Uninhabited Spaces

The iconic Toronto skyline Looking southward, to Lake Ontario The skyline again, with the nothern portion of downtown Looking south again onto Lamport Stadium

We've returned safely from a week travelling to visit family and friends in three cities. It was wonderful to reunite with so many people we had not seen in a few months. We were blessed with many good laughs and also many thoughful gifts. Cooking was a major theme this Christmas. I received four cookbooks as gifts--one each by Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and David Rocco--as well as the aforementioned Morroccan cookbook . While in Kingston I purchased a copy of the Curry Original Cookbook , which was just released in October. I have always wanted this great Kingston restaurant to publish a cookbook when I stumbled across it in Novel Idea I just had to have it. In fact, earlier tonight I tried my hand at making a home version of their Chicken Korma, Mark's favourite Indian dish. I was missing some of the ingredients but it turned out very good nonetheless. My other exciting purchase with some gifted money was an impressive 7-piece Acacia wood cutlery set and matching ...

Mark gifted me with a wonderful starter kit so I can dive right into cooking Moroccan cuisine, including a beautiful tagine he found at Blue Banana Market in Kensington Market, and and awesome cookbook and  Moroccan spice box from The Spice Trader on Queen St. West. I have never been to Morocco but I  have been to Turkey and the UAE, so I have enjoyed the wonders of Arabic food and hospitality. I've always been drawn to Moroccan cuisine, and have dabbled in a few dishes (I am most famous for a slow-roasted lamb and dried apricot + fig number served over a bed of couscous.  I am excited to broaden my knowledge and to bring the taste of Morocco home. 

Today marks my 40th birthday! I thought I would share my favourite picture of myself, taken in a park in Ottawa in the mid 1970s. I am pleased to have reached this milestone. I am happy with my life and my journey so far. I am especially thankful for my friends who have sustained me and given me support, love, and so much laughter. Most of all, I am happy that my beloved husband, Mark, literally walked into my life in 2001. We have had a wonderful journey together, filled with so much love, kindness, and warmth. I am a lucky little turtle indeed. To many more adventures...

We hosted our first holiday party, Fa La La, in our new apartment in Toronto this past weekend.

In celebration of my upcoming 40th birthday my beloved Mark treated me to a surprise evening of fun, beginning with an outstanding dinner at Noce , a superb Italian restaurant on West Queen West. We started our meals with a glass of Negroni cocktail and breads, then Mark had grilled Morroccan octopus while I had carpaccio as an appetizer. For our mains, Mark enjoyed a braised veal cheek while I had a massive and succulent veal shank (osso buco) served on a bed of saffron risotto. I was stuffed so I passed on dessert but Mark could not resist a favourite, creme brulee. Mark then passed me an envelope with the main surprise: two tickets to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Roy Thompson Hall!  The band play a distinctively New Orleans brand of Dixieland jazz, befitting their namesake base in the heart of the French Quarter. It was a rousing 2 hours of spirited jazz, anchored by notable professionals doing what they do best. Each member of the band was on fire but I was...

I treated myself to a wonderful experience at Civello Salon & Spa during my lunch hour. Civello is a leading Aveda lifestyle salon and spa and a beauty & wellness resource centre. They opened their first store in 1989. I went to the Queen St West location, which is literally 2 minutes from my office. I was fortunate to get a walk-in appointment with an awesome stylist named Devin. My experience began by being walked back to a cafe/lounge area where I enjoyed a coffee and a biscotti. I was then walked to his chair and treated to a very relaxing head, neck & shoulder massage. Devin was really focused on what I wanted for my cut and provided great advice and attention. I had a dry cut and then was lead back to a very relaxing reclined chair for a head wash followed by a face massage. This was followed by some careful trimming to get it just perfect and off I was back into the real world. This was a wonderful experience with a fantastic attendant. The best part is ...

We went to the massive Canadian Tire just off Dundas Square yesterday in search of our first ever artificial tree. We thought it best not to try and drag a real tree up into our 19th floor condo. We figured the clean up come the first week in January would be too much bother. So, we selected an imitation Canadian Spruce that my beloved not only assembled but also decorated all by himself. It's our tradition to have spiked eggnog and watch some classic Christmas shows while we trim the tree. This time around I just enjoyed the eggnog on the couch and kept Mark company while singing along to "We're a Couple of Misfits"*. On Sunday night we were treated to a visit from our former Kingston neighbours Tammy & Mike, along with their daughter Bo and her boyfriend Bryan. It was so nice to catch up with them! *A reference to that beloved 1964 animated show "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" that might actually be a "surreal and disturbing tale of a...

