Prince of Ales

Rated this place:

474 Adelaide Street East, Toronto, ON, M5A 1N6

Live piano music: Every Wednesday and Friday is The Long Lunch at the Prince of Ales. It's a great concept because they have live piano music in the bar! And don't think it's your average background elevator music - when I went, Daniel Abrahamson (the "piano man" if you will) did these really cool pop covers of songs like Womanizer and Lovestoned! Plus, he came over to our table, offered us a "song menu", and asked if there's anything we'd like to hear. It's a great reason to not go back to work!!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Live Piano Music

Urban Planet

Rated this place:

220 Yonge, Toronto, ON, M5B2H1

Best cheap fashion: As it's been said, UP is affordable and super cool. It's super cool because the people who buy clothes from UP look just as cool as the people who buy their clothes from... I have no idea... Artizia? Anyway... I have one thing to say about that: PWN'D! Only super cool people will get that.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Best Cheap Fashion

Korean Grill House

Rated this place:

214 Queen St. W., Toronto

Korean bbq: Their all-you-can-eat option is one powerful punch of protein! The meat and fish just keep coming. And yes, I got the birthday gong. But on the plus side, they did give me ice cream so... Back to the BBQ: it's a fun place to spend a bit of time for dinner with friends.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Korean BBQ

Capri Hair Salon

Rated this place:

57 Sherbourne St, Toronto, ON, M5A2P8

Hair salon: Right in the condo district, this salon has great prices and is all about the client. The owners (who are also the sylists) are some of the nicest people you'll meet in this city. I went to a lot of places here in Toronto when I first moved here for hair colour and cut, and Capri is the only one I would recommend. I had box blonde highlights - they fixed it! I had fried black hair - fixed! Truly they are miracle workers :)

Ninki Sushi

Rated this place:

12 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, ON, M5H1L6

Cheap bento box: Great bento box options and lots of food that won't put a slice through your wallet.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• cheap bento box

Pantages Hotel Toronto Centre

Rated this place:

200 Victoria St., Toronto, ON, M5B 1V8

Spa: As soon as you walk in, you're greeted by their exceptionally friendly staff. Honestly, you feel prettier just standing in their DRESSING ROOM. Love their facials and their massage is somethin' else! Would be great for couples or even to treat you and your Mom to a day!

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

Gladstone Hotel

Rated this place:

1214 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M6J1J6

Karaoke bar: Great atmosphere, always fun and never intimidating. If you're quick, you'll catch my classic rendition of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot".

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Karaoke Bar

Spadina Museum Historic House & Gardens

Rated this place:

285 Spadina Rd, Toronto, ON, M5R2V5

Public garden: Right beside Casa Loma, this beautiful old house has gorgeous gardens in the back. When we went visited there, it was practically empty and we could stroll through the acreage and take as much time as we wanted. The flowers were as tall as me - not that that takes much, being under five feet tall but still... I love this location.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Public Garden

Pizza Pizza

Rated this place:

540 King Street West, Toronto, ON, M5V 1M3

Pizza: It's true what everyone says: the dipping sauce makes it worth it. But they sell it separately now! So... stay tuned for more exciting pizza stories.

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

Sephora

Rated this place:

220 Yonge Street (Eaton Centre), Toronto, ON, M5B2H1

Makeup: They do offer a huge variety of makeup and perfume. I love that they carry a perfume line that smells like "clean wet laundry", "fresh cut grass" and even "bandaid". Weird, but awesome! I'm a huge fan of Smashbox. They have the best eyeliner. Strange thing to have a strong opinion on - eyeliner - but I'm a girl and girls have strong opinions on everything we put on our faces.

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

Wendy's Restaurant

Rated this place:

7690 Woodbine, Markham, ON, L3R2N2

Cheap salad: Chicken BLT Salad or Mandarin Chicken. Both these salads mean one thing to me: summer. They are cheap, summer celebration salads. Plus, according to Fast Food Nation, Wendy's is one of the best choices when it comes to socially conscious fast food joints - if such a thing exists.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• cheap salad

Canon Theatre

Rated this place:

244 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, M5B1V8

Music theatre: I will always have a soft spot for the Canon, formerly the Pantages Theatre where I saw Phantom of the Opera no less than four times when I was younger.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Music Theatre

Grand Bend Main Street Beach

Rated this place:

Grand Bend, ON

Beach: Okay, so it's not in Toronto, but lots of Torontonians love to escape for the weekend! Can I get an amen?! Grand Bend is huge for tourists in the summer, but I went in the fall when the weather was still beautiful and the beaches were empty. Grab a slice of Grand Bend pizza and sit on the beach, or walk through the little burbs and check out the rental cottages.

