The 3-day RC Show event this year is happening at The International Centre in sauga March 8-10,…read more2026. 5 halls filled with lots of vendors, exhibitors, media and attendees! This was my first year attending and now I can understand why this is a 3-day event lol. I had a great time :) Hall 1 has all the alcoholic beverages, endless food samples, and AMEX lounge (definitely worth checking out) Hall 2, 3, 4 has all the huge appliances (with delicious samples), beautiful tableware, sustainable takeout packaging... we even saw sushi making machines that T&T Supermarket has adopted. Hall 5 has all the coffee tasting, machines and latte art competition + Kawartha ice cream truck, and milk chocolate sample.

Tips: - The first day of this three-day event is the most…read moreexciting with a welcome, opening address, and more. - Parking at Enercare Centre is packed in the morning. If you can delay coming till mid-afternoon, you'll have better luck with available parking spots. - In 2026, the show moves to the International Centre. - Wear comfortable footwear and clothing. You'll be walking around a lot, and sampling food and more. Yesterday, I visited the Restaurants Canada (RC) Show for the first time. A friend graciously got me a pass to go to this three-day trade show and conference, which saved me $149 to participate for the first time. I was grateful for the invitation. RC Show allows you to network with industry professionals. It's Canada's largest foodservice and hospitality event. It was a wonderful experience to shop, taste, learn, connect, and grow businesses and taste palettes. I frankly didn't know about Restaurants Canada until I found about this show. Canada has roughly a $114 billion foodservice industry. This trade show runs annually. I got to learn from the best, hear about the latest product innovations, and sample good eats and drinks. This event was at Enercare Centre. I'm familiar with it. I've been to the One of a Kind Show and Planted Expo here. I also attend Toronto Marlies and Toronto Sceptres at Coca-Cola Coliseum next door and park at Enercare Centre. I got here just after 11 am on a Monday. Finding an available parking spot was tough. I had to settle for crashing a lone parent-child parking spot. It was tiny, but my car fit in it fine. The check-in process was horrific. I was parked closer to exhibition hall D. You register online and need to have your QR code. At the registration counter at exhibition hall A, you get it scanned and then a badge is printed. You then go in exhibition hall B for the show. I lined up for 1.5 hours. My friend didn't tell me that I could have used to Skip the Dishes line to save time. Ugh! I did learn while in line chatting with a past attendee that it was faster entry last year. Scan the QR code and then enter. This new process was painful. One I got inside, it was awesome. I learned about Bunn slushie machines relying on torque and adjusting water levels to make the smoothest slushies. The peach one was fantastic! I am a tea person. I got to sample mango chai tea from Tea Squared. I have been a fan of its on-the-go square teabags for looseleaf tea for eons. It was wonderful to enjoy tea and see this vendor. I went a bit crazy with tea. It brings me great joy. I sampled peppermint tea and iced black tea from Steven Smith Teamaker. Both were excellent. I got a massive reusable bag and tea samples. I love this bag! I had a lot of dessert samples. A chunky monkey cake sample was divine from Elite Sweets. The best fruit preserves and fruit shots from Darbo and White Toque, respectively, were outstanding. The dulce de leche churro bite from the latter was incredible. The frozen treats were delicious. I got green apple and mango alphonso gelato that were amazing. The nachos, salsa, and sauce samples from Splenda and Select Food Products were inspiring. I rarely add corn to my salsa. I should after trying the former's recipe! The smoked lime and tequila sauce from the latter was incredible with nachos. The best products were paper cups and straws that don't get soggy by SoFi. They blew my mind. The latter had a bendy straw. I was impressed. I got sample paper straws. They are excellent! I also enjoyed the shell pasta sample from Griss Pasta and the Impossible chick'n nugget. Delicious! There was so much to take in. I ate and drank my way through this show. I will also suggest that there be more places to sit down to enjoy your samples. I ended up borrowing a side table at a booth to put down my stuff and sample before moving on. I only sat down once at a demonstration area and watch a man pour coffee from the most fancy industrial coffee maker. It was cool, even for a non-coffee regular. I liked the robots that past by me. I want one. I left at around 4 pm. It's definitely a day event and you can stay till closing. I was good going home earlier to avoid the crazy rain and winds. I had a good time. I learned a lot. There are improvements to be made with the badge procedure. I'm hoping that things are better, including parking at the International Centre next year. (124)

Cheering on our ALDS champs in Game 2 World Series! Good…read morecrowd & Mayor Chow is here! Let's Go Blue Jays!

