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#UNDER27

I am so so so excited to announce that I've been invited to participate in #UNDER27, a part-time internship opportunity with AutoShare.

Mission: "Our team of urban explorers will show the city how young people are weaving together transit options to navigate their way into all kinds of situations."

Over the next three months, I will go on six AutoShare trips and post about my adventures on social media. I'll be posting on my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts, as well as AutoShare's tumblr, so I invite you to follow along!

Why I'm stoked:

To partner with a social enterprise with a cause that I truly believe in

To promote car sharing as a sustainable and viable option to car ownership

To connect with 15 other young, vibrant, passionate Torontonians

To have four wheels to explore areas of Toronto not easily accessible via TTC

If you live in Toronto, please get in touch if:

You want to join me on my adventures

You have Toronto travel ideas that are off the beaten path

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REVIEW: Insomnia Cafe - 563 Bloor Street West

I'm so thankful to have friends like Elisa who organizes fun things for us to do in Toronto, like a Girls Chill Day. We spent the day at Bathurst and Bloor - for brunch at Insomnia, followed by gaming at Snakes and Lattes.

Insomnia's brunch is indeed quite renowned, so we waited about 30 minutes for the four of us to get seated. We found out later that we could have eater at the bar without the wait, so I'll definitely keep that in mind for next time!

That being said, it's actually a fairly smart strategy on Insomnia's part to have a line since it creates a captive audience with a growing appetite as they survey the seated patrons and their delicious meals. I was particularly intrigued by the hashbrowns, which appeared to be covered in BBQ sauce. From what I could see, everyone had ordered either Eggs Benedict or French Toast. We were luckily seated in the back where it was much quieter; however the cushy chairs, weren't ideal for eating. 

I was originally set on ordering the Avocado Benny, but was convinced at the last minute to get the special: Bacon Cheeseburger Benny. Oh yes! I also ordered a coffee and was quite delighted by it - a head above most other restaurant coffees.

Our food came pretty quickly, about 10-15 minutes after ordering. My Benny came plated with the aforementioned BBQ-sauced hashbrowns, salad, and an orange slice.

The verdict:

Bacon Cheeseburger Benny: the eggs were nicely poached, but the burgers were quite bland, so the Benny tasted under seasoned, even with the bacon and cheese. I still enjoyed it, but felt it was lacking.

Hashbrowns: I consider myself a bit brunch aficionado, so I was pleased to see an original and extremely tasty version of this brunch staple. Since the potatoes were covered in BBQ sauce, I was expecting them to be soft. Instead they were wonderfully crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I suspect deep frying was involved to get the sauce-crunch-soft texture combo. Elisa, bless her Indonesian heart, had the smarts to ask for Tabasco sauce to go with the hash browns... And oh! It was divine. 

Salad: unsurprisingly the weakest link on the plate. There was too much of the unidentifiable dressing, resulting in with inedible greens.

Overall, I was happy with the experience. The portions were very generous, and the service was friendly and prompt. This place is definitely worth a repeat visit.

FYI: for those social media addicts, you unlock a 10% discount after your third check-in at Insomnia on Foursquare, but get $10 off $50 (20% discount) when you check in on Yelp!

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REVIEW: Finch Avenue Optometry (77 Finch Avenue West)

After over a year of working at two startups with no benefits, I am so excited to have passed my 3-month probation and access to health and dental benefits! 

Finding a great optometrist in a new city can be difficult. First, I tried my network and didn't get any recommendations. Next, I tried RateMyMD, and I found that the "Top 10" list didn't have any recent reviews, so I wasn't sure if I could trust the results.

I did a bit more googling and found this forum on RedFlagDeals.com, where a poster recommended Dr. Sarah Stevens. I viewed her profile on RateMyMD, and while she only had 2 reviews, they were both in 2012 and very positive.

Naturally, I visited the website for Finch Avenue Optometry, where she practices. I was impressed by the professionalism of their website, which speaks volumes because I visited many optometrist websites during my research and found most of them to be horrendous. I liked her bio and their office is located close to my house, so I figured it was worth a try.

