Category Archives: Spots

Cut-Rate Culture

Arts, Events, Music, Spots, Survival Tips, , , , ,

This was submitted by a reader, Anubha Momin:

Here comes September, and with it, tuition costs, book money, and empty wallets. As students, many can feel as though their money is stretched thin, that little is left for enjoyment and pleasure. An evening at the opera? Not possible… or is it? There are lots of ways to enjoy an evening of fine art, music, or dance in Toronto, but here are some of the city’s major institutions at some very minor price points.

Art Gallery of Ontario
 A stunning building in and of itself, the new Frank Gehry-fied gallery houses more than 79,000 works and hosts a changing set of exhibitions.
Cost: FREE Wednesday nights from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Website: http://www.ago.net/hours-admission

Canadian Opera Company
 The largest Canadian producer of opera in the country’s largest city, the COC offers world-class performances out of the Four Seasons Performing Art Centre. The 2009/10 season includes opera classics like Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Bizet’s Carmen.
Cost: COC’s Opera for a New Age provides a limited number of tickets for most shows at $20 each for anyone under the age of 30. Book early for the best availability.
Website: http://www.coc.ca/PerformancesAndTickets/Under30/OperaforaNewAgeTickets.aspx

Justina M. Barnicke Gallery
 Alright, so this may not be a “major” institution, but you don’t have to travel beyond the campus walls to indulge your inner artiste. The Barnicke Gallery is constantly changing its exhibits, and staff are always available to walk you through their collections.
Cost: FREE for all, all the time. Take note of opening night festivities, where the free entrance includes beverages, fruit, and cheese. As an added bonus, the gallery is within Hart House, which boasts its own impressive collection of art work.
Website: http://www.jmbgallery.ca/exhibitions.html

National Ballet of Canada
 Headlined by Tchaikovsky’s perennial favourites, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, the National Ballet of Canada promises another stellar season of elegant, entertaining performances.
Cost: Anyone between the ages of 16 and 29 can register with DanceBreak in order to gain access to $20 tickets. DanceBreak tickets are purchasable online at midnight the day of performance.
Website: http://dancebreak.ca

Royal Ontario Museum
 This fabulous attraction has been recently covered on blogUT, so I shall direct you to the post: https://blogut.ca/2009/08/02/travel-the-world-for-free.
Cost: FREE for post-secondary students on Tuesdays, half price for everyone Fridays from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm.
Website: http://www.rom.on.ca/visit/tickets.php

If you have any other suggestions for enjoying Toronto’s cultural landscape, feel free to post them in the comments!

MyMarket Bloor-Borden Farmer’s Market – Local Food on Campus

Food & Drink, General, Spots, , , ,

My Market Bloor-Borden

On my second installment introducing farmer’s markets around Toronto, I’d like to introduce the little one on Borden, one block west of Brunswick (where Future’s Bakery is) since it’s really close to campus. In want of something healthier than the stuff they serve at residence? Drop by this market every Wednesday for some fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods, honey, cheese and meat. Although the market is relatively small compared to Brick Works and the famous St. Lawrence Farmer’s Market, it’s still a lovely source of food from the Ontario greenbelt. (Not to mention the organizers like handing out free samples pretty often!) So here is the information you need if you ever want to visit:

MyMarket Bloor-Borden

Where?

The farmer’s market can be found in the parking lot on the corner of Bloor and Borden, 1 block west of Brunswick Avenue where Future’s Bakery is. It is between the intersections of Bloor and Bathurst (its closest intersection) and Bloor and Spadina.

When?

Every Wednesday from 3PM to 7PM, rain or shine from June 3rd to October 28.

Is there anything to do there?

  • Sample food
  • Buy food if you want
  • Do something fun on or off campus

Just as a sidenote…

Ontario peaches, at this moment, are absolutely lovely at this time of year. They’re sweet and slightly tart and full of colour, just as peaches should be.

