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Community Events, Downtown Toronto, Entertainment, Family Vacations in Toronto, Lifestyle talk

Things to Do in Toronto At Christmas

December 21, 2016

Toronto at Christmas is a very merry place to be during the winter holidays.

If you are planning to spend Christmas in Toronto – you’re in luck. You’ll be surrounded by plenty of holiday cheer and there will be no shortage of joyous events and seasonal activities to get you in a festive mood. Here are some of the best things to do in Toronto at Christmas time.

The Toronto Christmas Market

Inspired by the Christmas markets in Germany in the 1400s, the Toronto Christmas Market creates the ideal festive atmosphere with craft maker stalls, mulled wine, street food, dancers, brass bands and carollers. Set within the Victorian-era cobblestone streets of the Distillery Historic District, this annual event is a great opportunity to shop for hand-made treasures and get in the Christmas spirit. Tomorrow is the last day so make sure you hurry there and visit!

Christmas at Casa Loma

Casa Loma is a unique architectural wonder. Built over three years between 1911 and 1914, it was constructed in the style of a Gothic castle, complete with battlements, secret passageways and over 98 incredibly ornate rooms. Visit between December 1^st and January 8^th to see the castle decked out in its Christmas finest, with several stunning sparkling trees throughout the castle decorated by celebrity designers. Visitors can go on a scavenger hunt through the historic castle, listen to carollers and enjoy sitting down with Santa.

Public Skating Rinks

Skating on one of the public rinks in Toronto is an essential Christmas experience, so lace up your skates and go for a spin. There are three public rinks in Toronto available for skating – the Evergreen Brick Works, The Natrel Rink at Harbourfront Centre and Nathan Phillips Square. The Nathan Phillips Square might be the most iconic rink, underneath the beautifully lit arches, but the Natrel Rink has a DJ spinning live tunes on a Saturday night.

The holiday season is one big long party in Toronto and there are so many great activities and events to enjoy. Pack a warm coat, a toque and a scarf and bundle up for a great holiday season in this lively Canadian metropolis.

Downtown Toronto, Entertainment, Events, Family Vacations in Toronto, Lifestyle talk

Visiting Toronto in Winter

November 28, 2016

Visiting Toronto in winter might send a shiver down your spine, but as long as you bundle up there are a lot of things to enjoy in this chilly city during the winter months. Plus, there will be fewer tourists, flights and accommodation will be less expensive. You may even have the opportunity to get to know the locals. Here are some of the reasons visiting Toronto in winter can be enjoyable.

There’s Always Somewhere to Skate when Visiting Toronto in Winter

Toronto has approximately 50 skating rinks run by the city, which means that no matter where you are you can always find somewhere to strap on your skates and glide gracefully across the ice (or crash awkwardly into the boards). Check out the rink at Nathan Phillips Square, the Colonel Samuel Smith Park skateway in Etobicoke or the covered rink at Greenwood Park.

You Can Feast at Winterlicious

When you have worked up an appetite with all of that skating, you can warm up inside and enjoy the fantastic culinary scene that Toronto has to offer. Winterlicious will run in the last week of January for two weeks and during this time many restaurants throughout the city offer a menu of discount fixed price dinners. Each menu showcases starters, entrees and desserts and features the specialties of the restaurant. The 2017 event will take place from January 27th to February 9th and more than 200 restaurants will be taking part.

You Can Warm Up Inside a Museum

When the weather outside is chilly, you can stay warm within some of Toronto’s fantastic museums and art galleries. The Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario are the big names, but there are also many others to explore including the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, the Ontario Science Centre and the Bata Shoe Museum.

You Can Do Some Underground Shopping

Want to be able to shop until you drop without having to brave the freezing temperatures? The underground PATH system has 19 miles of retail shops and restaurants, making it the largest underground shopping complex in the world. You can spend all day shopping, eating and exploring without ever having to venture outside.

Hockey Season will Be in Full Swing

Cheering along with the roaring crowd at a Toronto Maple Leafs game is an essential Canadian experience to have during your visit to this great city. Winter is the best time to do this, as you will be visiting right in the middle of the hockey season. If you want to learn more about the sport before the game, you can visit the Hockey Hall of Fame and learn the stories of the best players in the NHL.

These are just a few of the many reasons why visiting Toronto in winter is great, even during the coldest months of the year. Wear a toque, breathe the crisp cold air, stop for regular hot chocolate breaks at Tim Hortons and enjoy!

Business Travel, Fitness and Health, Lifestyle talk

How to Relax After a Busy Day at Work

November 18, 2016

A few suggestions for recharging your batteries and how to relax after a busy day at work.

Some work days can be so exhausting that even though you were simply sitting at a desk all day, you feel like you have run a marathon. Perhaps you had to speed through some work to meet a deadline, or you had to mediate in tense and stressful meetings, or you had to do a mind-numbing task that leaves you mentally drained. If you have had a day at the office, when you come back to your home in your furnished accommodation, your priority should be to relax, recharge and rejuvenate yourself. Here are some simple tips on how to relax after a busy day.

You might be tempted just to put on some trashy reality television and zone out with a bag of potato chips, but here are a few different ideas for relaxing after a busy and draining day at work:

Create an at Home Spa

You can totally immerse yourself in a soothing spa-like environment, without having to pay the expensive prices that spas charge these days. With a few little touches you can turn your bathroom into your own private home spa. Scatter a few tea light candles around the room and turn the lights down. Burn some incense or use an oil diffuser with a relaxing scent such as lavender. Treat yourself to some luxurious bath bubbles and run the hottest, bubbliest bath ever. As you ease yourself into the hot bubbles while the candlelight flickers around you, you’ll forget about everything that was stressing you out.

