Free Stuff

Since retiring, I have been actively seeking out stuff that's free here in the City.

Now, I'm sure that this is something most folks would like to know, especially if it is all in ONE PLACE!
So, here is my list that I have compiled, so far.
As time goes by and I discover new stuff that is ultimately free, I will update this page.

For stuff that you can get on your birthday, check out a site called Free Stuff Finder.

• Doors Open – held each year during the latter part of May.

• Nuit Blanche is held every year in October.

• Cabbagetown Festival, with tours, crafts, and films near the Riverdale Farm.

• Heritage Toronto and the Royal Ontario Museum conduct free walks around the city.

• Toronto’s Music Garden on the Waterfront, welcomes folks to their summer music concerts on Thursdays and Sundays from June until September.

The City conducts guided tours of the Music Garden.
We also have Edward Gardens at Lawrence and Leslie, and Allen Gardens has displays of plants and flowers, as well as a greenhouse full of exotic plants.

Here is a web sie where you can book tours of Toronto:
http://torontofreewalkingtours.com/

There are many great beaches along Toronto’s waterfront, as well as on the Toronto Islands.

We have a multitude of City Parks, Bike Paths, and Discovery Walks dotting our city.

The City of Toronto runs Community Centres with drop-in programs for youths and seniors. As Well, you can get a free tree planted on your front lawn by the City.

Our cemeteries are open to walkabout until dusk.

(Mt. Pleasant and St. James are probably the best urban ones).

The Evergreen Brick Works is open year round and has a Farmer's Market on Saturdays during the summer months. There are vendors, a food court, plus a D.I.Y. bicycle repair space that offers free bike maintenance help.
Along with all this stuff, there is a free shuttle bus that runs every half hour from the Broadview Subway Station. Check the web site out for any changes to the timeline.

Farmer’s Markets pop up across the city during the summer months. 
The most popular one is at the St. Lawrence Market, which is open from Tuesday to Saturday, all year long. The North Market is scheduled to be demolished soon, and a new four story building will replace it. In the meantime, Saturday farmers and Sunday vendors will be re-located south of the main market on the Esplanade.
Upstairs at this market is The Gallery, which usually has an exhibit for visitors.

In the historic Distillery District one can explore galleries, and shops.

Here are a few festivals that take place in this cobblestone venue:

·        MEC Bike Fest,

·        Summer Jazz Festival,

·        Urban Art Festival

·        Arts and Craft Show

We have quite a few art galleries throughout the city, including the U of T Art Centre. Pick up a copy of a small magazine called "Slate" for a complete list.
The Ryerson Image Centre on Gould Street has a number of exhibits throughout the year.
There are free exhibition tours daily at 2:30pm.
The Contact Photography Festival appears during the month of May, and the photos usually appear on Toronto street installations, as well as a few galleries.

This festival is usually featured at the Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art, or "MOCCA" as it is known to locals, will be located on Stirling Avenue by mid September.2018.

Tiff Bell Light Box has 300,000 images, 11,000 film titles, as well as exhibits, and a reading lounge. They also offer free tours of the building on Sundays and Saturdays at 1 pm.

The Ontario Archives, and the Toronto Archives are both open to the public.
The City of Toronto Archives has rotating exhibits.

The Canadian Gay and Lesbian Archives, on Isabella is open Tuesday to Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Speaking of LGBTQ...the University of Toronto has an office called "Sexual Gender Diversity", and shows monthly educational film series. These are films within the U of T libraries' collections, and admission is free.

There a many free resources at all 100 libraries.
You can read a daily newspaper, a magazine, surf the net, or borrow music, movies, and even borrow a musical instrument. Of course, you can still borrow a book, just for showing them your Library Card.

The Toronto Reference Library conducts all kinds of classes for the community and shows movies in the summer. As well, there is a gallery located just inside the front doors that is sponsored by TD bank.There are free "Guided Tours" of the TD Gallery on Tuesdays at 2 pm. This branch also has weekly presentations showcasing material from their "Special Collections" on Wednesdays at 3 pm.
Some libraries issue free passes, known as "M.A.P. (Museum and Arts Pass). 
You only need to show your Library card and request a pass, if available.
Note: Go on Saturdays or there may not be any passes left.

