May the 5th, or Cinco de Mayo, is celebrated the day after Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you) and is a Mexican based victory party. It's also the day we are all Latino. Harbourfront Centre has a weekend Cinco Fest to celebrate Mexican culture, traditions, music and food ..read more

Just five more weeks till the World Naked Bike Ride which will see hundreds of naked, or nearly naked, protestors riding through the streets of Toronto on Saturday, June 8, 2024. The protest ride will be led by organizer Gene Dare (pictured above) with his colourful banner flying high off his bike as the ride's circuitous route starts and ends in Coronation Park. Dress code: Casual or fancy clothes free, everyone likes costumes and body paints, come bare as you dare. When: Meet at Coronation Park, just south of Princes' Gates and Exhibition Place. Come early for socializing and body paintin ..read more

Young teen girls from British Columbia were filmed over years as part of 'Curl Power' and the resulting documentary was tinged with a lot of sadness, partly because their unrealized desire to be junior curling champions, mostly because they were teen girls growing up as their lives were diverging. Still it was a beautiful and emotional journey shared with the audience. Hot Docs programmer with director Josephine Anderson The movie, directed by Josephine Anderson, was shown as part of Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2024 (April 25 to May 5) and I watched it Monday night ..read more

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 Natio ..read more

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 ..read more

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” a ..read more

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 ..read more

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 throug ..read more

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 ..read more

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 w ..read more