If there’s one thing we should learn on campus, it’s to learn about our campus. I daresay Path, our friendly neighborhood map, would agree. I don’t mean we should all hold hands and sing “Getting To Know You“, a la Deborah Kerr all over campus, even if that would be an amazing flash mob idea (*hint hint*). No - we should step back, take a look at our buildings, and see that the buildings that make up U of T are just as important as the people and events that chance upon it. I’ve found that our school and student body are defined just as much by our buildings as our heavy course load.

Don’t agree? How many times have you heard ‘I’ve got a class at Con Hall’, only to hear it be answered with a collective groan?

Bring up ’Med Sci‘ to a Life Sci student, and chances are they will remember the Macleod Auditorium.

Someone says ‘I’m going to be at Robarts‘, and you know that they’re in (literally) for the long run.

Mentions of Hart House brings about tender feelings of good food, a slight fear of gargoyles, and that creepy picture in the basement – at least for me.

All Vic students know Old Vic, and I would venture to guess that they remember it fondly. The rest of us recall it enviously, because it’s not every day we can say that our college is a pink castle.

And you’ve got to admit that the light-up bubble classrooms inside the Pharmacy Building are hella cool.

But I digress.

There are buildings on campus that we can’t help but notice and learn about, simply because we already hear about them all the time. But there are some places that we don’t know about that can be just as interesting. A good chunk of us have discovered little pockets of architectural treasure. Take blogUT photographer Jimmy‘s gorgeous interpretation of Knox College, for example. In the summer, the courtyard is probably one of the few places at U of T where it is peaceful. If you ever go into the Great Hall of Hart House, take the time to look at all the coats of arms on its walls, and the verses linings the banister above. Of course, these are all just landmarks. Notables. Places we may (now) know and (will maybe) frequent.

I don’t think that U of T only has these noticeable notables, though. I mean, when I checked my schedule for this semester, I saw a building code I didn’t recognize: BI. I did a quick search on the U of T Map, and found out that it was named after Federick Banting, best known for his research on insulin with Charles Best (whose namesake building is right beside it). Just like that, I felt this sense of history. I’m going to be walking into history! I bet we all know that we’re stepping into a piece of history the moment we walk into U of T, but to be just two doors down from discoveries of the past? Yeah. That’s pretty awesome. And I bet, with a bit of searching, I’m not the only one who feels that way.

So here is my lesson to you, UTian: Make good use of our online map, not just to find your buildings, but also to learn more about our campus. Even if it doesn’t initially peak your curiosity, it will definitely give you something to think about as you sit in class staring at the wall. Not that I’m saying we do that. Nope. Not at all.

My entire 2nd year was spent preparing for my exchange (or it felt like it sometimes). U of T sets up this particularly rigorous process to weed out those who they think may not be fit outside of the confines of St George Campus. But if you can take on U of T, you can probably take on another university. Not probably, you can. So after all the time spent writing a statement of interest, resumé, forms, etc etc I am here: in Wales.

Not that I’m not enjoying my time abroad so far, I am, but sometimes I wish I did a little more research or perhaps got a little more guidance from previous exchange students. One of the most basic things that I am missing desperately is THE SUN! When applying I wasn’t thinking about climate or weather I was too focused on organizing my credits (a very stressful and back and forth process, I might add). But it has come to my attention that I am indeed a sun lover. Not that I’m a cold blooded lizard and would literally die with out the sun, but the 3 hours of sun we got yesterday literally boosted my mood 10x over. And not that Toronto is a sun capital but at least if it is cold we still get some rays at least every other day. In the winter months there is not as much sun but it does seem to shine down more in Toronto than in Swansea. To combat my vitamin D deficiency I have literally booked every weekend with a trip somewhere. I mean that was the plan: to see as much of Europe as humanly possible. Last weekend was Amsterdam and next weekend is London. Mission accomplished. Hopefully the funds can last me this long…

So to all who are thinking of going abroad, think about what may seem to be menial details such as sunlight or warmth or the lack of trees there might be. Your emotions will be forever grateful.

Looking for something sweet to eat? Some adventure perhaps? Something unusual, different, and exciting? Well, Tasty Tours is the answer!

With a great variety of sweet treats to eat and a tour of beautiful Kensington Market, Tasty Tours demonstrates another great example of what makes our city so awesome and quirky. Tasty Tours is truly one of a kind. Using Kensington Market as the focal point of the tour is brilliant. It has a multi-ethnic selection of foods and is such a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

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I’ve been in Paris for a few weeks now… a month, almost. A month!

Is life here grand?

The city is grand. Living here for the year is certainly not like an extended vacation, though: your mindset is completely different when you know that you’ll be here for a year as a student, and the experience is exciting in a completely different way. However, no matter your purpose in the city, Saturdays are Saturdays (most of the time), and Paris is Paris.  I am in love with this city. I’m in love with its pastries, its unrefrigerated milk, its monuments, its sunsets, its students, its vibrancy, its streets,  its hidden spots, its markets, its evenings, its everythings.

In short, yep, life here is grand!

I was telling my friend earlier that there is something magical about this city at night. You don’t always see it - sometimes you’re having a conversation, or lost, or studying, or whatever. But once in a while, you look up and something very strange happens.

