Little art shop makes a big difference
-
New council gives city's teens a voice
Andreas Kyriakos and Nasma Ahmed are not looking for a pat on the head from politicians – they want their voices heard. Though they’re only 15 and 16, both of these precocious high schoolers know that you’re never too young … Continue Reading
-
Just Drawn that way
“The cover of a comic book is like a single panel cartoon or a Sunday funny,” says Marvel comic artist Leonard Kirk. It’s Saturday afternoon, and he’s standing in front of a class of students at the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop … Continue Reading
-
Are you ready to order using an iPad?
Restaurant servers have it tough. They’re expected to dash from table to table, take orders and punch them in, and then run food to the right customer, all while maintaining a pleasant demeanor in the hopes of placating hungry clientele … Continue Reading
-
Raising the bar on local vegetables
The terms “local” and “fresh” are near ubiquitous these days when discussing food quality. But how local is local, and how fresh is fresh? “If you buy a Fresh City Farm box, you could actually be getting food delivered that … Continue Reading
-
Pad your social network at Tampon Tuesdays
Carolina Gutierrez greets me with a smile. She’s standing in the upstairs bar of Jack Astor’s on John Street. On a table next to her sits a large clear plastic container labelled “Tampon Tuesday.” It’s bursting with boxes of tampons … Continue Reading
-
Putting a spin on ping pong
Tucked in an unassuming alleyway just steps from the rowdy King Street West club scene is a new social lounge where Torontonians come to party with a drink in one hand and a paddle in the other. “No one is … Continue Reading
-
These boots were made for acting
If it’s a pair of black loafers you want, look elsewhere. At Jitterbug Boy, footwear is an art form. The studio’s expansive workshop takes up the better part of the fourth floor of a charmingly rundown building near The Junction. … Continue Reading
-
Get a handle on this fashion trend
“You’re going to bike in that?” It’s an oft-heard refrain by lady cyclists who choose to pedal the city in style, and perhaps never so often as by the seven women of The Deadly Nightshades. “Patty made these yesterday from … Continue Reading
-
Take a shot at drawing at The Drake
At the centre of the Drake Hotel’s rooftop bar, a buxom blond is entertaining an entranced audience by doing nothing more than perching motionless on the edge of her chair. The crowd that has gathered – an eclectic crew of … Continue Reading
-
Taking to the stage to bare his soul
“There was Sophie, there was Sandra, there was Anna,” says Toronto actor David Amito. He is seated at a candlelit table for two, only his date on this particular evening is a Toronto Fringe Festival audience. People have come to … Continue Reading
-
Women go Arm and arm for charity
By day Mandy Flinn, 24, is a demure chartered accountant. But by night, she dons thigh-high, eight-inch studded boots, teases her long red mane and answers to the name Scarlett O’Terror. Then she struts down to Bar 751 on Queen … Continue Reading
-
'Powder keg of culture'
You don’t have to be Brazilian to fall in love with the country’s music, and you don’t have to go to Brazil to party to its infectious beats – just ask Alex Bordokas and Jonathan Rothman. They’re two of the … Continue Reading
-
Waging a battle to get a laugh
Stroll through the increasingly trendy Bloordale neighbourhood on a rainy Wednesday night, and chances are the streets will be deserted. But descend the flight of stairs at 945 Bloor West and you’ll enter a lively bar, packed with comedy lovers … Continue Reading
-
What are we fighting for?
A common criticism of the Occupy Wall Street movement has been its apparent lack of a single, unified goal. As Occupy Toronto set up camp in St. James Park Saturday afternoon, protesters followed New York’s lead, advocated for a wide … Continue Reading
-
A word on pedestrians
The archaic and rarely heard clickity-clack of fingers on a typewriter echoes down Queen Street West. It’s Thursday at 11 p.m., and Kaile H. Glick is furiously pounding on her 1950s Smith Corona Skyriter. Slowly but surely, a small crowd … Continue Reading
-
An office party awakens Toronto's flamenco fans
If you know anything about flamenco – the Spanish gypsy art form of song and dance – you know it’s best performed in an intimate space, the guitarists, singers and dancers nearly touching the audience. Ideally, those watching join in. … Continue Reading
-
Eclectic mix of music can pop up anywhere
It’s close to 3 a.m. on a Thursday night outside the Cameron House bar on Queen Street West, and the pavement is alive with music and dancing. People of all ages bounce, twist and grin to the infectious rhythms that … Continue Reading
-
Outdoor Film festival opens to new beat
Dusk is falling on a hot summer night, and though the forecast called for rain, the 250-or-so people gathering in this gravel parking lot at the foot of Bathurst Street do so under clear skies. The crowd mills about the … Continue Reading
-
Opening a new chapter on bookstores
You won’t find The Da Vinci Code on the shelves of this little curiosity of a bookshop. Rather, climb the stairs at 283 College St. and enter the cumbersomely named Of Swallows, Their Deeds, and the Winter Below, and you’ll … Continue Reading
-
The man with the questions
It’s 9 p.m. on a Monday at Clinton’s Tavern on Bloor Street West, and the back room is packed with unusually quiet patrons. They sit huddled in groups and speak in hushed whispers. On the stage usually reserved for boisterous … Continue Reading
