Drinks at The Rivoli and Bands at The Horseshoe

Every time you turn your head in Toronto these days, there's a new place to check out. Bars and restaurants seem to be sprouting like mushrooms, and certainly, I aim to get to my fair share of them over the summer.That said, there is something to be said for the tried and true -- those familiar places that are steeped in memories. This post is about an evening out with my friend, Meghan, to a couple of places that are in this latter category -- The Rivoli and The Horseshoe.These two places, located a few storefronts apart on the north-east corner of Queen Street West and Spadina, have been there for as long as most who've lived in Toronto can remember. They are amoung the places where I first bought a drink legally -- places that I've been too many times to count since then.Meghan and I met at the upstairs bar at The Rivoli to have a couple of drinks and talk, before heading to The Horseshoe, where we had tickets to see a band.

Tacos at El Trompo in Kensington Market

This was an afternoon outing that combined an added bonus to an errand that needed doing. The task at hand was going to the computer store (Canada Computers on College Street, west of Spadina) to pick out a new laptop for Nick. The added bonus was a walk through Kensington Market on the way, with a stop for lunch.

Knowing that the the market gets quite busy at lunchtime, especially when the weather is nice, we aimed to be there a little later in the afternoon. There were still plenty of people about to make it interesting, though. I noticed several groups of students out on school-trips, and recalled doing that very same thing as a kid. I remember our excursions to this part of Toronto to be amoungst my favourite of school outings -- I used to tell myself that one day I'd live close enough to walk there, and lo and behold, I kept that promise to myself!

A Blind Date at the Painted Lady

I recently got an email from a man that Nick and I had met online a while ago, when we used to perform live music within the virtual world called Second Life. It's been over four years since we played our last show there though, and we'd had little contact with this online friend in the interim, so I was surprised to get the message stating that he would be in town and asking if we would like to get together while he was here.

I was surprised, yes, but I was also happy for the chance to meet. I recalled that he had been a good guy who had been a great and loyal supporter of our art.

So, a week ago Sunday we headed out for a blind-date with Pablo.


He had another friend in Toronto, who was playing in a band that evening at The Painted Lady, (on Ossington just south of Dundas), so that was where we planned to meet.

That morning it dawned on me that I had no idea what he looked like, so I requested a real-life picture of him. Second Life had been a world populated by avatars -- people could be anyone they wanted to be, including animals, so we knew him as the parrot who used to perch at the back of the room and sometimes fly around during our shows.

Thrift Store Finds

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/thrift-store-finds-toronto-loulou-downtown.jpg" alt="thrift-store-finds-toronto-loulou-downtown" width="640" height="640" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-32495 blk-brdr">Hi! Here's what I got during a recent visit to the Value Village Thrift Store at Bloor and Lansdowne in Toronto.First up is this vintage piece that goes along with my small collection of amber pressed glass items. I use these things to serve hors d'eouvres when company comes over, and this elongated bowl will be handy for crackers or sliced French bread.This particular piece has the added feature of being "carnival glass", meaning that it has a finish to it that gives it a colourful iridescence.

A Beautiful Night Out : The Royal Occasion at The Royal Conservatory of Music

Our friend Isabel works at The Royal Conservatory of Music, who host a lovely gala every year, called "The Royal Occasion", during which three people who've made a significant contribution to Canadian music are named Honorary Fellows.

Lucky for us, for the last four years, Isabel has kindly offered us a couple of tickets to the show portion of the evening and the drinks and dessert reception that follow it.