Category Archives: things to do

GIANT PANDAS coming to the Toronto Zoo this May.

Posted on April 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

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With summer around the corner, I’ve been trying to convince my wife that we should take a family trip to the Toronto Zoo. Our oldest daughter Amina is 21 months old which is old enough to enjoy looking at the animals from her picture books. Last year we went to African Lion Safari when she was under one but at the time she didn’t really understand what was going on.  It’ll be interesting to see what her reactions to real live animals will be like this time.

Toronto-Zoo_canadian_design

This summer the Toronto Zoo has an exhibit featuring two new Pandas: Er Shun and Da Mao and their exhibit opens May 18. Did you know that Pandas are carnivores?  Most people think they only eat Bamboo, but their diet consists of 90% bamboo and 10% other food items including meat like birds and rodents. These two pandas won’t be short on bamboo since FedEx is delivering 600-900 kilograms from the Memphis Zoo in the United States two to three times per week, to keep them well fed.  Pandas are very picky eaters. They will take a stalk of bamboo, smell it, and decide if they like it or not. If it doesn’t appeal to them, they will just toss it. I bet Amina wishes she could do that when we feed her blended Broccoli.

The pandas are only 1 of 500 species and there are over 5000 animals at the Toronto Zoo, being one of the biggest zoos in the world. We are pretty lucky to have it right in our backyard given that Pandas are an endangered species.    To find out more about the Toronto Zoo and its pandas check out this link.

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Posted in Environment, things to do, Toronto

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A Toronto landmark takes a break – Ontario Place shutting down until 2017.

Posted on February 9, 2012 | 2 Comments

Toronto - Ontario Place

Ontario Place is temporarily closing until its expected revitalization in 2017.  Some areas of Ontario Place will be ready for the 2015 Pan Am Games, and privately run attractions (Atlantis, the Molson Amphitheatre and marina) will remain open throughout the redevelopment.  Ontario Place was opened on Victoria Day in 1971 and was welcomed as a ‘beacon of the future’, an achievement which represented Ontario’s richness and untouched potential. Four decades ago, newspapers acclaimed the ‘futuristic playground’ made into Lake Ontario on manmade islands and creative pods.  Its closure and revitalization is due to its inability to make a profit since its opening year when 2.5 million people visited the attraction.  Last year,  Ontario Place saw about 1 million visitors and half that number only walk through it to get to the Molson Amphitheatre.

My wife and I enjoyed the attraction in 2010 and we had quite an adventure that saw a bag I was carrying with food and my glasses drop into the propeller of a bumper boat. The food was lost, the glasses got scratched and the boat’s motor started releasing smoke … good times. I’m  looking forward to going back in 2017 when Ontario Place becomes a futuristic Toronto attraction again.

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Posted in Lifestyle, things to do, Toronto, Tourism

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Construction underway for 2015 Toronto Pan AM games

Athletes Village Toronto Pan AM games

After some inactivity due to the birth of our baby and some crazy times at work, I’m back in the blogosphere! I recently spent a great weekend with a group of bloggers I took down to the Detroit auto show and their enthusiasm and dedication shamed me into reviving my own blog.  So here we go:

Infrastructure Ontario and Waterfront Toronto announced today that they have signed a $514 million  contract for the development of the Athletes’ Village during the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games. The village is set to be built on the West Don Lands — an area triangulated by  the Port Lands, Corktown and the southern terminus of the Don Valley Parkway.

The project is expected to create and support 5,200 jobs, including employment of approximately 700 workers on the construction site.

I’m excited by any activity that brings more visibility to Toronto within the international community and cultivates Tourism. What do you think?

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Posted on January 13, 2012 in blog, Events, Lifestyle, things to do, Toronto, Tourism

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CN Tower Edgewalk – For Toronto Thrill seekers

Posted on June 28, 2011 | 3 Comments

Do you love bungie jumping, skydiving and other crazy things that I would not go near even if someone paid me 1000 bucks?  If so the CN Tower Edgewalk  might be a cool way to get thrills this summer.  For 175$ starting in August, you’ll be able to circle around the CN tower without a guard rail to protect you while you walk on a see through ledge.

On a side note: When I was in Montreal the joke was that the CN was a towering symbol of Torontonians trying to compensate for their deficiencies. The CN tower was the tallest free standing structure from 1976 until 2010, but then the insecurities of Dubai and China manifested themselves in the form of Burj Khalifa and the Canton tower knocking the CN tower off it’s perch.

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Posted in blog, things to do, Toronto, Tourism