The Beaches Library on Queen East shows movies  on Wednesdays from January to March every year. Call them to see what's playing.
There also little free libraries around the city that folks have set up on their front lawns.

The Art Gallery of Ontario offers free general admission to Ontario high school students with valid ID Tuesday through Friday after 3 pm.
Newly added to the AGO are the extended hours on Wednesdays, when the 
"General Admission" is free to everyone from 6 to 8:30 pm.
It should be noted here that the exhibits are extra ($5.50 pp). 

There is also an Inuit Art Gallery on Wellington Street west, sponsored by TD.

The Royal Ontario Museum also offers free general admission every Tuesday for Canadian Post Secondary students (with valid ID)
The 48th Highlanders Museum is located in the basement of St. Andrews Church on King Street West. 

The Aga Khan Museum on Wynford Drive offers free admission on Wednesdays from 4 to 8 pm.
The Fox Theatre on Queen East has a free movie on the last Thursday of every month for us seniors.

There are three major film festivals each year in this city:
TIFF, Hot Docs and Inside Out.
All three provide one or two free out door screenings.
As well, there is the Christie Pits Film Festival, that is an outdoor screening event from June to August.

The Bloor Cinema has FREE (two per person, per film) for most of their Holiday (Christmas) Classics, beginning the Friday before Christmas Week.
Plus, during the Hot Docs Festival, seniors (60+) and students with valid ID can take advantage of free daytime screenings (i.e. before 5pm). The only drawback is that you must pick up your tickets on the same day as the screening, and at the respective venues.
Tiff offers free movies under the stars when the festival is playing.


The Bay Street Video generally select a theme every couple of months and make those films available free to all of their members. 

Most churches in the downtown core can be accessed for viewing or for sanctuary.

The Big Carrot on Danforth has evening lectures and movies every Thursday.
Check out their web site for further information.
.

Riding the T.T.C. on New Year’s Eve is usually free when a company sponsors it.
During the C.N.E., if you walk in the Labour Day Parade with all the union folks, they arrive on the grounds without paying for admission.

Free WI-Fi is available in most coffee shops, as well as many bar/restaurants. 
Lately, the T.T.C. has been installing WiFi at some subway platforms.

Most of the big box home improvement stores will put on free D.I.Y. workshops and Lee Valley Tools has workshops, as well.

The William-Sonoma stores offer cooking classes, you only have to sign up.

Many of the larger supermarkets, such as Loblaws in the Gardens and T N T on Cherry Street, offer free food samples in store, on weekends.
The Steam Whistle Brewery at the foot of the CN Tower provides tours and hosts monthly art exhibitions in their gallery for local talent, from Monday to Saturday (11- 6 pm) and Sunday until 5 pm.

The Canadian Opera Company has free mini music concerts at noon in June and July.
Free concerts happen from June until September in Trinity Square, College Park and the McGill-Granby Parkette.

Redpath Sugar sponsors a "Sail In" Cinema in August at Sugar Beach.

Check out the fireworks display at Ashbridges Bay on Victoria Day

There are many festivals occurring all summer long in the city including:

·         Riverside on Queen East

·        Queen West Art Show

·        Buskerfest

·        Woofstock
     A Taste of The Danforth

·        A Taste of Lawrence
    A Taste of Little Italy
    The CHIN Picnic
    TO Food Festival
     Luminato

·        Kensington Market – Pedestrian Sundays, in the summer

·        Chinatown’s New Years’ celebration
    The Japanese Summer Festival

·        Pride parade and Pride Weekend Festivities

·        Toronto International Dragon Boat Festival

·        The Junction Summer Solstice Festival

·        The Toronto International Film Festival
    The DOCNOW Film Festival

·        Muhtadi International Drumming Festival

·        Beaches Arts and Craft Show

·        Toronto Ribfest (in Etobicoke) and Canada Day Fireworks

·        Toronto International Jewelry Show

·        Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest

·        Steam Whistle Summer Parties and Exhibits
    The Toronto Jazz Festival and the Beaches Jazz Festival  
    The Beach BBQ and Beer Festival 

·       The Redpath Waterfront Festival

·     Woodbine Beach Music Festival

·       Bloor Street West Street Festival 
        The Caribbean Festival

     

There are plenty of free outdoor movies to enjoy at dusk in the summer at:

·        The Waterfront

·        Dundas Square

·        David Pecaut Square

·        St. James Park

·        The Junction

·        Riverdale Park East

    If absorbing culture is not your thing, then stop by Christie Pits on weekends for a bit of Inter County Baseball.

