Torontoist » “coldest day of the year bike ride”

Luminato 2013: A Literary Picnic

Peter Goffin — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:00:02 +0000

Sixty acclaimed authors will gather in Trinity Bellwoods Park to read from their work and talk with fans.

“A cross between Woodstock and the Algonquin Round Table,” is what Michael Redhill called it. Dorothy Parker grinding out an electric cover of “The Star Spangled Banner”? Well, not quite. Rather, Redhill, the literary curator for Luminato 2013, was describing A Literary Picnic, the annual festival’s celebration of storytelling, creativity, and the written word.

A Guide to the 2013 Toronto Jazz Festival

Tracey Nolan — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:45:41 +0000

The 2013 Toronto Jazz Festival features international legends and local favourites. Plus, the first night is free.

The 2013 Toronto Jazz Festival descends on the city this Friday with a huge “free for all” event. That means all of Friday’s programming at every Jazz Festival venue is, yes, completely free of charge. There will be concerts from local favourites Molly Johnson and Mary Margaret O’Hara, plus a show by Smokey Robinson and Martha Reeves, who will be launching the fest from its epicentre, Nathan Phillips Square.

Here’s a rundown of some of the shows worth checking out on Friday—and during the rest of the festival, when you’ll actually have to pay.

Scadding Court’s Swimming Pool is Now a Fishing Hole

Chris Dart — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:45:41 +0000

Each year, Scadding Court Community Centre fills its swimming pool with fish, so urban families can have a taste of the wild.

Folks who are planning on having a swim in the pool at Scadding Court Community Centre over the next few days may find themselves a little disappointed. Those who want to go fishing, however, will probably be ecstatic.

For the rest of the week, the Community Centre will be holding its annual Gone Fishin’ event, meaning its indoor pool will be an indoor fish pond. The pool has been drained, dechlorinated, and refilled with 2,000 rainbow trout, to be caught by local children and families.

Scene: The Coldest Day of the Year Bike Ride

Steve Fisher — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:00:41 +0000

Monday's "Coldest Day of the Year Ride" was neither very cold nor very long, but it was fairly well attended.

We hopped on a Bixi bike yesterday to head to City Hall for the the Bike Union-organized Coldest Day of the Year Ride—on a day when the temperature wasn’t very cold for a Canadian winter at all.

Even before we arrived, we were reveling in the fact that we wouldn’t have to “dock” the Bixi bike for hours. Bixi had arranged for a three hour amnesty from charges for members participating in the ride, so we were able to shut off the automatic 30 minute countdown we usually keep in our heads when we have a Bixi bike out. They’d also provided a limited number of bicycles free of charge to non-member participants who’d reserved a bike for the event beforehand, so the bike share company was well represented amongst the crowd when we arrived at the marshalling point behind City Hall. We spotted councillors Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27, Toronto Centre–Rosedale), Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32, Beaches-East York), and Mary Fragedakis (Ward 29, Toronto-Danforth) astride Bixi bikes; also there were Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) and Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina), who spoke briefly after Bike Union director Andrea Garcia’s opening remarks.

Addressing the crowd of about 150, Layton joked about cyclists’ need for long johns in winter (which, as we stood getting colder in the shade, we started to wish we’d worn despite the mild temperature). He also noted an interesting little bit of streetscape trivia: the north side bike lanes on our streets are usually free of snow since they receive more sun, while south side lanes are often crusted and icy. He cited this as an example of the sort of thing that the City is working to improve on as the demand for year-round cycling grows. Also making brief remarks were representatives from Bixi, promoting their ongoing Winter Warrior contest, and Toronto Police Constable Tony Vella, who spoke about the City’s efforts to keep parked cars out of bike lanes, urged cyclists to remember to wear reflective clothing, and told the crowd he was looking forward to getting on a bike for the first time in years.

As the group slowly got moving, escorted by yellow-jacketed bicycle cops onto University Avenue, there were a fair number of lunchtime gawkers, several wondering out loud what the “protest” was for. (Riders explained as they cruised by.)

It seemed like the ride was over almost as quickly as it had begun, as we coasted down to Front Street and made a slow curve to the west side entrance of the Royal York Hotel, where smiling staff were waiting with decanters and cups for complimentary hot chocolate and coffee. The number of cyclists we saw enroute, just going about their daily business, was clear evidence that plenty of Torontonians are continuing to commute by bicycle this winter—it’s not just the “fanatics” in their reflective jackets and cycling tights who are devoted to being in the saddle in all weather.

Weekend Planner: January 30–31, 2010

Emily Landau — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0000

Urban Planner is Torontoist’s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to events@torontoist.com.

