It has always been my hopes and dreams to see my childhood idol on stage performing her hit songs. When I was younger, my mother won the chance to see Janet Jackson in concert through a radio competition. I was too young at the time, so she took a family friend with her. I was disappointed that I couldn’t go that time because I knew Janet would never make her way back to Australia ever again! It’s always a rare opportunity to see good artists in Australia in concert so I had the feeling that I missed my one and only chance.
When I moved to Canada, I always hoped that I could see more concerts since artists travel to Canada more often as it is much closer for them and their fan base is probably much bigger. When I heard Janet Jackson was coming to Canada I was soooo excited but at the same time I was so disappointed that she would hold a show in Hamilton of all places! But my boyfriend offered to take me all the way to Hamilton which was 1 hour away from Toronto.
So on August 3, 2011, Janet’s one and only show in Canada, my boyfriend drove me all the way to Hamilton. It was a crummy of an evening – dark and rainy but I was so happy to be able to get to see Janet! She performed all her hits, and all my favourite songs. It brought back all the great memories of my childhood. I love Janet!
Janet Jackson #1s World Tour in Hamilton, Canada Video
Janet Jackson #1s World Tour in Hamilton, Canada Photos
The Toronto Jazz Festival has become one of North America’s premier jazz festivals and takes place annually during the summer in June and July with most events located at approximately 40 locations around the Toronto downtown core. It began in 1987 and now attracts more than 500,000 people over 10 days, with 350 performances and 1,500 musicians.
The core of the Festival is located at Metro Square, the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District which offers free events to the public. I visited Metro Square on June 25, 2011 for some free jazz music. It was so lovely to enjoy the summer with some jazz music along with fellow Torontonians in the middle of the city!
Every year Toronto hosts Canada’s largest street weekend festival: Taste of the Danforth which welcomes over 1.3million people to the event. The Danforth is home to Canada’s Greektown and is closed for the event. There are dozens and dozens of food stalls for you to taste the flavours of Greece! Because so many people attend the event with their hungry stomachs, be prepared for super long lines for every stall! Food prices range from $3 to under $10 so it’s easy to walk along the Danforth and saviour a few items.
SammyliciousTV: Taste of the Danforth Festival Video
SammyliciousTV: Taste of the Danforth Festival Photos
Toronto was lucky enough to host the International Indian Film Awards (IIFA) on June 25, 2011. Many many famous Bollywood stars came to Toronto for the prestigious event and in celebration, Toronto also hosted the Samsara Festival which was full of Indian culture – music, culture and fashion. There was also a lot of Indian food available.. mmm, yum!
It’s that beautiful time of the year again: Spring! I just love Spring, it’s when all the flowers bloom and everyone comes out to play. That’s exactly what the atmosphere was at High Park during the Cherry Blossom (Sakura Tree) Festival, which I also went to last year in 2010. As last year, many came here to catch a glimpse of these beautiful flowers as they do not last long! A full bloom (mankai) is usually reached within about one week after the opening of the first blossom (kaika) and after just one week, the blooming peak is over and the blossoms begin to fall from the trees. If there are strong winds or rain, blooming season will be even shorter.
Please check out my video below to learn more about the Cherry Blossom Festival at High Park.
Sammylicious TV: Cherry Blossom (Sakura Trees) at High Park
As mentioned in my video above, the Cherry Blossom (Sakura Tree) Festival is a highly celebrated event in Toronto because of the much anticipated spring after a long brutal Canadian winter. Many from all over the city come to enjoy this spectacular sight, from professional photographers to family and friends having a picnic in the park.
The Cherry Blossom Flower Viewing is an old Japanese tradition also known as “Sakura Hanami” and many spend hours viewing and enjoying these flowers on full bloom. The blooming of Cherry Blossoms (Sakura Trees) typically occur in late April to early May, depending on the winter. The milder the winter, the earlier these will bloom. Because the winter in Toronto of 2010 – 2011 was both long and harsh, these flowers bloomed in early May which is much later than last year when it bloomed in mid-late April. Sometimes, when the winter is too harsh and cold, these flowers may not even bloom at all!
High Park has two Cherry Blossom walks but as last year, we took Walk 1 again which approximately takes 30-45 minutes to complete. This walk offers gorgeous views of High Park’s largest collection of Sakura trees as well as the Grenadier Pond and Hillside Gardens. Please enjoy my photos below!
Photos from the Cherry Blossom (Sakura Tree) Viewing
Here’s Elliott and I.
And then there’s just me! Hahaha..
Chinese Blossoms at High Park
High Park also has a wide range of other beautiful flowers – just like this pretty pink Chinese blossom (I am unsure the name! If someone knows, please let me know!). Most of them weren’t bloomed just yet, but we found a few that were :)
Elliott & I in front of the Chinese Blossoms
Kaori & I by the pond
The Canadian maple leaf: What’s a Canadian park without a Maple Leaf, right?
Large tall trees – so beautiful!
High Park Wildlife in the Spring
Mr. Squirrel who lives at High Park, also wanted to come out and play! Helloooo!
I adore High Park, because I love to see these amazingly beautiful birds. Above are two Canadian Geese.
This really cool duck is known as the Wood Duck.. but only the male looks as cool as this, spotting so many colours! I saw shades of orange, red, purple, green, black, white and brown.
The most convenient and easy way I find is to take the TTC to High Park station (on the Bloor line) and just as you cross Bloor Street, you’ll see High Park. It’s too big to miss!
If you prefer to drive, there’s free parking available at the Grenadier Restaurant (enter the park from the intersection of Bloor Street and High Park Avenue and follow the one-way loop to the Grenadier Restaurant in the centre of the park) and the lot immediately east of the Zoo (enter the park from the intersection of High Park Blvd and Parkside Drive).