I filled out their online Appointment Request Form on Thursday night, and at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, they phoned me to schedule my eye exam. They had a cancellation for Saturday morning (the next day) and booked my appointment. Talk about great service!

Dr. Sarah Stevens was wonderful. I found her to be highly relatable and I really liked her matter-of-fact communication approach. I can see how it might come off as abrasive or pushy to some, but I really like her style. I also found her to be helpful and informative, and most importantly, genuine. 

When I told her that I stopped wearing contacts because they dried my eyes out, she immediately gave me a recommendation. She said that she had dry eyes as well and that this was the only brand of contacts she could wear. Then she gave me free samples to try. She also provided a brand of eye drops that were great for dry eyes. She mentioned that your eyes get dry just like your skin does, so it's important to keep them moisturized.

Dr. Stevens also mentioned that my eye dryness was likely caused by how much time I spend in front of a computer screen because we blink half as much as we should when we're on a computer. She recommended the 20-20-20 Rule - every 20 minutes, look at a spot at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds, and blink rapidly. This helps to moisturize your eyes and relax your eye muscles.

When I mentioned that I was potentially looking at getting laser eye surgery, she said that she would only send me to 3 people in the city. Dr. Stevens explained that any ophthalmologist can get certified for laser eye surgery, but very few of them are corneal specialists, which makes a huge difference. I like that she is protective of patients.

When we reviewed my digital eye scans, she did an incredible job of explaining everything. She described the types of eye diseases that she looks for and how they can be visually identified on the scan. She also explained the purple blobs on my right eye, which I had always assumed was a birthmark, as being freckles that would normally look brown on skin, but show up as purple when covered by the white of my eye. Cool, huh?

I walked away from our meeting feeling super knowledgeable about my eyes and what exactly optometrists do. Afterward, Dr. Stevens handed me off to Inga, who walked me through their frames options and gave me 20+ frames to try on. We eventually narrowed it down to one, but I was still on the fence about getting new frames, or just keeping my old ones and getting new lenses, so I loved that she didn't pressure me to decide. Inga provided me with pricing estimates for my glasses and contacts and sent me on my merry way. As someone who hates pushy salespeople, I really appreciated that.

Overall, an A+ experience!

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Toronto Islands Bike Adventure

As part of an early birthday present and to start a tradition, Dan and I went on a bike adventure to the Toronto Islands. We went about a month earlier than last year, which I appreciated since I froze my bum off last time! We also ended up biking all the way to the waterfront instead of taking the subway. We followed the same path as I took last time, and it was fun to show it to Dan. Unfazed by the Lower Don Valley Trail closure, we forged onward and followed the detour from last time.

Unfortunately, we passed by a horrific car accident scene and we overheard that a child had been struck. We later found out that the child miraculously came away with minor injuries despite being struck by a vehicle and dragged over 20 meters. Otherwise, we made it to the waterfront without incident. We enjoyed some street meat (veggie for me, Italian sausage for him) on the boardwalk while we waited for the next ferry. Our ferry was different from last time - there was no outdoor deck. It was warmer, but didn't afford as nice a view. The ferry was bustling with many young families with toddlers and babies in strollers.

When we docked, we were greeted by a large sign promoting the Far Enough Farm fundraiser. Being huge proponents of local and urban agriculture, we made a note to check it out later. Plus, the sign promised corn and beer!

We beelined to the beach on Centre Island. I cannot put into words how much I love being around water, and consequently, how much I miss Vancouver's proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Living in Toronto, it's easy to tire of the suffocating concrete jungle. It's no wonder Ontarians love their cottages so much! We set down a blanket and just took it all in - the sound of crashing waves and the warmth of the sun's golden rays. Perfection! I have no idea how long we laid there for, but I was filled with joy and relaxation.

I wanted to go to The Rectory Cafe again, in honour of our newly established Annual Toronto Island Bike Trip tradition. Unfortunately, they were closed for a private function. Heartbroken and hungry, we made our way to Far Enough Farm. I was delighted by the array of animals - some of which I was seeing in person for the first time - chickens, turkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, cows, donkeys, and a peacock! I was like a kid in a candy store, fascinated by every critter I laid my eyes on.

