A Tale of Two Hotels

Like most Torontonians, my experience with Queen Street’s hot hotels has been limited to late night buffoonery and early morning brunch. And so, while I consider myself quite familiar with both The Gladstone and The Drake – I’ve never actually climbed the stairs of either of these ever trendy hotels. During last month's Doors Open Toronto (one of my favourite Toronto summer events) I was able to take a peak inside these local landmarks and check out the rooms without checking in. Inspired by the boutique hotels of lower Manhattan, these historic heritage buildings have been beautifully restored in recent years – transformed from seedy rooming houses into hipster hangouts and spurring on the wave of gentrification in the west end.

Built in 1889 the Gladstone hotel, with its iconic red sign and dramatic arched windows, is the city’s oldest continuously operating hotel. Whether you drop by for weekly karaoke in the Melody Bar or sample fresh fare in the café, there is always something going on inside this architecturally stunning space. Rotating and permanent art exhibitions showcase local artists and a beautifully restored Victorian hand-operated elevator transports guests from their artist inspired rooms to the lower level gallery spaces and bustling bars. The hotel holds a special place in my heart as my parents met in a lovely old Victorian on Gladstone Avenue just down the street.

Just a couple blocks east the Drake Hotel, a self-proclaimed “hotbed for culture” draws sleek nightlife lovers and scruffy urban artists alike. Inside the funky hotel a refurbished 1950s art deco grand staircase leads guests up to the nineteen stylish bedrooms. The suites are chic yet artfully retro with a candy heavy snack bar and in-house Starving Artist wine on offer. The rooftop skyard features sun soaked cabanas under colourful muraled walls – the perfect spot for an early morning Caesar or a late night cocktail. The Drake’s corner café boasts the city’s best scones (blueberry...try the blueberry!) and its quirky gift shop lures foot traffic westward with plenty of Canadiana themed trinkets on offer. The hotel continues to expand along the Queen Street strip between Beaconsfield and Lisgar with a new ice cream/t-shirt shop opening this month appropriately named Scoops and Tees. And of course, Katie and I have both forced our boyfriends to jump in the old fashioned photo booth with us.

Both of these unique hotels feature creative touches that give back to the art communities living and working in the neighbourhood. The Gladstone has thirty-seven distinct artist-designed bedrooms while the Drake’s artist in residence program provides short-term living arrangements for budding artists looking for a space to create. Showcasing the best in local culture, art and cuisine these funky west-end accommodations offer so much more than your average downtown hotel. I only wish I could justify a staycation at one of these lovely hotels...but since I'm only a 10 minute walk away I guess I'll just have to settle for the ice cream and cocktails.

p.s. You can also read a (slightly edited) version of this over here.

antique weekend

The way I see it...you can never have too many beautiful antique treasures. Whether they're inherited from loved ones or discovered by chance it is always more interesting to decorate using pieces with a past. Taking a hint of inspiration from Sarah Richardson's latest project on a lovely country farmhouse I thought I'd try and incorporate some battered and beautiful second hand items into my own decorating plans. Luckily, the Christie Antique show was in town (well, just outta town) this weekend which meant I was spoiled for choice in the vintage furnishings department. Wheelers and dealers set up a patchwork of tents and booths on this beautiful conservative area to hawk their fine wares for quite reasonable prices - assuming you're a skilled bargainer that is.

From rustic farmhouse tables to worn in church pew benches there were large and small scale pieces of all sorts. My personal favourites included the fantastic old storefront signs, vintage typewriters, multicoloured country quilts and oversized apothecary cabinets full of miniature drawers . At the end of the day I was limited a little too much by my square footage (not to mention my budget) to pick up any grand pieces but I did find a few decorative little items to take home. My favourite find of the day: a pair of white washed deer antlers to mount on the wall or place haphazardly on a bookshelf.

