Uninhabited Spaces

Being the horror genre fan he is, Mark has fallen for FX's chilling new show " American Horror Story ". Of course, that means I have been watching it every Wednesday night alongside him. It's a downright creepy show, with some genuinely scary elements. The series revolves around the Harmons, a family of three who moved from Boston to Los Angeles as a means to reconcile past anguish. Alas, their new home is the source of far deeper and demented problems than they could have ever imagined. The cast is anchored around Dylan McDermott ("The Practice") as a psychiatrist; Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights"), who plays his wife, and newcomer Taissa Farmiga as their teenage daughter. However, it's the supporting cast that is actually worth watching. The legendary Jessica Lange ("The Postman Always Rings Twice") plays the Harmon’s neighbor, chewing every scene like only few can. Evan Peters ("One Tree Hill") is memorab...

This morning marked the opening of the much-hyped new Loblaws at Maple Leaf Garden s. Located on the ground floor, the store promises their Joe Fresh clothing line and a whole range of “food experiences” including a sushi bar, chocolate-by-the-chunk and “The Amazing Wall of Cheese,” an 18-foot-high wall of world cheeses complete with a 100-pound wheel of Stilton. The upper two floors of the Gardens is being renovated into a new athletic facility for Ryerson University. I have not visited the new store yet (it only opened 10 minutes ago!) but I applaud this creative mixed redevelopment of the Gardens, located in a part of the downtown core that is rather dilapidated. Hopefully it will help anchor a revitilization of the neighbourhood.   

Sunday morning dawned overcast and rainy, but we did not let that stop us from having a grand adventure. We started our day by meeting Mark's nephew Jordan for brunch in tony Yorkville, at celebrity chef Mark McEwan's  One Restaurant . This is the kind of place that takes your coat at the door and has full marble restrooms. The decor and layout were impressive. I was pleasantly surprised that our waiter was not only pleasant but down-to-earth. The service was very good and the food was also quite good. I had eggs Benedict and I appreciated that instead of the typical English muffin that it was served on a homemade brioche. We then strolled around Yorkville , taking in some of the fabulous shops, including Teotro Verde (the most stunning home decor shop I have ever visited) and Pusateri's Fine Foods (an upscale grocery store and foodie haven).  After saying goodbye to Jordan we checked out the men's department at venerable Holt Renfrew (Holt's, for those i...

I took this picture earlier today as we strolled through Roncesvalles Village , Toronto's Polish enclave. Just last month The New York Times described the eponymous main street as being filled with "indie bookstores, quirky coffeehouses and smart boutiques [that] feel more like small-town hangouts...with a blessed absence of the chain stores that have crept across Toronto". Our day began with brunch at School in Liberty Village , and then we walked westward along Queen Street West into Parkdale Village , which has become a great source for funky vintage clothing stores and antique shops. We discovered a great vintage shop called Philistine , in which I found and purchased a beautiful Brooks Brothers Polo Button-Down shirt. This was a real find as it is was actually made in the USA, a rarity these days in the clothing retail industry. The other fantastic vintage shop we found is called Studio 1686 . The store is run by sisters Marya and Irene, who both worked in w...

On the way back from a training session I took this picture of one of the wonderful windows of the flagship store of The Bay. They have created a series of Christmas dioramas that are both heart-tugging in their sentiment and jaw-dropping in their detail. Reminiscent of the famous Macy's windows in the Big Apple, I was impressed to see the creative investment in the displays alongside the very busy Queen Street West and Yonge Street facades of this very impressive building . This is not your grandmother's The Bay. The flagship is decidedly upscale (including a gorgeous Burberry boutique), with a snazzy interior design, layout, and focus on customer service. I purchased some new Florsheim shoes there last week and received marvellous personal attention. Speaking of attention, I patronized Truefitt & Hill Barber this week, since I was off-site all week in the Financial District. Although pricey, the experience was really, ahem, a cut above. When I arrived they to...

Here's the view out our living room windows from earlier this evening. Thought you would like the sunset view on the Toronto skyline. That very iconic skyline is the theme of this posting. New data reveals Toronto is building more high-rises than anywhere else in North America. There are currently 132 high-rise buildings (meaning 12 to 40 floors) under construction in Toronto. For a sense of context, Mexico City ranks second with 88, New York City is third with 86, Chicago is fifth with 17, while Miami rounds out the top five with 16 high-rises in progress. Overall, Toronto has the second-highest number of completed high-rises and skyscrapers in North America, with 1,875. Fueling the frantic building is a record year of Toronto condo sales of $10-billion. Soon to join the list is a just-announced 75-storey condo called 10 York which will, ahem, trump the soon-to-be-completed 60-storey Trump International Hotel & Tower . Trump has been proudly marketing itself as Canad...

