A Sunny Sunday at the Parkdale Flea

Nick and I went to the Parkdale Flea a week ago Sunday, and I took some pictures to show you. This is a market that happens at 1266 Queen Street West (on the north side, just west of Dufferin), on the second Sunday of every month during the summer -- there's one more this season, on September 10th. Also, I believe there are a couple geared towards holiday shopping in the winter as well. Their Facebook page is here, if you'd like updates.

We thought it was great. It was sized just right as not to be overwhelming, and included an impressive mix of attractive, high quality handmade, art and vintage items, offered by a group of very friendly local creators, artists and pickers.

The Waterfront Night Market : The Good and the Not-So-Good

Years ago I went to a food focused festival, which lead me to conclude that that type of event wasn't really my thing. I found it way too crowded and I didn't see the appeal in lining up, over and over, for small portions of food which had been prepared right there on the street, and then trying to enjoy that food while being jostled along by throngs of people. However, based on the wild popularity of this type of festival in Toronto, I am in the minority with that opinion.

For over a decade, all those eager crowds were unable to convince me to try again -- while I happily go to many festivals around the city, I've not been to a similar food-centric one since that one. That is, until this past Saturday when Nick and I biked over to the Toronto Waterfront Night Market. What drew me in? Without question, it was the location, the decommissioned electrical generating station called Hearn.

Toronto Neighbourhood Exploration : The Beaches

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/toronto-beach-the-beaches-neighbourhood.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-36783 blk-brdr">A week ago Saturday Nick and I rode our bikes over to the Toronto east end neighbourhood The Beaches in the afternoon, where we met up with our friend Andrea who was taking public transit.Thankfully it turned out to be a good time, because our being over there was a result of a screw-up on my part. I'd seen that there was a huge street festival, this one, going on in association with the annual Beaches Jazz Festival, but what I'd failed to note was that this wasn't going to happen until after 6pm. I'd arranged for us to arrive there three hours too early!We rode up to the intersection where we'd planned to meet - Greenwood Avenue and Queen Street East - expecting to see the street closed to cars and things all set up for a festival, but instead found the area busy with local residents going about their usual Saturday afternoon business. Oops!So, while strolling along enjoying live music at 45 different stops along the way was not in the cards, it was nice out and we were together, so the day was not ruined in the least. In fact, while he didn't come right out and say so, I think Nick was relieved that we wouldn't be listening to jazz music all afternoon, as it's not a genre he normally goes for. And I didn't mind that we were there without a plan, since I'd included The Beaches amoung the places I wanted to visit in the city, on the wish-list I'd included last winter in this post. As for Andrea, she is very laid back and is up for doing most things, so she wasn't bothered that our original plans had been scuppered by my lack of checking the details.We locked up our bikes and ventured forth, checking out a part of the city that none of us knew well.

The Best Time Out on a Tuesday Evening : Open Roof Festival

Nick and I went to the Open Roof Festival on Tuesday, and it was, in one word, great!

It's a weekly event with a live musical performance followed by the screening of a recent independently produced film, accompanied by beer, snacks and a party atmosphere. As the name suggests, it takes place outdoors, on the grounds of a former glass factory at 99 Sudbury (near Queen West and Dovercourt), every Tuesday evening, until the end of August.

Tickets for these "mostly volunteer run" evenings are $15, with all profits supporting Canada's independent film and music communities.

We arrived at the site with enough time to have a beer before the entertainment. There was also a food truck on site, but we'd already eaten. What I saw others having looked really good though.

Street Festival Season! : Ossfest on Ossington Avenue

With several choices of street festivals on any given weekend during these summer months, it's certainly the season to visit different neighbourhoods around town. On Saturday Nick and I took advantage of the few rain-free hours in the afternoon and headed over to Ossington Avenue to check out the second annual Ossfest, happening between Queen Street and Dundas.I wrote about this area in detail last summer, (in this post), telling how that section of Ossington between Queen and Dundas is part of the oldest route into what is now the city of Toronto. Back in the early 1800s, when the region was populated primarily by indigenous peoples and the city was no more than a fort and a trading post, the main path through the woods from the west, included that stretch. Of course, the buildings came later, around the mid to late 1800s, but they were built right along that original path.Luckily, many of the historic buildings are still there, home to a number of great indie shops, restaurants and bars that line the street. Many people, including us, usually go there for the fun and bustling nightlife, making this daytime look fresh and interesting.There was a variety of things to see and do at Ossfest, including a stage for live music, different booths, activity areas, shops with special sales on, bars that are normally closed during the day, and restaurant food-stands.We walked up to Dundas from Queen Street West, and then turned around and walked back down, which is why these photographs are taken from different directions.