We ate our dinner, consisting of non-GMO corn-on-the-cob and beef burgers, in the beer garden. We enjoyed our meal while listening to a folk band and watching cute children play. We also had a funny prank played on us - a guy had attached a fake spider on a fishing line and dangled it in front of Dan's face, which surprised him and delighted me!

While we waited for the ferry, we indulged in beautiful views of the Toronto skyline. On the way home, we lucked out on an amazing sunset. The perfect end to a perfect fall day!

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RIDE: North York to The Danforth to Queen's Quay (Round Trip)

Today, I went a truly epic bike ride. I had to pick up a package from Frank, and it was such a beautiful day that I couldn't justify taking the TTC. It was quite a GPS adventure - I cycled past beautiful tree-lined neighbourhoods with spectacular homes. Then I got on a bike path that went through Edward Gardens (Toronto Botanical Gardens), Wilket Creek Path, and Ernest Thompson Seton Park. The sights were phenomenal - big blue sky, freshly mowed green grass, billowing willow trees, abundant yellow and purple wildflowers, a train bridge, bubbling creeks, and countless black squirrels. Unfortunately, the connecting Lower Don Valley Trail was closed for construction. Fortunately, I encountered an elderly couple and later, a huge group of cyclists, who were also confounded by the detour directions. We eventually found our way, and I made to it Frank's house (at Broadview + Danforth) in just over an hour!

From there, Frank and I cycled along the Lower Don Valley Trail, where we had to traverse a giant hole in the path - with a steep grassy embankment on one side and the Don River on the other. It was tricky, but we managed! We also passed by a house on Broadview with a frontyard that was crawling with sunflowers (my favourite!). It was gorgeous.

At Lakeshore, we split up, and I headed to Queen's Quay. There, I formally accepted a job offer to be the Marketing Communications Coordinator at CUSOURCE and celebrated with a chicken burger and piña colada smoothie at Pier 4. I had been there once before with Dan, and it's a fun experience because they have a huge patio that overlooks the Inner Harbour and Toronto Island. The service was phenomenal - I accidentally spilled my piña colada all over my table after only having two sips, and the server made me a new one for free and helped me clean up. A+ for customer service!

Then, it was a long cycle ride back home! I took the same route back, and I'm pleased to say that I only got lost once ;-) There were a couple of hills on the way back that had my legs screaming, but I managed to make it home in one piece! The first thing I did when I got home was Google how far I had cycled. The grand total? 62.2 kilometeres. BOOM!

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AwesTRUCK 2012

As previously mentioned, my friend Frank is a huge foodie. And as such, he co-organized this amazing event called AwesTRUCK 2012. It is an award show that recognizes the best food trucks in Toronto, based on votes from you, the people! They needed some volunteers, so I jumped at the opportunity.

The event was held at Evergreen Brick Works, a unique venue with an interesting history. Formerly one of Canada's top brickyards, it is now a community cultural centre with a focus on the environment. It encompasses the Weston Family Quarry Garden, which includes ponds, a meadow (with access to the Don River), and a small forest. They hold a number of programs designed to educate the public on nature and the environment, such as urban gardening workshops. They also have a Saturday farmers' market and a gardening centre, where you can buy plants and gardening equipment. Last, but not least, they host a number of special events, such as the Toronto Underground Market. It is a really beautiful venue. I would like to come back and explore more!

AwesTRUCK was a huge hit, and I had so much fun volunteering. In exchange for 3.5 hours of stuffing drink/food tickets into cups, managing VIP entries, and informing passers-by about the event, I received a sweet t-shirt and 3 delicious food truck items. I'm definitely looking forward to being a part of future events! I hear rumours of an event in late October in the Distillery District, for anyone who's interested!