On the 24th April, 2011 I went to Kramer’s Bar & Grill to celebrate ANZAC Day with fellow Aussies which was organized by YACA (Australians in Canada Association). I also celebrated with YACA in 2009 for my birthday, when I had just moved to Toronto. It’s so good to connect with fellow Aussies and feel at home again!
The Significance of ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day is a very meaningful day for both Australians and New Zealanders. It is a national day of remembrance to honour the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought in Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. At the end of 1915, the Allied Gallipoli casualties included 21,255 from the UK, an estimated 10,000 dead soldiers from France, 8,709 from Australia, 2,721 from New Zealand, and 1,358 from British India.
ANZAC Day is commemorated by both countries on the 25th of April every year by both Australia and New Zealand and is a national public holiday. It is the most solemn day of the year and marches by veterans, including the Australian Defence Force and Reserves, the Australian Defence Force Cadets and the Australian Air League, are held in cities and towns nationwide. The Anzac Day Parade from each state capital is televised live with commentary. ANZAC Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tonga.
Kramer’s Bar & Grill
Kramer’s used to be a run-down bar, but has recently been purchased by some Aussies and has been cleaned up quite nicely. The patio out the back was nice to relax and enjoy the company. We enjoyed an Aussie burger, Fish & Chips, Meat Pies, ANZAC Biscuits over some Aussie Trivia (which proved extremely difficult). Kramer’s also offered VB (Victorian Bitter!), Pavlova and Aussie footy was playing on the telly!
Paola, Louise and Grace accompanied me to this event. Thanks so much girls!
Below are the photos :)
Kramer’s Bar & Grill
(Davisville, Toronto, Canada)
1915 Yonge St, Toronto
(North East corner of Yonge & Davisville, 1 minute walk from the TTC Subway station!)
On April 19, 2011 Diddy Dirty Money graced the stage at Koolhaus (Guvernment) in Toronto! I was soooo excited about this because I just LOVE Diddy AND Dirty Money. The combination of them on the stage was off the hook! The line up to get in was pretty long.. I think we waited 40 minutes to get in, which is really ridiculous because we already purchased our tickets prior to the event and it was freezing outside! I think it was like 2C at the time.
I managed to get some pretty awesome footage (despite the horrible bassy audio recording) but some even better photos. Please feel free to check out the videos and photos below!
I must say, Diddy Dirty Money rocked the stage but when Diddy did his classics set along with his Notorious B.I.G tribute it sent the crowd wild. It is a must see! I also can’t believe I finally got to witness the “Diddy Bop” live with my own eyes! It made me a very happy girl.
Diddy Dirty Money Videos
Part 1: Diddy Dirty Money
Part 2: Diddy Classics
Part 3: Notorious B.I.G Tribute and Diddy Dirty Money finale
During Doors Open Toronto, I visited Osgoode Hall which is a landmark building in Toronto which houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada. It also was a Law School until 1969 when the faculty was relocated to the campus of York University.
Osgoode Hall is beautifully constructed. With stained glass and stunning architecture it is a must visit for Doors Open. During Doors Open you can visit many of the rooms in this building – the court houses, library, and meeting rooms.
Beautiful interior design!
Love the details on the poles and the arches!
Here’s me dressed as a judge at one of the court houses! Hehehe.
The Canada Life is a historic office building located at Queen and University. The building is the headquarters of Canada Life, Canada’s oldest, and at the time largest, insurance company.
The fifteenth floor Beaux Arts building stands at 285 feet (87 m), 321 feet (97.8 m) which includes the weather beacon. The building is known for its weather beacon which was installed in 1951. The way it works is that beacon flashes green for clear weather, red for cloudy, flashing red for rain, and white for snow. There are also lights affixed to the support tower indicate variations in temperature. The information is updated four times daily, seven days a week and is received from Environment Canada’s Weather Centre at Pearson International Airport.
The top fifteenth floor offers spectacular 360 degree views of Toronto and is only open to the public during the annual Doors Open Toronto event. Make sure you get there early because there’s a line to go up the elevator!
Doors Open Toronto is an event that takes place every year that showcases 150 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and/or social significance to the public. The best part of Doors Open is that admission is free! In 2010, Doors Open Toronto took place during the weekend of May 28 – 29th.
The first place that we visited was the Elgin & Winter Garden theatres and are the last surviving Edwardian (the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910) stacked theatres in the world.
Over time, the condition of the building deteriorated. At one point, the windows were broken so that birds could fly in and out and dirt and dust covered the walls and seats. It was only in 1981 that the Ontario Heritage Foundation bought the structure and began restoring the two theatres into it’s original beauty. The building was closed in 1987 to be fully restored and then reopened in 1989.
It is interesting to note that most of the walls and theatre backdrops were painted with watercolour. They knew that they could not use soap and water to remove the dirt and dust off because the paint would also be removed so they used dough to blot and slowly restore the beautiful paintings.
This is the entrance to both the Elgin and Winter Garden theatres.
Here is a panorama I took of the Elgin theatre. Click to see it in it’s full size! It’s so beautiful!
This is the Winter Garden theatre which is absolutely magnificent. The ceilings were covered in real leaves. During the restoration, they were replaced and some faux leaves were also placed. You really did feel like you were sitting in a winter garden!
Here is a model of the layout of the theatres. Very cool!
Here shows that the Elgin theatre is on the bottom and the Winter Garden theatre is stacked on top.
I hope that I get to watch a musical at either one of these theatres.