The Big Bop this past weekend. Photo by Miles Storey/Torontoist.

END OF AN ERA: As we told you earlier this week, the Big Bop will be closing its purple doors for the last time this weekend. Arguably Toronto’s first major nightclub, the Bop was established in 1985 to cater to a thriving DJ scene. In 1996, it fell under the ownership of Dominic Tassielli, who divided the venue into three sections: Reverb, Kathedral, and Holy Joe’s. Even though the Entertainment District seized a monopoly on the city’s club district, the Bop stayed strong throughout the ’90s and the aughts, keeping its hold on the all-ages demographic and launching the career of local bands such as Billy Talent and Alexisonfire. This Saturday, the Bop will hold one last rave-style bash, Good to the Last Bop, featuring the spinning talents of DJs such as Garbo, Lazarus, No Left Turn, and plenty more. Don’t forget to wear something purple, and stay tuned for our coverage of this past Thursday’s huge Bop show. The Big Bop (651 Queen Street West), Saturday 9 p.m., $20.
CYCLING: According to Toronto’s historical weather averages, January 30 is statistically the coldest day of the year. Despite a lukewarm winter of rainy days and fairly mild breezes, the frigid temperatures of the past few days suggest that this year’s edition might live up to the stats. To celebrate the belated arrival of winter, the City of Toronto is sponsoring a Coldest Day of the Year Bike Ride this Saturday. Part of an initiative to promote winter cycling as a practical, efficient, and, yes, safe way to get around during these long months, the ride will focus on the recently revitalized Martin Goodman Waterfront Trail as a recommended winter cycling route. Participants will also be able to talk to experts about winter road and bicycle maintenance and enjoy complimentary hot cocoa! Starts at Grenadier Café, High Park (200 Parkside Drive), Saturday 12 p.m., FREE.
STREET CRAWL: Despite living somewhat in the shadow of its flashy southern neighbour, Dundas West (or DuWest, to the locals) is a hub for some fabulous small businesses and hidden treasures. This Saturday, the community is organizing a street crawl to make sure the whole city knows what DuWest has to offer. The crawl has plenty of terrific treats lined up for the whole family, including cake demos and samples at She Takes the Cake, live spontaneous music at The Department, a book swap at Zoots Café, a film and activity for kids at West Side Stories, an interactive art project at Beadle, live music from The Metronomes at Naco Gallery, and much more. Meet at She Takes the Cake (1600 Dundas Street West), Saturday 2:15–9 p.m., FREE.
KIDS: You probably never thought you’d be taking your kids to The Guvernment, but the time has come. Bunch is committed to organizing wacky new events that Toronto families can do together. (In the past they’ve held karaoke nights and an annual brunch salon, which Torontoist co-hosted last year.) This weekend, as part of the WinterCity Festival, Bunch will host True North, a family dance party that will turn the venue into a winter wonderland. Parents and kids will share the dance floor with waltzing polar bears, a yeti, and, perhaps oddest of all, a breakdancing Mountie. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to World Wildlife Fund, and guests will also have the chance to learn a bit about how global warming is impacting the Arctic. The Guvernment (132 Queens Quay East); Saturday 2–5 p.m.; $12/adults, $10/kids (advance), $14 (door).
THEATRE: George F. Walker is one of Canada’s most prolific and frequently produced playwrights, responsible for such national classics as Zastrozzi and Escape From Happiness. Now, taking a break from his gigs in television (he created This Is Wonderland, The Line, and the upcoming Living in Your Car), Walker is returning to the stage with his first new play in ten years. And So It Goes will begin previews at the Factory Theatre this Saturday. The play, which officially opens on February 4 and runs until February 28, stars Stratford Festival vets Martha Burns and Peter Donaldson as a struggling middle-class couple who receive some much-needed therapy in the unlikely form of Kurt Vonnegut (played by Jerry Franken). Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst Street); Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 7 p.m.; $15 (previews).
MUSIC: Klezmer music is one of the most enduring and vibrant cultural legacies of the Jewish tradition. Rife with fiddles and trumpets, the klezmer sound mimics all the nuances of human vocal expression, from laughter to tears to prayer. No one personifies the Toronto klezmer scene like the Flying Bulgars, whose unique brand of Eastern European folk music is infused with rock, salsa, and jazz. The three-time Juno-nominated band will perform its latest album, Tumbling Into Light, as the soundtrack for a multimedia concert this Sunday. Other artists contributing their respective talents to the event are filmmaker Bruce McDonald, choreographer Andrea Nunn, and musical guests Richard Underhill and John Millard. Young Centre for the Performing Arts (55 Mill Street), Sunday 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., $20–$30.