The globe’s most coveted brands—and our own national favourites—are readily available right here in YYZ. Click any of the slideshow images below to view Where Toronto‘s favourite international items for the holiday season.
Styled images with colour backgrounds photographed by Luis Albuquerque. Off-figure styling by Daniel Onori/Plutino Group.
On July 1 our home and native land marks its 143rd birthday. Even if you’re just adopting Canada for the day, these red and white products help you show some patriotic pride.
Clockwise from top left:
>> 100 Photos That Changed Canada book by Mark Reid, $45, Indigo.
>> Maple leaf key holder, $63, Swarovski.
>> Canadian Shield T-shirt, $32.50, Red Canoe.
>> Village Bag International, $158, Roots.
>> xcase Nation carry-on suitcase, $99.97, The Bay.
It’s getting hot, hot, hot! Cool down this weekend with Bajan cuisine along the waterfront before checking out what Toronto has in store for you.
Friday: Pick up yarn, fabric and more at the Textile Museum (photo by Mr. T in DC)
Friday, May 28
Warm weather knocks at your door in true island fashion with Barbados on the Water. Head over to the Harbourfront Centre today and tomorrow for Bajan cuisine, fashion, theatre and live music by Barbadian artists.
Slide on up to Hemingways to celebrate the Yorkville institution’s 30th anniversary. Steak frites are on the menu tonight, or arrive at 2:30 p.m. in order to fill up on corn on the cob, barbecue fare, bar snacks and beer. The festivities culminate with an evening of live entertainment and prizes.
Get your bargaining skills ready because the Textile Museum of Canada’s More Than Just a Yardage Sale is an opportunity too good to pass up. Today and tomorrow, dig up goodies like patterns, yarns, quilt fabrics and other useful craft materials while doing your part to support the museum.
Grab a cold pint at C’est What?. Tonight’s special: sample from a selection of more than 14 cask beers and 30 draughts as part of the brew pub’s annual Spring Festival of Craft Breweries.
Saturday: Browse Old City Hall and many other buildings as part of Doors Open.
Saturday, May 29
Admire architecture and satisfy your curiosity as Doors Open Toronto enables visitors to explore 150 historic and cultural buildings, including Canada’s National Ballet School, Toronto’s Old City Hall, Black Creek Pioneer Village, and the Casa Loma stables and plotting shed.
Striving to eat well? Those with a taste for fresh, local home cookin’ are invited to stop by a farmer’s market and bring their fixin’s to Beach United Church, where Amuse chef Pat Riley offers a lesson on the fine side of cooking. Leftovers will go toward a Sunday lunch for lower-income Torontonians.
Unravel a mystery at Indigo‘s Yorkdale location with Peter Lerangis and Gordon Korman, bestselling authors of the popular 39 Clues books. They let you in on some secrets and follow up the afternoon with a book signing.
Experience the unique combination of steel pan and voice in And Still We Sing…Steel Singin’, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale’s final performance in its 2010 Glenn Gould Studio series.
Sunday: See miniature diorama-like models at AWOL Gallery.
Sunday, May 30
Engage in cosplay events and game shows—or while away some hours perusing the manga library—on the final day of weekend-long festival Anime North.
Beware of side stitches at the World Cup of Comedy, a humorous tribute to the “beautiful game” and its upcoming World Cup tournament. Comedians Ahmed Ahmed, Angelo Tsarouchas, Frank Spadone and special guest Trevor Boris (“Video on Trial”) gather at the Panasonic Theatre for humorous banter, including topics such as—you guessed it—soccer.
In line with this weekend’s architectural goings on, visitors can explore the relationship between people and buildings at AWOL Gallery, where Rose Bianchini and Jason van Horne’s exhibition, titled Neighbourhood Watch, employs creative miniatures to demonstrate how space plays a powerful role in the formation of identity.
Settle into a seat at historic Massey Hall and let comedic actor Eddie Izzard entertain you with his sharp wit and inimitable sense of the absurd.
