Am posting a review on this past weekend's Carabram Festival…read more There were several locations throughout the City of Brampton, celebrating vibrancy, inclusion and diversity. Attended all three pavilions, traveled to Africa, South Asia, watched a Chinese dance group, had fresh king coconut at the Sri Lankan pavilion as well as purchasing fresh mangosteen, and was thrilled to find REAL shea butter from a vendor selling products from Ghana at the African pavilion. Great fun, well organized event. Kudos are due to the organizers of this event. We traveled from Toronto and were glad we attended. Well done!

It's a fine building, but it's not a speck on Mississauga City Hall…read more (I know what you're thinking - stop pelting me with tomatoes!) Look, I like Brampton City Hall. I really do. It's a nice building in the downtown core and it's close to all the action, but considering what I was building this place up as in my mind, I've been disappointed by my visits there. It doesn't have anything to do with the refreshments or food that are offered during events - those have been uniformly fantastic on the four occasions I've visited. No, I'm disappointed by the atrium, which looks positively bland compared to the Civic Centre in Mississauga. You can't go from marbled columns and spacious, beautiful green-and-beige colors to a venue where the whole color scheme is just gray, gray and some more gray for good measure. This is an underwhelming site that doesn't befit a building of this nature, and frankly, the city should pony up the dough to revamp the place. (You'd think they'd be doing this already, considering they sprung for upgrades to the West Tower Conservatory next door and other community sites throughout the city.) I recently came here for a New Year's Levee, and while I was impressed by Mayor Patrick Brown's speech and the photo/networking opportunities it presented, I found some part of the experience lacking. There was little of the pomp and circumstance seen at the Mississauga New Year's Levee held a day later, and the whole thing just kind of ended with Brown taking the spotlight while the rest of the councillors awkwardly milled around and passed out marketing materials. And where were all the MPPs? The NDP Brampton-Centre rep, Sara Singh, made the time to show up, but no one else apparently bothered. I soon found myself wishing to leave, and quickly made a beeline for the nearest bus so I could get back to familiar ground. Even Council Chambers are lacking. You mean to tell me the lazy square seats and smallish room where the seat of power is located is meant to be impressive? Brampton City Hall seriously needs a makeover. There's some good stuff to be found here (mostly in the hospitality aspect), but the site itself is lacking in several ways.

The Old Shoe Factory used to be a real functioning shoe factory at the turn of the century…read more. Hewetson Shoe Company. It was designated property under the Ontario Heritage Act on August 6, 2008. The outside though look a little boring.. but there are really nice architectural details inside... the walls, the arches..and the high ceilings. I love the way how it was converted into studio style units so local small business can rent it out as dance/yoga/art studios... The lobby retain that shoe factory theme with displayed of local history, memorabilia and even some of the old shoe making equipment.

Vivian Lane is a good example of how the City of Brampton utilize the use of urban spaces…read more This is a small alley that connect Main Street to Rose Theatre, but during summer months there are smaller concerts: jazz, classical, folk and bands that perform in this lane way. Better acoustic and more intimate compare to the open areas in the Gage Garden or Rose Garden Square. There are also permanent chessboards set up in the Vivian Lane. Check the schedule as the local chess club has regular meet up during summer! And during the day, one can just hang around in the shade as there are canopy providing relief from the the hot sun.

Just spent a few hours in Vivian Lane. I conversed with friends to a soundtrack of live jazz guitar…read moreas we sipped our Artic Lion Chai tea from adjacent lounge T by Daniel. The acoustics were so crisp and the ivied historic buildings, muraled walls, floral planters and sculptures made for a romantic setting even though the group of us only happened upon each other during our respective evening strolls. Would love to visit another time while chess is in full swing. We were all amused and surprised to learn that chess pieces can be borrowed from a handful of neighbouring shops... So if I still remembered all the moves, I would definitely plan for some friendly competition all fresco in the near future.

