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TTC Wayfinding decal from 
Photo (my own).
Map of Toronto (1862) from Alternative Arts.I’m lucky enough to be living near so many parks and paths. This summer, I’ve been channeling my energy into swimming a few times a week. Earlier in the year, I was taking a swimming class with the city — as an ex-lifeguard, I wasn’t expecting much, but I’ve managed to master a stroke I never thought I’d be able to do: butterfly. This has boosted my confidence and I’ve been trying hard to keep it up.
So, all summer I’ve been heading over to High Park outdoor pool a few times a week to swim and practice. Then I heard about the Ontario Women’s Triathlon and I saw a new challenge. This Sunday, I’m doing the race as part of a team, and doing the swimming leg. I’m equal parts excited and terrified.
I went for my first outdoor swim last week at Cherry Beach. Put on a full wetsuit for the first time, and I’ve gotta say — those things are damn slimming. They take forever to put on, though. So I wouldn’t suggest putting one of those on for a night out.
Cherry Beach is beautiful. I’ve only ever associated it with late night swims, but this past Thursday, it was filled with sail boats and picnickers.
Swimming in open water is a challenge. You never have to think about swimming in a straight line when you’re in a pool. In the lake, you think you’re swimming straight towards the next buoy line until you look up and realize you’ve veered off course by about a half dozen metres.
But overall, it was a good time and full of lessons. My second training swim had to be rescheduled — it was way too windy on Sunday — but I’m hoping to get one more open-water swim in before the race. Aaaand I’m less than a week away from my first triathlon.
Wack.
Read MoreLast Friday night, the girls and I were pondering what to do, and a friend mentioned that a new chocolate lounge had just opened up near her place.
So, we ventured out to Coco Rogue, which is just south of Eglinton on Yonge. With a red velvet rope welcome you outside, it looked like an awesome place before I walked in.
Inside, we were greeted by a pianist playing lounge-style renditions of recognizable hits. At one point, he started playing Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing (by far, better than the version we heard later that night at the Rose & Crown), and he was taking requests. Also of note: a chandelier that seemed to take over the room and old films projecting onto one of the walls of the lounge.
On to the menu. It took me forever to decide what to have because I kept getting distracted by the clever menu descriptions. While I would have loved to try out one of the chocolate pairings, my wallet, unfortunately, had other plans. They range between $30-$50, but I’ll be going back to treat myself sometime soon.
We had the A-mousse-bouche, which came on a platter trimmed with berries and sauce, and three glasses layered with chocolate, vanilla and caramel. All the flavours melded together expertly. We also opted for the Chocolate Rogue lava cake, which was equally divine. One of my girlfriends ordered a raspberry white chocolate martini and all I can say is “Yum”.
This is the perfect destination for the girl’s night out. The menu also has a selection of warm drinks and treats if you just want to stop in for an afternoon or early evening get together.
Read MoreA little while ago, I posted about the Courvoisier Collective and their call for artists. Well, after receiving over 150 submissions and going through a curatorial panel, the winners have been chosen. Last night, I was invited to take part in the gallery opening at Gallery 1313, where the winning pieces were being showcased. I hardly ever wander along that area of Queen West, so it was nice to take a trip to that area of the city (and, of course, to enjoy some delicious Courvoisier punch).
There was a nice variety of mediums in the pieces that were selected. Here are a few of my favourites:
Hover This Pool by Justin Broadbent
Optic by Michael Archibald
3000 Years by Saba Askary (my favourite!)
The 15 winning entries are being featured at the gallery until September 4, and I would highly recommend going to check out the pieces. If you are walking around the city, you may also catch one of the three billboard winner’s pieces on display in the PATH system and on the streets.
Read MoreI wanted to share some info with my friends in the arts community about this cool initiative that Courvoisier is heading, called the Courvoisier Collective.
They are looking for photography, painting, mixed media and printmaking submissions based on the theme of “Renewal”, relating to the revolutionary role of art. You can address the theme in two ways; first, by exploring art’s capacity to revolutionize its own content and second, through art’s potential to challenge the status quo.
Chosen submissions will be showcased on billboards throughout Toronto, giving you some awesome exposure across the city. There will also be a gallery award, and if you are selected by the curatorial committee, your work will be presented at Gallery 1313 from August 11 to September 4.
