Aldo Accessories

Rated this place:

220 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M5B2H1

Accessories store: I like their style selection of sunglasses and earrings. Sometimes it can be a little too much bling, but it all depends on what occasions you need their accessories for. Their bangles are also pretty cute.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• accessories store

Casa Loma

Rated this place:

1 Austin Terr, Toronto, ON, M5R1X8

Attraction to show out of town guests: It doesn't really matter how many times I've been here, each visit changes whenever I take someone to experience our urban castle for the first time. I love to show them the secret passageways and once in a while I'll discover a few new things for myself from the audio tours and by reading the informative plaques.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Attraction to show out of town guests

N'Awlins

Rated this place:

299 King St W, Toronto, ON, M5V1J5

Live jazz place: When I came here for a triple date, we found ourselves a little cramped for room at the tables but also found that it made the atmosphere even more intimate when the jazz performers started playing. We listened to a singer, a pianist, and a bassist have their jam session and take requests while we ate our Cajun alligator appetizers!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Live Jazz place

Playtime Bowl

Rated this place:

33 Samor Rd, North York, ON, M6A1J2

Cosmic bowling: The location near Yorkdale Mall is so popular, you need to make sure you get there early, if you're there to play any day over the weekend and you're pressed for time. The best part about glow-in-the-dark bowling is that people won't notice if you're bad at it!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• cosmic bowling

Bangkok Paradise Restaurant

Rated this place:

506 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M5V2B3

Lunch takeout: I'm eating it right now and the food is pretty good, considering I paid only $8 for a large portion of chicken phad thai, plus a salad and springroll. The wait can be pretty long, so make sure you call ahead and order first!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• lunch takeout

Biryani House

Rated this place:

25 Wellesley St East, Toronto, ON, M4Y 2S9

Indian restaurant: Climb the stairs and have a seat by the window and enjoy the serene view of Wellesley below. It's not a very busy spot, but the food and service was pretty good. I could have faved just their naan, which I ordered over and over again, but this place as a restaurant gets extra points for being an undiscovered gem.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Indian restaurant

Bloor Cinema

Rated this place:

506 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M5S1Y3

Old school movie theatre: When's the last time you went to the movie theatre and you saw: a) curtains b) a balcony c) small cushiony seats? You can find all of the above here, and the nostalgic feel is cool when the average moviegoing experience tends to be about blunt force (big sound, big screen, no substance).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• old school movie theatre

St. Lawrence Market

Rated this place:

92 Front St E, Toronto, ON, M5E1C4

Saturday afternoon: Grab some food and sit on a picnic bench on the upper level. Even though the view is a parking lot and some condos, it's a very peaceful feeling to eat your lunch under the sun's warmth with the occasional cool breeze.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Saturday Afternoon

Pizza Hut

Rated this place:

1525 Bristol Road, Oakville, ON, L5M4Z1

Pizza delivery: The Hut has the best pizza crust compared to the chewy stuff you get from Pizza PIzza or even the cardboard-like 2-4-1. It can be greasy, but I don't order it for the health benefits.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Pizza delivery

Alexander Muir Park

Rated this place:

Yonge and Lawrence, Toronto, ON

Discovery walk, Place for wedding photos: It's expansive and romantic for scenic walks during the spring and fall. We walked for hours here, following trails and at one point, there were uneven stone steps up a hill and wooden planks to cross. There's an area for dog walkers and a ravine for avid photographers.

The stone terrace is gorgeous, and is known to attract plenty of couples for their wedding photo shoots. You'll find yourself struck by how beautiful it is here, surrounded by towering trees and a lush rose garden.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• discovery walk
• place for wedding photos

Crepe It Up

Rated this place:

St. Lawrence Market, 93 Front St. E., Toronto, ON, M5E1C3

Monster crepe: Head down to the lower level at St. Lawrence Market and order the Monster Crepe. Such a fitting name for this dish -- filled with egg, bits of ham, spinach, and more stuff that I can't remember -- made right in front of you. It's the perfect meal for that time of day when it's too late for lunch and not quite time for dinner yet.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• monster crepe

Kuni Sushi Ya

Rated this place:

20 Baldwin St., Toronto, ON, M5T 1L2

All-you-can-eat sushi: During the spring and summer, my friends and I sit on their patio scribbling out our endless flow of orders. Their food is good, but most of my affection for this place stems from my love for the peaceful street itself.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• All-you-can-eat sushi

Roomy Home

Rated this place:

232 King St. E., Toronto, ON, M5A1K1

Storage furniture: Everything here has a dual function, which is what I love most about the place -- a bed isn't just a bed, it can fold up and you can tuck away all your out-of-season clothing. Or your headboard has a secret compartment where you can store more stuff that would just look cluttered in a small space. I appreciate this place because my room is currently extremely cramped, and Roomy manages to blend style and function nicely. Just remember, you get what you pay for here (they aren't cheap).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• storage furniture

