Toronto Ski & Snowboard Show Starts Today

If you're one of those people who, all winter long, talk of nothing but the crappy weather there might be something you can do to turn that frown upside down: snowboarding. All summer long while everyone talks about how beautiful it is I'm secretly wishing snow would fall, and keep falling.

Finally the wait is almost up. This weekend's Toronto Ski, Snowboard and Travel Show marks the unofficial start to the season. From today at 3PM through to Sunday at the Automotive Building, Exhibition Place, you can find all the snowgear you'll ever need and plan any winter getaways too. Gear is usually last year's stock and priced to fly. It's not just boards and bindings, great deals can be found on sporty winter jackets and "underwear" too.

All that's left to consider is where to board when the flakes start falling. Mount St. Louis Moonstone offers great beginner "discovery" packages which include a lesson, rentals and lift all for under $55, but if you're serious about the white stuff Blue Mountain's selling a 5x7 - all nights and weekdays lift pass - for $164 until October 22nd. Last year I waited too long and had to pay double - still worth every penny. This time, I'll pick up my pass at the snowboard show. They'll take my picture and I'll be done with it - no hour long lines when I'm busting to get on the hill.

Admission to the show is $15.

Get Jacked at Wakestock this Weekend

Island residents be warned, Wakestock is back bigger and badder than ever. The event is celebrating ten adrenalin filled years and promises to be a huge blow out, mixing punk and hip hop culture under a banner of edgy board sport (and bikini) competitions.

There'll be no shortage of eye-candy - you can check out motocross, skateboard, wakeskate and of course wakeboard events. Last year I wasn't sure what to expect, I thought I'd be stuck in the stands miles from nowhere hoping for a glance of the action. Instead I was knee deep in warm water leaning on a rail while riders landed sick tricks right in front of my face. You've got to be able to appreciate what these kids can do.

Just as hype as the sport side is what's happening on stage all weekend. Wakestock seems to be pushing the Grammy angle, bringing big names to perform music at this summer's show. I'll be getting jacked on beats by De La Soul, Lupe Fiasco and Del The Funky Homosapien while taking a schoolin from punk pros Goldfinger and The Deftones.

With such a wicked mix of events on the island it's really as good as it gets for those of us in TO who love beach life. You can wander the island, watch the waves and get some sweet inspiration from athletes who've trucked in from all over the world just to show you what they do best. If that doesn't get you jacked maybe a dunk in the lake will do it for you.

Wakestock starts today, runs until Sunday. Ticket prices vary. Catch the ferry to Centre Island.

(photo Wakestock 01 by hotmshr)

Terminal One Welcomes Feist Back to Toronto

It's not often Toronto's Terminal One at Pearson inspires me to break into song and dance. That might be different after watching Feist's new video My Moon My Man. Next time I find myself strolling down the moving sidewalks looking at our sparkling city under a full moon I don't know if I'll be able to hold back. I just hope there'll be a few others that join in.

The jetsetting Canadian singer songwriter has been away for awhile. I'm happy to hear she's just moved back to Toronto where she's filmed a few videos for her upcoming album The Reminder, scheduled for release in Canada and the US today. For now Feist is working solo but her past musical collaborations led her to work with with Broken Social Scene and former Toronto roommate Peaches.

My man Craig Williams, Location Manager on Feist's recent videos which were shot over several nights at the airport, said they were ton of fun to work on. It's a catchy song too. See what people are saying about the video on blogTO.

Fez Batik Finds A New Crowd

Signs had been up for awhile, announcing the sale of the building on the corner of Peter and Richmond, formerly known as nightclub Fez Batik. I passed often on my way up to Queen wondering what the next incarnation would bring. Maybe it would be another stuffy joint catering to lines of men in black leather, or a techno club for kids jacked up on Red Bull. If we were lucky, I'd thought, it would once again find the laid-back vibe of those who loved Fez, and the summer scene would once again jump to life on its patio. Seems though, that future plans may bring an entirely different kind of crowd.

The City is in the works to purchase the site in the hopes of facilitating the needs of homeless and displaced people in the downtown core. The centre would be open around the clock and provide beds and counseling to get people back on their feet. In theory it sounds like a beautiful thing. However, in reality, I can't imagine a worse place for these kinds of social services. I can just imagine, with music pumping and littering drunkards spilling out of clubs looking for confrontation, that comfort and stability would be the last thing one would find in the middle of our Entertainment District.

