Feb 28 – Final Day #FebruaryMonthOfLove – #VacationLove #FoodieLove

February 28, the Final Day in RiversideTO’s #FebruaryMonthOfLove daily blog series is a shout out to Falling in Love on Vacations (or even a StayCation)!  We have been sharing a daily reason to celebrate love during the month of February, with either a look back to a love event on this day in history or a shout out to a special day in 2015.  Our final Blog Post celebrates Love Excursions and Tours!!

Love history was made on February 28, 1931
Love Boat captain Gavin McLeod is born in Mount Kisco, NY.  Aaron Spelling produced this Love filled adventure show for 10 years from 1977 to 1987.  The Final Love Boat show aired on February 27, 1987 (yes, Feb 27th was yesterday..but, we couldn’t devote 2 blog posts to the Love Boat now, could we!)  Come aboard, we’re expecting you! – I know you know the words – watch the video below  and sing along.

 

Riverside has our own version of a Love Adventure Captain our own  Culinary  Captain… Chef Scott from Culinary Adventure Company!

Captain, er, I mean Chef Scott has been sailing the culinary scene in Riverside for over 3 years.  He has made many a culinary love connections with residents and tourists alike!

Discover, Travel and Dine with Canada’s “Best Rated” Culinary Adventure Company. As Canada’s largest culinary tourism company they have an award winning culinary experience to fit everyone’s palate.

The Riverside/Lesliville Tour is one of their most popular and  is an absolute must do for foodies! Savour and discover the vibrancy of a community that began as a small village back in the 1850’s and has transformed itself into one of Toronto’s hippest new neighbourhoods and the headquarters of Toronto’s film industry.

Learn about its history and culture, and how local citizens helped to shape the Toronto of today. Experience Riverside and Leslieville’s small town feel despite its close proximity to downtown Toronto.  Join a professional guide in a  walk along historic Queen Street East, meeting the shopkeepers and tasting their succulent wares. From sweet to savoury, our jovial tour guide will give you a behind the scenes take on one of the city’s best kept secrets.

See where celebrity Chef’s have hung out a shingle like Food Network’s Chef Lynn Crawford, and be regaled with local stories as we tempt your taste buds every step of the way. Tastings include Ontario wines, sustainable seafood, olive oils, organic artisan breads, home made shortbread (made with butter and love), home made ice cream and a light lunch at one of the area’s trendiest restaurants. Guaranteed to be a fun-filled and palate pleasing 3 1/2 hours! Whether you have lived in Toronto all your life or are visiting for the first time, this is one tour not to miss.  Visits Here for more info or to book a Culinary Tour with your foodie Loved one!!

 

Day 27 #FebruaryMonthOfLove International Polar Bear Day #Climate Change #Reuse #VintageFashion

Happy International Polar Bear Day – Feb 27th is the penultimate day in Riverside’s #FebruaryMonthOfLove Blog series – and the day that we show a little love and embrace climate change with a challenge to reduce your thermostats by 2 degrees to raise awareness about how our daily actions can help.  Today, we celebrate Love for our environment and making a difference!

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Join the Toronto Zoo in celebrating International Polar Bear Day (Feb. 27) by “Bundling Up for Polar Bears!”

We challenge you to bundle up in your warmest sweater, socks, and toque and turn down your thermostat by two degrees between Saturday, February 21 and Friday, February 27, 2015. This challenge aims to reduce our CO2 emissions and raise awareness about how our daily actions are contributing to climate change and impacting polar bears through the melting of the Arctic sea ice.

Did you know?

If all Canadians turned down their thermostat by just two degrees over the winter months, the amount of CO2 emissions saved would be equivalent to taking over 350,000 cars off the roads!

Today – Make Fashion History with by loving Cozy Vintage Styles from Debbie’s Vintage Vibes in Riverside

Bundle up in style with in Vintage Previously Loved Cozy Outwear and accessories  from Debbie’s Vintage Vibes -Located at 717 Queen Street East, Vintage Vibes Boutique is owned and curated by Debbie Parks – the self-proclaimed ‘Chief Treasure Hunter’. Parks was raised by a British mother who trained her up in the ways of vintage shopping, and she leaned on those lessons when she moved to NYC years later. Surviving in style with great vintage finds, Parks eventually settled in Toronto and decided to recreate the same experience here.

When you walk in Debbie will greet you and provide a quick tour around the store, which houses vintage furniture, clothing, jewelry, and accessories. Everything is VERY reasonably priced and the selection is constantly changing.  Debbie has created a store where people could find affordable, good quality, and one-of-a-kind pieces.  She is featuring this Cozy Fashion Outwear now!  – Visit her soon, it’s a one of a kind, and will be gone soon!

