What can you buy?

- Fresh fruit and vegetables, baked goods, dairy products and free-range eggs
- Bulk grains, flours, seeds, spreads, dried fruits and nuts
- Frozen foods,including organically raised meat
- Renett-free cheese
- Bulk grains, dried fruits & nuts
- Coffees and teas, coffee substitutes, herbal teas and fresh spices
- Canned and packaged foods
- Household and personal care items (dental and skin care products, supplements)
- Environment-friendly cleaning products

Interested in becoming a member? Only members can shop at Karma Co-op. But you can do a one-time trial shop to try us out before joining (payment in cash only). Join Karma

Karma Coop
739 Palmerston Avenue
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6G 2R3
(416) 534-1470
Hours: M: 11am-7pm; T,W,Th: 11am-9pm; F: 10am-9pm; Sa: 10am-6pm; Su: 11am-5pm

Live Green Toronto

1. Go to Cherry Beach – Cherry Beach is a “blue flag” beach, meaning, it has been deemed safe and environmentally sound. It’s respected and recognized international eco-label. Find this cool lakeside park at the foot of Cherry Street just south of Unwin Avenue. More info.

2. Go swimming – There are many pools around the greater metropolitan Toronto area. Check them out here.

3. Eat the best gelato in Toronto. ‘nuf said.

4. Go to the movies – movie theatres are cool as cucumbers.

5. Water Slide! – at the Delta Chelsea. You have to be a guest at the hotel, however.

6. Go to the mall – There’s always Yorkdale but you have lots o choices.

7. Use Common Sense in the heat – Wear light, loose, comfortable cotton clothes; keep yourself hydrated (drink lots of water and natural fruit juices and cold herb teas); avoid overextenuating activity that can cause heat stroke; never leave children or pets inside a car; wear hats and stay in the shade if outdoors; eat light meals.

Go crazy shopping at more than 240 shops. I am a huge fan of H&M and so you’ll see me spend most of my time there, and the Apple Store too.

Yorkdale Mall
1 Yorkdale Road, Suite 500
Toronto, Ontario M6A 3A1
Canada
Hours
Monday – Friday: 10am – 9pm
Saturday: 9:30am – 9pm
Sunday: 11am – 6pm
Note: Monday August 4th, 2008 – Civic Day – The Mall is open 10am to 6pm.

Yorkdale Shopping Centre is closed:

Friday March – Good Friday
Sunday March/April – Easter Sunday
May – Victoria Day
July – Canada Day
September – Labour Day
October – Thanksgiving Day
December 25 – Christmas Day
January 1 – New Years Day

“Toronto’s resale housing market may be cooling off, but at least one enterprising owner has found a way to get his home noticed.

He put it on the market for $1.

The Canadian Real Estate Association says existing homes sales across the country tumbled 13 per cent for the first three months of the year compared with last year.

The group says much of the slide was tied to lower activity in Toronto during February and March. The city accounts for about a quarter of the country’s sales in major markets.

Toronto saw its residential unit sales drop 13.4 per cent, though new listings were also down by seven per cent.

The $1 listing comes from Omar Ibrahim, who put his two-storey house on the market for less than the cost of a litre of gas.

He told CBC News the listing is “basically to see whether or not we can get an offer and something reasonable, letting the market determine … what the value of this house is.”

The house at 93 Badgerow Ave., a semi in the city’s Riverdale neighbourhood, shows well. It has three bedrooms, new flooring, appliances, fresh paint and a finished basement.

Ibrahim is not trying to give the house away and won’t let it go for the asking price. It’s a marketing strategy.

Tony Bassels, the real estate broker, remembers another house in Willowdale that was listed for $1 in 2004.

“It sold in 16 days for about $960,000 and that was listed for a dollar. And again multiple interest drove the price up to there,” he said.

Ibrahim buys homes, renovates and sells them. He bought 93 Badgerow Ave. in January 2008 for $342,000. He’ll find out Monday night when he opens the offers if his strategy will pay off.”

“* It’s a chowhound’s paradise, with everything from Nigerian to Laotian, Moroccan to Azerbaijani food

* An architectural renaissance is transforming the skyline with additions by Daniel Libeskind and native son Frank Gehry

* Toronto has become one of the most ethnically diverse cities on the continent, with lively neighborhoods, festivals, and restaurants to match

* The Eaton Centre. It’s a big suburban-style mall with all the wrong kinds of shopping

* When to go to Toronto: May, June, September, October”

More here

Dessert Trends Patisserie & Café also serves breakfast and lunch.