St. James Park

Rated this place:

65 Church St., Toronto, ON, M5C 2E9

Place for wedding photos: It's a small, picturesque 19th century garden where you tend to see lots of happily wedded couples posing for photos. All year round, it's a beautiful place for a stroll.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• place for wedding photos

Embrujo Flamenco Tapas Restaurant

Rated this place:

97 DANFORTH AVE, Toronto, ON, M4K1N2

Flamenco dancing: For me and my family, the highlight of our meal there was watching the live flamenco show...although the tapas dishes were also pretty good, they were a tad too pricey. They have performances every night (except Mondays) around 7ish and the place itself is really intimate, so you can get a great view of the fancy footwork and castenetas.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• flamenco dancing

Atrium On Bay

Rated this place:

20 Dundas W, Toronto, ON, M5G2C2

$5 parking: Aroon (my bf) loves to park here whenever we're in the downtown area. You pay more anytime before 6pm but afterwards it's just $5. Sundays are also $5 flat rates, and this is an underground parking garage, so your car is safe AND you can stay warm in the winter while getting to your car because the Atrium is connected to The Eaton Centre through Dundas subway station.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• $5 parking

Golden Thai Restaurant

Rated this place:

105 Church St., Toronto, ON, M5C2G3

Thai food: Why haven't I faved this place yet? It's amazing here, and a great place to have a meal right before you head to the ACC for a game or concert. The atmosphere is low-key, filled with golden Buddha statues, and speed-walking servers who tend to your table like lightning. The meals are mid-priced, the portions are decent, and their flavours are divine.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Thai Food

Scarborough Family Golf Centre

Rated this place:

1395 Tapscott Road, Scarborough, ON, M1X0A1

Driving range: This place is pretty convenient for me at Markham and Steeles, and it's also really great for stress relief. I gotta work on my form though ;) The prices for buckets are on average around $10. Swing away!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Driving Range

Red Lobster

Rated this place:

1790 The Queensway, Toronto, ON

Place to take my grandma: My lola likes her Red Lobster, where she can sip on her clam chowder. The dinner biscuits aren't too bad either. I always order the Fisherman's Feast, never fails.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• place to take my grandma

Staples Business Depot Ltd

Rated this place:

180 Queens Plate Dr, Etobicoke, ON, M9W6Y9

Agenda, Copy centre: I can only find the Time Manager Action Planner here. I love it so much because it puts my life into order and gets things done. Nerd rant: It's a weekly format, with monthly views as well. Each day has a "to do" section where you can write your list, and each week has an overall "to do" list as well. At the end, it comes with pockets to stuff any extra documents you may have and another overall goal tracksheet for the year. It follows the school year, so it usually starts around July/August.

I'd use them all the time when I was in university to get me through English classes and other expensive texts (shh! they don't encourage photocopying).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• agenda
• copy centre

The Gap

Rated this place:

17600 Yonge, Newmarket, ON, L3Y4Z1

Dress pants: Their style is classic and simple. I'd say that they are good for basic pants that you can wear for the office or for interviews or any situations that require nicer-than-casual attire.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• dress pants

Almost Naked

Rated this place:

479 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M5V2A9

Men's designer robe: They're not cheap, but they have designer undies for men and women and this awesome Ed Hardy robe that I bought as a gift. Whoever wears it looks like he can be a boxer, with freaking flames and a giant tiger head on the back! Badass.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• men's designer robe

Dragon Center Shopping Mall

Rated this place:

23 Glen Watford Drive, Scarborough, M1S 2B7

Chinese fast food: Their food court has three main stalls where you can get your Singapore chow mein, your beef with bitter melon, Cantonese chow mein, wonton soups, etc. It's a grimy dive, but this place is always open (not late at night, but during holidays and stuff).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• chinese fast food

Sushi and Bento

Rated this place:

579 King St West, Toronto, ON, M5V 1M1

Lunch bento: They have good lunch specials for takeout when you need to get back to the office. Love the Gal-bi (or is it kal-bi?) and spicy salmon is always my fave, no matter where I go.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• lunch bento

Toronto Sculpture Garden

Rated this place:

115 King St. E., Toronto, ON, M5C1G6

Public art: Unless your name is Alice, seeing a giant mushroom raises an eyebrow and perks my curiosity. I have no idea what it means, but according to Toronto Sculpture Garden's website, it's called "Mushroom Studio" and the artist's explanation can be found there (http://www.torontosculpturegarden.com/currentexhibit.htm). Take a peek before it's gone in April 2009.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• public art