I'm surprised that I never wrote a review about the Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square. Well,…read morethe time is now! I will admit that I am late to such trends. The first such sign that I discovered and took my first photo of was the Ottawa sign several years ago while I was at ByWard Market. As a tourist, I love such touristy attractions. They are fun and memorable. My first time seeing this Toronto sign in person was during the pandemic. It was nice to be outdoors, not wearing a mask, taking photos of the sign with Toronto reflected on the water on a warm, summery day. This sign changes colour depending on whatever event is happening. If it's Canada Day, you'll see the letters in red and white. When the Toronto Maple Leafs were making a playoff run, the letters were blue and white. I remember heading to my car after a Jann Arden concert at Massey Hall. It was a special evening for me. The letters were in white. The maple leaf next to it was red. It was a beautiful evening out. It's simply a cheerful sign at any time. It's a nice addition to the downtown core. Whenever I'm in the area, I try my best to visit and enjoy it. It's great, whether you are a local or a tourist. (95)

This walk of fame area in the entertainment district of Toronto Ontario Canada displays maple leaf…read moreshaped sidewalk stars embedded into the pavement to honor famous Canadian's including celebrities, movie stars, actors, arts, sports, science, business and charity. Founded in 1998, it spans 13 blocks mainly around Roy Thomson Hall, Princess Wales Theatre and the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

I recently attended a musical at the Princess of Wales Theatre. After it was over, I walked out of…read morethe theatre and looked down. I normally don't look down at the sidewalk, but I did for some reason. I noticed inductee names and stars. I was walking on Canada's Walk of Fame. So cool! Since 1998, a number of Canadians who have excelled in various fields are inducted in Canada's Walk of Fame. The fields are diverse, from science and philanthropy, to athletics and music. Inductee stars are present along King Street West, between John Street and Simcoe Street. They are also on Simcoe Street, between King Street West and Wellington Street, in downtown Toronto. I was at King and John, so I'm at the beginning or end of the walk of fame, depending on the direction that you're going. I like that if you're looking for a specific inductee, you can do a search on Canada's Walk of Fame site. It'll save you a bit of time if you just want to see specific inductee stars without walking the whole thing. The link is here: https://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/the-walk-of-fame/find-a-star I enjoyed taking a bit of time looking at the inductees before I headed home. I took a few photos of these notable folks: - Monty Hall, host of Let's Make a Deal (Winnipegger) - Wayne Gretzky, the Great One of hockey - Guy Lombardo (I grew up listening to his Christmas album with His Royal Canadians) - Timothy Findley (author best known for The Wars) I would love to return to check out all the stars. I like being a tourist in my hometown and learning from self-discovery activities, especially when they are free. (328)

To be honest I didn't expect much from the event, yet the description on the website seemed to…read morepromise a lot more. Although they've had previous events in Vancouver, this is the first time in Toronto. We got to the Habourfront Centre, and I thought there would be more of a spectacle for this event. There were no signage for this to direct us to the right place. You wouldn't have known this was going on unless you knew already. The event takes place in one of the event rooms and the small atrium out side of it. It did seem less like a corporate sponsored event, and more like a high school play evening. We did get "hot asian beverages", a small cup of ginger tea, when we got there. There were two lines at the 'entrance' and we were stopped. We weren't allowed to go in the priority line because we weren't CIBC customers (show your card), so we directed to the other line. I don't see why it even mattered at this point because there was no one there. I thought they were going to give us a spiel or make us sign up for something, but that wasn't the case. We were stopped again, because we couldn't go into the exhibit room with our hot drink we just got. Instead we stood awkwardly in the line (what line? we were the only ones there), to finish the drink. Finally we walk though the small side door to the exhibit. It was quite nice, but along with the cheesy music and tv screen, the 'art' wasn't appreciated as it should be. The lights were cool, and I guess nice for kids, but there wasn't much else to this. 4 big installations. I can't describe the feeling of amateur and lack of ...professionalism?... I felt in here, yet I was sad that the art wasn't appreciated for what it should be. It was nice, colourful and big. You come out into the small atrium in the front. It's crowded. They could have had some of this up near the empty entrance to the area. At least it would feel less awkward, and folks could look at CIBC paraphenlia whilst sipping on their tea. And it would help make the even seem happening. You get a red pocket with a chocolate coin in it, there was a draw for a Silver Coin (and by draw, you are reaching into a box full of cards, and hoping to choose the right one), a spin wheel to win a pen, dragon hat or chocolate coin (which I already had), two tables to put together the hat and a photo booth. All might have been okay if it wasn't so crowded (and it's winter people have big jackets). Overall, don't take your time to come out to this unless already in the area, or you want to go skating as well. So glad this didn't cost anything, I would have been so mad. It is what it is. I hope someone is reading this, because the event could be improved still over the next few days!