It happened once when picnicking with a few classmates under lamplight on Paris’ Catholic Association’s building’s steps. It happened once while I was waiting for 3 friends one night at the City Hall… the moon formed part of a perfect backdrop for the beautifully illuminated Hotel de Ville square as I watched people wandering, looking, living. I suddenly felt like a part of something very beautiful.

I also feel like the first few weeks in any new place are hilarious. Everything is new and foreign and head-tilt-worthy. Here are a few of those everythings and other thoughts that made me laugh (or just head-tilt): (more…)

Where: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (at Osgoode Subway)
When: Tuesday-Saturday (26-30) at 7:30PM
Tickets: $35 if you’re under 30 and join <30 DanCap; $40-65 regular admission.
More information: See the Next to Normal website

The best show in town this week, and possibly even this summer, is the 2009 Tony award-winning musical, Next to Normal, playing at the Four Seasons Centre, the last stop on its North American tour. Next to Normal tells the story of Diana Goodman (played by Alice Ripley in a Tony award-winning performance), a woman with bipolar disorder, and her family as they struggle to cope with the strains from her condition. Diana’s husband, Dan (Asa Somers), sticks with her, trying his best to help her cope with her condition, still clinging to the image of the woman he first met in his early twenties but that may no longer exist, deluding himself that everything is fine. Their daughter, Natalie (Emma Hunton), is a straight-A straight-edged student, who eventually hits breaking point, after starting up a sweet and optimistic romance with her supportive stoner classmate.

Toronto is a city full of history and interesting stories. So, to both longtime residents of our lovely city and newcomers that have come to study at U of T, did you know that:

• Front Street got its name because that’s where the waterfront used to be. The shoreline got moved down to Queen’s Quay because we filled the inner harbour for industrial development purposes.

• Yorkville wasn’t always the posh, high-end neighbourhood it is now. In fact, it used to be the place for hippies to hang out. A lot of artists got their start in Yorkville, and the first line in Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” (‘They paved paradise and put up a parking lot’) refers to a spot in Yorkville. That particular parking lot has since been transformed into the Village of Yorkville Park (the ‘park’ with the giant artificial rocks).

• The King Edward Hotel at King and Yonge is supposedly the most haunted building in Toronto, since it was built on a hanging yard.

• In the past, you could discern a person’s social class by the way they said, ‘Spadina’. If someone said ‘Spa-dee-nah’, they were of the upper class, while people of the lower class said, ‘Spa-die-nah’. Since there were more people in the lower class than the upper class, the latter pronunciation is the one used today.

• When the ROM’s crystal was in its final stages of construction, staff members signed one of the beams that forms the structure, immortalizing themselves forever within the museum. And yes, Daniel Libeskind designed the crystal on a napkin which is now in one of a ROM’s storage facility.

• The glass facade of the AGO is supposed to looked like a tipped canoe. Why Frank Gehry chose such an inauspicious symbol is beyond me.
• Chinatown used to be a little bit east of where it is now. Streets like Elizabeth Street and Chestnut Street used to be part of Chinatown. The Lee Benevolent Association at Dundas and Chestnut is a vestige of Chinatown’s previous location.
• Even though it’s one of the official languages of Canada, French is only the 12th most spoken language in Toronto.
• The Distillery District features some of most well-preserved examples of Victorian industrial architecture in North America.
• The CN Tower no longer holds the record for being the highest free-standing building in the world, but it still holds the record for having the world’s highest wine cellar.

Feel free to add these tidbits to your Repository of Completely Useless Information (aka ROCUI, which is a lot more fun than ROSI).

(Pictured above, Mixed Berry Pavlova from Pangaea Restaurant – a dessert from their 2008 Summerlicious menu.)

Food is a passion of mine. Every time I see a restaurant that looks interesting, I note the location in my head so that I may visit it with some friends at a later date. As a result, a food festival like Summerlicious (and its winter counterpart, Winterlicious) is a godsend.

So what is Summerlicious?

Summerlicious is an event in which restaurants in Toronto (often high-end restaurants where bills would amount to $50+) offer a prix fixe menu for lunch and/or dinner. The restaurants usually offer 3 course meals ranging from $15 – $25 for lunch and $25 – $35 for dinner.

When does Summerlicious start and end?

Summerlicious starts on July 8th and ends on July 24th. However, restaurants are already taking reservations so make sure to call in early!

Which restaurants are participating in Summerlicious?

The full list of restaurants, along with their menus, can be found here. There is a wide variety of restaurants representing the diverse food cultures of the world.

Do I have to make a reservation?

Yes, you must make a reservation with the restaurant if you wish to dine. Also, make sure that you notify the restaurant as you make your reservation that you will be dining with their Summerlicious menu. Since reservations for participating restaurants began a few days ago, certain popular restaurants (such as Canoe) may already be fully booked for Summerlicious.

What if I’m a vegetarian?

Many participating restaurants offer vegetarian options and, after scouring a lot of menus, I can confirm that there are a few restaurants that offer vegan and gluten-free dishes on their menu.

Bon appetit!