Doors Open Toronto 2024 coming May 25 and 26

Exploring things for free and seeing places that are typically not open to the public, this is the premise for the annual Doors Open Toronto which "unlocks the city’s hidden histories on May 25 and 26." The weekend adventure includes over 150 participating sites, 17 free guided tours (register in advance), themed talks and the occasional workshops and fun activities. City Hall will also be a hub for public programming suitable for families.

Some of the more interesting visits is to the Bay Lower Subway Station, the El Mocambo, Elgin & Winer Garden Theatres, Redpath Sugar, Fort York National Historic Site, R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant and the City notes that  "Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square will once again be a hub for family-friendly programming that invites the public to go behind the scenes at this important civic site. Visitors can see the Mayor’s Office, find out what happens inside Council Chamber, explore the Hall of Memory and enjoy remarkable views from the 27th floor Observation Deck. The Red Chair Sessions, a portraiture series by Toronto Photo Laureate Nadya Kwandibens, will also be on display."

Some of the guided neighbourhood tours include; The Women of Park Lawn Cemetery, Hidden Queer Histories of Hanlan's Point, Restoring the Canada Malting Silos, Welcome to the Rouge! and Downsview’s Aviation Legacy.

A tourist in Vancouver British Columbia

Had a whirlwind week in Vancouver and area checking out the west coast city along the Pacific Ocean, nestled into the Strait of Georgia along Vancouver Island and wow, what a place to visit. The mountains along the northern view of the city still white capped with snow and even past the rainy period, still foggy and damp for half of our visit.

At Canada Place

Looking to Canada Place from the Vancouver Lookout

Canada Place with the sails lit up in various colours

We stayed in Century Plaza Hotel on Burrard Street in a great big room that included two beds and a kitchen, perfectly located to allow us to walk to a lot of activities, attractions, restaurants and also close to a lot of transportation options and free shuttles. It is also close to a hospital so you will hear the occasional ambulance.

Vancouver Lookout reflected in an adjacent building

The famous Gastown Steam Clock. It blows a tune every 15 minutes but when we were there the clock was wrong so you have to be ready for the music to start.

Gastown Steamclock plays a tune

Digital Orca by Douglas Coupland at the Convention Centre

An illuminated earth globe hanging in the Convention Centre

There is a three hour time difference between Toronto and Vancouver so we gained those hours on the flight in and were able to do a lot of things on that first day; Canada Place with the Cruise Port, art installations, the Vancouver Convention Centre and the 2010 Olympic Cauldron (photo at top), the Vancouver Lookout and Gastown with its famous Steam Clock.

Canada Place also has a manned, extensive tourism information kiosk with plenty of brochures and some discounts to the attractions.

See more of our trip after the jump.

Big Trash Bunny mural on Dundas Street West

Toronto's graffiti murals and art installations make Toronto interesting. Sometimes they are beautiful and have a message like artist Artur Bordalo who creates art around the world using trash. The one in Toronto (Dundas Street West near Lisgar Street) is of a large bunny, part of the Big Trash Animals series completed for Toronto Portuguese communities.

His website notes, "The excessive production and consumption of stuff, which results in the continuous production of “garbage” and consequently in the destruction of the Planet, are the central themes of his production. This “garbage” assumes itself as the unusual and unique raw material that Bordalo uses in the construction of small and large scale pieces that he has spread around the world and that, above all, intend to be the vehicle of a universal manifesto."

Toronto Bomb Squad truck

Toronto Police Services have plenty of divisions and specialties including the Bomb Squad, complete with a very impressive vehicle. I saw it parked out on Front Street East and I thought should I be running away from this vehicle, or from the building it is parked beside? The truck should have a sign that says "work in progress - RUN" or "just on a coffee run - relax."

Blue Jays at Rogers Centre - loonie hot dog days rule

Toronto's professional baseball team the Blue Jays are playing in a newly renovated Rogers Centre. Ripping up the 100 level seats and expanding the room each chair occupies - as well as adding cup holders (gosh darn those spoiled richies), happened after the 500 level seats were changed to add a number of open space, non-assigned seating areas, as well as a few other changes, came at the cost of some 10,110 seats. The capacity of the arena is now at 39,150 down from 49,260.