The aforementioned sweet t-shirt

Risotto Rice Balls from Dobro Jesti

Fish Taco from El Gastronomo Vagabundo

Calamari Pita from Blue Donkey

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The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Casa Loma + The Stockyards

After buying Avenue Q tickets a couple of months ago, I started to receive promotional emails about other theatrical acts in the city. I had wanted to visit Casa Loma for some time now, so when I saw the email for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), I was intrigued. I was sold as soon as Elisa, who is the Queen of Deals, found a Teambuy deal that allowed the four of us (with Dan and Abhi) to attend for a mere $69.00! The play is performed by Matt Drappel, Jeff Hanson, and Kevin Ritchie from The Classical Theatre Project, and they attempt to perform all 37 of Shakespeare's plays in a mind-boggling 75 minutes. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but as an avid Bard on the Beach attendee, I was hankering for some Willy in my life (hee!).

Casa Loma

In my head, I had envisioned this urban castle to be much further away than it actually was. It's conveniently located near Dupont subway station, though I have to warn you that a fairly steep set of stairs must be mounted to get there. Unfortunately the castle was closed, but it was still neat to see the overall structure and the interior that we could access.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

Obviously, these three fine gentlemen had quite the task to accomplish. 37 plays in 75 minutes? Preposterous! I was mostly entertained and the jokes were funny, although I felt most of the humour was quite juvenile given the fairly senior demographic of the audience. Think multiple puke jokes. I thought the Romeo & Juliet scene went on for far too long, but seeing Hamlet three times (original, sped up, backwards sped up) was totally worth it. I felt slightly robbed to see the 16 comedies rolled into one confusing bit including 3 sets of identical twins, Venetian merchants, donkeys, and fairies. My favourite piece was the Othello rap. It was pretty darn clever. It was a bit difficult to hear because we were seated in the back and their voices were drowned out by street traffic below and airplane traffic above. Overall, it didn't quite live up to my expectations, but still proved to be a very enjoyable evening!

The Stockyards, Smokehouse & Larder

After the play, we were famished. Elisa's Yelp search indicated a delicious BBQ joint nearby, The Stockyards. The staff graciously took our order, even though we arrived at 8:55pm and they close at 9:00pm. The three of us ordered the Classic Burger, while Elisa went with the Fried Chicken. While we waited for our food, I did a quick search and saw that their burger was recently ranked #3 on the Top 25 All-Beef Burgers in Toronto, so my expectations were pretty high. I found the burger to be slightly dry, and I inadvertently reduced the flavour index by removing the red onions. Overall, the burger was very tasty - but was no match for The Burger at The Auld Spot Pub. That being said, my review may be negatively affected by the fact that we ate our food on a bench outside an old folks' home near the restaurant... Definitely worth another visit for a proper review.

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REVIEW: Bombay Bhel (5009 Yonge Street)

Whenever Dan and I are hungry and are too lazy to cook, we head over to the Bombay Bhel. The food is always tasty, and they offer spice customization (mild, medium, spicy). The service is really good too. Whenever we order takeout, they say it will be ready in 20 minutes, and the takeout bag is always on the counter when we arrive. Plus, they offer a 10% discount on cash takeout. My only complaint is that it seems slightly expensive given the somewhat small portion sizes. Also, the ambiance is left to be desired, but I find that's normal for many Indian restaurants. Noms! 4 out of 5 stars.

ORDER Chicken Tikka Misala Baingan Patiala Channa Masala Large Basmati Rice TOTAL: $41.60 (with 10% cash discount on takeout)

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RIDE: North York to Yonge + Eglinton (Round Trip)

I received a text from Kate to have lunch with her and Andrea at our favourite spot for emotional/stress eating, Harvey's. Given the beautiful weather, I knew my Kona would be the prime choice over the TTC. It was my first time navigating the back streets without Dan, so there was a lot of stopping to check my GPS... And on the way back, there may have been a few nonsensical loops because I'm really that bad with directions. Luckily, it was the perfect day for a ride - sunny with a wonderfully cool breeze. There were a few decent sized hills, so I definitely got my sweat on and felt my legs burn!

According to MapMyRIDE, it was 21.55 kms. Whoop!