 

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Stay in touch with Debbie everyday – not just International Polar Bear Day – Follow Vintage Vibes Boutique on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook – and be sure to stop by the store at 717 Queen Street East from Thursday-Sunday, 12pm-6pm! 

 

Check back tomorrow for Day 28 – Riverside’s Final Love Blog!

Day 26 #FebruaryMonthOfLove – Love of Iconic FABRICS – #Denim #macFAB

Welcome to Day 26 in the Riverside Month of Love Blog Series.  There are only 2 more days/blogs  after this one.  The regular readers know the drill – even though it’s CRAZY cold out there in February, there is plenty to Love about this Month – so curl up in a blanket,  grab your loved one and enjoy.  For our daily blog – we have been looking look back in history to events we love to love and see what it means for us today.

Looking for some love inspiration in History on this day in 1829 – we have some Denim/Fabric Love, because this is the day that…..

Levi Strauss was born!!  Levi was a GermanAmerican businessman  who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. Yup, he’s our guy who made Denim History! His firm, Levi Strauss & Co., began in 1853 and is still going strong!  He created an enduring fashion icon from that much loved fabric Denim! We have loved this for over 150 years!  WOW.  Thanks Levi

 

In 2015, Riverside  has our own Fabric Icon – macFAB.  macFAB has 2 locations on in Riverside.  Their macFAB Sews store is at 734 Queen St East and the macFAB workroom is at 763 Queen St E.  The workroom is where the magic happens, and all their hand-crafted, designed right here in Riverside are created.  macFAB has been around for over 60 years, and has just expanded to mid-town Toronto – they will be opening a location at 1685 Bayview Ave, South of Eglinton in March 2015.  Don’t worry Loyal East End customers –  Dale Sonier and his team are still serving you in Riverside!  Visit macFAB at their Riverside and Bayview Locations – browse through their massive selection of fabrics, wallpaper, drapes, bedding, headboards and slip covers.  Ask them about custom furniture and more – they have a great selection of cozy blankets for you to curl up with your loved one!

Dale Sonier, Owner of macFAB making his video

Dale Sonier, Owner of macFAB making his video in macFAB Home Store (watch for the Opening of his new store soon.

 

 

 

Salute to denim – MACFAB

Day25 #FebruaryMonthOfLove – PanAm Games in History #WeLoveTheWorld

Thanks to everyone who has been checking our daily #FebruaryMonthOfLove Blog.  During this month of record-breaking cold temperatures, the Riverside BIA has been giving you a daily reason to snuggle up with someone you love and celebrate our love for someone, something, someplace or whatever.  To inspire our Love – we have taken our inspiration from moments in history and special events from present times. Today, we look back in time to 64 years ago for some PanAm Love of the World!!

On this day in 1951 The first Pan American Games are held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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The Pan American Games are the world’s third largest international multi-sport Games; they are only surpassed in size by the Olympic Summer Games and the Asian Games.

Both the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games are held every four years for athletes of the 41 PASO (Pan American Sports Organization) member nations, each taking place the year before the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.

In the summer of 2015, 61 years after the inaugural PanAm Games, the City of Toronto  will Welcome the World as the Host City for the 2015 Games.

Toronto will welcome 10,000+ athletes, coaches and officials, along with roughly 250,000 sport spectators – united together to watch the Games, cheer on the athletes and be part of the Pan Am/Parapan Am experience.  The Village that hosts the 10,000+ athletes, coaches and officials is right at Riverside’s doorstep – across the Riverside Bridge.  This development is world class, and will be a lasting legacy in our community.  It was officially completed 5 days ago – February 20th – an impressive  5 months ahead of schedule, Below are some comments about the opening.

“The Villages’ facilities, including the award-winning Corktown Commons Park, are outstanding and I have full confidence that the space will be a true home away from home for all the athletes competing in Canada this summer,”  says Chef de Mission for the Pan Am Team Curt Harnettt.

The Game’s village is a symbol of the different people and cultures coming together to share and celebrate sport, said Saad Rafi, CEO of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee. “(It’s) a powerful reminder that this historic event is just around the corner. When the Games are over, we’ll have a vibrant, new waterfront neighbourhood, one with an already proud history and positive energy.”

The Canary District where the Athletes’ Village is now located was forgotten land, said Mayor John Tory.

“(It will be) a significant city-building legacy of the Games,” Tory said. “This new mixed income, transit friendly neighbourhood is a strong example of private-public partnership at its best.”

