Hello from my new home, Toronto Canada! I’m devoting my blog to share my experiences with the world as an American coming to live in Canada! I wanted to try and keep this blog as a fun way to further explore my surroundings and to talk about what I encounter here. I have learned many new things and look forward to many Spring events!
I just found out about an event that takes place tomorrow that sounds fun for all! I'm talking about the “Winter Wilderness”Bloor-Yorkville IceFest in the village of Yorkville Park! I just found out about this event and read that it will feature ice sculpture displays, events (such as competing against a northern Lumberjack) and ice carving demonstrations (and competitions) throughout the neighborhood. Per the website they state that they will be serving, “…hot drinks, soups, crepes, mac n’cheese and more hearty goodness for all visitors... These restaurants include: Carens Wine and Cheese, Crêpes à GoGo, Sassafraz, Jacques Bistro du Parc. There will also be desserts offered from Baker Street”. They even mention that they will have skating performances by “Glisse on Ice”!
I actually find ice sculpting a unique art and have never actually seen it done in person before- sounds fun! If interested make sure to go to the Bloor-Yorkville IceFest website for additional details.
Yesterday marked a statutory holiday called Family Day here in Canada. It states, "Family Day is observed in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan on the third Monday of February. This holiday celebrates the importance of families and family life to people and their communities". I was able to spend a relaxing weekend in Grand Bend for the holiday- so it was quite a treat! I wish we had a family day in the US!
Presidents Day
Yesterday was also, Presidents Day for everyone in the USA. This is a federal holiday that in honor of the first President of the United States, George Washington and his birthday. In honor of Presidents Day- I have included a list of current female world leaders currently in power! Please clickhere to check it out!
Thank you to everyone who helped make my birthday the most special day for me here in Canada! After a surprise morning appointment spent with Raf at Sparks in Toronto- my hair was perfect and I was ready for an exciting night! (Raf you are awesome and thanks for letting me play some LTJ Bukem in the salon!)
Another big thank you to Terroni Italian Restaurant (on Queen) that accommodated our party of 14 in a cozy private room upstairs. The wine was flowing and the food was delicious! This is one of my favorite places to eat in Queen West and I loved that we were able to spend time there for my birthday! There were some friends who had never dined there before- and I was excited to see how much they loved the atmosphere and scrumptious cuisine.
After a fantastic evening at Terroni the group traveled to The Red Light on Dundas West. Out group just overtook the back room and we danced the night away as the dj spun old school hip-hop. This is my favorite bar on Queen and I was happy to spend the last hours of the night there. If you have never been there before they have a fantastic beer selection and the friendliest staff around. They also feature a great mix of chill beats and underground music from local djs in Toronto. Thank you to everyone at the Red Light who helped arrange our reserved area- we really took over the back room!
It was such a special birthday for me and I appreciate everyone who came out! The biggest thanks of all sent out to Brett L. who coordinated the entire night and got the group together for me! Much Love!
This weekend I will spend my birthday in Canada! This will mark the first time I will be celebrating in another Country and I am quite excited! (I should note- friends and family from the US- I will miss spending this weekend with you)! Plans have been set in Toronto- and I look forward to a great night out in the city!
To quote Bob Dylan, "...May you stay forever young"!
Last night was my first night watching the Super Bowl here in Toronto. Let me start by stating that I’m not blogging about the game itself (yes, I was cheering for the Pats) but I’m talking about the lack of new (syndicated US) commercials airing in Canada! Although it was great to spend a fantastic evening with friends in town- I was missing the new television commercials being aired on American television! I had no idea they don’t show them here in Canada!! According to Forbes, “$3.5 million for a 30-second spot in front of 111 million-plus fans” is the cost to make these commercials- and I was disappointed we didn’t get to see them. At least we were following on twitter what commercials were catching the buzz (and we were looking them up online) to watch during the Canadian feed commercials.
For a great website to watch some favorite 2012 commercials aired click here:
On a positive note for Canadian television commercials: Below is my favorite pick last night from Budweiser!
Feel free to leave comments about your favorite commercial during the Super Bowl too!
Getting ready for the NHL All Star Skills Competition!
Parliament Building- Peace Tower
This past weekend I went to Ottawa for the first time for the NHL All Star Weekend! I must say that Ottawa was a fantastic city to visit and I truly enjoyed my time there. I was able to visit the Parliament buildings and learn all about the Canadian government. The city was buzzing with people for the All Star Weekend and fans from all teams were walking around town wearing their jerseys in support of their favorite teams.
The All Star Skills Competition was the first event I was able to attend and it was quite fun to watch! My favorite move of the night was Patrick Kane as superman in the breakaway challenge wearing the red cape and Clark Kent glasses. Both team Chara and Alfredson made the event very entertaining!
After the Skills Competition I was able to attend the NHL Molson Official After-Party and the event was fantastic! Walking into the Canadian themed venue you had to get your “passport” ticket stamped by the “border patrol” and you could walk around different areas that represented each major city in Canada.
The Calgary Room featured a fully stocked Saloon with entertainment provided by a country-singing band. If you were in the mood to try and ride a mechanical bull or try your hand at roping a mechanical bull you could do that too!
The Toronto Room featured the financial district with actors that were playing the part in a mock boardroom. This room also featured the streets and CN tower within the city. The funniest part of the Toronto Room was the fact that all the bartenders and chefs sported thick black-rimmed glasses that are quite the trend on the streets these days!
Montreal had it’s own Cirque De Soleil theme with trapeze artists, hula-hoop dancers, stilt walkers and contortionists. This was my favorite stop as I was just fascinated with it all!
Ottawa was represented with a scale model of the Parliament buildings and an amazing cover band that kept the tunes coming all night. Moving to the Vancouver Room you walked into an ice oasis with beautiful ice sculptors and VIP area that featured a back message area! Edmonton was also represented with a woodland theme and huge oil rig! What an amazing night!
The actual NHL All Star Game was the last event for the weekend and I loved every second of it! I was cheering for team Alfredsson but in the end Team Chara got the win. A fun surprise to all the fans in attendance was a performance by Drake! (They even let the players in the game come out to sit on the ice to watch). I was even able to get a good view of Prime Minister Stephen Harper in attendance at the game a few rows away from where I was sitting!
The time went by way to fast but I would love to get back to Ottawa soon. I wasn’t able to try a “BeaverTail” or skate on the canal this trip- but I hope to do so someday! Maybe if I get back there I can even take some time to visit Quebec too! This was certainly a weekend I will never forget!
Enjoy some pics below:
Patrick Kane as "Superman"!
@ NHL All Star Game
Toronto Room @ Molson NHL Official After Party
Relaxing at the "CN Tower" in the Toronto Room
Calgary Room feat. Country-Band & Bull Riding!
I tried to rope a mechanical bull @ the NHL after-party
Drake performing at the NHL All Star Game!
@ NHL Skills Competition
Montreal Room feat. Cirque De Soleil Hula-Hoop Dancer!
Ottawa Room at NHL After Party
Stilt Dancers in the Montreal Room!
Montreal Room- Cirque De Soleil theme contortionist!
Clip of my favorite move from Skills Competition- Kane as Superman!
