TOP-10 favourite things at Toronto Christmas Market 2013

The Toronto Christmas Market 2013 goes on until December 15. It is utterly charming with the tall Christmas tree, Santa in high spirit and teasing everyone, music all around, and lamp posts and little lights throwing a yellow glow over it all. (Update: In 2015, the Christmas Market goes on from Nov. 20 to Dec. 20)

Here are my TOP-10 favourite things about the market this year (in no particular order). If you intend to visit with kids, read this post on Santa at the Toronto Christmas Market. 

1) Peeping through the windows
Toronto Christmas Market is a great excuse to visit the Distillery. The Victorian vibe of this historic district perfectly suits the event. When it gets dark, the brightly lit indoors contrast beautifully with the austere brick walls of the buildings.

Looking inside Balzac's Coffee from the main plaza.

2) Glass Christmas ornaments

There are plenty of vendors selling food but several booths really put Christmas in the Christmas Market. At the Christmas on the Beach booth (on Trinity Street) you'll find a vast assortment of glass ornaments. I didn't know these colourful ornaments were made out of glass until I watched a video in this booth. No wonder they're so fragile! 

3) Wooden Christmas ornaments
In addition to lovely tree ornaments at Euro Living booth (across from the Brick Street Bakery), I saw small 3-D cut-outs and nativity scenes, a piggy bank cut in a log, an apple with a secret drawer, beautiful wooden hearts, tiny scenes in a match box and more.

4) Original Christmas treat... for dogs
"Dogs are people too!" said the lady in the middle booth on Trinity Street. She'll carrying edible Christmas cards for dogs!

5) A new take on the Twelve Days of Christmas

In the middle of Santa's Lane (Gristmill Lane), discover the quirky series of books by Troy Townsin. His most popular title is A Moose in a Maple Tree (also available in French). Sing "and a moose in a maple tree" to the tune of the Twelve days of Christmas to get the idea. There's also the Night Before a Canadian Christmas and Canadian Jingle Bells, in books and CDs and T-shirts.

Related posts about things at The Distillery: 

TOP-10 Christmas stocking fillers at Bergo

TOP-10 hostess gifts at Soma

6) Maple Syrup candles

You'll find another truly Canadian gift idea in Santa's Lane. Look for the booth with trademark maple syrup tins. Look closer. They are maple scented travel candles with a wooden wick (which means the candle crackles like a little fire when you light it!). This booth belongs to gallery/shop Len (located at 698 Coxwell Avenue, just north of Danforth).

7) Candles in a vintage Mason jar

The first booth in Case Goods Lane offers candles in genuine vintage Mason jars. (The thick wick ensures they burn to the bottom of the jar.) 

8) Outdoor patios with heaters and fires

I've check and the heaters in the outdoor Beer Gardens section truly warm up the place. Also check the large fireplace in the outdoor patio of über cool Mexican restaurant El Catrin in Tank House Lane. 

9) Old fashioned brass band

The Salvation Army's brass band walks around the site to spread the joyful sound of Christmas.

The Scat'r Bugs on the main stage

10) Christmas shows a cappella on the main stage

On the Market's main stage, near Balzac's Coffee, we get to hear top quality a capella singers throughout the event. 

I strongly suggest you attend the amazing performances of the four a cappella signers of Cadence. They will perform Sunday December 8 at 12 noon and at 1:30 p.m. Check this video to get a taste of what Cadence has in store for you. 

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)?

 

Beach Studio Tour 2013 and Fall colours

The best excuse for an urban walk 

(Click HERE for updated version for the Spring 2014 Tour)
A few years ago, I did the Beach Studio Tour with a couple of girlfriends, armed with a self-guided tour map. We had a wonderful time!

We didn't know what to expect. Would it be awkward to visit artists' private houses without buying anything? Would there be art within our budget? One thing for sure, going with a few girlfriends gave us all the courage to find out.

What's the verdict? The participating artists do everything in their power to make us feel at ease. Many join other fellow artists under a same roof to create more ambiance. Some even offer a little bite to welcome the visitors. All simply love to talk about their art and they understand the value of getting us better acquainted with their work even if we don't buy right away.