Take a Walk

Walking is a great way to relieve stress and help you feel more calm. The physical exercise will release endorphins in your brain which will improve your mood. Plus, the fresh air and sunlight will also benefit your mood and overall well-being. Look for a nearby park in Toronto or nature trail and go out exploring. It doesn’t matter if you walk with a friend or a four legged friend or just by yourself – you’ll benefit either way and will help you relax after a busy day.

Work On a Creative Hobby

Many people find that having a creative hobby that they enjoy really helps them to relax and recharge when they come home from a stressful day at work. It allows them to turn off their analytical left brain and use their creative right brain for a while. Often being immersed in the act of creating something can put you in a calm “flow state” and allow you to forget about everything else for a while. Your creative hobby can be anything you are interested in, whether it is knitting, painting, wood working, jewellery making, drawing or anything else.

Watch Something that Makes You Laugh

Another great way to unwind after a busy day at work is to put on a funny movie or TV show or watch videos of your favourite comedian. Researchers at the University of Maryland in the USA have linked laughter to healthier blood vessels, reduced stress, higher anti-body production and a stronger immune system.

These are just a few ideas for relaxing after a busy day on the job – what’s your favourite way to relax after a busy day?

Business Travel, Entertainment, Lifestyle talk, Relocation, Vacation Travel

Enjoy Your Destination on Business Travel

October 18, 2016

So you’re visiting a really cool city – but the reason why you are there is for business travel; to attend an important conference, business meeting or complete a work project. You’d love to visit this city on a vacation, but this time your visit is professional… which means that you won’t get a chance to enjoy it. Or will you?

When you are visiting a destination for business travel it is possible to be a tourist as well, it simply takes a little bit of planning ahead and creative thinking. If you do it right you can enjoy a visit that encompasses both business and pleasure.

Here are some tips for squeezing a little vacation into your next business trip:

During lunch breaks and after meetings, instead of eating the food at the conference take the time to hit up some of the local restaurants that get the best reviews and see what they have to offer. You can get a chance to taste the cuisine of the area, which is one of the best parts of business travel.
Bring along a travel daypack with you so that you can take it with you when exploring the city.
See if you have any friends or family living in the city you are visiting. You could possibly arrange to meet them in between business activities and let them show you around the city.
See if you can book your trip with a couple of extra days so that you have more time to explore. For example, if you are attending a conference from Monday to Friday, book your flights so that you return on Sunday so you have the weekend to sightsee. (If your business trip is being covered by your company you might have to pay for the extra two nights yourself.)
Most destinations will have walking tours of the city for free or a for a small fee. This is a great way to walk around the city and learn about the history and culture of the area.
If you are in a major cultural hub such as New York, Toronto or London, consider taking the opportunity to go to a performance. You can find a huge selection of plays, musicals, operas, concerts and other experiences. Since the evenings are usually when you have time to spare when travelling for business, this works out quite well.
Take a walk in nature at one of the lovely parks or natural areas within the city. It will help you to relax, recharge and be more focused and productive in your business dealings.
Read travel blogs written about the city you are visiting and see what they recommend.
You can also reach out on social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, and ask people to suggest things you should check out on your visit.

When it comes to having fun on a business trip, you’ll will be much more comfortable in a furnished apartment rather than a hotel. You’ll have so much more space, the convenience of amenities such as laundry and a fully equipped kitchen, so you will feel much more relaxed and recharged on your business trip. Read here to find out more details on how staying in a furnished apartment has many more advantages to staying in a hotel.

Family Vacations in Toronto, Lifestyle talk, Toronto Family Travel, Vacation Travel

Furnished Apartments for Family Travel

October 12, 2016

Travelling with kids can be tricky, which is why having the right accommodation is so important. Furnished apartments are a great solution for family travel. They offer plenty of space, a separate living room, bedrooms and dining area. You can also enjoy the amenities of the buildings which is usually included in the rates such as a swimming pool, fitness centres and a billiards room.

So why are furnished apartments so great for family travel? Here are a few of the advantages that they offer.

More Room for the Kids to Play

Any family that has tried to squeeze kids into a hotel room and ended up stepping on Legos, tripping over toys and having no room to relax will really appreciate the added space of a furnished apartment. Kids will have room to have fun and be kids, without being completely underfoot as they would be in a cramped hotel room.

The Little Ones Can Go to Bed While the Parents Stay Up

If you are in a hotel room with your little ones, it’s lights out at 8:30, because everyone has to abide by the same bedtime. However, when you have a furnished apartment with a separate bedroom you can put the kids to bed and then the adults can still stay up for a while, relax with a bottle of a wine, watch a movie and enjoy some adult conversation.

You Can Cook Your Own Meals

One of the best parts of travelling can be eating out in restaurants, but when you have kids with you this can sometimes be more trouble than it is worth. Sometimes having the option to whip up a simple, easy and healthy meal in the comfort of your accommodation for your tired and hungry little ones is a life saver.

This is especially convenient in the mornings when everyone is still tired and cranky and you want to be able to put together a few bowls of cereal without having to get dressed and leave the room. Plus, being able to cook a few of your meals will save you a lot of money on your travels.

The Extra Amenities Make Life Easier

Having your own washing machine is so much more convenient if in case your 5-year-old spills milk on himself. You can wash his shirt rather than having to rinse it out in a hotel sink and hang it to dry. High speed Wi-Fi means that you can have a Skype conversation with Grandma and Grandpa back home that doesn’t freeze every two minutes.

Having a convenient parking area makes the trip from the car with the baby carriage and all the bags so much easier. Using the gym within the building makes it very convenient to keep up your active lifestyle without having to go too far from your partner and the kids. It is all of the little amenities in your furnished apartment that add up to making it a great option for family travel. If you are visiting Toronto, be sure to check out these family fun activities!

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