Toronto Islands

Last month I registered with Heritage Toronto for a bicycle tour of the Toronto Island. Actually, the islands (as I call them) was never an island, but a peninsula, until a very bad storm cut into the eastern end, and separated it from the mainland.

But, I digress. Yesterday, about forty cyclists met at Hanlan's Point beneath Ned Hanlan's statue.

We were fortunate that the day was warm and sunny....perfect weather to ride the ferry across the harbour to the island.

(Note: The Toronto Island is in fact an archipelago of 15 islands).

The tour leader was Sally Gibson. author of More Than An Island and Inside Toronto.

 Ms Gibson talked about the history of Hanlan's Point, the airport and Edward (Ned) Hanlan, at length. Ned's had a brilliant career as a professional sculler, but, he was also a hotel owner and an alderman for the City.
Despite his dimunitve size, he only lost six of his three hundred races during his rowing career.

We then commenced to cycle around the island, stopping at selected historical sites, such as the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse or The Lake Light, which is haunted by a former lighthouse keeper.

As well, we learned that in 1883, the Lakeside Home was established for sick children, as a respite from the city.

We continued to travel westward along the pavement, until we reached Centre Island. Here, the number of visitors swelled to an overwhelming point; such that it became difficult to maneouver around the bikes, quads and families.

Centre Island is the preferred destination for families, since there is Centreville, and the Far Enough Farm, plus vendors for food and bike rentals.

At this point I became more interested in being on my own, and photographing the natural side of this place; such as these toadstools by the side of the road.

Plus, the pretty flowers blooming at the entrance to the Rectory Cafe on Ward's.

This last picture is probably my favourite beach of the bunch.

At this point, I decided to return to the mainland via the Onigara.

 

Yonge and Queen

Yesterday I happened upon the "Urban Toronto" web site, and read an article about the construction planned for the NW corner of Yonge and Queen.
It seems that Cadillac Fairview (owners of the Eaton Centre) have submitted an application to the City of Toronto to build a 69 story rental tower at this busy intersection.

According to the writer of this article, the tower will contain 580 rental suites, with a bicycle parking space for each unit. Interesting.....no spaces for cars!

They also plan to provide better access to the Queen Street subway station; plus it will connect to the Eaton Centre (of course).
The application states that the heritage building will be restored and integrated with the new tower (see the picture above).

 Attributed to Octavius Thompson.
Albumen print.
Toronto Public Library

In the mid 1850's there was another building at this location (see picture above). 
It was for agriculture-related businesses, such as James Fleming & Co., a well-known seed merchant.

By 1880, Philip Jamieson, a merchant tailor, had a store in the building, and eventually he built the Jamieson Building in 1897. 
It was designed by Toronto architects Samuel Curry and Francis S. Baker.
 

The following is excerpted from the City of Toronto Heritage Designation p.d.f.

"The heritage attributes of the Philip Jamieson Building related to its design value are: 

• The 4 1/2 story plan with a cornice and parapet along the flat roof line 

• The uniform fenestration (proportioning and design of windows) in the second and fourth stories, with flat-headed openings in the second and third floors, as well as elaborate round-arched openings in the upper story.

• The terra cotta trim on the third and fourth floors

• In the attic level, the small rectangular window openings placed above a stone band course".
• The first floor storefronts have been altered and are not included.

It is a surviving example of a late 19th century commercial building with Classical detailing.

As well, the rounded corner is a unique highlight of the building design.

Over the years, the building's tenants have been H. Knox & Co., Woolworth's, Tower records, Good Life Fitness, Coast Mountain Sports, and presently, it is home to Atmosphere.