The place feels small but cozy. Just make sure you don't arrive too early, but if you do, there are…read moreplenty of bars around that you can wait in. The Two Hours Traffic concert was dry, but the gallery sometimes gets a liquor license. Even if it's a dry night, the bar right underneath the gallery can be of great help! It's a good place, the sound quality isn't bad though they had a few mic/sound-check problems when I was there. There is no coat check but there is plenty of space to drop your coat off and it's safe enough for that.

This is one of the best places in Toronto. I don't know why I've taken so long to review this…read moreplace. It's the most amazing mixture of fine art and music art. The place is cozy but not too cramped, and you are forced to mingle. I think I even like the tubular powder room. I really enjoy going to this venue and seeing artists, and getting my drink on.

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!

I've been the the Barns a few times over the years for different events. A few times when they…read morehave held their Vintage Fair here (amazing vintage items, clothing, jewellry); once for a play and most recently for the Tabasco Hawkers Market. This is a great place to hold an event, party or wedding. This is a former hub for streetcars back in the day but has now been turned into an event space. Interior brick walls, high ceilings and open floor plan allows the venue to become accommodating to almost any kind of event. It has that vintage but industrial kind of ceiling. There are a lot of great photo ops in here. There are also photos/info on the walls that tells the history of this place.

This is probably one of the best things to happen to the neighbourhood in recent history. Grand…read moreopening was November 2008 and it hasn't looked back since. The space is a reclaimed TTC barn and has five 'barns' each labeled with giant steel numbers. First is the artist live-work space, 2 is the event space where you will find the market on Saturdays in the winter and various other community events, 3 is the community theatre, 4 is The Stop greenhouse and kitchen, and 5 is the open air barn. There is also a children's playground on the east side of the building, an open field that becomes an ice rink in the winter on the south end, an off-leash dog park at the south-west corner, beach volleyball court on the west side, and plenty of benches and picnic tables scattered throughout. I find that their website is not as informative as it could be, perhaps because it is administered by the umbrella Artscape organization: http://www.torontoartscape.on.ca/places-spaces/artscape-wychwood-barns So it's better to go directly to the Stop's website to find out about the market and the many very interesting fund- and awareness-raising events they have: http://www.thestop.org/green-barn-market I find that being on the mailing lists for The Stop and our local city councillor Joe Mihevc (http://www.joemihevc.com) keeps me informed of upcoming events like the solar energy info session this Sunday. Some additional notes: ** The Market ** During the cold months it is indoors and runs 8 a.m. - noon. It gets crowded by 11 and goodies like cinnamon buns don't last until then. Bring cash, your own bags and if you're really good, your own travel-mug for the wonderful Kurtis coffee. Interesting vendors include the venison guy, sweet potato man, Mennonite meat lady, knife sharpening guy, tofu dude, the fungi, and the freshwater fish people. In the warmer months it is outdoors and runs a bit later until 1 I think (it is still indoors as I write this so I'm not sure). The vendors are spread out over the walkways under their tents. Half the fun is stopping to chat with neighbours so check your usual Toronto sidewalk pace as you might get stuck behind a stroller and wagon jam. There are several vegetable vendors that also sell organic and heirloom variety seeds and seedlings in the spring. Too bad last summer was so cold and rainy - even so the purple tomatoes I planted were wonderful! ** The Dogpark ** It has weird hours and no commercial dog walkers are allowed. It is closed everyday between noon-3 p.m. and opens later in the morning on Sunday. I'll take a picture of the sign next time I'm there because it's confusing. There is a human + dog drinking fountain but the city doesn't turn on the water until mid-May so bring water for your pooches. Best doggy party times (as with most parks I'm sure) are from 5 - 7 p.m. There might be a morning party but I'm never up early enough to find out.

I've walked by this gallery several times, finally took the plunge and walked in. The entrance is a…read morelittle interesting but don't let it fool you, you have to walk through a side gate to access the gallery door. Once you enter the door opens into a wide space and you are welcomed by the gallery director. I particularly like this gallery because they are so heavily involved in community and arts education. The gallery is actually in an old police station and has three gallery's in it, with three different shows running at the same time. Everyone there is very friendly and the rotating exhibitions are something to keep your eye on!

