Nathalie's walk around The Artisan Bakery

UPDATE APRIL 28, 2014

The Artisan Baker closed for good in January!!! Sad news...

I suggest grabbing some food to go at Delica Kitchen across the street at 1440 Yonge, and take it to the park in the walk described below. 

I have the perfect friends to bring along for a decent walk towards a decadent place such as The Artisan Baker. 

Yannick and Lionel are the two French guys behind the website YummyBaguette.com, listing all the yummy shops where you can find chocolates, pastries, coffees, teas, and other treats in Toronto. 

Last spring, we decided to visit The Artisan Baker, located at 1423 Yonge, just south of St. Clair.

Related post:

Fitbit, the walking gadget my techie friends made me discover during this walk.

Our starting point was Yonge and Front Streets (because it is near Yannick's place) but I'll describe a 7-km loop around The Artisan Baker going no further south than Carlton Street.

The Artisan Baker was a great brunch destination! I loved the decor and the wide selection on the menu. Their glassed window was very inspiring. Lionel and I had a tartine, accompanied by a soup or salad, and they were both delicious. We were truly impressed by the presentation of Yannick's Canadian Breakfast.

Now, let's burn some calories
After a wholesome meal, we resumed our walk towards the Rosehill Reservoir. From Yonge Street, you can take Pleasant Blvd. or Rosehill Avenue eastbound to access the reservoir. 

We crossed the park to see the pretty garden on the south-east corner. Going down, past the playground, we took a nature trail to get to the David A. Balfour Ravine.

Walking along the river towards the south, we eventually reached Mount Pleasant Road, where we turned right to get to Bloor Street. We then went west to go down Church Street, making sure to stop at the spectacular Loblaws in Maple Leaf Gardens (at the corner of Church and Carlton).

From there, turn right (west) on Carlton to Yonge and walk northbound back to The Artisan Baker. Altogether, the 7-km stroll should take you less than two hours, excluding your tour of Maple Leaf Gardens.

Cool gadget for fun walks: Fitbit

I love walking, so much so that I’ve written two Toronto walking guides, but do you know what really motivates me to stroll for kilometres? I choose a decadent destination far from home and invite friends to tag along. Do you know what is the source of my two techie friends’ motivation for walking? Fitbit.

Yannick is a programmer, and Lionel works as an Adobe teacher. As the two guys behind YummyBaguette.com, a website listing all the yummy shops where you can find chocolates, pastries, coffees, teas and other treats in Toronto, they are the ideal friends to bring along for a decent walk towards a decadent place!

Last spring, we decided to visit The Artisan Baker, located at 1423 Yonge, just south of St. Clair. Our starting point was the Novotel hotel on The Esplanade, about 5 km south of the restaurant and we resumed our walk after our brunch. (See Nathalie's walk around The Artisan Bakery.)

What’s that gadget?
We were making good progress on our stroll and our conversation, then I noticed that the guys were stopping from time to time to consult each other. I asked them if there was a problem. “Not at all”, they replied. They were simply comparing data from their respective Fitbits.

Yannick took out from his pocket a tiny gadget, no larger than a USB key, flashing the words “UCANDOIT”, then “YANN”. His goal was to walk 10,000 steps a day. His Fitbit was encouraging him! With their gadget, the guys could compare the number of strides that they had walked since the beginning of our stroll. 

My nerdy friends then had fun testing their instruments’ accuracy. Because Yannick’s legs are longer than Lionel’s, his Fitbit was indicating fewer steps for the same distance covered. When they swapped their Fitbits, the smart gadgets instantly adapted to their new owner.

Fitbit options 

Both tried to convince me to get a Fitbit. One of the appeals is that Fitbit allows you to follow (on your computer or smartphone) the progress of your friends who own one and have joined your group. This way, Lionel and Yannick always know which of the two is the most active. 

There’s nothing like finding out that your friend has walked 8,000 strides before lunchtime, while you’re still in your pajamas, to make you want to get moving! 

There are three types of Fitbit pedometers. Yannick had the Fitbit One, a clip-on model worth $100. (The Fitbit Flex bracelet also sells for $100.) Lionel had the Zip, a smaller clip-on model offered at $60. 

The three versions feature wireless communication with Mac or PC computers (and also with iPads, iPhones, and a few Samsung Galaxy models). The three of them can count the number of strides and distance walked, as well as the number of calories burned.

After our lovely brunch at The Artisan Baker, we strolled back to
the Novotel, our starting point. When I said I would walk back to my home, my friends decided they didn't want me in their Fitbit group after all. Bad sports!

Christmas shopping: Good spots to find treasures in Summerhill neighbourhood

When exploring the Summerhill neighbourhood between Rosedale and Summerhill Subway Stations for my research, I noticed a cluster of stores offering gorgeous home decor and lifestyle items in a wide range of prices. 

For gifts under $50, you might want to visit:

Dogfather & Co. (1007 Yonge). I don't even have a dog and I had a ball in this whimsical dog store.

Belle époque (1066 Yonge, one block north of Rosedale Subway Station). I was surprised to find so many interesting clothes amidst the home accessories!

Putti (1104 Yonge) taking the space of two stores, and overflowing with an eclectic assortment of beautiful objects.

Advice from a caterpilar (8 Price Street, just off the east side of Yonge), a very chic children's boutique with very chic toys (and staff with unaffected charm).

It is located near Terroni (1095 Yonge), the perfect urban spot for a late afternoon drink after a shopping session. But maybe you would rather start your shopping spree with a decadent pastry at Patachou (1120 Yonge)?