Toronto is Not Boring

☀️😆🌊
Ready, set, float! 🛟 River tubing is back in Elora starting this Friday (June 26) honestly one of the best ways to beat the heat near Toronto (just a 1.5-hour drive)!

🌊 1. Book in advance — no walk-up sales. Reserve your tubing tickets and rentals online (up to 3 days in advance: $21 for registration, $54 equipment rental + registration. Day-use admission and deposit are additional and due on-site). Season runs from June 26 to September.

🌊 2. Wear water shoes & sunscreen — the riverbed can be rocky, and there’s a 1.3km walk to and from the entry/exit points, so be prepared!

🌊 3. Expect to get wet (and a little dirty) — The water’s a little murky—it’s a river after all! Might be a good idea to shower or change afterwards

𝘛𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘴 — 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵, 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

Tag someone you’d tube with! 💕💕
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𝗘𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮
📍 7400 Wellington County Rd 21, Elora, ON N0B 1S0, Canada

🐾✨ is basically a 5-star boutique hotel for rescue pups, designed to make dogs feel safe, loved, and at home. Some sweet pups featured in this reel like Casey, Jackie, Mini, and Stella🥹 are currently looking for their forever homes urgently.

ℂ𝕦𝕥𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤✨
1. Every rescue pup waits for their forever home in a custom suite with chandeliers and cozy sofas. Literally a home before finding their forever home 🥹
2. ⁠It’s a full-blown animal kingdom with over 70 horses, plus rescued pigs, sheep, and donkeys living peacefully across the rolling green hills
3. ⁠You can visit during their Sunday Open Houses from 12-4pm ($8 for adults and $4 for kids). They also have Betty’s Boutique onsite, where you can shop cute finds and support the sanctuary at the same time 🛍️🐾

We have so much respect for the owners, staff, and volunteers and the heart they put into every rescue 🐶 Share the love and support local rescues. Adopt, don’t shop! ✨
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𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆
📍1405 19th Sideroad, King City, ON L7B 1K5, Canada

🍝🇮🇹👩🏻‍🍳
We learned making pasta before learning how to cook

This is the pasta-making workshop “Hands-on Pasta from the South” from that we attended in mid-Feb. The ticket is kind of pricey, but it included two pasta samples 🍝 and two glasses of wine 🍷. The most important thing is — it was FUN!

𝔽𝕦𝕟 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤 ✨
1. We were today’s year old to know that: While we are familiar with classics like spaghetti, penne, and rigatoni, Italy boasts a diverse pasta culture with over 400 unique shapes, from stuffed ravioli up north to intricate varieties down south 🇮🇹 (Braaaavo!
2. In the workshop, we made 4 different shapes and our favorite one was “Cavatelli” where you drag the dough across one finger to shape each piece into a shell-like form 🐚
3. Eataly, combining “Eat” and “Italy,” embodies “Eating Italian,” reflecting Italy’s rich history and food culture; originating in Torino in 2007, it has expanded to over 45 locations worldwide.
4. Ticket prices vary between locations (Yorkville and Sherway Gardens) and types of classes (e.g., kids’ pasta workshop) 👦🏻👧🏻

⬇️ Tag the one taking you to the pasta workshop ⬇️
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𝗘𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼
📍Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M4W 1A6, Canada
💰$146.9@ for 2-hour workshop including 2 pasta dishes and 2 glasses of wine (booking required on eventbrite)

☕️👨🏾‍🌾👩🏻‍🌾 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯
Subtext Coffee Roasters in the Junction is the city’s hidden gem, showcasing a unique coffee concept that honors coffee farmers. It offers diverse premium coffee ($5+) and limited bakery items for in-house enjoyment or purchase.

𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤 𝔹𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕠𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕖 ☕️
1. “Subtext” is the hidden meaning behind actions and words. Subtext Coffee celebrates the farmers behind the coffee bean production by providing custom cards for each filtered coffee, sharing the farmer’s name and story (super heartwarming 💕
2. Subtext stands by single origin only, avoiding blends from multiple producers and dark roasts, thus limiting production for premium quality, with each type of coffee lasting around 1-4 weeks only
3. In FY23, Subtext partnered with 81 single producers/families, offering a sourcing price 3+ times the market average to benefit farmers’ livelihoods (Source: Transparency Report 2023)
4. Currently serving Toronto businesses and coffee lovers with limited hours, Subtext hosts monthly weekend coffee tasting classess and is soon to introduce its coffee flight ☕️✈️

Next time you buy coffee beans, you’ll know who to thank 👨🏾‍🌾👩🏻‍🌾
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𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 .coffee
📍130 Cawthra Ave Unit 104, Toronto, ON M6N 3C2, Canada
🕒 Mon-Fri, 9-3pm (with plans to extend hours)

🌊✨
Watercolour has been on our to-go list since its launch in the summer of 2023. We were totally taken with the vibe and look of the place, especially that cozy side-by-side banquette booth upstairs! The food was superb, albeit upscale in pricing. We had the Mediterranean Octopus ($25), BC King Salmon ($42), Lobster Tagliatelle ($46), and Belgium Chocolate Cake ($17). The Mediterranean octopus and lobster pasta are definite must-tries!

