Cavalcade of Lights

Skating has always reminded me of Christmas and romance, and there's no better way to incorporate both than an evening of skating under the lights at Nathan Phillips Square at Christmas.

The Cavalcade of Lights opened to much fanfare back in November, and to me really marks the start of the Christmas season (more so than the Santa Claus Parade even!).

You can rent skates to avoid having to lug them around all night and can go for a hot chocolate after. A perfect evening!

(photo from Somewhere In Toronto)

Torontoist closes - sad

I was sad to learn that Torontoist, one of my fave TO blogs, will be shutting down. Seems Gothamist wants to focus on more American cities. So much for Richard Florida's belief that we're moving up in the world - eek.

Show your support in these final days! www.torontoist.com.

Best in the City winners announced

Yesterday morning, Toronto.com appeared on Breakfast Television to share some of the winners of its Best in the City awards.

They've posted results here: http://www.toronto.com/other_articles/article/629267.

Highlights definitely include: Crepes a go go for Best Brunch Spot (mmm crepes), Sneaky Dee's for Best Bar Food (they have wicked nachos!), Secrets from your sister for Best Lingerie, Elmwood Spa for Best Spa, The Beaches as Best Neighbourhood on a Saturday afternoon, BYOB restaurants as Best Sign TO is no longer stodgy (yay!) and Under a Tree in High Park as Best Makeout Spot.

Going through the results definitely inspires me to want to try them all out, although some aren't that exciting (like Eaton Centre as Best Way to spend a rainy afternoon - yawn).

toronto.com Best in the City awards nominees announced!

toronto.com recently announced their Best in the City 2008 awards.

Among the categories are Best Romantic Restaurant, Best Toronto Ambassador, Best Summer Tradition, Best Contribution from a Cultural Community and Best Bar Washroom.

To vote, www.toronto.com/best.

City Lights Choices:

FOOD
Best Diner - Mars
Best Burger Joint - Craft Burger
Best Romantic Restaurant - The Rosebud
Best Authentic Greek - Mezes
Best Indian - The Host

BARS/CLUBS
Best Pub - The Brazen Head
Best Lounge - Brant House
Best Rock Room - Dance Cave

ATTRACTIONS
Best Major Attraction - The Distillery Historic District
Best Historic Attraction - Casa Loma
Best Museum - ROM
Best Major Concert Venue - Molson Amphitheatre
Best Major Festival - Toronto International Film Festival
Best Neighbourhood on a Saturday Afternoon - The Beaches

ODDS & ENDS
Best Sign Toronto is No Longer Stodgy - BYOB Restaurants
Best Way to Prove You're a Torontonian - Having a 416 cellphone
Best Contribution from a Cultural Community - Caribana
Best Male Toronto Ambassador - Georgo Strombo
Best Female Toronto Ambassador - Jennifer Valentyne

Get voting Toronto!

Hot Docs 2008

One of the more relevant films coming out at Hot Docs 2008 is Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma.

The film focuses on the work of James Orbinski, former president of Medecins Sans Frontieres, Doctors Without Borders Canada (MSF). During his work around Africa, Orbinski was put in the devastating position of having to choose who lives and dies, sometimes literally with a marker.

This film explores Orbinski's work and struggle with these decisions.

Summer fun!

Now that spring has finally arrived, and summer is well on its way, there are many things to see and do in this city.



The Bata Shoe Museum, aside from being a haven for any woman, now has an exhibition called "On pointe - the rise of the ballet shoe." I know this will not appeal to many men out there, but for all those women with unrequited dreams of being a dancer, this is the spot for you this spring!



The National Ballet School is partnering with the Museum for this exquisite exhibition.



"On Pointe captures the exacting and exquisite art of ballet through one of its most essential elements, the ballet shoe. The exhibition will feature approximately 50 artifacts drawn from the Museum's private collection as well as historical and contemporary examples on loan from The Shoe Room, the principal supplier of pointe shoes in Canada." (source: The Bata Shoe Museum)

National Ballet of Canada 08/09 Season

This was announced a while ago, but this being a relatively new blog, I want to catch up:



The 08/09 season of the National Ballet of Canada was recently announced.



Shows include The Seagull, The Nutcracker (classic at Christmas!), Carmen and Romeo & Juliet.

I highly recommend checking them out. The Four Seasons Centre is gorgeous and you just can't beat the National Ballet!

For more info, check out: www.national.ballet.ca

Toronto Alternative Arts & Fashion Week [FAT]

Toronto Alternative Arts & Fashion Week, or [FAT] as it's known, will occur April 9 to 11, 2008. The schedule has been posted on the official website and it promises to be a very cool affair.

Held in the trendy Distillery District, [FAT] boasts over 120 artists for its third annual event.

The aim of [FAT], according to the press release, is to "take fashion back to its grassroots, showcasing the raw, gritty element of self-expression through cloth, that so many of the great underground designers in Toronto are exploring."

Seems to me like a [slightly] less pretentious event than regular Fashion Week. I still love it, though, and it brings another level of arts and culture to the city.

Visit the website, http://www.alternativefashionweek.com/main.php

Favourite City Lights photo of the Day

Photo by: edanscime

The Heart Truth Fashion Show: Photos!

Here are some images from the Heart Truth Fashion Show. The show raised awareness of heart disease, one of the leading causes of death for Canadian women. Many Canadian celebrities strutted their stuff for the Heart and Stroke Foundation:

Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau in Marie Saint Pierre

Robin Kay in Lucian Matis

Mary Walsh in Marissa Minicucci

Jeanne Becker in Joeffer Caoc

Cheryl Hickie in Pat McDonagh

Catherine O'Hara in Thien Le

Favourite Photo

Fashion Week

Wednesday
2:00-Carlie Wong (of Project Runway Canada)
3:00-Saniya Khan
4:00-Slavka Plavsic
5:00-Beautifully Canadian
6:00-Jeannie Becker and BRATZ present Diesel Kids
7:00-Comrags
8:00-Andy the Anh
9:00-David Dixon
9:30-Greta Constantine at Circa

Fashion Week 2008

Loreal Fashion Week happens this week, March 17-22!

Tickets are actually available to the public by registering on the official website, www.lorealfashionweek.ca. There, you can also check out the schedules and other pertinent info!

Tuesday:
12:30-Talenti Moda Milano Press Conference
1:00-Lewd
1:30-Hibebe
2:00-preloved
3:00-Evan & Dean
4:00-Talenti Moda Milano
5:00-Lucian Matis
6:00-The Heart Truth Fashion Show
7:30-NADA
8:30-Bustle
9:30-Jennifer Caoc
10:30-Philip Sparks

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to the first posting of City Lights, a blog about everything that makes Toronto sparkle.

The exact setup of this blog is not yet decided - I'll just make it up as I go.

I will look at everything from fashion, to art, to events to restaurants with a goal to publicise them and help bring the people of this city to the many things there are to do.

If you are interested in helping out, scouting events or know people within the cultural fabric of the city, please contact me at citylights.to -at- gmail.com.

Thanks, and I look forward to blogging for you!