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Toronto Neighbourhood: Little Italy

November 17, 2017

Little Italy

Also referred to as College Street West, Little Italy is known for it’s superb Italian-Canadian restaurants. During the weekends the streets are buzzing with visitors and locals dining on the outdoor patios. The Italian trattorias have a casual, family-friendly vibe and they are all about good, traditional recipes cooking with fresh ingredients.

Little Italy isn’t a 100% Italian neighbourhood – while there is a strong Italian community there is also a significant Portuguese population located around the Portugal Village shopping centre and the First Portuguese Canadian Cultural Centre.

Must Visit Spots in Little Italy

La Forchetta Ristorante is the classic Italian dining experience, with pasta and meat dishes originating in the Old Country. Plus – they have a superb wine list to pair with your entree.
If you are into live music there are a lot of great places to check out in Little Italy, including the Mod Club or the basement of Nightowl.
Check out Cafe Diplomatico. Known as “The Dip” by locals, this coffee shop and restaurant has become an institution for caffeine fiends in Toronto. It also serves up all of the Italian classics including paninis, pizzas and more. If it looks familiar to you, it’s because filmmakers often use it as a set.
Rita’s Italian Ice serves up delicious frozen treats in a ton of different flavours – the ultimate treat for a warm day.
Check out the Italian Walk of Fame – where stars line the sidewalk with the names of famous Italian Canadians.

History

Large numbers of Italian immigrants came to Toronto in the early 20th century, settling in the area around College Street in the affordable Edwardian homes there. Most found work on the railways or in road construction and many started businesses in the area.

It was during the 1920s that Little Italy really became recognized as the commercial and residential centre of the Italian community in Toronto. These days the area is home to the largest Italian community that is located outside of Italy and it is a popular area of the city for visitors to explore.

How to Get There

It’s quite simple to get here via the TTC. You can arrive from Queens Park or start from College Station on the Yonge-University-Spadina Line. Then, from there you can catch the 506 Carlton streetcar towards High Park traveling west on College Street. You can disembark anywhere between Bathurst Street and Ossington Avenue.

You can also travel from Bathurst Station on the Bloor-Danforth Line. When you exit, catch the 511 Carlton Towards Exhibition streetcar traveling south on Bathurst Street. You can disembark at College Street West. Exploring this street on foot is a delight, give yourself plenty of time to dip into the little shops and cafes to sample what they have to offer.

What’s your favourite Little Italy spot? Let us know in the comments below.

Downtown Toronto, Family Vacations in Toronto, Fitness and Health, Lifestyle talk, Toronto Entertainment, Toronto Family Travel

Outdoor Toronto Swimming Pools To Enjoy

June 23, 2017

Pack your towel, sunscreen, a good book and your favourite swimsuit and spend the afternoon soaking up the rays and splashing around at one of these great Toronto swimming pools. They are the perfect place to chill out on a hot day.

If you are not from Canada you might find it strange that we have so many outdoor pools even though we can only use them for a portion of the year. However, it’s the long cold winters that really make Canadians appreciate and enjoy the summer months so much more.

Alex Duff Christie Pits – Toronto Swimming Pools

This swimming pool is popular with both families and young hipsters and it features a 25m pool, a kid’s pool and an enormous hot tub. Also, you can enjoy the thrill of hurling yourself down the two storey waterslide to splash into the pool below. There is also a diving board iboard in the big pool, so you can dive and cannonball again and again.

Gus Ryder Sunnyside

This 25 metre swimming pool has stunning views of the downtown toronto apartmentswaterfront and skyline. Plus, if your goal is to get in shape they offer offer Aquafit lessons, so that you can burn some calories

while you cool down. The surroundings of this lovely park include lots of sand and trees, so if you use your imagination you could almost pretend you are at a tropical resort.

Alexandra Park

This chilled out 2.7 hectare park offers more than just a swimming pool. It also has a picnic area, a ball diamond, a volleyball court, a community garden and much more. On a warm day it is often packed, so it is a great place to socialise and make new friends – or maybe even find someone cute to go out for ice cream with!

