June in Toronto

I'll be falling off the Internet in about a week when we head out on our annual trip to Dublin. Of course there's plenty of internet in Ireland, but my in-laws don't have a connection so it'll strictly be coffee-shop usage while I'm away (twenty minutes here and there). Because of that, if you message or email me while I'm gone I likely won't be back in touch until sometime after July 5th.

In the event that you're going to be in Toronto this summer, whether you live in its orbit already or are just coming for a visit, I want to share with you a neat free thing to do while in town. I'm a really big fan of walking tours and only last year discovered that the Royal Ontario Museum leads a range of free walking tours (Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings) around the city from June through October. You can find out more on this page of the ROM website but here's a list of the next several tours:

The Grange - Wednesday June 12
Wednesday, June 12, 2013 | 18:00 - 20:00

St. James Cemetery - Sunday June 16
Sunday, June 16, 2013 | 14:00 - 16:00

ROM and its Neighbours - Wednesday June 19
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | 18:00 - 20:00

Whiskey, Wharf and Windmill - Sunday June 23
Sunday, June 23, 2013 | 14:00 - 16:00

Cabbagetown - Wednesday June 26
Wednesday, June 26, 2013 | 18:00 - 20:00

Historic Toronto - Sunday June 30
Sunday, June 30, 2013 | 14:00 - 16:00

The Annex - Wednesday July 3
Wednesday, July 3, 2013 | 18:00 - 20:00

The tours are led by knowledgeable volunteers and if you're curious about the city I highly recommend them. Also, if you're going to be here soon and are a theatre fan you really want to catch Kim's Convenience at Soulpepper in Toronto's Distillery District. It was a big hit for the company last year, they brought it back this May and the run has now been extended until June 26th. The Toronto Star's theatre critic has this to say about the production, “[it] has so many things right with it that it’s the kind of show that restores one’s faith in the theatre.” Having watched the show nearly two weeks ago, I heartily agree with him. Kim's Convenience was a deeply emotional experience. The writing and performances, particularly Paul Sun-Hyung Lee in the lead role as the owner of Kim's Convenience, completely awed me. Read the entire Toronto Star review here.

The other bit of entertainment that recently delighted me is one you can watch just about anywhere: Before Midnight.

 

If, like me, you were enchanted by Celine and Jesse's realistic yet romantic brief encounters in Before Sunrise and Before Sunset I know you'll want to catch up with them again. While this wasn't my favourite movie of the trilogy it's a perfectly believable, intimate portait of an aging relationship between two characters we feel we know so well.