Last Saturday, I dropped by the Malton sign to check it out. It was a bonus visit to see the Avro…read moreCanada Monument and the Malton Cenotaph next to it. I enjoy visiting museums. When there are aircraft, it makes me happy. The Avro Monument is a replica of a full-sized Avro aircraft next door to Paul Coffey Arena. It was so unexpected and such a delightful find. This all-weather aircraft was designed for the Canadian Military in Malton. Malton has a rich history in aircraft, which includes building the Avro Arrow back in the 1950's. It is perfectly fitting why a monument was established here. The replica aircraft is stunning to look at. Back in 1978, there was a CF-100 Mk 5 Canuck Aircraft here. It was restored in 2017, which is what you see here now. Both plaques from 1978 and 2017 are just under the aircraft on a concrete beam. I learned so much reading them. I enjoy being a tourist and learning about a cool part of history that was previously vague in my mind. You can park either at Paul Coffey Arena or Light Korean Presbyterian Church. I did the latter, as it's closer to get to this monument. It was a great find. Free and enlightening. I recommend dropping by to soak up some cool Canadian history. (356)

Kris U's review gives a good background of Lorna Bissell Fountain…read more Where's the water? Is it suppose to be a fountain?! For this evening, the fountain became a stage for a play performance! What an awesome experience.

I took some time to research why this fountain, located in Brampton's Garden Square (next to the…read moreRose Theatre) bore its name, and who exactly is/was Lorna Bissell? While on the national/international scale, Lorna Bissell was not well known, while serving on Brampton council for 18 years, she was an integral part of the Brampton community for many many years. While the fountain has been around for quite sometime, it was renamed in her honor in June 2010 several months after she lost a 5 year battle with breast cancer. The most admirable thing I came to learn about Lorna is that she played an integral role in, and was an advocate for, the revitalization of Brampton's downtown core. Years after her passing, as I walked around the quiet weekend streets of Brampton, I could see the fruits of her (and others) labour. There are elements of "old Brampton" still there, however like the city's nickname 'The Flower City,' there is a beauty in downtown Brampton that has begun to bloom. If you're interested in checking this fountain out, as it is quite peaceful, it's located off of Main Street, in Garden Square next to the Rose Theatre.

Malton has a special place in my heart. It's where Toronto Pearson International Airport is. I…read morehave travelled out of and landed safely back here for decades. I also worked here at the old office before our company relocated to our current office on the opposite side of the airport. I have spent a lot of time driving along Derry Road over the years. It's a pretty good backroad when highway 401 is at a standstill. A couple of winters ago, I drove along Derry and noticed this Malton sign in colourful lights at night. It made my happy. Yesterday, I was driving along it to get to my favourite Hakka restaurant. I decided after filling myself up up with grub for lunch that I'd return to check it out. There isn't a dedicated parking lot. You can either park at Paul Coffey Arena or Light Presbyterian Church. I did the latter, which is shorter in distance and there was nothing happening at the church on a Saturday afternoon. Malton is home of the Avro aircraft. There's a monument next to the Malton sign. The Malton Cenotaph is to the right of the Avro monument. It's great seeing all three sights and landmarks, and learning how important Malton is to Mississauga and Canada. I spent a good hour here. There are benches where you can sit down, take in everything, and reflect. It was a warm, sunny day. It was perfect. The Malton sign is also a great place to take photos and be a tourist. I had fun doing all that! (352)

The partner and I stopped by here to visit their Christmas Open House and we had a pleasant and…read moreenjoyable time looking at the handmade crafts and goods for sale. It's not a big Christmas market but I would say it's worth visiting for its charm and reasonable prices. A portion of the sales also go towards the maintenance of the historic house. They had a multitude of items, all handmade and local. We spotted knitted accessories, pottery, maple syrup, jam, baked goods, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, and much much more. We ended up picking up an adorable knitted baby bonnet for $3 and matching knitted shoes for $6! Once we had our shopping fill, we headed to the tea room for a break. The room smells very homey with the aroma of cinnamon and crackling open fire. For $10 each, you can get your choose of tea or mulled cider with a plate of cookies and baked goods. All proceeds in the tea room go towards the Bouvaird house. I got a Christmas chai and my partner got a mulled cider. The teas are stash brand but I think their mulled cider is made in house. The cider was flavourful and comforting and I would recommend it. You can also explore various rooms in the house when visiting that contain signs with educational information and facts. Admission and parking is free! Overall I really enjoyed my visit. The staff were kind and we learned that everyone is a volunteer! We were given an informational card that lists their 2023 events. I'm interested in returning for one of them and actually called a friend right after the visit to recommend they go for their Christmas shopping lol!

Historic Bovaird House is a living time capsule from Brampton's past. Come for a free tour and…read morelearn about local history. Open every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from Noon - 4:00 pm. Don't forget to shop for hand-crafted items in our specialty gift shop!