I snapped this rather blurry photo of the statue of Al Waxman yesterday afternoon as we strolled around Kensington Market. Waxman (1935-2001) remains beloved for his iconic role as Larry King on CBC sitcom " King of Kensington " that ran from 1975-1980. That show was a favourite of mine of that era, rivalled only by "Beachcombers" as must-see TV back in the days before cable, VCR, DVD, and Netflix. To me, growing up in the Outauoais region of Quebec, the Market--its characters and setting-- was Toronto. When I finally was able to travel to Toronto in my 20s, I made sure I went specifically to see where Larry King had lived. Looking back, I have to praise CBC for having aired a show with such diverse characters, of various religious and ethnic backgrounds. At first heavily popuated by Eastern European Jews, the 1950s brought in waves of Portoguese, East Asian, and Caribbean peoples. Today, Kensington Market has somehow managed to maintain its disctinctive co...

On my way to catch the streetcar home last night I happened to spot this plaque just two streets south of my office building. I was surprised to learn that from 1829 to 1891, Upper Canada College was located downtown in then-called "Russel Square" (bordered by King, Simcoe, Adelaide, and John streets). The plaque marks 22 Duncan Street , and reads, "This is the last remaining building of Upper Canada College, located here 1831-1891. Built in the Georgian style in 1833, the student residence was altered and enlarged first in 1856 by Cumberland and Storm, architects, and again several times in later years. After the school moved to its present location on Lonsdale Road, most of the buildings on this site were demolished. The residence was then used as a factory until renovated in 1985 for commercial purposes". A shame that the rest of the original buildings did not survive.

Earlier this week, we had a staff holiday lunch party with our colleagues in Marketing & Communications. We started our afternoon by enjoying an exquisite three-course lunch at The Chef's House , the restaurant operated by George Brown College's Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts. I felt I was on an episode of Gordon Ramsay's F Word , as the place is ultra contemporary, the kitchen is completely open for viewing, and there are large TV screens showing you what's happening with your food.  By the way, both Ramsay and Jaimie Oliver have made appearances at the school! After lunch a group of us continued into the gay village to a place called George's Play , a fun--albeit dilapidated--watering hole, where we played bingo for three hours. Seriously, I felt I had walked into a retirement home for old queens. Which means, lots of crass repartee and great laughs. Our team did well too, with three of our staff winning cash. Alas, none of us won either of th...

As of 3:00 pm this afternoon, Virginia Tech reported that an officer had been shot dead on campus during a routine traffic stop, and that the shooter fled on foot and then appeared to have shot and killed a second person. In my blog posting " More tears at Virginia Tech " written in January of this year, I was aghast to learn that this venerable school and tight-knit campus had suffered through a string of gruesome murders since that infamous and horrific mass slaughter of 32 people in April 2007. Today's tragic announcement will no doubt once again bring heart-ache to the VT community, and lead many to question how they could possibly endure yet another horrific event. For Canadians, this sad news from our southern neighbours comes on the heels of Tuesday's  22nd anniversary of the massacre at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique. We share our grief and prayers with our Virginia Tech colleagues.  

While many know Toronto for its iconic sites such as the CN Tower, Casa Loma, and the CNE, visitors might not realize that below street level downtown is the world's largest underground shopping complex .  With 28 km (17 miles) of shopping arcades PATH has 371,600 sq. metres (4 million sq. ft) of retail space, rivalling the West Edmonton Mall for size. The system connects 50 office buildings/towers and has roughly 1,200 stores. The City estimates that 100,000 commuters use PATH daily. The first underground tunnels for shoppers and pedestrians were dug in 1900 to connect Eaton with its annex location, but the PATH really took off in the 1970s when two of the major complexes were joined by tunnels.    I have been exploring PATH on my lunch hours to familiarize myself with the labyrinth as much as possible before the sub-zero temperatures arrive. One day last week I hopped on the subway at Queen + University and went down to Union Station. I walked all the ...

We were treated this weekend to a wonderful visit with our dearest and closest friends Ingrid & Edward. Ingrid was my best girl at my wedding, and Mark and I both stood for Ingrid and Edward at their wedding. It was our first visit with them since moving from Kingston so we were all so pleased to finally reunite. They arrived Saturday morning and we started our weekend by brunching at Mildred's Temple Kitchen . We then walked around Liberty Village, showing them our favourite shops. We took a break at our apartment to catch up and then headed back out into the downtown so they could check into the landmark Royal York Hotel . I then took everyone on a quick walk and we headed over for a superlative dinner at Le Select Bistro . Mark and I shared a delicious charchuterie plate and then for a main I had neck of lamb and Mark had beef cheek. I passed on dessert but Mark had a lovely chocolate mousse. Since we were all pleasantly stuffed we decided to walk up to Queen Street ...

I purchased these glasses recently at a great shop called Spec and Specs on Queen Street West. After scouring the store for that just-right fit, I fell in love with these Eco frames instantly. What I did not know until after ordering them is that they are made with 95% recycled components, the only optical collection to be certified by the Underwriters Laboratory with a Environmental Claims Validation. The company also plants a tree for each frame sold. They are currently up to 625,505 trees! Now that's seeing good and doing good.

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...