Taste of Little Italy

I went down to the Taste of Little Italy on Saturday. My friend, Gabe, called me and invited me down. He and a few of his foodie friends had planned on going.

The Taste of Little Italy is one of the many annual summer events here in Toronto. This one was held on College Street in between Bathurst and Ossington streets. Many vendors set up tables selling all sort of things; the most popular being a vast selection of delicious food.

I met Gabe and Emily at Eglinton subway station. They live further north along Yonge. We planned on taking the subway down to College and getting off and taking the streetcar east to Bathurst. Perhaps that wasn't the best move.

When we got out of the subway and onto street level we were greeted by a huge crowd also waiting for the streetcar. As time passed the crowd grew and grew. Finally one streetcar came along and people clamoured on. Unfortunately there wasn't enough room for us. We had to wait a bit longer for the next one.

Peter and his niece and her boyfriend were already down there. We met them along College Street. As soon as we met his niece and her boyfriend they had to leave. So it was just Peter, Gabe, Emily and I. Justin was looking for a place to park and Edna and Martin were on their way.

Our first stop was The Fish Store. Emily and Gabe really like the Sea Bass sandwiches they serve there so that's what we all had. Peter had already gone there earlier and had one.

By the time our sandwiches arrived so did Justin. Edna came a short time later followed by Martin. We finished our food together then walked around.

I have to say, the place was packed. You could barely move. Especially around all the food stalls. If you don't like tight spaces this probably isn't the place for you.

We ambled around sampling other food items and the such. There were some musicians along the street providing entertainment and an area with some games and simple carnival rides.

The weather was pretty much perfect out so it was a great way to spend the evening just walking around enjoying the sights and sounds and filling your belly.

My Toronto - Beaches International Jazz Festival

I went down to the Beaches International Jazz Festival this past Friday with Vince's cousin Fiona. She's here visiting from Australia. Originally she had planned to stay for a couple of years, but finding a job is proving more difficult than she anticipated. So, she's going to cut her losses and do a quick tour of our lovely country then return home.

Anyway, my favorite part of the Jazz Festival is when the bands play on the street. This year they closed off a 2-kilometre stretch of Queen Street heading east from Woodbine Avenue. Along the route they had 50 bands scheduled to play. Though the Festival was just over a week long the Street Festival was just three evenings, Thursday through Saturday. As well, they had all different sorts of music, not just jazz. There was Latin, big band and soul among others.

We arrived early to find parking on Coxwell Avenue, just north of Lake Shore Boulevard (East). On weekdays you can park free after 6:00 p.m. The Street Festival didn't start until 7:00 so we walked along the boardwalk at the Beaches to kill some time. It was quite hot and humid out I have to say. I thought it was a bit uncomfortable, but Fiona, being from Melbourne, seemed to think it was fine.

At 7:00 we headed up to Queen and Woodbine and started walking east. A few bands had started playing, but others were still setting up. I suppose that's normal. Nobody every really starts on time. Especially since it ran until 11:00 p.m. There would be plenty of time to perform.

As time passed the bands were in full swing. Along the way there were also a bunch of vendors from nearby restaurants selling food from their stalls. You could get anything from pulled pork and chicken Souvlaki to roasted corn-on-the-cob and Thai food. Trust me, you'd never go hungry there.

It became a lot busier as more and more people came down to enjoy the music, food and festivities. Normally the organizers say they expect anywhere up to a million people over the 3-day street festival.

Not long after we hit the end at Beech Avenue we got a call from Fiona's sister's friend, Derricka, who is also visiting from Australia. They had arranged to meet up with us earlier in the day. We met her and her boyfriend, Shane (from Mississauga), and his friend, Mark, for a drink at a pub called Lion on the Beach (right by Lick's Homeburgers & Ice Cream).

We spent a bit of time there chatting and listening to music before I had to take Fiona back to Vince's parents' place. They don't like her to stay out too late because they're concerned about her safety.

All-in-all it was a really fun evening. I know I enjoyed myself. I'll try to make it back next year if I'm available. Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate again. This year it only rained one of the three nights the Street Festival was on. Two out of three ain't bad.