The Clothing Show
If you're a clothes horse, giddy-up and get down to the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place for The Clothing Show, a bi-annual fair for fashionistas. The show runs May 2, 3 and 4th and features runway shows, photography and fashion competitions, and of course, shopping. There are 300 booths showcasing wares and wears from independent designers, retailers and artisans from across Ontario.
Check the website for directions, fashion show times and a list of vendors.
Mother's Day Brunch Cruise
You have less than two weeks to figure out what you're going to do for mom, and let's be honest, dinner at Swiss Chalet...again, isn't gonna cut it this year. If you're going to be in Toronto for the day devoted to mom, try something new. Mariposa Cruises, the company that has been running Toronto harbour and waterfront tours since 1987, is hosting a special Mother's Day Sunday Brunch. The boat boards at 11:30 am and cruises while you and mom enjoy a traditional buffet-style brunch until 2:00 pm.
For more info and prices, or if mom's not a bacon-and-eggs lady, look into dinner and lunch cruises or charter a boat for a private party just for mom. Check out www.mariposacruises.com
Contact Photography Festival
A mix of both emerging and established photographers, Contact is a month-long photography festival featuring over 500 artists in over 200 locations around the GTA. Catch a few of the events that kick off the month on May 1, like "Parking on Personal Webcams" by Cheryl Sourkes at the Peak Gallery, a look at how the internet is making once-intimate moments quite public.
Contact's opening night is May 2 at trendy King West resto-lounge, Brassaii. The party, which runs from 7pm to midnight, will feature interactive, photographic entertainment (they're calling it a "Portrait Party") by Alex vs. Alex.
The rest of the month follows suit with shows that explore themes from aging to ballet to the festival's main theme: memories.
Ideal Coffee
Nope, that's not a witty headline, that's the name of the coffee house. Nestled in a tiny box of what was probably meant to be a house in Kensington Market, Ideal Coffee makes some of the best coffee in the city. Ideal's coffee is organic and local. The baristas use Italian coffee presses and make full bodied espressos and Americanos.
Do not expect Starbucks. The milk and sugar sit on the counter in kitchen containers and real spoons are used instead of stir sticks. Despite the decrepit furniture, shabby atmosphere and tiny space, Ideal has the ideal patio for low-key coffee drinking and people watching this spring and summer.
Ideal Coffee
84 Nassau Street
416-364-7700
Web Site
Track Meet
Once a month a bunch of friends and amateur djs spin what they call "Whorish Pop and Hip-hop" at 751, a bar at 751 Queen Street West. That music includes anything from Britney Spears to Jackson Five to Joan Jett. This Friday, Track Meet, usually confined to the basement, takes over both floors of the bar.
The crowd at Track Meet are in their 20s and early 30s, creative and ready to dance. If you're looking for energy in a relaxed atmosphere, Track Meet is a fantastic Friday night choice.
751
751 Queen West
416-703-2171
Web Site