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Downsview Park Adventure Part 2

After hearing about how much fun Elisa and I had at the Downsview Park Merchant Market and Farmers' Market, Dan felt a bit left out, so we decided to go back for a nice bike ride (over 20 kms). We've biked to Downsview Park before for the Canada Day fireworks, so we already a route in mind and we got there fairly quickly.

We decided to be adventurous and try out the international food court. Dan stayed away from the more exotic food and went for a disappointing burrito from Burrito King. I wasn't quite brave enough to try anything with goat or shark. I ended up trying the Jamaican patties - cheese, beef, and chicken - and all of them were delicious! I also knew I had to try the juice bar that concocted smoothies mixed with freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. Mine was made with fresh chunks of pineapple, mango, crushed ice, sugar cane juice, and a mysterious creamy syrup from an unlabelled can, and it was absolutely divine.

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Toronto Botanical Garden

Dan and I stumbled upon Toronto Botanical Garden during one of our biking adventures, but we didn't get to explore that much, so it was nice to go back for a proper visit with Elisa. Unfortunately, we arrived a bit late, so the indoor exhibits (including an urban bee hive!) were closed. Nonetheless, we had a really nice visit.

There were a couple of weddings taking place and it was fun to watch them. The location is absolutely stunning. Beautiful greenery and flowers everywhere. We even saw a couple of critters - two groundhogs and a chipmunk!

As a newbie urban gardener with a barely surviving container patio garden, I was fascinated by the vegetable gardens. There were so many tomatoes! Bitter melons! Pole beans! I was very jealous.

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Downsview Park Adventure

Last week, Elisa discovered this amazing Museum + Arts Pass Program through the Toronto Public Library. I've wanted to hit up the Ontario Science Centre and the Royal Ontario Museum for a while, and now we could do it for free! On Saturday morning, we trekked to the Jane & Sheppard branch only to discover that the passes for the OSC and ROM had already been checked out.

We decided to stop off at the Downsview Park Merchant Market and Farmers' Market on the way back home. The Farmers' Market was really fun! There was so much hustle and bustle. There was a huge variety of produce, some of which you could buy in huge bushels. The Merchant Market was... a bit strange. It was a weird blend of flea market and antique store. There was also an interesting international food market in the back, but we didn't get anything.

I ended up with a basket of figs and a large basket of plum tomatoes!

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REVIEW: Joe Mamas (317 King Street West)

My colleagues and I got together for a great time at Joe Mamas. It was Andrea's recommendation because they play live jazz and it's a fun environment. The decor is quite neat, although it was a little too much red for my liking. It was a bit loud once the jazz was playing, so I wouldn't come here if you're looking to have long, in-depth conversations.The service was very good and the food was top-notch. I had the Goat Cheese Stuffed Ravioli and it was heavenly. That vodka cream sauce was mouthwatering. I also tried the Gladys Knight (which I didn't much care for) and the Aretha Franklin (which was delicious). I'd definitely come back again! 4 stars out of 5.

ORDER Goat Cheese Stuffed Ravioli Aretha Franklin x 2 Gladys Knight TOTAL: $55.00 (includes tip)

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Farmers' Market Delight

I have always been a fan of eating fresh local food and supporting urban agriculture. This was much easier to do in Vancouver. Living in North York, I am surrounded by chains and the only place to buy produce from is Loblaws or Metro - not exactly ideal choices. A couple of months ago, I discovered that there was a weekly farmers' market at Mel Lastman Square, a mere two blocks away. The catch? It runs from 7am to 3pm on Thursdays. Not the best timing for someone who works Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.

Finally, after weeks of promising to get up early only to hit "snooze" repeatedly and stumble to work, I finally got my act in gear and woke up at 7am to hit up the Mel Lastman Farmers Market. I know myself well, so I only brought $40 in cash to prevent myself from excitedly bingeing on local produce. I ended up with this beautiful haul:

basket of peaches ($8) container of blueberries ($5) basket of heirloom tomatoes ($4.50) bunch of green beans ($4) basket of peppers ($4) 3 heads of garlic ($3) 3 onions ($2) 2 patty pan squash & a zucchini ($2)

I was beside myself with glee. I was particularly tickled to see one of the vendors selling a bay leaf plant! I've only ever seen dried bay leaves in a bag, so that was really exciting. I'm debating getting it next time as a special treat.