ℂ𝕦𝕥𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤 🩵
1. Watercolour wants you to catch on to its Mediterranean vibe without explicitly stating it! “Water” suggests the Mediterranean Sea, while “colour” embodies the vibrant blend of Mediterranean countries like Greece, Italy, France, and more! 🇬🇷🇮🇹🇫🇷
2. Banquette (side by side) seating, a beloved feature of French culture, is a cozy bench positioned against a wall, providing a charming and intimate spot for dining (It’s a perfect date night spot 💕)

⚠️‼️ 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘵: 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘺 “𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦-𝘣𝘺-𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 / 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 / 𝘢𝘥𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨”. 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 “𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨” 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘛𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘜𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦-𝘣𝘺-𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 2+ 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 🥲

Anyway, we hope you all have a pleasant dining experience! ❤️ Like, share, or tag your loved ones – your support could help keep this blog running!
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𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 .ca
📍166 Main St Unionville, Unionville, ON L3R 2G9, Canada

🌊🏝️🚤
offers the best summer vibes, making you feel like you’re on vacation. It’s a well-kept local gem in Pickering (less than 1 hour drive from Toronto) with a patio overlooking the Frenchmans Bay 🌊. We tried some of the best food and drinks we’ve had this year, including Warm Roasted Red Pepper & Spinach Dip ($19), Truffle Mushroom Pizza ($24), Seafood Fettuccine ($32), Bread Pudding ($13) and Jalapeño Margarita ($15). The perfect sunlight and lake breeze gave us the ideal getaway vibes!

ℂ𝕠𝕠𝕝 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤 ✨
1. PORT has been a beloved part of Pickering for 14 years! The original owners also run a construction company that played a big role in many of Pickering’s projects. They’ve helped shape the wonderful community they call home and bring that same warmth to the services at PORT (kudos to our server, Jackie!)
2. Besides the usual way of getting here, some customers arrive by yacht or kayak, with a few even biking all the way from Toronto! It’s cool to see the different efforts people make to get here 😆

This patio is also a perfect spot for watching sunsets. It can be tough to grab a seat in the patio during summer (first come, first served), but it’s worth trying your luck! Can’t wait to come back for another enjoyable lakeside dining experience!
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𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧
📍1289 Wharf St Bay Ridges, Pickering, ON L1W 1A2, Canada

📸🎨✨
Do you ever wonder if there’s a human behind a vending machine or a photo booth? This live drawing photo booth gives us the answer! Since its launch in June 2024, it has gone viral in the Toronto community, and we checked it out today!

ℂ𝕦𝕥𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤 ✨
1. The experience costs $10 for 1-2 people and $15 for 3-4 (pets count as one person, and prices may change). It takes about 5 minutes. You can buy the coin on the spot, insert it into the ‘photo booth,’ tell them your requirements (we added two imaginary shibas), pose, and wait for your portrait to come out.
2. This live drawing photo booth is a brilliant marketing idea. Similar concepts exist in the UK , Singapore , Philippines lorenduzzy etc, but it’s exciting to finally see a cute one in Toronto!
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𝗰𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀
📍pop-up based

✨🌆
Anyone else love the view of the CN Tower from different spots in downtown Toronto? It’s not our first time at —we came back on a sunny day hoping for the perfect sunset view, drinks, and vibes, but they don’t seem to offer free popcorn or peanuts anymore! Featured in the video are the Shake-a-Lot Sour cocktail ($28) and the Cheese Fondue ($38)

ℂ𝕦𝕥𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤✨
1. The Writers Room Bar in Toronto got its name from being a favorite spot for Canadian literary legends. Margaret Atwood found inspiration for a scene in Cat’s Eye here, and both Farley Mowat and Mordecai Richler hung out at the bar. There’s even a rumor that the Writers Guild of Canada was founded here!

2. The Writers Room serves cocktails inspired by Canadian literary icons, like the Conscience, made with dark rum, Lillet, Nonino, Amarena cherry, and orange bitters. This drink honors journalist and activist June Callwood, founder of Casey House, with partial proceeds supporting the hospital for people living with and at risk of HIV 🏥♥️

We came on the first day of the tax breaks. The alcohol was over 22% and still taxed, but at least there’s no GST/HST for other items for a while!
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𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗕𝗮𝗿
📍4 Avenue Rd, Toronto, ON M5S 2C7, Canada