Beach Studio Tour 2010

Beach Studio Tour 2010

Beach Studio Tour 2013

The Beach Studio Tour is a free cultural tradition currently in its 20th year.  The locations change every year, which allows us to discover different streets of The Beach neighbourhood. 

This fall, the tour takes place from October 25 to October 27 (Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.). It includes twelve locations where we can admire the artwork from local 22 artists (you may check their map at the bottom of the Studio Guide section on beachstudiotour.ca). They're too dispersed to be seen all in a single walk (unless you're a keener!). Many will want to do part of the tour by car. 

To those who would like to kill two birds with one stone, combining art and exercise, I present a cool route, based on my research when working on the walking guides (for The Beach Quaint Stroll, Stroll 25 in Toronto Urban Strolls 1, and The Beach Soothing Stroll and Upper Beaches Steep Hill Stroll, respectively Strolls 12 and 24 in Toronto Urban Strolls 2.). It is 5.5 km long (which takes approximately 1 hour 30 to walk). 

"On parle français" at #5!

I recommend you start your walk at #5, just north of Kingston Road (395 Scarborough Road). You will easily find street parking in the area and you will get a chance to meet the charming Nathalie Vachon whom we met three years ago when we first did the tour (she speaks French0. She's teaming with Jen Tsuchida, who works with felt, and sculptor Noriko Yamamoto.

Two stops on Kingswood, #6 et #9

Walk north on Scarborough, east on Gerrard, and then back south on the next street to #6 where awaits Barb Ringer, an artist working with glass (456 Kingswood Road).

At #9, south of Kingston, are exhibited the artwork of painter Roderick Mayne and Zsuzsa Monostory, a ceramic artist (89 Kingswood Road).

Lovely dead-end street at #8

Go southbound on Kingswood to Queen Street, then turn left (eastbound) to reach Neville Park Blvd. As a bonus after visiting the talented Elizabeth Berry at #8 (133 Neville Park Blvd.), you will get to see one of the prettiest streets in the neighbourhood. Walk to the end of the dead-end to admire the properties on top of the sloped front yards.

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Back on Queen, turn right (westbound). You might be tempted by the scrumptious cupcakes of Life is Sweet (2328 Queen East). Note that a bit further west, at the corner of Beech and Queen, you will find more to tease you: the savoury salty muffins at Remarkable Bean (2242 Queen E.), artisanal (and affordable) chocolate at Wickerhead (2375 Queen E.) or hand-made gelato at Ed’s (2224 Queen E.).

Beach sight before # 10 et #11

You can access the beach at the foot of Beech Avenue. By walking left past the end of the boardwalk, you'll have a chance to see some great beach front houses. 

Back to the Studio Tour, turn west on Fir at the corner Beech and Fir Avenues. Looks like a small village, doesn't it? Two painters await on this street: Ruth Hayes with her watercolours at #10 (17 Fernwood Park Avenue) and Dianne Selton, another artist who loves to play with colours, in display with ceramic artist Karen Franzen at #11 (59 Fernwood Park Avenue).

Ravine sight after #12

Walk northbound on Fernwood, turn left on Hazel, then right on Balsam Avenue. A bit further west past Balsam, there's the really cute café Tori's Bakeshop (2188 Queen East) where you might want to rest before reaching the last location of the Beach Studio Tour. At #12, you will find the photographer John Dowing, the hand-woven designs of Lucille Crighton and Tod Waring, an artist who works with metal.

Glen Stewart Ravine at The Beach

For the big finish, keep going northbound on Balsam, beyond Pine. You will be able to access Glen Stewart Ravine from a little path hidden between two private houses (across from the school). It leads to the spectacular staircase recently built to enhance this ravine. It offers the best view in the whole park. At the foot the the stairs, turn right and you'll forget you're in the middle of the big city. At the fork, keep your right. The stairs will lead you to Beech Avenue, which meets Kingston Road further north. 

To reach your starting point, turn right on Kingston (eastbound) and go north on Scarborough Road.

Beach Studio Tour 2010

Beach Studio Tour 2010

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