Blue Gables

Rated this place:

4305 Simcoe St, Niagara Falls, ON, L2E1T5

Niagara falls b&b: This little hideaway can be found on a peaceful residential street, a 20 min. walk away from Niagara's downtown core. As you walk to the casino, you can admire the falls. The lively and wisecracking owner, Yvette, has an adorable pet pooch that looks like a stuffed doll (a Bichon Frisé). The rooms are kempt, and the bathrooms are always stocked. There's a tiny garden in the back with a mini-pond, and breakfast is served in a timely fashion.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Niagara Falls B&B

Toronto Eaton Centre

Rated this place:

220 Yonge St, Toronto, ON, M5B2H1

Place downtown to meet up: If you live in the GTA and trying to coordinate a place to meet your friends, The Fountain is a guaranteed spot where no one will ever wonder where the hell it is. Edited to add: It's also very pretty to look at while you wait. :)

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• place downtown to meet up

Dufflet Pastries

Rated this place:

787 Queen W, Toronto, ON, M6J1G1

Cheap bike tour (with desserts and drinks!): So here's the deal: All you have to do is bike to all three Dufflet locations with your special "passport". At each location, you'll get it stamped and you'll have your choice of drink (e.g. water, coffee, etc.) and dessert (samosas, spanakopita, bar, tart, mmm). Your thighs will be aching, especially when you get up to the Yonge/Eglinton store, but I'll do anything for chocolate. You also get a free Dufflet canvas bag and a cycling map so you can plan your route. The $5 goes to a bike charity.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Cheap bike tour (with desserts and drinks!)

Wasabi

Rated this place:

270 West Beaver Creek Rd., Unit 1-12, Richmond Hill, L4B 3Y9

Buffet with all-you-can-eat sashimi: A magical, wonderful place where you can heap servings of all the regular Asian-style grilled dishes, dim sum, fried squid, fried rice, noodles, etc. AND order all-you-can-eat sushi, sashimi, maki, handrolls. The same rules still apply: make sure what you special order doesn't have any leftovers or pay the consequences (but buffet is no-holds-barred). Did I mention there's a chocolate fountain?

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Buffet with all-you-can-eat sashimi

401 Richmond

Rated this place:

401 Richmond Street West, Toronto, ON, M5V 3A8

Artsy building to explore, Lush lunchtime escape: I wanted to show off the fancy rooftop patio to my friend and we ended up walking all around the building on EACH FLOOR marvelling at the artwork on the walls and the variety of businesses that are based there. Sure, we looked pretty sketchy (like we're casing the joint), but who cares? You get to see photographic essays and paper -mâché wolf masks and discover offices that house cool film festivals (like ImagineNATIVE and Reel Asian) and magazines (like THIS and C Magazine).

Take a seat on the wooden benches or the small metal tables-for-two on the rooftop patio and chat with a friend over lunch. Lots of hanging potted ferns and colourful flowers to catch the eye, and if you finish eating early you can always feed the little birds your leftover crumbs.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• artsy building to explore
• lush lunchtime escape

Milliken Park

Rated this place:

Steeles Ave., between McCowan and Middlefield Rds., Toronto, ON

Markham/gta park for walks: It's got a beautiful pond and a winding pathway. Kids have a playground and a waterpark, as well as kite-flying Sundays. There's a romantic wooden bridge surrounded by blossoms, where I imagine many wedding photos have taken place. My bf and I had a picturesque picnic with some geese to keep us company.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Markham/GTA park for walks

Toronto Reference Library

Rated this place:

789 Yonge St, Toronto, ON, M4W2G8

Library: It's less complicated than Roberts (which looks like an evil lair).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Library

Baskin Robbins

Rated this place:

536 Church Street, Toronto, M4Y2E1

Jamocha almond fudge: It just doesn't taste the same anywhere else!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• jamocha almond fudge

Michel's Baguette French Bakery Cafe

Rated this place:

1800 Sheppard E, North York, ON, M2J5A7

Chocolate almond croissant: Even if it's a diabetic attack waiting to happen, I can't help but eat at least two of them at a time. Powdered sugar with chocolate syrup topping with a chocolate center. Mmmm.....

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• chocolate almond croissant

CityTV

Rated this place:

299 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M5V 2Z5

Eyesore: I love seeing the car busting out the brick like a Bruce Willis movie

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• eyesore

Don Valley Brick Works

Rated this place:

550 Bayview Ave., Toronto, ON, M4W1X8

Place for photography: Inside the dimly-lit abandoned brick warehouse there are stray wiring and pipes, dusty heaps of crumbling brick, faded graffiti tags, ominous tunnels, and glimpses of sunlight that pierce through cracks in the ceiling and walls. A place like this deserves an SLR and nothing less.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• place for photography

Euro Crepe Cafe

Rated this place:

582 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4K 1R1

Crepes: This place convinced me that crepes don't have to just be desserts. I ordered a crepe dish with asparagus, olives, ham, and cheese and it was an unforgettable experience.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Crepes

Solferino Cafe -- CLOSED

Rated this place:

38 Wellington Street East, Toronto, ON, M5E1C8

Gelato: I love the gelato, the neighbourhood and especially the quirky paintings hung on the walls (like a cow on a popsicle stick).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• gelato

Thai Orchid

Rated this place:

1450 Kingston Road, Pickering, ON, L1V 1C1

Radnar talay: It's got sweet oyster sauce and great portions!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• radnar talay

The Paper Place

Rated this place:

887 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M4M1J2

Paper store: It's great for paper freaks like me (I used to work at Staples, I should know)

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

Harbourfront Centre

Rated this place:

235 Queens Quay W, Toronto, ON, M5J 2G8

Summer walking spot: My bf and I love taking strolls along the docks and watching the ferries.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Summer Walking Spot

Horseshoe Resort

Rated this place:

1101 Horseshoe Valley Rd, Barrie, ON, L4M4Y8

Treetop trekking: Ever wonder what it's like to glide across a line like a spy in the movies? Treetop trekking lets you do that plus go through a bunch of obstacle courses in the air! It's awesome, and highly recommended for couples or groups of friends!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Treetop Trekking

Opera House

Rated this place:

735 Queen St E, Toronto, ON, M4M1H1

Concert venue: I love concerts here more than anywhere else because it's intimate and you can get really close to the band to rock out!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• concert venue

Girl Friday

Rated this place:

740 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON, M6J 1E9

Trendy clothing store: Love the clothes there, and prices are reasonable

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• trendy clothing store

Thai Express

Rated this place:

300 Borough Dr., Scarborough, ON, M1P 4P5

Pad thai fast food: It's fast and you can pack on that big red bottle of spicy sauce if you can take it!

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

World's Biggest Book Store

Rated this place:

20 Edward Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 1C9

Bookstore: You can spend hours there without noticing it; don't be fooled though, it's still owned by Chapters/Indigo!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• bookstore

Woodbine Beach

Rated this place:

10 Ashbridges Bay Pk Rd, Toronto, ON, M4L 1A1

Walking, rollerblading: The boardwalk is great for strolls and rollerblading. I had a bday party there and the picnic areas are wonderful (lots of green grass and tall trees). Definitely a place for everybody.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Walking, rollerblading