Along with parks and facilities the area will have 253 affordable rental units after the Games.

With this development happening  beside the Riverside BIA Westerly Gateway, for the past 3 years, the Riverside BIA has been getting ready to welcome the world.  We launch our welcoming  in June with our annual Riverside Eats & Beats StreetFEST !  This year we have an IgniteTO 2015 theme – celebrating the culture, heritage and food of the countries of the Americas.  The  BIA streetscape will be animated from June – September  to celebrate the Games and the countries of the participating athletes.   Stay tuned for details – we are busy planning all the activities now.

On June 5th, 2015 the night before  Eats & Beats StreetFEST there will be a special Bridge Lighting Launch Ceremony.  For the past 3 years, the Riverside BIA has been leading a $500,000+ Capital Installation and Riverside Gateway / Bridge Lighting Project.    Together with the City of Toronto, with funding help from several Corporate Sponsors including:Streetcar Developments Inc., Hullmark Developments , HarHay Developments, Ashlar Urban Realty, Bank of Montreal Queen/Broadview Branch and Il Ponte Cucina Italiana Restaurant we have created a lasting legacy and a Beacon for Toronto’s East End.  This project is so involved – we can’t include it in just one blog post –  visit here to get the details of the BIA Gateway and Riverside Bridge Lighting Project.

Today, the 25th Day of February Love, please celebrate Love of the World and a shout out to the opening ceremonies of the first ever  PanAm Games, on this day, 61 years ago!

Riverside Bridge Lighting

Artist Rendering of Riveride Bridge – White Lights. On special occasions, the dynamic lighting will be in symbolic colors.

 

Stay tuned for Day 26 in #FebruaryMonthOfLove

 

Day24 #FebruaryMonthOfLove – Love of Small Businesses and more #CoWorkingTorontoDay

Day 24 in our #FebruaryMonth of Love series has our 24th Love Celebration Post recognizing the concept of “Co-Working”, which supports entrepreneurs, small businesses, independents and all the wonderful members of the Riverside BIA and beyond.

On this day in 2015 – Love for Small Business History is Made, and Major John Tory has proclaimed this to be CoWorking Day in Toronto!

Mayor John Tory Proclamation

Mayor John Tory Proclamation

 

Coworking has grown in Toronto, gaining attention from media and other cities from around the world, but more importantly as we come together to share best practices and strengthen the local coworking industry, our spaces are better able to support the entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers, independents, consultants, and small businesses of Toronto.

Many Riverside BIA members are proud to be part of a very active group networking Group – Owners of East (OofE)

O of E is  a passionate and driven group of business owners and entrepreneurs from Corktown, the Distillery District, The Film District, Riverside, Riverdale, Leslieville, The Beach, and The Danforth. Owners of East is dedicated to promoting the entrepreneurial spirit, fostering business growth in our community and making a positive contribution to the well being of the neighbourhoods in which we work.

 

Owners of the East Executive Group

Owners of the East Executive Group

Owners of East is for business owners – Membership is open to entrepreneurs, freelancers, contractors and small business owners who operate within the geographical boundaries of Parliament, O’Connor, Victoria Park, and the Lake.  Their purpose is to foster the entrepreneurial spirit by building meaningful connections among members.

Theyncoordinate monthly events of varying formats that support our goals.  These events include learning events, forums to exchange ideas, and opportunities to advance your business by making connections with other business owners.  For more information please see their Events Page.

Owners of East also promotes and participates in online discussion through the Owners of East Facebook page, and through our blog which features informative business focused contributions from our members.  Visit here for more info.

A CoWorking Hub has recently opened in Riverside – The East Room

The East Room –  is a boutique style co-working membership club located in the growing creative hub of Toronto’s East end. It caters to forward thinking, creative professionals by providing the community, the location and the tools to grow their freelance careers or small business. Whether they are rooted in Toronto, telecommuting across town or across the globe, an East Room membership will allow them to always have a comfortable, productive space they can work and play within.

East Room CoWorking Space in RiversideTO

East Room CoWorking Space in RiversideTO

As a member, you will be part of a curated (read: like-minded) community of technologists, artists, designers and futurists whom you may grow your business with professionally as you share ideas or even merge talents as various project come and go.  Please visit www.Eastroom.ca for more info.

Thanks for Loving Riverside and showing your love with support for all the local small business – entrepreneurs and small business owners that have shaped the greatest hood to work, live, eat, shop and play in – #RiversideTO!

 

Check tomorrow – for the 25th Blog in our #FebruaryMonthOfLoveBlog