You can submit your artwork by uploading an image to the Courvoisier Collective website, along with a description and statement as to why it should join the Collective.
The deadline for entries for the billboard showcase is July 8, and July 15 for the gallery award submissions.
If you enter, comment and let me know so I can
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I was surprised to see @TheHudsonsBayCo trending on Twitter. Imagine my surprise to discover that they’d announced that Topshop was coming to Canada! The best part? They were doing a pop-up shop across the street from my work.
Friday morning on my way to the office, I took a peek and the parking lot at Queen/Soho was already bustling. A few coworkers and I headed out at lunch to line up and take our pick of the exclusive collection, DJs and ice cream.
The colours were so great and tempting while waiting in line! Lots of burnt oranges, rich purples and creams. I absolutely couldn’t wait to get in.
The accessories table was also fantastic. Those boat shoes in the corner were calling my name.
I picked myself up a orange sorbet scallop top and purple colour block shell top, and managed to scoop myself up one of the tote bags they had reserved for the first 200 customers.
Topshop plans to open at Yorkdale in September. Until then, you can take advantage of the Topshop capsule at the Bay location on Queen Street starting June 30 or the Muskoka pop-ups that are happening around the end of July. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates.
Read MoreAfter reading BlogTO’s story on the Brewery Market that’s happening every weekend this summer at Wychwood Barns, I decided to break out my bike on Sunday and head up to check it out. It’s a spot I’ve been meaning to explore for a while, and this was a great excuse to go. One of the things I love most about Toronto is the wealth of historic areas and buildings that are scattered throughout the city. Wychwood Barns was built in the early 1900′s and served as a streetcar house/repair centre until the 1980s. Since then, the space has been redeveloped and now houses Artscape and the Stop Community Food Centre.
Each weekend, the market features a different Ontario brewer. On Sunday, they were featuring Denison’s Brewing Company and had their Weissbier and Dunkel on tap. On such a warm summer day, I opted for the wheat beer ($5 for a pint). They were also cooking up pizzas made with veggies grown at the barns in their outdoor pizza bake oven.
I couldn’t resist getting some artsy shots of the main hallway:
The Brewery Market is taking place most Sundays this summer from 1-5PM. So far, they have featured Denison’s and Flying Monkeys. Next weekend, Amsterdam Brewery is on the docket.
Read MoreLast week, Kate Spade was having a tempting sample sale (seriously! Up to 70% off!). Despite their ridiculous shipping charges, a coworker and I split the cost and splurged a bit. The package came in yesterday and now I have some nice little goodies. That what tax returns are for, right?
I’ve been meaning to post about this for a long time, but here we go. A few months ago, I got a surprise package from Best Health magazine. It turned out to be the best surprise ever. Inside: quite the score. I won their Girlfriend Getaway contest, which consisted of a first-class trip for me and three friends. Since I went to university in Ottawa, it was a great excuse to take a trip to the capital and visit some friends.
I ended up going with two friends from highschool and my sister. We took our first-class train trip bright and early on a Friday morning, and I swear, I never want to travel economy class again.
The drinks were flowing, and the food was delicious. I had this fantastic portobello mushroom and leek ravioli with roasted tomato sauce for my main course, and then a rhubarb tart for dessert. I love love love the cute little wine glasses.
When we got to Ottawa, we got settled into our hotel room, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a washer, dryer, and full kitchen. Ballin’. Here was the view:
We then headed out for our spa treatments (full body scrub for two of us, the other two got pedicures), followed by dinner at my fav chinese food restaurant in the city, Ging Sing, and a night out with the ladies.
Saturday, we went for brunch and a shopping trip to burn some cash (we each got $100 gift cards for the Rideau Centre) – our haul: a pair of Lucky Brand jeans, a Michael Kors clutch, an Italian leather purse, and some BCBGMAXAZRIA dresses. That night was the best part of the weekend…dinner at the Cordon Bleu! Yeup. Free dinner. Even better when they showed us the bill.
Overall, a fantastic weekend! It was some much needed girl time. We’re already planning the next girlfriend getaway.