I didn’t take too many pictures but I really like this one:

Tomatoes!

Tomatoes of all sorts of shapes and colours!

Pictures by Jess.

Brickworks Farmer’s Market

Entertainment, Food & Drink, General, Spots, Wish You Were Here, , , , , , , , , , ,

Inside of Brick Works Farmer's Market

Farmer’s markets are a wonderful way to get fresh, organic and local food. Although not all farmer’s markets will have all organic food, many of them provide local produce, which means that your food will take less distance to get from field to table, making them fresher (and have little or no preservatives), taste better and use less fuel to get to your local market. During the summer and early fall months, many farmer’s markets will be filled with lovely summer and fall fruits and vegetables and therefore, will be a lively affair. As a result, I’ve decided to write a few articles on a few of these markets in the city.

A Real Gem: The Evergreen Brick Works Farmer’s Market

Continue reading Brickworks Farmer’s Market →

Travel the world for free!

Spots,

Now, how many times are you going to hear that phrase? Okay well, if you haven’t already heard, every Tuesday at the ROM is FREE — and yes I did say FREE — for post-secondary students! This is perfect for post-secondary students because first of all, it saves us about $22, and second of all, did I mention that it’s free?

Besides the obvious choice to go to the ROM for FREE, it’s a great way to compensate for not being able to travel. Personally, this summer I lacked the funds to travel anywhere around the world so I had to figure out a way to compensate for that, leading me to the ROM. Now, I know what you’re thinking, the ROM is probably the last place you want to go on your summer vacation. However, the ROM has definitely transformed itself to not only showcase history at its finest, but also to take its visitors around the world. You can go from Australia to the Philippines within a few steps, or even ancient Egypt to the Middle Ages within a few minutes. Why pass up this opportunity to travel around the world, and through history all for the price of well, free?

dinosaurs

Trip to Taiwan blog – Part II: Monuments in Taipei

Arts, General, Spots, Wish You Were Here, , , , ,

I’ve decided that this blog will probably be a 5 part series. I actually have a food entry all typed up with pictures, although I think I’ll edit a bit of it after I finish this new entry since I’ve mentioned a lot of food already in the first post.

Truth be told, I haven’t really gone anywhere during this trip. I’m actually in Taiwan to visit my grandparents and just spend time with them because they’re getting old, but that doesn’t mean I still don’t remember the things I did in my numerous trips to Taiwan before this one. So, here are a few monuments to take a look at if you ever decide to visit Taipei.

Taipei 101

 The Taipei 101 Building

Continue reading Trip to Taiwan blog – Part II: Monuments in Taipei →

Aroma Espresso Bar Review

Food & Drink, On Campus, Review, Spots

Aroma Espresso Bar
500 Bloor Street West
(416) 536-7750

Aroma bar

Located just east of Bathurst, Aroma is probably the most modern-looking coffee shop I’ve ever been in. Swap the mellow, indie-style music for Top 40 songs, stone or wood countertops for sleek, stainless steel ones, and blasé decor for a minimalistic, contemporary style. Enough about aesthetics though, people go to restaurants to eat (for the most part). Continue reading Aroma Espresso Bar Review →

Skating in the Rough

Spots

Samuel Contesti

The 2009 World Figure Skating Championships are being held this week at Los Angeles. Even if I’m not attempting to do my bit to promote the sport of figure skating, I must say that the Worlds are quite unlike any other sporting event. There is of course the sublime skating that (occasionally) occurs, but even the non-skating enthusiast can enjoy the parade of the most ridiculous skating outfits imaginable. If one is impervious to the delights of skin-tight fluorescent fabric and sequins, there is always the spectacle of watching the media or rabid fans working overtime to make spurious corrupt judging accusations and trying to drum up rivalries.

As for the actual skating that goes on at these Championships, I will be covering three of the four disciplines—the pairs, ladies, and men’s events. Continue reading Skating in the Rough →