This past weekend began with a wonderful reunion with two of our dearest friends from Kingston, Karen & Jen. They arrived just before noon and, after a tour of our apartment, we set out into Liberty Village in search of brunch. My original plan was to take them to School but it was so packed that we decided to move on and we ended up at Liberty Bistro , an utterly charming, relaxed, and peaceful oasis. The food was great and the service even better! After stuffing our tummies, we toured the girls around Liberty Village, making sure we hit favourite spots such as For the Love of Cake (for some yummy cupcakes), urban furniture store casalife , and the always fun decor store West Elm . We then strolled over to West Queen West to take in Toronto's hippest hood, checking out places like the Drake General Store (the best little gift shop ever), BYOB (a one-of-a-kind cocktail emporium), and a pop-up shop operated by the Clothing Brand Experiment .  We finished the evening o...

James Cameron's epic boat movie has been remastered and converted into 3D and will be back in theatres in March 2012. I loved "Titanic" and have never been embarrassed to admit so. I was never too cool for this movie, as so many claimed to be (As I like to joke, "Titanic" was the highest grossing film of all time for nearly 15 years that no one saw and that everyone hated). Looking forward to seeing this improved version of the film. Cameron proved with "Avatar" that 3D executed properly can be a marvel. My heart will go on...

I took this picture of the landmark building at OCAD U, the Sharp Centre for Design , last week on my way to a meeting. Known affectionately around the city as "the table top", the Sharp Centre has quickly become a tourist destination in its own right.  I am always seeing folks stopping to take pictures of the Centre, which is nicely complemented by the CN Tower if you are looking southward (my picture was taken looking north). In fact, we can see the distinctive black-dotted, 12-legged monolith from our condo.  Winner of a 2004 RIBA Worldwide Award, the building was described as "courageous, bold and just a little insane." It certainly added a whimsical jolt in 2004 to what had long been an architecturally staid section of the city (Frank Gehry's outstanding transformation of the neighbouring AGO was not completed until 2008).  

I snapped this picture of the Toronto skyline as seen from our living room on Saturday afternoon.  I love how the CN Tower is framed by the lines of our patio door and the balcony railing. It's already been a month but I still get chills when I look out the window in the morning, and more so at night. It's a solid reminder that we're not in Kansas anymore, if you know what I mean. This past weekend was more relaxed. Once again, we hit the Wellington Street Art Gallery for an opening of work done by a Kingston artist named Connie Morris . We also met up with a Kingston friend named Hugh at the WSAG, which was a nice treat. On Sunday we explored the neighourhood immediately to the west of us, Parkdale . Home to one of the largest Tibetan diasporas in the world, Parkdale is very ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. We wandered along the Queen Street portion of the 'hood and I found it to be remarkably genuine, full of all sorts of interesting characters. The y...

I had the distinct pleasure to patronize Terminal Barber Shop 2 this week. Located a block west from the original landmark  shop (est. 1925), the second location is exactly what you expect a proper barber shop to look, feel, and even smell like. Besides the warm and beautiful wood floors, the centrepieces of The Terminal are their vintage barber chairs. Absolutely stunning, they are magnificent works of craftsmanship. Clients are treated to classical music emanating from hidden speakers as they hang their coats in a handsome wardrobe. With the comforting odour of talcum powder floating about, you slip into one of their leather lounge chairs, enjoy a newspaper or one of the neatly stacked men's magazines from the UK. There are three barbers, neatly dressed in 3-button white coats, and they are meticulous, courteous, and very professional. I meet one of the owners, Karim Saaden, and he welcomes me and asks my name. My barber is Frank, and he quietly and efficiently works on m...

On this All Hallows' Eve we joined our friends Patrick & Raymond for dinner at yummy Just Thai , and then headed onto three city blocks of  Church Street closed to traffic for the annual " Halloweek " Block Party. Billed as the largest outdoor Hallowe'en party in Canada, the block party was filled with thousands of revellers, most of whom outfitted in costumes, from sexy to scary. I snapped this picture of a giant and fearsome rat, who towered over everybody. We saw many fantastic outfits, featuring some great creativity and imagination. I can't recall the last time I had so much fun!