Dessert Trends Patisserie & Café
154 Harbord Street
NE corner of Harbord and Brunswick
Toronto Canada
Tel: 416.916.8155

You can choose from a myriad of designs so you’re bound to find something that suits your personality. His style seems inspired by street art and it’s mixed with fun and whimsy topped with a splash of modern art. It’s as though he was a street tagger that decided to channel his creative energy and work onto something smaller: shoes. That way, he doesn’t risk getting arrested by police whilst trying to escape their pursuit after getting caught tagging a train. You know. It’s safer but with less exercise and way less toxic fumes.

Back to his shoes. You can order the shoes and designs from Ndeur or you can send him your own shoes to have them painted. This is not only an ingenious business idea, but it’s just plain cool and fun.

Ndeur Shoes (at Etsy)
Ndeur MySpace – you can see his other art here

All deliveries are done on the same day every week. Deliveries take place in the evening, 2pm. – 9pm.

Green Earth Organics buys locally grown produce whenever possible and 10% of their profits go to various non-profit groups around Toronto.

Give them a call or sign up online so you can order organic food and have it delivered to your door.

Green Earth Organics
3 – 70 Wade Ave
Toronto,Ontario
Canada. M6H 1P6
Tel: 416.285.5300
24 Hour Hotline: 416.532.2713

The Cupcake Shoppe
2417 Yonge Street
Tel. 416.322.6648
2 blocks north of Eglinton Avenue,
on the east side of Yonge.

Hours
Monday to Friday 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am to 6:00 pm

Sugar Mountain is a chain of specialty candy and confectionery stores, which got its humble start in 1992 as an open-air booth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original booth quickly outgrew demand and the first Sugar Mountain retail store opened its doors on Richmond Street West in late 1995.

From the first sight of the bright purple interior, to the multiplicity of confectionery and novelty items, Sugar Mountain stores capitalize on a youthful notion that is created via a carefully selected product offering, within a nostalgic environment that is reminiscent of one’s childhood. Specializing in retro and nostalgic confectionery, it is not uncommon that Sugar Mountain customers exclaim, “Wow, I haven’t seen this in years”. Sugar Mountain has become a nationally recognized institution and has established itself as the leading Canadian retailer of imported and nostalgic confectionery.

2 Locations in Toronto!

Sugar Mountain
2299 Yonge Street (at Eglinton)
M4P 2C3 Toronto Canada
Tel: 416.486.9321

320 Richmond Street West
M5V 1X2 Torotno Canada
Tel: 416.204.9544

You can order online or shop at these stores:

LEFT FEET @ 88 Nassau St
Located in Kensington Market, Toronto Ontario.
(a sweet Vegan Shoe store you should check out either way)

Heart on Your Sleeve @ 61a Bellevue Ave
a sustainable boutique… that includes organic cottons & reused/reworked clothes!
(corner of Nassau & Bellevue… attached to Left Feet!)

The Bag Boutique @ 1018 Queen St. West
Located just west of Ossington.

Love Handles

For the longest time, I couldn’t listen to The Goldberg Variations without thinking about Hannibal (The Cannibal) Lechter from Silence of the Lambs – let alone eat fava beans.

It made me sad because I love this recording by Glenn Gould. Luckily, I did overcome it and disassociated the two. Finally. Yay.

My baggage aside, one of the best things you can do for your life, is to stop everything and JUST listen to beautiful music for a while. You don’t have to spend the entire day doing this; just spend some allotted time to step away from the chaos of life, and just…chill. And chilling with music rules. Some of you are so used to multi-tasking and always doing a million things at the same time. You know I’m talking about you. Your days are filled with a continuous string of tasks back to back to back sans cesse, if you know what I mean. Calm, serenity, quiet, peaceful – well, these words do not exist in your life’s vocabulary.

Cut it out!

Do yourself a favor and find great music, like Glenn Gould: The Complete Original Jacket Collection

So…..WHY am I writing about Glenn Gould on this Toronto blog? I thought you’d never ask. Glenn Gould was born in Toronto on September 25, 1932. Thought you’d like that bit of trivia.

About Glenn Gould: The Complete Original Jacket Collection
Each of the 60 single and 9 double CDs consists of the exact recordings as first issued on vinyl and looks like a miniaturised form of the original disc: the CDs are in cardboard slipcases in the original design, and the CD itself is designed to look like a LP.