Located in an old police station, Gallery 1313 is a must-see in the Parkdale neighborhood. In my…read moreview, the exhibitions are always amazing and very inspiring. Additionally, discovering something new each time you walk into Gallery 1313 is guaranteed as they have new exhibitions every two weeks. The nice and positive staff they have is also convincing. Giving emerging and established artists chances to display their work, I do think that places like Gallery 1313 are essential. We definitely need more places like this! Gallery 1313 is a great place for visitors as well as artists. Make sure you don't miss it!

I've attended a few different events at Victorian Garden and each one was nothing less than…read moreabsolutely flawless! The staff was so attentive and thoughtful throughout each event, food was some of the best and most authentic I've ever had, and the hall itself was always so clean and well kept. I would recommend this hall, the staff, the owners, ALL of it to anyone looking to host any event. Whether it's a big event like a wedding or smaller like a baby shower (I've been to both at this hall lol), the venue is a perfect size and the event is always treated with intention and care. 10/10!!

This place is so great. I had my henna night and my wedding here. The place isn't huge, but it was…read morea good size for the number of guests I had. The place has new owners who were so great and helped my husband and me out with everything we needed. They gave some recommendations on decorators that we actually ended up hiring. The food was delicious, the service was outstanding, and I could not have asked for anything better. I'll post pics soon.

It was my first time at Leslie Grove Gallery and it was a fantastic experience considering I…read morehaven't been to an art gallery opening in several years even way before the start of the pandemic in 2020. I was at Jeff Rozdeba's Photography Show and it was fantastic. Food and wine was so great and the ambiance of the whole gallery was just perfect. I loved that the gallery was inside a neighborhood park and easy to get to since it's right at the corner of Queen St. East and Jones Ave. I really loved Jeff's work! See more of his photos here: www.jeguyro.myportfolio.com

I can see no reason to name a gallery 'the hangman'...or having it placed so far East on Queen…read moreStreet. The neighbourhood is ghetto...it's the equivalent to having a liquor store in the middle of Forest Hill. I got wind of a Chinese artist's exhibition, so I hopped on the street-car and away we go! The further East I travelled on Queen, the tighter I clinched onto my wallet. I got off at a part of town I've never been before, and when I found the gallery I was relieved. The Hangman Artist Gallery is a one&a-half level space of corner store sized floor space. The reception occupied a quarter of the first floor, and the second floor was storage. I was greeted by the friendly ladies behind the counter, and after I explained that I was here to videotape some of their exhibits, I was allowed to do so with no pressure. A humble real estate, but considering where it was in town it was a very calm environment. The brick walls complimented the artwork. It was nice This gallery often hosts social functions for opening exhibits, and from the photos it doesn't look too shabby. Some useless information for the gallery: It is apart of the Artist Network..whatever that is. There are plenty of brochures and postcards of upcoming events available at the gallery, the staff are happy to provide any assistance. Not much to say about such a simple venue. The art were selling anywhere from $700-2500 a piece. The artwork in particular I was viewing were traditional Chinese painting with folklore characters holding luxury retail brand items. Slightly amusing. If you want to see more, check out the first two minutes of this video I posted on youtube. It was my first youtube upload! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSvZ5qioUQE&feature=plcp There's nowhere to actually play hangman...just in case you were curious.

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.

We visited the museum during the Doors Open Toronto and we were impressed by how organized the…read moreevent was. We arrived before 11am and there were a few people ahead of us, so we didn't wait so much to get in. The house and furnitures were beautiful and well-maintained. Be mindful not to touch or sit on them since they're rather old. There was also an art exhibition that we enjoyed while walking around the house.

I love doing home museum tours because I have always found them fascinating in a way; it's a great…read moreway to see inside of a person's life, and get a sense of the time period of which they lived in so I was pretty excited to see the Campbell House listed as a participate of the "Open Doors" while I visited Toronto. Overall this was a perfectly fine hose to explore. I'm not sure if only certain rooms were closed off merely for Open Doors if things are always shut off but I only had access to certain rooms and there wasn't much in each room. There wasn't a guided tour so I kind of wondered aimlessly through two rooms on the first floor and the two on the second floor. That's not saying that the house isn't beautiful or that I didn't learn anything, I just didn't learn much. Since it was free during that weekend I didn't mind it, but don't think I'd run back again to do another walk through. I do think it's fascinating that they moved this home from one location to another, but don't know why they would put it next to a subway station on a busy street. If you're looking for a short amount of time to kill (maybe 30 minutes) then check it out, but there are plenty more interesting sites in Toronto of historical nature that I'd go to first.