Sending typed letters, postcards, or small packages of treats via snail mail is sadly going the way of the dinosaur. It’s a rare surprise to find a handwritten letter in the mailbox among the pizza menus and flyers for the local gym. When it comes to mail art, the extra time and effort in composing the work is far more rewarding than attaching a .jpg and pressing send. For the receiver, opening a mailed masterpiece......

It's NXNE Eve! One last chance to get a decent sleep before you find yourself staggering home at 4 a.m. for three nights in a row. Before we get to our picks, there are a couple of special Friday happenings that we feel the need to tell you about. First off is the East MEATS West BBQ happening at Global Village Backpackers (460 King St. W.) from 1–7 p.m. Presented by Kelp Records, Saved By......

The 1960s and 1970s saw family dining restaurant chains explode across North America. Chains such as Steak n' Burger took staples of diners and greasy spoons and used cleanliness, low prices and conformity to draw in hungry families. You have all the components of the old-school low-end steak dinner: a bowl of iceberg lettuce with no fresh-ground pepper or sun-dried tomato vinaigrette in sight, a baked potato with a huge pat of butter; a......

Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann courtesy of the TSO. If you’re turned off at the idea of classical music concerts because they seem like an activity for the high society rich, think again. There are plenty of ways to enjoy Toronto’s healthy classical music scene on the cheap or for free. Toronto Symphony Orchestra In an effort to infuse some young blood into its increasingly grey-haired audience demographic, the TSO offers $12 concert tickets to......

If, as the saying goes, every picture is worth 1000 words, then Matt O'Sullivan's must be worth 10,000. Many photographers aim to capture our city and it's wealth of stories, but it can be argued that nobody portrays these stories better than Matt. Since 2004, O'Sullivan has been documenting slices of Toronto life on his website, The Narrative, connecting you to subjects most people don't ever take a second glance at. Matt seems to......

If, as Geoffrey James claimed, Toronto is a "jolie laide" (a pretty, ugly woman), then we've got a photo exhibit that might just epitomize our city. As part of a year-long photography showcase with new artists each month, the photos of our own Carrie Musgrave and blogTO's Jerrold Litwinenko are being featured in an exhibit called Pretty/Ugly. The whole idea, as the two explain it, is to "get people to see beauty in the mundane......

John Marriott's whimsical Easy to Assemble is at the TO Sculpture Garden (115 King St. E.) until September 15.......

At first glance Pride is all about the dancing and the parties and the parades. Au contraire Torontoist readers, Pride is also about events like this reading at Art Metropole tonight. The Toronto Women's Bookstore has invited half-a-dozen great queer writers to read at Get Your Lit Out! Readers include funny gal Mariko Tamaki, poet Zoe Whittall, Sandra Alland and others. The event is tonight at Art Metropole (788 King St. W), 7pm. Photo: Zoe......

Torontoist was recently invited to take a peek inside at the soon-to-be-opened Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, better known as Toronto's opera house. Being one of the most highly anticipated buildings in Toronto history, we have to say we were more than a little curious to a look inside. The "city room space", or lobby, is well named. The open concept interior has the feeling of transparency, made mostly of steel, wood......

The Contact Photo festival is always a little bit overwhelming and we're always glad that the events span the entire month of May. That being said after a couple of hours perusing the 128-page guide there are a few shows we're looking forward to. 1) Stephen Waddell and Stephen Gill at the St. Andrew Subway Station The two Stephens explore everyday moments of urban life. Waddell, a Canadian transplanted to Germany, looks at the phenomenon......

Bluffer's Park dumpers, you're on notice. The Star reports that there's evidence on who has been dumping huge amounts of garbage at Scarborough's Bluffer's Park and the city is keeping an eye on it. Two bodies have been found in North York in the last two days. Police say bodies are often found in the spring thaw. This fact totally creeps out Torontoist. A 17-year old was shot in the foot during his sister's birthday......

It's easy to see why European cities love green roofs. They help manage rainwater runoff, insulate buildings, provide oxygen and greenspace for birds and other migratory species. So it's good to see the city of Toronto playing catch up by passing a green roof policy last week. City Hall's already got one (pictured) and so do a few other buildings around town (the MEC store on King St. is another) but Torontoist is a little......

The KNOWdresscode Design Collective (KDC) presents “Virgin Territory,” a fashion show celebrating fresh hot local designer talent. In conjunction with Toronto’s Alternative Fashion Week, the show will take place on Thursday, September 29, at Touch Lounge (499 King St. West). Founded in 2004 by Niamh McManus, Cat Essiambre and Irene Stickney, the KDC is a group comprised of 15 up-and-coming designers – who get their inspiration from Karl Lagerfeld – are all about creativity......

When newmindspace put out a call for folks to come down to Kensington Market for a game of Capture the Flag, Kevin Bracken, one half of the heart of the operation, printed off 55 maps for participants. He thought he had overestimated how many people would show up, but figured he'd play it safe. To what was likely a combination of shock, delight, and ultimately being overwhelmed, 100 people came to play. This time......

T.J. Dawe all sold out? Too hot to brave the notoriously AC-free Glen Morris? Or maybe you just have a peckish hour to kill between shows? If your Fringing is confined to the central axis of Bloor and Brunswick (the Tranzac, aka Fringe HQ; Poor Alex; Royal St. George’s; and several BYOVs), it’s impossible to walk three feet without falling mouth first into good eats, but patrons of slightly farther flung venues might occasionally feel......

Don't you dare walk out that door! At least until you check to see if a bike is coming along side your car. That's right; the collision that occurs between a driver or passenger's open car door and a moving cyclist (called a "door prize") is the number one cause of car-bike collisions in the downtown core. This contributes to an already turbulent relationship between the city's cyclists and motorists, as the cyclist will either......

Supporting Ernestine's Women's Shelter & Nellie's Shelter for Women! Starring: Jason McCoy, Kirsten Jones, and introducing Lindy. April 11, 2005, 5-7 pm Indian Motorcycle Café (355 King St. West, 3rd floor) $30 admission, or 5 pair of new panties (or kid's underwear). Click on logo and change daily!......

At last October's Run For Cure, Torontoist couldn't help but notice more than 100 per cent of women had a coloured stripe across their bums. Even women not participating in Breast Cancer fundraising run were wearing the black pant avec stripe-across-the-cheeks garment. Upon further inspection, Torontoist found that some of these female runners did not appreciate us inspecting their bums. Upon even further inspection, the athletic wear-slash-uniform turned out to be from the heavily popular......