One thing that was weird, though, was how eager and quickly the farmers were to hand out their goods in plastic bags. I had brought green cloth bags, yet no one seemed to pay attention to them. I actually had to hand back a couple of plastic bags after rearranging my haul into my reusable bags. It seemed a bit odd for the local farmer vendors to not be environmentally conscious about plastic bags.

Nonetheless, I'm already gleefully looking up recipes and looking forward to my next visit!

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REVIEW: Grazie Ristorante (2373 Yonge Street)

For Dan's milestone 25th birthday, I knew I wanted to go somewhere nice for a special treat. I knew that Grazie was renowned in Toronto for being a top Italian restaurant and I had previously eaten lunch there, so I knew it would be a safe bet. Grazie has the ambiance that one expects for an Italian restaurant - loud and lively. Unfortunately, they only accept reservations for lunch, so we waited about 30 minutes before being seated by the window. It was a great spot because it was quieter, and it was nice to people-watch and have a view of pretty flower boxes. We had an amazing time. 5 out of 5 stars.

Our server was efficient and friendly, yet curt. My most notable complaint was the complimentary bread - the slices were not cut all the way through and was served with generic butter containers. To start, we ordered the Cesari 'Mara' - which came recommended by our server and was a steal at $36 per bottle. I'm not typically a huge fan of red wine, but this was really quite delicious and paired with our meal nicely.

To start, we ordered the Caesar salad, which was so delicious in its simplicity and perfect execution. We shared the Romana pizza and the Brunello pasta. My main complaint about Italian cuisine is that it's easy to find Italian food that's passable (e.g. it's hard to screw up), but very difficult to find mind-blowing Italian food. Well, the Brunello pasta blew my mind. It knocked my socks off. The combination of fresh pasta, garlic & olive oil, and grilled sausage was so divine. Mmm, I can honestly say it is in the top 3 of the best pastas I've ever eaten. The Romano pizza was also very delicious, though I have to admit that it paled in comparison to the pasta. The rosemary was deliciously fragrant and mixed nicely with the potatoes. My only complaint was that the pancetta wasn't very well distributed across the pie. For the quality and portion of the food, the prices were a wonderful value.

ORDER Caesar Salad Cesari 'Mara' wine Brunello pasta Romana pizza TOTAL: $93.56 (includes tip)

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If I try really hard, I can pretend it's the Pacific Ocean... #MissingVancouver (Taken with instagram)

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UBC Alumni Toronto Pub Night

Confession: I have this bad habit of opening an email, glancing through it, and if I determine it requires further action, I'll mark it as unread for later review. Unfortunately, this means I can miss out on things because I'll sometimes revisit emails after they're become irrelevant.

Luckily, I revisited an email from UBC Toronto Alumni just in time. In my effort to become more integrated into the city, I joined Meetup.com and was originally planned to attend a Toastmasters event tonight. When I saw the UBC alumni meetup event, however, I was quickly persuaded.

The original plan was to go home first, drop off my stuff, and change out of work clothes. A fire emergency at Castle Frank Station derailed that plan. I ended up getting stuck at Bloor Station among hundreds of disgruntled commuters. Instead of waiting on the platform among uncomfortably warm body heat and exasperated sighs and groans, I escaped to a nearby food court and caught up on some emails. I love being productive on the go!

Don't get me wrong: I emitted a few exasperated sighs and groans myself, before I realized it wasn't doing much help. The situation was out of my control and I just had to do the best I could with what I had.

Anyways, I wasn't really quite sure what to expect, but I really like meeting new people, so I was game! I'm definitely glad I went. It was so great to connect with people who were going through the same Vancouver-Toronto transition. I met a bunch of great, friendly people, and I have to admit, it was kind of fun to see people gravitate towards me when they found out I was a recruiter ;-) Plus I won a shirt through a random draw. Huzzah for free swag. Definitely a good group of people and I'm looking forward to attending more of their events.