To make up the costs I think that they may have jacked the costs of seats and sent the price of stadium food through the retractable roof. It seems to have driven some people out of the lower levels and up into the previously sparsely populated 500 levels. One of the best deals you can find is the Loonie Dogs Night presented by Schneiders. Those tubular beauties are available at quite a few of the food vendors and are quite tasty. And just in case the costs of food is bringing you down, remember that the Blue Jays allow you to bring outside food and non-alcoholic drinks into the stadium which is a great way to keep your sports night outing to a more reasonable cost.

The Jays sold almost 700,000 Loonie Dogs in 2023 alone so I recommend that you check the promotion schedule to see when Loonie Days are coming in 2024.

Poly the plastic Polar Bear

A large art installation is in Yonge-Dundas Square showing a Polar Bear made of discarded plastic. 

The installation is by the Toronto Zoo to highlight the amount of waste plastic that is being found in the foodchain. Plus visit the zoo!

Win tickets to Toronto Soulful Beauty event April 21

Born for More is bringing the Soulful Beauty event to Toronto April 21, 2024 where you can explore beauty and wellness while enjoying a few tasty beverages and some delectable food. Soulful Beauty's creator, Kathryne Mejias, is committed to empowering women which is so very important as women's rights have been under pressure around the world and she wants to "instill confidence, enabling women to make a meaningful impact, pursue their passions, foster healthy relationships, and lead purposeful lives." (Submitted photos)

Kathryne Mejias Author, Coach and CEO of Born for More explains "Once we feel beautiful and have that inner glow, we have the courage and confidence to go for our deepest desires, create a life we love and not settle for anything less than we deserve. Life becomes limitless because we won’t hold ourselves back anymore."

From the Born for More website, "The Soulful Beauty event is a groundbreaking exploration of the new standards of what true beauty is all about. We will redefine what this means by merging two distinct worlds that were once far apart: the inner and outer worlds. This event is uniquely designed to ignite the inner glow of all women, encouraging them to embrace their inherent, multifaceted brilliance and empower them in a revolutionary way never experienced before. This is not just an event, it is a celebration of women and a profound journey towards self-discovery and self-love, standing out in its approach to the evolving landscape of beauty ideals. Our event seamlessly intertwines the realms of Beauty and Spirituality, forging a holistic connection that elevates the overall well-being of women in every aspect of their lives."

You can find the Soulful Beauty event at SPACE on King (300 King Street East, Toronto) from 2pm to 6pm on the 21st. Enjoy your Sunday afternoon while visiting the Inner Glow, Outter Glow and Pure Glow Floors and take in live performances, vendors, cocktails and gift bags while networking or just having fun with friends.

Soulful Beauty will bring together exclusive brands and the latest in skincare, makeup and beauty products along with positive energy that comes with inner wellness gained through yoga, mediations and much more. The event says "Prepare for a day that will elevate both your sense of beauty and overall well-being!" while Kathryne reminds us "Time to stop putting ourselves aside because we don’t feel good enough or we don’t know enough, we are all different and beauty is honouring all of what we are."

There are two levels of tickets available; VIP tickets (includes 2 alcoholic cocktails and 1 non-alcoholic beverage, a bigger gift bag and the chance to mingle with influencers and media) and General Admission tickets (includes 1 alcoholic cocktail and 1 non-alcoholic beverage as well as a gift bag to the first 100 guests) which you can buy online on eventbrite.

CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS

You can also have a chance to win two General Admission tickets to Soulful Beauty by commenting on my post or sending me an email (jmhcet@gmail.com). Good luck and enjoy the event!

Some Queens Quay boat tours have started in Toronto

Water taxis and some tour ships are underway in Toronto's harbour getting an early start on the pre-summer weekend fun. Toronto ferries are running on the winter schedule still, those party-poopers. City Experiences by Hornblower had the Oriole out on Lake Ontario over the past weekend.

Some of the boats are still waiting for warmer temps like Toronto Harbour Tours Inc (May 1), Kajama Tall Ship Tours (May 4), City Sightseeing Toronto (May 11)

Here are some links to some of the boat tour companies: 

www.empiresandy.com
www.piratelife.ca
www.empressofcanada.com
www.torontocruises.com
www.torontoyachts.com/
www.jubileequeencruises.ca
www.pioneercruises.com

looking towards the Kajama