BLAH BLAH BLAH yea CNE is not what it once was…read moreit was much more affordable and family friendly but so were the 70/80/90/early 2000's after 445 pm is $13, main reason i went. it's interesting for people watching and mini donuts... rides are trash fam

Exhibition Place has been around for over a century. I know it as the place to be in August for the…read moreCanadian National Exhibition (CNE or The Ex). Its name comes from this event that marks the end of summer. I tend to visit various expos and shows at Enercare Centre, which makes up part of Exhibition Place. The One of a Kind and Plant Expo shows are fun. Recently, I visited Coca-Cola Coliseum (formerly Ricoh Coliseum) to take in a couple of Toronto Marlies hockey games. Exhibition Place hugs the Lake Ontario shoreline, just west of downtown Toronto. It's a large space with exhibit, trade, and banquet centres; theatre and music buildings; monuments, parkland, and sports facilities; and a number of civic, provincial, and national historic sites. The older buildings that comprise Exhibition Place are on the west side. The Horticulture Building and Music Building come to mind. I am more familiar with the larger buildings. It's likely because I frequented them often, especially when I worked at The Ex during three different summer jobs as a student. The Food Building is still kicking around. I sold fudge and cold drinks in that building. I knew where the best deals were for candy and snacks. Some things never change... haha I shopped a lot at the Better Living Building. It was mainly handbags, hair accessories, and sandals back then. As of late, it's the Queen Elizabeth Building that I visit the most. It's where concerts tend to be. I last saw Erasure there. BMO Field is across from it. I saw Genesis, which was the first concert at this venue. It is the home of Toronto FC, our soccer (football) team. Seeing the Marlies play was a treat after an absence of over a decade. I got to take in my first AHL playoff game and the team won! The food is great. Scotiabank area could try and adapt mac and cheese, and grilled cheese with freshly made chips from this venue alone. I have parked all over this place. The further you park from where you want to be, the cheaper parking is. If you park at the underground lot for Enercare Centre, Beanfield Centre (formerly the Automotive Building), or Coca-Cola Coliseum, parking has a flat rate of $25. It's credit and debit cards only. There is an attendant available during the event in question if you need assistance. There are two historic gates here: - Princes' Gates (opened by Princes Edward and George) - Dufferin Gates (the arch, named after Lord Dufferin) I have entered the former more often. If I use the latter, I'm going to the Medieval Times dinner and tournament show. Exhibition Stadium used to be here. It was the home of the Blue Jays. It was also a concert venue. I have fond memories taking a break from my job and getting a glimpse of The Rolling Stones play before their evening show. I have barely scratched the surface describing Exhibition Place. It's a multipurpose area with a lot of events and activities happening year-round. I'm glad that I can drop by now and again to relive memories and make new ones. (177)

We visited the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the T.O. Food & Drink Fest, and the overall…read moreexperience was very smooth from the start. Check-in and badge pickup were easy, and everything was clearly organized with signs showing where the lines began and how to move through ticket scanning and up the escalators. The event map helped a lot, and vendors were easy to find. There was a great mix of food, drinks, desserts, chocolates, warm meals, and even merchandise, plus short chef demos and fun bartending classes happening throughout the festival. The venue itself handled the crowd well, and the aisles were clearly marked, which made walking around comfortable. It was nice to see live chef presentations where they explained dishes step by step. Parking is available in both the North Building and South Building garages, which is convenient, but it is on the expensive side.

I was at a conference here last week and overall enjoyed the location. It was walking distance from…read morea few different hotels, several restaurants, and lots of family activities like the aquarium and stadium. The design is mostly underground and very confusing at first, it took me a couple of days to get the layout down. The rooms were comfortable and visual and audio all worked well. Bathrooms were tidy and everything was clean. I especially liked the hallway seating, there were tons of little nooks with comfy couches and chairs where you could tuck away in between lectures.

I just love Rose Theatre Brampton!…read more - Complimentary Underground Parking on Show Nights - Ton of parking spaces! - Complimentary Coat Check - Never a line to use the washroom facilities -Small and Intimate seating means you never too far away from the stage (I did have a good view of all the actions...) - Classy but casual as there is no dress code - Professional but friendly staff - Great Location for commuting as it is just off the Highway and right across from the bus terminal! And of course the show: Full Monty is great! Thanks Yelp GTA for the complimentary tickets!

As a venue itself, The Rose is about as good as it gets for its scale and comparing it to other…read moresuburban cities' theatres. I've been to a handful of others in the GTA, and driven by some more; in spite of potential bias, I feel the Rose is nicest. Beautifully designed, no poor seats, terrific acoustics, a separate smaller theatre for smaller performances, a massive lobby which itself is well-suited for events. There's also free parking and coat check. It's perfectly situated in the heart of downtown Brampton with several restaurant options all within the same block. The Rose (I believe) also owns the fountain in front which is often converted into a mini-stage for local performances in the summer and compliments what's happening in Garden Square. I should award it 5 stars by these virtues alone, but the often lacklustre performance lineup can't really be disassociated with the venue - especially since it effectively organized by the theatre. It's not to say there are never worthwhile shows, but a bit too few and far between. I'm actually a bit surprised there aren't more since it is a such a perfect venue - perhaps its due to the fact that Casinos can offer more money to performers. In any case, a wonderful spot and hoping that it can draw even more shows and that the local population gets behind it.