A community meeting to discuss the plans will be held tonight, 6:30PM, at Metro Hall - Room 308.

The Future is Bright

This might just change the way I think about fluorescent lighting forever. Toronto design collective Castor Canadensis has found a fun way to light a space while making sure used bulbs don't end up in landfills all over the place. Using the old tubes tied together with incandescent bulbs lighting from within makes for a fantastic showpiece, especially for those eco-sensitive design fiends out there.

Made large to be hung horizontally or 2 feet tall for table or floor versions, the lamp will surely stand out from more traditional lighting. The collective notes on their cool website that they'll cut the manufacture price by half for those who bring in burnt-out bulbs themselves from architecturally significant buildings. No word from the firm whether the design has any bearing on energy efficiency but blogTO readers have a comment or two. Hit recommend if you want to spread the word yourself.

Sneak Peek in Style: Interior Design Show 2007

Last night champagne flowed and painted-white cirque-robats glowed while media types mingled in an interior design fantasy world at the preview for the Interior Design Show 2007. I was fortunate to gain entry into the magical kingdom for a sneak peek at the fanciful design in store for us this year.

As expected, the usual design stars - Debbie Travis, Lynda Reeves and Brian Gluckstein - will be there peddling their wares, but none seemed to offer any notion of innovation or inspiration, except perhaps what we can expect the next hot colour of the season to be. Travis' "no photographs please" living space was decked in spooky black and orange. All I can say about that is "Boo!"

Moving away from the dens of domesticity, local Toronto designers were making a splash. Here are my top picks for Toronto design talent.

1. Adept with porcelain, artist Ken Gangbar, creates fluid sculptures and installations for clients from TO to HK. If you want to give ceramics a whirl too he offers workshops from his studio in Liberty Village.

2. Everything Queen East shop Up to You showed, I wanted to buy. Coolest are the wood carved clothes hangers depicting New York, Tokyo or Paris skylines, though they are $120 a pop and there's no deisgn for TO. There is an "I Heart ______(blank)" sticker though. That's where TO can go.

3. I was seriously blown away by the modern stand-alone apartment and eco-friendly fireplaces made by Ecosmart. No gas, no hard connection. Great for any place that needs a little warming up.

4. Utillity in a tile? That's where Utilitile comes in. I found these walnut wood tiles in the prototype section. Following form and function is truly the way to a Danish girl's heart.

5. Simple, practical shelving by Sheridan made a big statement. The statement is "I'm fun, and smart, dammit!" Made by, and for, students so it's got to be.

The Interior Design Show takes place this Saturday and Sunday at the Direct Energy Centre, CNE Grounds. Tickets are $16 online or $18 at the door.

Vice Guide to Travel Makes Toronto Pitstop

The journey starts in the Toronto office of Vice, in Parkdale, where Derrick Beckles is doing an impression of God creating woman (read boobs). It's the intro to Beckles' piece on Paraguay for the Vice Guide to Travel, out on DVD. Sitting with him is Johnny Knoxville to whom he reveals he's heading to Nueva Germania to see what still remains of the place that survived briefly as an "Aryan utopia" in the 1800's and later became a refuge for exiled Nazis after the war. The answer is not much, just a couple bricks left to disintegrate.

With no real story to follow Beckles piece starts falling apart here too. To keep it going he finds some backwoods brothers rumoured to have turned to cannibalism. He asks the geezers a few questions, none of which get to the heart of the dark deed. It's journalism-lite but Vice seems happy just to prove to us they can look danger in the face and take us along for the ride.

In the guide, which Vice co-founder Suroosh Alvi calls a "60 Minutes meets Jackass" kinda thing, Vice correspondents take us on a tour of 7 not-so-hot tourist destinations like the most radioactive place in the world, Chernobyl's Red Forest, and then a Pygmy village in the heart of the Congo in search of a dinosaur.

Finding a prehistoric beast or a wild boar with two heads presents a serious challenge and the guys in Vice don't always get their goal. Maybe that's why I was most impressed with Suroosh's own segment in which he hooks up a visit to the largest illegal gun market in the world in Darra, Pakistan, a place where we see kids casually making bullets by hand. The BBC couldn't gain access to this dangerous place but Surroush walks in, charms the locals, buys a gun and gets his money shot.

Happy Valentine's Day Toronto!

It's gonna be a wet and chilly day out there Toronto. Try and make it special by doing something a little extra for yourself or your love(d ones) for Valentine's.

Here are a few ideas, 416style:

Make your teeth sparkle.