Niagara Falls

Rated this place:

Niagara Falls, ON

Niagara falls: The canadian destination for lovers. Cliche? Yes, but cliche because it's true. Niagara Falls is gorgeous. I love the bright lights and plastic signs on Clifton Hill. Indulge your inner child and play some Whack-a-Mole and buy candy with your prize tickets. And you can't beat all the amazing greasy spoon breakfast places that open at 6:00 AM. And it's the amateur photographer's dream location too. I heart Niagara Falls.

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

Rice & Noodle

Rated this place:

1533 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M6R1A7

Shanghai noodles with chicken: This tiny little restaurant has hands-down the best Shanghai Noodles. It's completely addictive, which is why I ultimately had to move out of that area :)

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Shanghai Noodles with Chicken

St. Lawrence Market

Rated this place:

92 Front St E, Toronto, ON, M5E1C4

The st. lawrence market: Smoked Apple Cheddar with organic Granny Smith apples. Also, the best peameal bacon I've ever had is at the meat shoppe you see on the right side as soon as you walk in the front entrance.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• The St. Lawrence Market

Cora's Breakfast & Lunch

Rated this place:

277 Wellington Street West, Toronto, ON, M5V 3E4

Breakfast for two: Okay, so you COULD eat your weight in waffles, pancakes and crepes. It's an option. But they also have really great fruit platters and cottage cheese plates. Be careful going on a weekend morning - there's a line-up that goes around the block!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Breakfast for Two

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Rated this place:

3-197 Main St West, Huntsville, ON

Car rental: They are the only car rental place in Toronto with the cheapest under 25 rental rate. Only $10 extra a day, compared to other big name car rental places that charge $20 - $30 extra. I get it, I'm young and my age makes me more likely to crash a rental car, but come on!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Car Rental

EQ3

Rated this place:

570 Queen W, Toronto, ON, M5V2B5

Furniture store: Called the "classier IKEA" :) EQ3 has really interested choices for furniture. I almost always have a wonderful conversation with one of the sales people there because they are so friendly. Could be because they're working on commission, but that's neither here nor there. My favourite? The 50% off section! I was able to decorate my entire kitchen from this section. I've got lots of compliments on the glassware I bought from EQ3.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Furniture Store

LUSH

Rated this place:

312 Queen Street W, Toronto, ON, M5V2A2

Bath/beauty products: 1) Rehab and retread shampoo and conditioner. They saved my poor chemically damaged hair. Why did I dye my hair black? WHY?! Thank you, Lush, for helping me see the light.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• bath/beauty products

Rainbow Cinemas

Rated this place:

80 Front Street East, at Jarvis, Toronto, M5E 1T4

Tuesday night date: A sweet little theatre you literally descend into via the huge staircase. Tuesdays are cheap night, meaning you can finally afford popcorn. YES!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Tuesday night date

Diesel Playhouse

Rated this place:

56 Blue Jays Way, Toronto, ON, M5V 2G3

Funny business - the musical: Well, I'm a bit biased I suppose. Although it just closed on January 6 after a seven month run, I have a feeling that Canada has not seen the last of this show! Trust me :)

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Funny Business - The Musical

High Park

Rated this place:

1873 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M5H 2N2

Romantic spot: Bring a blanket. Find your own spot. Maybe sneak in some wine. It's true - you do forget that you're in Toronto for a moment. Pure earthy escapism.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Romantic Spot

The Cottage Gardener

Rated this place:

4199 Gilmore Rd. RR1, Newtonville, ON, L0A 1J0

Gardening store: This fantastic heritage seed company is all family owned, with a really cool website that makes online ordering really easy and really fun. Plus, they are all certified organic! Their selection of heirloom vegetables is my favourite - purple carrots, multi-coloured lettuce, HUGE tomatoes. You won't believe the varieties they have and boy, do they make a salad look incredible. Honestly, if you're going green, go to the Cottage Gardener.

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

The Richmond Rogue

Rated this place:

284 Richmond E, Toronto, ON, M5A1P4

Buffalo chicken salad, Place for wings: Get it mild with Ranch dressing and you'll be one happy little Torontonian. The Richmond Rogue is my favourite pub - and they serve Sterling, which is great for me cause I like my beer to be like water :) Don't judge me. Other great food there? The Vegetarian wrap and the Chicken Quesadillas.

Go on Wing Night!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• place for wings
• Buffalo Chicken Salad