The bonus CDs include the last great interview that Glenn Gould gave the American journalist Tim Page in 1981 and an essay on Johann Sebastian Bach and the fugue that Gould recorded in 1972 for a bonus LP. They also feature a number of late recordings that never appeared on vinyl: fragments of the “Italian Album” and Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll in its orchestral version — Gould’s recording debut as conductor and his last recording of all, made on 8 September 1982 with members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Another rarity is Gould’s own film music to George Roy Hill’s Slaughterhouse Five from 1972.

Soundscapes is an independent CD and music book retailer located in the Little Italy neighbourhood of downtown Toronto. The shop was founded with the simple intent of carrying the best music of all styles and persuasions. Our inventory includes (but is not limited to) folk, jazz, world, psych, garage, prog, blues, soul, reggae, classical, experimental, noise, americana/country, electronic, hip-hop, R&B, metal and pop/rock. We also devote our energies to finding the best in reissues of all genres and imports from across the pond. Finally, our store has one of the city’s best selections of local indie artists.

Soundscapes is a ticket outlet for many independent promoters and we regularly provide tickets for the town’s cornerstone venues, such as The Horseshoe Tavern, Lee’s Palace, The Mod Club, The Music Gallery and The Opera House, among others. A long-time supporter of Toronto’s independent music scene, we have a large consignment section and a seven-year relationship with local indie club night Wavelength (the breeding ground for Broken Social Scene, The Constantines, Royal City and Do Make Say Think to name a few).

Since its birth in August of 1999, the store has quickly grown into one of Toronto’s most-respected and loved music shops. Most importantly, our shelves are stocked not only by the tastes of our staff, but also through suggestions of many a regular customer. We pride ourselves on a relationship with our clientele that is based on respect and a mutual love of music.

In August 1999, Greg Davis first opened the doors on a modest shop in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood. The space used to be a children’s clothing store. Now it was a fledgling CD shop called Soundscapes. Greg had arrived at this place in a very un-rock n’ roll way. Although a native son of nearby Burlington, he had spent the previous two years as an accountant living in San Diego. Like a lot of number-crunchers he found his job profitable but boring. Unlike the majority of his cohorts, he decided to do something about it.

Greg’s record-store-owner-by-way-of-accountant history was unconventional and so was his approach to the indie record shop. Instead of the cluttered bins and surly attitudes depicted in High Fidelity, he favoured clean lines, broad genre stocking, and wide-eyed enthusiasm. The idea was that while he was a huge fan of music himself, he had as much to learn as the next person. Soundscapes was to be a meeting place of like open minds, where the customer had as much to say about the stocking of the shelves as the owner himself.

When the shop first started, it had no more than a couple thousand titles and Greg was the only employee: day in, day out. In the years since, the store has greatly expanded with an inventory of some 20,000 CDs, books and DVDs, as well as over a dozen employees. The shop’s well-chosen, always-improving stock ranges from folk, pop, rock and soul to jazz, classical and experimental, not to mention numerous reissues and import titles.

Soundscapes
572 College Street
Little Italy
Toronto, Ontario
M6G 1B3 Canada
ph: (416) 537-1620

Sunday-Thursday:
10AM-11PM
Friday-Saturday:
10AM-midnight

Sometimes you try unusual recipes that call for uncommon spices. You inevitably just forget about the recipe unless you can find the spices. If you’ve ever been stumped trying to find Ras Al Hanout or quality reverse osmosis cando twigs from antarctica (ok. I made that one up.), look no further. It’ll be a rare occasion that you don’t find what you’re looking for. To note: there’s an excellent sel­ection of salt, from hand-gathered, flaky Welsh Halen Mon to Pacific Alderwood Smoked Salt. Also try the shop’s signature spice blends—including a dill-fennel salt for fish—and assorted dry rubs.

That’s not all. There’s a good variety of accessories, too, from quality spice grinders (Peugeot grinders, graters mortars and pestles, etc.) to frying pans. You might even turn your nose up at William’s Sonoma! Maybe.

The Spice Trader regularly creates new blends, coming up with different ways of using traditional flavours. There are also The Spice Traders own blended salts and herb spice infusions.

The gift boxes make wonderful presents for those who have everything. There are starter kits, salt samplers, and custom gift boxes.