Buy a bouquet of kumquats in Kensington Market.

Check out the new fitness facilities at 99 Sudbury.

Declare your love in the comments section of 416style and leave the page open on a shared computer.

Make your morning Eggo waffles into ooozy sweet tasting hearts.

Get Outside

Last winter my Mags gave out on me, leaving a hole in my shoe between sole and leather. I'd had them for a few seasons and had put them to good use in the city slush. The sole is a good two inches up from the ground all the way around and made of rubber, perfect for Toronto weather. I'd hoped to get a new pair once this wintery weather started so I went back to where I bought them in the first place, Get Outside. It's my favourite shoe shop, along with heel boy, and it was voted best shoe store in blogTO's Best of Indie Toronto. They've got a ton of great trainers, like Royal Elastics which I love, but they didn't have a pair of Mags in sight. They seem to have switched to something called Clarks but they're not the same.

So now I'm stranded, with no winter boots to make my way home, and I can't seem to find a pair in the city that's got style but can also keep my feet out of the wet stuff. Even stranger is that many shoe stores are already pushing their spring line-up of strappy sandals. Where am I supposed to find my snow shoes now? Some friends have told me to make the hike to Trove on Bathurst, maybe they've still got some boots on sale.

photo: idiolector

What About Wabash?

While the debate about gentrification in TO continues, many areas are receiving substantial funding to renew derelict sites across the city. The Distillery District was nothing but haunted halls used by film crews a few years back. Now the Brickworks will attempt to model the Distillery's success but with a more arts and eco-friendly community. Twenty million in funding will help to get the ball rolling on the site beside the DVP.

Yesterday, a new announcement of funding came in the tune of 3 million dollars, this time to restore Wychwood's TTC repair "barns" into what'll become known as Artscape's Green Arts Barns, offering a safe-haven to not-for-profit arts groups like The Storytellers School of Toronto and the Salvador Allende Arts Festival for Peace as well as environmental groups such as LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) and Citizens' Environment Watch.

Fortunately for everyone, environmental and arts causes are getting attention. They seem to have become as chic as Brad Pitt in his Gucci glasses pretending to build homes in India. But what about community centres? Are they not the centre of the community? And what about Wabash?

Just off Sorauren, close to Roncesvalles, two abandoned buildings sit on one side of a park just waiting for some love and attention. Years ago they housed a Linseed factory, now they are part of a plan for the future Wabash Community Rec Centre. One plan's price tag is $13 million and would include a full reno but no pool. For an extra $7 mil the building would be fully-restored along with the addition of a swank new clubhouse and a place for kids to play Marco Polo.

For some reason though, the project has been struggling for funds since day one, even though this area of Toronto desperately needs a place like this. Up until now, residents have been buying a brick at a time to help build Wabash. Just like the Revue Theatre, it was the residents who decided Wabash should be saved, but it would be great to hear that some level of government would step up to support the project or maybe Brad Pitt can come by and lend a hand.

image: Kevin Steele

What's Your Sign?

Sandwich Board
Originally uploaded by Lex in the City.

I was in an early morning daze at a Timothy's recently trying to grab a cup of coffee when a man stormed in ahead of me and asked to speak to the manager. He was annoyed. I was annoyed. It was one of those mornings.

There was no manager on duty so the man pled his case to two staff staring back at him vacantly from behind the counter. It was about the sandwich board stretched out on the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop. The problem, he said, was that these sandwich boards take up too much space and cause unnecessary obstacles for the blind and also elderly people using buggies. It was a valid point, one I'd never previously considered.

These ubiquitous sidewalk signs can often be ugly, pointless and ineffective, especially if they're constantly blowing over. Though sometimes there'll be a chalkboard sign with a funny little phrase meant to grab our attention and make us smile, or they'll tell us about a new thing on a restaurant menu that can make our mouth water in anticipation. For stores yearning for more exposure a sidewalk sign is a good way to get passersby to stop and notice or allow them to look down the block to see what's coming up.

There is a better option though, especially on crowded sidewalks where stores are just trying to get some more brand exposure. In the distillery district most signs are mounted overhead so to be within a good sight line and also out of the way. The overhead signs add charm to the historic neighborhood and don't intrude on public space.

In the case of the man and the Timothy's sign, the man was pissed at the employees' lack of response and tore off to move the sign himself. A couple of days later the sign was back in the same spot, dominantly claiming half the sidewalk and not really having much to say.


See what people think about Sign Design at blogTO