Monarch Park

Slide down the two storey wat Outdoor Swimming Pools er slide, plunge off the diving board or chill out in the wading pool – there is a lot of room to play at this great swimming pool. There is also a playground, so it is a great place to bring the kids on a sunny day. Your young ones can cool down in the wading pool without worrying about getting splashed by the bigger kids.

Greenwood Park Outdoor Pool

This is another park that is great for kids, as it has a shallow pool for little ones and a big pool for the older kids. The 35 m pool is approximately 2 m at the deep end and there is a great raised seating area where you can chill out. It is a lovely spot for a summer picnic, but you will need to bring your own lunch as there is nowhere to buy food.

These are just a few of the best outdoor Toronto swimming pools that you can enjoy this summer. Where is your favourite summer Toronto swimming spot? Let us know in the comments below.

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

A Toronto Music Lovers Guide

June 10, 2017

No matter what type of tunes you love, you’ll find great live gigs every night of the week and cool and quirky record stores you can lose yourself for hours browsing in. Here are a few of the spots Toronto Music Lovers adore:

For Toronto Music Lovers – Ric’s Recollections

This Mississauga record shop has been in business for over 20 years and it’s impressive selection makes it worth the 15 minute drive out of downtown Toronto. Ric’s has over 20,000 titles in blues, jazz, rock, country, pop, R&B and much more. You’ll also find all of the gear and accessories you need to keep your records running great such as brushes, vinyl cleaning fluid, cartridges, etc. The staff at Ric’s are serious about records – before they sell any LPs they play them to test for sound quality and meticulously clean them.

The Bovine Sex Club

This joint on Queen Street West is the ideal place for Toronto Music Lovers to catch some live and local music. It has been one of the “it” spots on the scene since it opened in 1991 and the music showcased there is a mix of retro 80s, cutting edge rock, metal, glam, punk and Britpop. Countless bands who have performed here over the years have gone on to achieve international success, such as Monster Truck and Alexisonfire. You can check out the Open Mic on Mondays, where you just might see up and coming artists trying out some of their new stuff.

Rock n’ Horse Saloon

If you love to stamp your feet to country music, you’ll have a blast at the Rock n’ Horse Saloon. Located in the Entertainment District, it is known for welcoming hospitality, down home country cookin, line dancing lessons, an ornery mechanical bull and parties where you can kick up your heels all night long.

Rotate This

This Queen Street West record shop features one of the best selections for new hot tunes in the city. There is a focus on indie rock and pop, but you will find a little bit of everything. It is also a great place to buy tickets to cool indie shows around the city. The staff are friendly and music savvy, so if you ask them they can probably recommend something you will love.

The Danforth Music Hall

One of the best things about seeing a performance at the legendary 1,400 seat Danforth Music Hall is that the floor has a slight incline. That means that there isn’t a bad seat in the house and everyone gets a great view of the band. This beautiful music hall is one of the oldest live music venues in Toronto and it is a classic place to see a show.

What are your favourite music spots in Toronto? Let us know in the comments!

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Toronto’s Best Breweries

May 4, 2017

Life is too short to drink bad beer. Fortunately, there are several breweries in Toronto that have dedicated themselves to the art of crafting the perfect pint of suds. The craft beer scene in Toronto is thriving and these creative and hardworking brewers really take their beers seriously. Here are some of Toronto’s best breweries to sample some of the delicious local brews.

Left Field Brewery

This baseball-themed brewery knocked it out of the park at the Canadian Brewery Awards. They took home the gold for “Wrigley” – a refreshing North American style pale ale. Any of the beers in their line-up are sure not to strike out, so give them a try. If you are feeling adventurous and like dark and sweet beers – try the marshmallow mocha stout called “Sweet Jesus.”