Thursday night kicked off our upcoming three days of culture madness, as we headed to the second floor of The Gladstone Hotel to take in the opening night of their annual upArt Contemporary Art Fair . We went to see some friends of Mark's named Marc Ngui and Magda Wojtyra whose huge textile piece " Polytopia " was hung at the entrance to the exhibit. Friday night we will be attending an art party at the Wellington Street Art Gallery , owned by our friend Patrick McNeil. He will be featuring the work of artist Imam Azhari , who uses both traditional and modern Trompe L'oeil techniques. After the party we will be trekking up to The Press Club to watch our friend Dave perform with his band, Ravaged By Wolves , an experimental/punk/rock collective. Saturday will feature a visit from longtime Kingston friend Rebecca and then we are off to the Toronto International Art Fair .  The fair will feature 109 fine art galleries from 13 countries and is the largest and m...

We started gorgeous Sunday with a very hearty egg, cheese, and veggie scramble, courtesy of my beloved. Then it was a two-streetcar ride up to the corner of Bloor St. West and Bathurst St. to start our tour. Our first stop was Mark's favourite bookshop, the Annex location of Book City .  He was quickly drooling over their art section. We then discovered Theodore 1922 , a high-end men's store that had us both drooling. The quality of the fabrics alone was stunning, and we were very impressed with the colours and styling. We then strolled towards the "Magnificent Mile" section of Bloor Street and visited the lower end of the scale retailers, such as Club Monaco, Banana Republic, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, before continuing east into the Village. By this time it was 4 pm so we had a quick bite to eat at the quaint and friendly  Church St Diner  before heading to a favourite clothing store, Out on the Street . The latter occupies three floors of a townhouse and ...

After countless hours setting up our new apartment, we pledged that we would finally spend this weekend exploring the city, especially our neighbourhood to the north, West Queen West. We met up with my dear friend Dana after work on Friday and had dinner at the Queen St location of Terroni , the stalwart home of  southern Italian cuisine. We finished the evening at so-hip-it-hurts The Gladstone Hotel. On Saturday morning we met Mark's longtime friend Toni at Cafe Bernate , where we started our afternoon with the most delectable home style brunch. I enjoyed an asparagus and Swiss cheese scramble that was just perfect.  We can't wait to go back with our friends from out-of-town. We then hit the galleries on Ossington Street , with our favourite being AWOL . Returning back to West Queen West, we were accosted by thousands of Zombies, gathering for the 9th annual Zombie Walk . Yes, you read that correctly. Literally thousands of people were fully decked out with some pretty ...

Day four of commuting by streetcar has allowed me to observe the peculiar ritual that I am naming the "streetcar shuffle". Basically you are supposed to enter the car from the front only, then either (1) stand along the perimeter facing toward the window or (2) if perimeter is full, enter car as quickly as possible and slowly move down the centre of your aisle. This shuffle usually happens over the course of a few stops so you can strategically situate yourself as close to the rear exit doors in anticipation of your intended stop. This may or may not work according to the volume of bodies packed in the car. For the most part I have found my fellow city residents to be a friendly and civil lot. There have certainly been some interesting characters but overall I am pleasantly surprised. In fact, I have had far more "Hello", "Excuse Me", and general courtesies on a per capita basis than I would encounter in a typical day in Kingston (population 125,000)!! ...

This marks my first posting as a resident of Toronto. I took the attached picture from our balcony. This is our actual view eastward from our condo apartment! I keep pinching myself, as I can't believe that this is what I now wake up and see each morning as I make my morning coffee (thank the Maker my Bodum made the trip safely!). We've spent the last couple of days buried in a sea of boxes, trying to make sense of the mess and putting our new apartment together. We finally crossed the magic line when it became home, helped immensely by Mark hanging our art work and photographs. We did sneek out a couple of times, to get breakfast; first to the homey Liberty Village Market & Cafe on Friday and then to the hip School bakery and cafe on Saturday morning.  I also enjoyed a cappuccino at the gorgeous Liberty Village location of Balzac's . The next couple of days we will take some much-needed rest, get some supplies, and start to explore the nearby fantastic neighb...

Mark and I enjoyed a farwell dinner at celebrated Kingston restaurant Chez Piggy , thanks to a generous gift certificate from my colleagues at Yonge House. We enjoyed a fantastic three-course table d'hote that featured a superb carved Muscovy Dusk. Chez Piggy is one of those Kingston landmarks that we shall very much miss as well as its companion bakery, Pan Chancho .  We shall also be looking to somehow replace Classic Video , whose back collection of TV shows and movies is nothing short of amazing. Of course, I will also miss my beloved Queen's but I plan on being heavily involved with the Queen's  Toronto Alumni Branch . Other things we will miss about Kingston are the Farmer's Market , the waterfront near the Kingston Yacht Club , and strolling along historic King Street . I came to age in Kingston and, after 20 years, I am grateful for my time in the city and am looking forward to our new chapter and adventures in Toronto. Still, Kingston will always have a...

