reading 5 things we did wrong during the Toronto Santa Claus Parade
Football, but not as we know it. This is Canadian style. Sometimes this blog can feel more like a sports blog, and so here we are again, reviewing yet another sport, and one which to the untrained eye looks a lot like American football. However, this isn’t American football, this is Canadian football, and is as equally alien to Brits who are used to sport … Continue reading Ticking another Toronto sports team off the list
Seeing whether the Toronto Maple Leafs really are as bad the jokes make them out to be It’s been a great summer in Toronto. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s always freezing in Canada, because down in southern Ontario it can get pretty hot and humid. However, over these past couple of weeks, the temperature has definitely dropped. It might still be sunny, but … Continue reading Turning over a new Leaf
Having visited High Park in the winter and walked on a frozen pond, and then again in spring to check out the cherry blossom, we decided a summer trip was in order. This was also the perfect opportunity to pay a visit to High Park Zoo, a small 120 year old zoo which is home to a handful of animals. Admission to the zoo is free … Continue reading High Park Zoo
Getting in the Pan Am spirit at the field hockey competition As anyone who lives in Toronto will know, the city and the surrounding area is the host for the 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games.  A mini-Olympics just for the Americas if you like. The hosting of these Games caused a lot of grumbling amongst locals. Concerns included the use of precious public funds, … Continue reading Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games
At work Stewart is known as the master of freebies due to our ability to sniff out a good bargain. Just last week whilst at High Park he suddenly disappeared as he made a beeline for a Lays crisps promo van! Since living in Toronto we’ve made the most of what’s on offer for free, saving us money (for more holidays), whilst still enabling us … Continue reading 8 things to do for free in Toronto
Uncovering the beauty of graffiti in Toronto’s Graffiti Alley Back in April, we delved into Toronto’s Hogtown moniker with a Bacon Tour. Along the way we had been briefly introduced to Graffiti Alley and its artwork. So when the opportunity came up for a longer and more in-depth tour of the graffiti, we jumped at the chance. The tour is led by Tour Guys, who … Continue reading Graffiti Tour of Toronto
The time we got interviewed on TV at the Honda Indy in Toronto Having dragged Emma all the way to Montreal to watch the Formula 1 race the weekend before, it was something of a surprise that she agreed to come with me the following weekend to the Indycar race in Toronto. Indycars are the American version of Formula 1, and they have been visiting … Continue reading TV interview lessons at the Indycar
Brown Bear Travels 