The Spice Trader
805 Queen St. W. (at Niagara St.)
Main level
Toronto, Ontario M6J 1G1
647.430.7085

The museum features at least 10,000 pairs of shoes. I know that description alone is enough to make you want to go.

The Bata Shoe Museum
27 Bloor St. West, Toronto
(south–west corner of Bloor St. W. and St. George)
St. George Subway Station.
Telephone: (416) 979-7799

A Tip: Go on a Thursday between 5pm and 8pm to get in for free! Otherwise, you’ll be paying a whopping $12 entrance fee. That’s still a fraction of the cost of your latest Manolo purchase but hey, it’s good to take a discount when available.

You will be able to purchase Roots products: Graphic T-Shirts, Short Sleeve T-Shirts, Long Sleeve T-Shirts, Sweats & Jackets, Hoodies, Pants, Hats & Accessories, Watches, Athletic Watches, Backpacks & Bags, Leather Bags, Leather iPod Cases, & Travel Gear & Bags – and more.

Love that store!

Some trivia: Guess who was hanging out at the Roots Lounge. YES, they have a lounge!!! Give up? Wyclef Jean. Love him!

Roots
220 Yonge Street, Unit B006 Level 2 Toronto
416 593 9640
Location: Yonge & Queen Streets, Inside Eaton’s Centre

This is a down-to-earth trip planner comes with very handy Post-it flags for you to mark your favorite pages! Priced at a bargain basement price of $11 (plus some change), you’ll get your money’s worth and more with all of its 336 pages.

Toronto for Dummies

Sorry to remind you of sad remembrances of things past but how about getting your loved one a trip to Toronto? Give them a travel book and they’ll then wonder why you’ve given that to them for Christmas. Then the lightbulb moment will turn on (hopefully) and you then have to plan your wonderful trip to the largest city in Canada. Here are some suggestions:

1. Lonely Planet Toronto – This comprehensive guide is your entree to its many facets: the culinary scene is as deliciously diverse as its population, the artistic community breaks conventions on a daily basis and its great outdoors are awash with options – from cycling and skiing to hiking and hockey. Socially enlightened, multicultural and uniquely Canadian.

2. Fodor’s Toronto – Skyrocket to the top of the CN Tower, hit the patois for great eats and people-watching, sail on Lake Ontario, wander through the Hockey Hall of Fame, or browse the art at a downtown gallery – Fodor’s Toronto offers all these experiences and more.

3. Top 10 Toronto – Whether you’re looking for the finest cuisine or the least expensive places to eat, the most luxurious hotels or the best deals on places to stay, Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides provide useful information by local experts to find the best of everything at each destination.

Over The Rainbow – Denim deficient rock stars Mick Jagger and Hilary Duff in search of the coolest duds can be spotted here.

Holt Renfrew, the Canadian equivalent of Bloomingdale’s, is a magnet to celebs like German actress Diane Kruger and her Canadian boyfriend Joshua Jackson. Trek farther west along Bloor Street, and who might you run into? Ashton Kutcher and Canuck celebrities like Mike Myers and singer Deborah Cox emptying their wallets for leather goods and athletic gear at Roots.

Kidding Awound – Famous parents such as Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan are known to shop at this Canadian version of FAO Schwartz (toy store).

Starbucks (139 Yorkville Ave.) has taken orders for Sienna Miller, James Franco and Colin Farell, while other celebrities like Wesley Snipes head to Canadian-coffee staple, Second Cup (170 Bloor St. W.).

Four Seasons Hotel – Particularly during film festivals, A-listers like Bruce Willis and Gwyneth Paltrow stay at this Yorkville sanctuary, with equally star-studded room service going on downtown at the Fairmont Royal York, which attracts festival favourites like Mira Sorvino and John Cusack.

Vikaspa – is the spa where Kate Hudson, Robert Downey Jr. and Hilary Swank chill.

Thomas Hinds Tobacconist – attracts the likes of stogie sportin’ Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn or Charlie Sheen.

Kultura, is a multi-floor lounge where Jude Law, Vince Vaughn, Ethan Hawke, Sofia Coppola, Scarlett Johansson and Christina Ricci have all hung out.

Bistro 990, a French bistro, is one of the city’s biggest stomping grounds for visiting celebs like renowned Canadian director Norman Jewison (Moonstruck, In Country), Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.

Note: These star gazing ops are more successful during film fests when Hollywood descends upon the beautiful Canadian haven of Toronto.

Get some coffee that’s better than Starbucks

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