Legendary Canadian record  producer Daniel Lanois (U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan, Neil Young) has formed a band called Black Dub .  Featuring a wicked lead vocalist named Trixie Whitley and the most brilliant drummer named Brian Blade, Black Dub is a great musical foursome. One of my favourite songs is called " Ring the Alarm " as it showcases each person's great talents so well.  Fans of Lanois will quickly recognize his signature guitar sound and production, recently so well crafted on Neil Young's album Le Noise (check out stand out song " Walk With Me ".) Part soul, part rock, part reggae, part magic, Black Dub create a wonderful noise together. 

By complete accident, I caught a great documentary on CBC called "Rise Up: Canadian Pop Music in the 1980s". What a wonderful trip down nostalgia lane! The early 80s saw the origin of music video television, first in the US with MTV and then here in Canada with MuchMusic. But since there were so few music videos, Canadian acts who managed to produce videos ended up getting copious amounts of playtime on both sides of the border. I am sure many folks assumed many of the pop hits of the decade were American or European bands as a result. The documentary shows how MuchMusic really broke new music outside of album-oriented classic rock that had dominated the radio stations. The Vee-Jay was born (I had a massive crush on Erica Ehm) and the MuchMusic open studio, wobbly camera style became a signature style. The other thing the doc effectively illustrates is how incredibly influential Toronto's Queen St West was on the Canadian pop music scene. Although not quite chronolo...

REM announced yesterday on their web site that they are disbanding. For those of us in high school in the '80s and university in the '90s REM was the quintessential alternative rock band. They pretty much owned the college radio crown during that period. In 1990 there was a guy named Vasilio who lived on the same floor as me in Leonard Hall residence at Queen's. He would blast REM's " Superman " over and over and over. I think there were threats of bodily harm shouted around the hall quite a few times. Ah, what good memories. I have always loved and respected REM. Their catalogue is incredible and they have given us a collection of lasting and influential songs. Thank you, REM, for your passion and for your heart breaking  and beautiful music. As a tribute, here is one ardent's fan guide to the 20 best REM songs . Enjoy!! 

This year marks the 135th anniversary of my new workplace, Ontario College of Art & Design University. To mark this significant milestone, OCAD U has launched a 135 Websit e, to provide a one-stop resource for the series of events and campus initiatives. As part of my duties I will be attending an alumni social next week at Toronto's famed art hotel,  Gladstone Hotel . What an exciting new adventure! 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of U2's groundbreaking album Achtung Baby . I'll give you a moment to let that one sink in... I vividly remember going to the now-closed brilliant Kingston music store called House of Sounds to purchase the album in cassette form on release day in November of 1991. I was in third year at Queen's and living in Victoria Hall residence. I recall sitting in my rez room with my best buddy Pravin, unwrapping the cassette and popping it in. The look on our faces when the opening distortion of " Zoo Station " was classic WTF?! This was U2? We were hardcore second-generation U2 fans, raised on The Unforgettable Fire (1984), The Joshua Tree (1987), and especially Rattle and Hum (1988). We did not recognize our beloved band.  Where were the open landscapes, the poetry, the sound of rockabilly and desert hymns?  It is forever to U2's credit that they released Achtung Baby . Considering the trio of albums that p...

We drove up to Toronto for the day on Friday to officially sign off on our new condo apartment. We arrived early enough so we could explore our new neighbouhood, Liberty Village. According to Toronto Life , "with sexy new storefronts, high-gloss condos and plans to build a canopied walkway modelled after a Milanese arcade, the former factory blocks are poised to become the next Chelsea Market". Interestingly, this is exactly what Mark said as we were walking around the narrow streets between the repurposed 19th-century red brick buildings. The area began as an industrial area, and was home to a prison and then a reformatory. The CNE began in the neighbourhood too. Today, Liberty Village is home to film companies, arts and design companies and dozens of cafes, restaurants, and quirky stores, such as For the Love of Cake , the Village Cheesemonger , and Beer Boutique , the newsest retail experience from the stodgy The Beer Store. The neighbourhood pub is called Brazen He...