Amsterdam Brewhouse

This is the oldest craft brewery in Toronto – it was established as a brew pub way back in 1986. Sit back in one of the comfortable Adirondack chairs and sip on the Barrel Aged Double Tempest, the Boneshaker IPA or the 3 Speed Session Lager. The food menu is also pretty great and pairs well with the beer, with yummy snacks such as mac & cheese croquettes, Amsterdam pretzels and sweet potato fries.

Toronto’s Best Breweries : Mill Street Brew Pub

This is another one of the city’s original craft brewers and it offers a great selection of 15 beers on tap, from seasonal brews to signature ales. They also offer traditional German Bierschnaps (the first time a Canadian microbrewery has attempted them), so why not give

them a try? They are a beer based spirit distilled in the only copper pot still in North America.

Granite Brewery

This family owned brewery is a local favourite and they have been around for over two decades. They make English style ales in small batches and they have won a lot of awards for their creations. Their cask ale Hopping Mad has been highly acclaimed at the Golden Tap Awards for the past three years.

Steam Whistle Brewery

Steam Whistle are gold medal winners at the Canadian Brewing awards and once you taste their delicious ales you will understand why. They have a sampling bar where you can take free sips of all of the different types of beers and find your favourite. You can also take a 30-minute tour of the facilities to see how the beer is made, then finish the tour with a cold bottle.

Get Well Brewery

Not only does this cool hangout have excellent craft beers, it also has pinball machines, retro 80s style arcade games and a very chilled out vibe. If you like Pale Ale, try the hoppy Pineball Wizard. Or, check out their currently nano-brew, which is always changing.

These are just a few of Toronto’s best breweries to start a local crawl of Toronto. And why not check out some of our picks for restaurants for groups! Enjoy responsibly and have fun!

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DelSuites Offers Digital Home Services

April 19, 2017

Digital Home Services

These days it is more important than ever to be connected wherever you are staying, as the internet is such an integral part of our daily lives. Digital home services are important and according to a report in the New York Times, free Wi-Fi is increasingly present on the list of traveller’s must haves. Gone are the days of paid Wi-Fi. Any savvy traveler knows that Wi-Fi should be unlimited and free as a baseline feature.

DelSuites has always seen the importance of this and have provided great services in the past but now we are offering digital home services bundles that provide guests with digital utilities such as internet, cable and telephone bundles. These digital home services features continue to improve the quality of the guest experience when staying at DelSuites – making these furnished apartment rentals one of the most convenient and comfortable options for staying in the city of Toronto.

Stay Connected to the World with Digital Home Services

Guests at DelSuites will enjoy the convenience of unlimited wireless high speed internet, keeping them up to date with emails, news, social media, videos and more. For those who are visiting on business this is a necessity, allowing them to do the work they need to do during their stay. In the case of vacationers, wireless internet is still crucial, as they want to be able to communicate with family and friends, update social media, research things to do in the area, read reviews of local restaurants and attractions, book tickets and much more.

Guests will also be able to take advantage of free local or long distance calling to any number within North America, excluding Alaska, Hawaii, Yukon, Puerto Rico, Nunavut, the Bruce Peninsula and Northwest Territories. When it comes to international calling rates, the prices are competitive with no additional administration costs. This means that visitors travelling from overseas will find it easy to stay in touch with their friends and families back home for an affordable rate – no matter where they are from.

Entertainment at Your Fingertips

Our Premium digital package will keep guests entertained as it features premium HD television with close to one hundred channels and includes HBO and many premium movie channels. Guests will be able to directly order specialty sports and language packages using their credit card, without any additional administration costs. As well, guests with Netflix accounts can catch up on their favourite shows! If guests require technical assistance with any aspect of their digital bundle, they will have direct access to tech support from the comfort of their suite.

These new digital home services bundles are just one of the many ways DelSuites goes above and beyond to make sure that their guests are happy and well taken care of. For more information about the digital home services or any other aspect of the furnished apartment rentals in Toronto, please contact DelSuites at info@delsuites.com

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