We quite enjoyed the shadow puppet play but I would suggest to line up early for this. It's very…read morepopular with the families and the seating in the theatre is limited. First come first served. There's a glow in the dark aquarium exhibit setup in tribute to the play's characters. A few giveaways there, I spun the wheel and won a dragons mask, got some free candy at the CIBC VIP lounge (yum rootbeer and coffee flavour). You can also build a latern, supplies are limited though. Oh and if you start to get hungry, and don't want to trek to (Spadina & Dundas) Chinatown, the cafe near the skating rink was serving some Taiwanese food. I was surprised by how popular this event was considering it's in the middle of the winter so get there early. The puppet play was the highlight of the night, next was the photobooth where one can don some props like dragons and scrolls.

Tip: This monument is in front of Burnhamthorpe Library, facing Dixie Road…read more It's Wednesday. I leave work at 3:30 pm. I grab a drink at Starbucks. I then head down to Burnhamthorpe Library to renew my library card. I'm driving southbound along Dixie Road. I make a right turn to get to the library's parking lot. I spot a monument to my right. What?! I have been visiting this library for seven years. How come I never noticed this monument until now? After renewing my library card, I walked across the parking lot to check out this special Vietnamese Boat People Monument. This monument was established on November 9, 2019. I wouldn't have seen it that year, as my library card renews every year at the end of September. I frankly can't explain why I never noticed this monument. Perhaps it's the black and grey colours that didn't pop. On Wednesday, there were colourful flowers around the monument that made my head turn. Vi Vi Vo Hung Kiet sculpted this monument, which was built and donated to the City of Mississauga as a gesture of gratitude to Canada by the Vietnamese Canadian community and the Vietnamese Boat People Memorial Association. It commemorates more than a million Vietnamese refugees who escaped the collapse of the Republic of Vietnam on April 30, 1975. Roughly half a million of them lost their lives fleeing by either land or sea. I admired the monument for a while. It's made of bronze and granite. It has a boat that is practically submerged in the sea. There's a family of three looking hopeful at the bird with a maple leaf in the dad's hand. In his other hand is a flag with SOS on it. It's such a thoughtfully crafted statue. I like self-discovery points of interest. I tend to live under a rock, but I'm so glad that I found this monument. It's quite an informative area. There's a map that indicates where Vietnamese refugees moved to seek freedom. North America took in many, with Canada welcoming just over 104,000 refugees to their new home. Details about the historical significance of the Republic of Vietnam's demise, and the struggle to get refugees out of camps and be free are shared in both English and Vietnamese. You can take a load off your feet by sitting down on one of the blocks that comprise a ring around the statue. It was a bit hot to sit down yesterday, but it's nice that you can if you need to. I'm pleased that this monument exists. I'm so glad that I took the time to learn so much about its significance to the Vietnamese Canadian community. (338)

Toronto's Union Station has expanded in the past 10 years. They now have zones called…read moreneighbourhoods. The newest neighbourhood is called Union Market, which opened 2023-05-09. This neighbourhood is made up of many stalls with many different vendors. Every stall is very modern. There are a few permanent vendors and 2 pop-ups on opening day. A few other vendors will open soon. There are a few lounging stalls with tables and chairs. There is even a sub-neighbourhood called Union Fresh Market! Union Market is not easy to find because it is tucked away when coming from the Union Station Subway Station. I had to ask some other vendors to point the way for me. There is "The PATH" that runs through the middle. The current stalls are south of The PATH. The stalls north of The PATH will open Sep 2023. It seems obvious to me I haven't explored Union Station since at least 2018 since I didn't know they extended The PATH into Union Station! The current vendors are: - The Alley - Patties Express - Chocollata Gourmet Brigadeiros - My Olive - Lena's Floral Design - Manotas Organics (not open yet) - Gemlet (pop-up) - Virtue Vintage (pop-up) I spoke to the staff/owners at each stall except for The Alley because they were constantly busy while I was there 16:15 to 19:30. I'm excited for Union Station. They made a modern Union Food Court many years ago, then they opened the Union Foodie Aisle in 2022, and now Union Market in.2023. The place is wheelchair accessible. There are washrooms nearby but not in Union Market. There is very little paid neighbourhood street parking, but there are paid parking lots. Review 2023-127

