So I have to admit, before this year, I had never heard of the Taste of Lawrence. Didn't know what to expect.

So this year, I was checking out pulse24.com and came across some information about it. I kinda wasn't in the mood to venture downtown too much. It was a sunday, it was hot... something that was easy to get to and not too far was what I was thinking, so I thought I would check it out.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. 


Some of the many food vendors
It's not a big festival by any means. Just spanning the distance from Warden and Lawrence to Birchmount and Lawrence. What a liked about it though was it was fairly low key and there was a lot of interesting stuff going on there. Now I have passed by that area before and there are tons of small food shops, some of which look a bit sketchy, some I barely notice or  have no clue what they are. However, here all the shops came out offering their food and I have to saw, wow there’s a lot of delicious stuff out there. All flavours too! There was Chinese food, Malaysian, Halal, Caribbean, Thai, you name it.


There were also tons of stands selling jewelry and small goods for cheap. I got a necklace for $3! They also had rides and games for the kids and rock climbing.

Oka performing


However, the part I liked best were the performances.

I was a bit disappointed I missed the Bollywood dancers, however I got there just in time to see Oka perform. They are an Austrailian band performing across Canada right now. And they were absolutely amazing. I don’t know how to describe them expect for a new age jazz.


So while Taste of Lawrence isnt something to dedicate a weekend too, you should definitely pass by and check it out. All in all a good time!
Well its that time of year again... it's Indy time in Toronto! If you're looking for the following: watching fast cars, beers, freebies and more of watching fast cars... this is the place to be.

This year they are doing something a bit different. On Friday, they are offering FREE admission. No this is not a typo... FREE. I mean sure it's just the practice races, but still! If you're looking for something to do on a Friday on a budget, its worth checking out.

If you don't get a chance to go Friday, you can still get tickets for Saturday and Sunday (for a cost of course :-) ).

Also, this year Paul Tracy is racing for a really good cause - Make-a-Wish Canada. I'm cheering for Paul... Go Paul Go!!!

For more information, you can check out the Hondy Indy Web Site:
http://www.hondaindytoronto.com/

Now off to the races...
I just had the amazing experience of spending this Canada Day in Ottawa. What an experience!

I got to say, they know how to celebrate.

We got there on Canada day itself, let me tell you if you plan on going book in advance! We tried finding something a couple days before and everything was sold out. And if it wasn’t, it was super expensive. We were lucky to find a last minute availability at the Lord Eglin Hotel right downtown. I have to say, this place was amazing! Within walking distance to everything and the service was fantastic.

We woke up early to drive from Toronto to Ottawa. Took a bit longer then expected and ended up there right in the heart of the Canada Day festivities. There were some road closures because of the events (and also because Will and Kate were there).


As soon as we finally got to our hotel (which took about an hour within downtown Ottawa becuase of road closures), it was a huge sigh of relief.

We quickly rushed to get ready so we could partake in the festivities and maybe get a glimpse of Will and Kate.

Heading downtown, IT WAS PACKED! I don’t think I have ever seen so many people in on place in my life. But I have to say, it was amazing!

The energy was great! Even though it was crazy packed, everyone was in a fantastic mood!

After Will and Kate did their thing, the crowd started to clear (for what was a bit of a break to the streets and patios). And we got to hangout in front of parliament while the bagpipes were going.

There were tons of patios on Stark St. Its right down in the downtown “government” district. Some really good places!

I would also check out Rideau and Elgin if you're looking for places to go out drinking.


At night we stayed for the bands and the fireworks. They were amazing!

After that, went down to Rideau for a few drinks and the rest is history.

As we walked back to our hotel, there were TONS of workers cleaning up the streets from all the mess.
The next day, was completly quiet. Was actually really weird compared to the day before. Such a contrast. We went to a small breakfast place on Stark ($4.99, can't go wrong with that) and headed home.

All in all, a fabulous trip. See you soon Ottawa!
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