I've visited this location twice and have enjoyed the experience. There is a cafe on the main level…read morethat has food items and beverages, which you can take into the theatre to watch the show. I was really impressed that they had milk alternatives so I could enjoy a nice hot tea latte. My rooibos tea latte tasted amazing and I would definitely recommend it. My friend ordered a coffee and I think they added a heart on the froth and it looked really pretty. The play that we saw wasn't the best but the theatre was nice. Seating is distributed on a first come first serve basis and the set was created really well for a small budget production. Would I return? Depending on what plays are playing, I would definitely check it out again.

This is a review more strictly for the cafe in The Theatre Centre (TCC)... I love it! What a…read morewonderful place for a freelancer to work. The windows are huge and great for people-watching. The atmosphere is friendly, yet quiet enough that you can focus on what you're there to do. The staff are very nice. The armchairs are comfy. I've come back for the frittata a few times. A different flavour every day for about 6$- with a little green salad- feels like quite a steal. It takes 8 minutes (yes, they'll let you know the precise timing) for them to heat it up and feels so lovely/fancy in the morning. The other day, it was filled with artichoke, tomato, onion and gouda cheese. One time, I got two lavender lemon cookies for 2$. They were amazing! Every sense gets great value by spending time at TTC.

Second Floor Events is an event space that is located inside a historical heritage building down an…read morealleyway off King Street West near Spadina. Having an industrial loft atmosphere, this venue is right in the heart of downtown Toronto near the Entertainment district and hustle and bustle of King West. My partner and I had gotten engaged in 2019 where we had signed a contract with Second Floor Events after looking at many other venues in Aug 2019. Our wedding was supposed to happen in Oct 2020, but due to the pandemic, we were forced to postpone where we officially held our wedding reception at Second Floor events in Oct 2021. From the very first meeting with Nicole, the Events Producer, to tour the venue, to meeting our Event Coordinator, Cindy, we knew we were in great hands. When COVID hit, we had decided to postpone our Oct 2020 date to Oct 2021, something Second Floor Events was very accommodating with. We were able to choose a new date to our liking with no extra added costs. Due to pandemic restrictions, it was tough knowing when to start planning for our Oct 2021 as my partner and I eagerly waited to hear more news from the provincial government. Finally, as the pandemic restrictions slowly lifted, we reached out to our event coordinator, Cindy, about 2.5 months before our event was supposed to take place. With a short timeline to pull the whole event together, Cindy was responsive and answered all our questions during the planning process right to the day of the wedding. We were also surprised when we had the tasting how good the food tasted (which was very important!); we were also able to customize/change any aspects of the dishes we tried to our liking and tastes. During the wedding day, Cindy as well as the Second Floor Events staff was able to make sure things were more or less on schedule. Although we had a few hiccups, many guests raved about the food and what a great time they had. The beautiful venue itself added to the atmosphere of the entire night. As stressful as the planning was, we were glad and appreciative of the staff at Second Floor Events and wouldn't have imagined celebrating with our family and friends any other way. Overall, beautiful venue in the heart of downtown Toronto, great tasting food, and great staff to work with and coordinate your next event. Could not have asked for more! Thank you Second Floor Events!!

I officiated Montana & Ryan's wedding ceremony here last night and it was great! The space is very…read morecleverly designed to accommodate a lovely, windowed ceremony space which then transforms and opens up to create a large banquet space. The vibe is rustic and hip with a clean, modern flair. Staff were all super friendly, helpful and professional. Special thanks to Zoe & Clea :) I was able to sample some of the hors d'oeuvres and they were super yummy and unique. Not sure if the venue caters or if it was from an outside source but it was delish! Looking forward to working there again!

Located just up the street from Evergreen Brickworks, Todmorden Mills consists of the main building…read morewhich acts as a welcome centre, art gallery, theatre, and event space, as well as historic buildings scattered around in the property. The historic houses are only accessible with a tour guide, ran by the Toronto Historic Museums. We got a tour of the historic houses which belonged to and were occupied by the workers who worked in the nearby mills / factories, and we learned about how they lived in the late 1800s. Great informative tour. They periodically have events such as the annual Eco Fair every spring. The location is close to a few different trailheads in the area, with connections to the Don River Valley and the Don Valley trails.