Union Station's square is back into business, this time with the inaugural Union Station Holiday…read moreMarket! This market is open from Nov 30 - Dec 20, 2015 and features local artisans, street vendors, merchants and boutiques. With its convenient location and wide variety of vendors, this is the perfect venue to do some Christmas shopping while supporting local vendors! After a quick survey of all the shops, I definitely say there is something for everyone at the market! I highly recommend taking a look at the Honest Leaf, a Toronto packaged and blended tea company! The owner of the company, Shelby Kroach, is a nutritionist that has a passion for making healthy, local and sustainable tea. I purchased a pack of their Crave Tea with Darjeeling green tea, maple and cardamom. I'm definitely a fan! They are having free tea samples everyday for the next twenty days. Want cool Christmas cards, but don't want to resort to mainstream sellers? Check out Sea & Lake Paper Co for witty, cute and somewhat-tumblr inspired card company. All in all a good time and definietely adds more of a Christmas feel to the whole region! The full list of vendors include the following: Lorie Slater Photography and Design, Vivid Clothing Co, Sea + Lake Paper Co, Miche Bakery, G Fox & Co., the Honest Leaf, Yo Sox, Max Mexican, Social Gem, Melissa Beth Designs, Lockett Jewels, Chocome, Knixwear, Desmond & Beatrice Bakeshop, Foxy Originals, Twig Flora, Tuck Shop Trading Co, Sullivan & Bleeker Baking Co, Bathorium, Retro Festive, Zucker's Candy & Co, Re-surfaced, Lavami Soap, Laborde, OCAD student Works.

The Distillery District in Toronto is definitely worth a visit!…read more Such a beautiful and well-maintained area with lots of great spots for photos. The famous LOVE sign made of locks is such a unique and charming detail, and there are plenty of other beautiful corners to explore. The video also shows an area with food and drink kiosks, which adds to the lively and enjoyable atmosphere. I highly recommend visiting if you're traveling to Toronto. The atmosphere is wonderful, everything is very well preserved, and it's a great place to walk around, take photos, grab something to eat or drink, and simply enjoy the surroundings. Definitely a must-see in Toronto!

I absolutely love my time at Distillery every year around Christmas. I always visit with friends,…read morethen family for holiday fun. I love walking around to look at all the pretty decorations, lights, huge Christmas tree, get some hot chocolate, and view vendors. There's such a large selection of gifts or fun little trinkets to buy, it's always a blast seeing the creatively crafted items they have to offer. The ambiance is absolutely stunning, with a warm, welcoming feel that the lights and energy bring. My favourites the hot chocolate. It's so warm, sweet and delicious! Last time I visited, I bought a pair of cozy fluffy mittens. Still wear them all the time for the winter season, amazing quality and so cute!

green space in Toronto is always important space, even more so when you are downtown, or in the…read moredowntown area, its nice to have a piece of land, where you can just disconnect from it all, this piece of space is perfect for this. its far from perfect as it is completely covered on the borders with buildings both old and new, but i feel like this is a necessary green space for Toronto, right in-between one of Canada's busiest museums and arguably one of Canada's busiest universities, this green space is almost always empty of people and full of animals just going around doing animal things. transit options is the st. George station directly, the 26 dupont bus with a bit of a walk on the northern end of the park, and the 94A wellesley to the southern end of the park. come here and just disconnect.

A tiny little escape, a windy path with trees and benches, holding together all the diverse needs…read moreand purposes of the city, there are students from the university, folks who just left a spectacular museum experience and are full of art in their eyes, office workers who are choosing the green path instead of the straightest one, people walking dogs and watching squirrels and reading books. It's small but the idea of declaring a green space in the midst of the city to be a Philosopher's Walk kind of makes us all philosophers when we go there and speaks to the whimsy and thoughtfulness of the residents of this city.