The growing popularity of tea has spawned a proliferation of specialty shops carrying loose-leaf varieties and such accoutrements as infusers and steepers. Whether it’s a cup for one or a pot for a party, put the kettle on for some black, green, oolong, chai or rooibos.
Clockwise from top left: Perfect Tea Mug, $19.50, David’s Tea; Lenox Chirp teapot, $234.50, William Ashley China; Harney & Sons tin of tea sachets, $9.99, Indigo; glass teapot, $25, Teaopia; Japanese origami tea caddy, $14.95, Tealish.
Swarovski's Cheshire Cat pendant
You don’t have to fall down a rabbit hole to find yourself in the fantastical world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. On March 5, director Tim Burton brings the book to life with his own gothic twist; his new movie sees Alice reuniting with the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and the Red Queen 10 years after her original tumble. Inspired by the film, crystal purveyor Swarovski has introduced a collection of whimsical baubles representing the characters and themes of the classic children’s novel, including a Cheshire Cat pendant with black diamond, indicolite and light rose pointiage crystals ($165). If you’re looking for more tributes to Alice and her friends, Indigo carries tea cups and pots as well as an illustrated version of the book, while OPI has four bold lacquer hues with cheeky names like Off With Her Red!, available at Caryl Baker Visage.
In a country well known for its literature, Toronto is a particular hotbed of bibliophilia. Pick up these Toronto-centric tomes at one of many bookstores, then peruse the pages at a neighbourhood café.
Type Books
READ Stunt, the 2008 debut novel from playwright Claudia Dey follows sharp-witted Eugenia Ledoux from eccentrically residential Parkdale to the Toronto Islands to what is now the Distillery Historic District, on a search for her capricious father. More local cred: Stunt is published by Coach House Books, a city staple for nearly 40 years.
SHOP Owned by two women with doctorates in Canadian literature—Type Books (883 Queen St. W., 416-366-8973) is an indie success story with three shops across the city. The original Queen Street West location also features a lower-level art gallery, and all locations proudly feature many small-press titles.
SIP Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves add a scholarly touch to the eclectic ambience at Tequila Bookworm (512 Queen St. W., 416-603-7335). The artsy hot spot serves up a variety of caffeinated drinks, sandwiches and huge waffles to fuel your reading session. Weather permitting, grab a seat on the second-storey patio.
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Michael Zheng's The Stop. Photo by KK Law
1 The Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale (pictured at right), on until next year.
2 Rediscovering the sweets of yesteryear at The Candy Aisle. PEZ, Big League Chew, Sweetarts, Nerds, Runts, Laffy Taffy—yum.
3 The fact that pretty much every city block contains at least one coffee shop.
4 Watching the annual Polar Bear Swim (Jan. 1) with something—and someone—hot.
5 Lights of Hope (to Mar. 21), raising money for St. Paul’s Hospital.
St. Paul's Hospital is all lit up until March 21. Photo by KK Law
6 Cheap eats at Hon’s Wun-Tun House.
7 The Shoppers Drugmart on Davie Street, which is open 24 hours a day.
8 Exploring the centre of the city.
9 Stephen Colbert. He’ll be here next month—whether as the official sponsor of the US speed skating team or as the City of Richmond’s Olympic Oval Ombudsman or even as an Olympic athlete, we don’t know. We do know the host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report will make us laugh.
10 Catching a sunlit glimpse of the snow-covered North Shore mountains from downtown, and planning an escape to Grouse.
11 Nala, the seven-month-old (but only recently named) baby beluga at the Vancouver Aquarium. The name is short for an Inuktitut word meaning “surprise gift.”
12 Cheering for the Vancouver Canucks.
13 The clean, crisp winter air.
14 Counting down to the 2010 Winter Games.
15 The World Needs More Canada collection at Chapters and Indigo stores, which includes books by Canadians such as Margaret Atwood and Rex Murphy and accessories such as a red umbrella sporting a patriotic message you can’t ignore.
Do you have great photos from your travels in Canada that you'd like to share with us? Submit them to the Where Canada Flickr pool and they'll show up here.
Stay, Dine, Do