I love touring well protected heritage sites but this was quite disappointing. The site itself was…read moredisappointing, but we also had a bad experience here. My family was taking a day off together for a special celebration, and for the morning, we wanted to just check out a Toronto heritage site, walk a garden, and head off to lunch. I called ahead because I saw online that there are tour times but you could self tour, and I wasn't sure we could make it to a scheduled tour. The lady I spoke with on the phone assured me that the tour is optional and we can walk the site ourselves. So we show up, and there's only two houses... but they're both locked. So we go to the desk to ask if maybe the heritage site and houses were further down the road somewhere. I saw no mill, nor houses. They tell us we missed the 11:30 tour. It was 11:37, so I asked if we could catch up and we were told no.... Only after persistently asking did they reveal that actually, since no one showed up at 11:30, they just didn't do the tour. They're short staffed and couldn't spare people.... But we were welcome to wait until 1 and go walk to see the outside of the houses...... I just got really fed up because it was their own miscommunication and I had to drive from quite a distance. We'd seen most heritage sites in the GTA and this was one of the few left we haven't visited. I was ready to just leave at that point. It's free admission so it's not like they care if they have visitors I guess. But the girl at the desk got someone to cover for her and offered to walk us to the two houses. I could tell she wasn't thrilled about it, but mind you, it's not her fault and the poor girl was literally the only one staffed aside from the manager. She was probably as frustrated as I was that she had to deal with this. I was very grateful she took the time and she was quite knowledge about the homes. About the site: The mill was essentially gutted and turned into an art museum, which rotates exhibitions quite often. I was expecting to see and learn more about the site itself. Sadly, there's just a few signs here and there. The houses themselves were lovely, but sadly only two and you have to catch the tour if you want in. They do keep them locked, so not, you can't walk around yourself. One of the homes was from the 1800's which actually was a semi detached. The city built a doorway between so you can just walk both houses as one. The second building is a cottage home that was from the 1940's. It was quite interesting and I liked knowing that the original owners daughter helped them to refurbish it, so it reflects how it actually looked when she lived there herself. I do wish they had more homes at the heritage site. There's a 15 minute walking path too which is extremely untamed. Legit just a 15 minute short walk that's pretty much in a forest. You won't see much.. Over all, disappointing for a heritage site. There's really not much to see or do. And, you have to catch the tour, otherwise, you're welcome to just look at the outside of the houses.

Recently, a few of my friends and I were reminiscing about Ontario Place. I have spent so much time…read morehere growing up. I always liked that when you purchased admission to The Ex, you got to visit Ontario Place. My parents and I went here often. It was great watching the air show from Ontario Place. I have fond memories of all of us sitting on a boulder and taking in the show. It was fun doing pedal boat rides in swans and the bumper boats. I have photos of waving like a crazy kid in them. As a teenager, I spent so much time visiting Cinesphere to take in a movie when I had enough money. It was cool back in the day. Oh, let's not forget about The Forum. It was a nice venue to take in live performances. I didn't get into seeing huge concerts here (I was 18 years old when I officially saw my first concert), but I did see whatever acts were on with my parents. Perhaps over a decade ago, I dropped by to take in the Toronto Chinese Lantern Festival. It was magical seeing all these displays at night. I took so many photos and I like looking at how spectacular the displays were. I miss it. The closest that I get is seeing concerts at Ontario Place is at Budweiser Stage. It's a nice venue when you have Lake Ontario as a backdrop. It's lovely to spot when you are doing a boat tour (I was fortunate to do one a few years ago). You can't miss it. The marina is alive and kicking. I always admired when folks were there taking in the music and view. Here's hoping that whatever restoration plans are in store for Ontario Place are realized. It's such a lovely area. It's a shame that it's not used as much as it should be these days. (455)

Okay, imagine going back in time to be a kid again! That's Ontario Place…read more Ontario Place was the theme park that was affordable in the GTA with a sunshine guarantee (so if you went during the rain you got a free second visit). Fast forward to present it is an abandoned place for events. I've visited this place a few times, for the BBQ Fest in 2018, the Asian BBQ fest. Oh yea I remember in 2018 getting a bottle of ketchup with me on it! I also remember spending 30$ for a set of tickets to visit different venues-no direct money payment. In 2018 I've also gone to Winterfest that has light art and an artificial skating rink made of plexiglass; not sure if it damaged my skate blades because I didnt drag my skates out. Reason I visited is for Snow Magic, I had a Yelp endorsed ticket - usually $80 with ticket vender during peak time. The Snow Magic was a feature of artist work; Ontario Place has a nice way to showcase community artists as other events in the Winter have featured lots of art work stationary and moving with lots of artistic optic plays with mirrors. I did capture many photos of the events, feel free to check out then out when they're posted @foodrebelivana for events from this event. This event is truly family friendly; not enough seats in your 6 seater van, take a Mercedes and make it a party as they charge one fixed rate irrespective of the number of people in the vehicle (safely travelling of course). :) Overall Ontario Place has turned into a money pit venue, pretty much every venue I've been to has asked for some sort of compensation up front or didnt bother because its ridiculously cold.

Best thing I stumbled on during my free day in Toronto. It's a hive of art, maker spaces, and…read moredesign. There's a cafe on the north end and two retail shops with fun stuff that are the equivalent of museum gift shops. Completely free!

One of my favourite places to visit in the city, always a rotating blend of art to experience,…read moregorgeous building, and has the best location of Dark Horse Espresso in Toronto.