Antique aficionados will be pleased to know the show makes a magnificent return at the end of the summer on September 11th. See you there!

around the house

Katie and I are both daughters of women who are passionate about their gardens. Ever since I can remember my mother's garden (no matter how small) has been a colourful petaled wonderland. Beyond the foliage there are carefully placed sculptures, gems, mirrors, lights and even a homemade pond full of frisky fish. Even inside every inch of spare counterspace is home to a vase full of freshly cut flowers.

Anyways, soon I'll say goodbye to all of these lovely indoor and outdoor botanicals (along with all of the chipmunks, the pool and the fridge full of groceries) and relocate to a jungle of the concrete variety. City-life certainly can't beat the landscaping and wildlife found out in the suburbs, but my downtown relocation hasn't stopped me from fantasizing about my new urban garden. I'm thinking wicker patio chairs, a bistro table, a piece of reclaimed fence from my mother's backyard and plenty of pots overflowing with hydrangeas and peonies. Maybe even a lavender wreath. The possibilities are endless - or at least as big as my petite little balcony. I'm hoping to recreate something like this, in condo size of course. But for now I'm enjoying the backyard in bloom and the smog free air for a little while longer.

Liberty Village

I love Liberty Village. One of the best things about it - no one knows how great it is (yet). It's like the Distillery District circa 10 years ago. Arcade like alleyways, factories transformed into lofts, Balzacs coffee, delightful design stores, award winning brunch spots ... need I go on?

I like it so much that I wrote this little piece about it here. Oh yeah, and I'm moving there.

white wedding

To paraphrase Billy Idol, it was a nice day for a fake wedding.

While Katie has been out and about finding hidden treasures around Korea I have been up to something slightly more bizarre. Yesterday I followed my friend Amy around Toronto while she and a cast of characters posed for wedding photos with (sometimes less than) willing members of the public.

Take note: Amy did not actually get married.

All of this buffoonery was in the name of shameless promotion for wedding-themed programming on Slice. You don't watch? You should. I'm not even going to try and pretend that Rich Bride, Poor Bride isn't one of my guilty indulgences every once in a while. So, I invited myself to tag along on this hilarious outing to snap shots for my photography class and more importantly, for my own amusement. There is nothing like crazed people in costume making a scene in Yonge and Dundas square. My favourite part might have been when well intentioned Chinese business men posed for photos with the 'happy couple' and then gifted the entire wedding party with carefully wrapped "presents from China." Did they just have these on hand in case they bumped into a newly married pair on the street?

Amy and her fuchsia clad bridal party will be running around the city handing out bubbles and embarrassing themselves wholeheartedly for the next seven days. Let me know if you spot them!

Mother's Day

I know everyone says that their mom is their best friend, but do you know what - I think if they met my mom SHE would be their best friend. Since I was two weeks old my mom has been my traveling companion; 24 years on and our family adventures haven't stopped. We share a love of flat whites, antler chandeliers, cowboy boots, white wine, and seeing the world. I'll spend my life trying to be as cool as her.

Sometimes we don't get to spend holidays together, so it's pretty extra special when we do.

Happy Mother's Day Mom... thank you for letting me ride kangaroos before I was even old enough to know I wanted to.

colourful kicks

I have a very strict rule about wearing running shoes on my feet outside of the gym. It just doesn't happen. However...if I was somehow convinced to cheat it would be with these new Nike Air Royalty sneaks inspired by the tasty shades of Ladurée's best selling treats. The new Macaron series (yes for real) offers mono-chromatic pastel coloured kicks in white, pink, blue and yellow. Unfortunately, just like their dessert counterpart, this feminine footwear collection is currently only available in Paris. Of course.

But it's not all bad. You can still satisfy your cravings for some pastel-hued edibles at any number of pretty patisseries around the city. The photo above is from Nadege, a particularly sweet spot overlooking Trinity Bellwoods park.

"on Wednesdays we wear pink"

pastel trench love affair at Burberry

pink peep-toe pradas on Tommy's blog

sweet candy cotton found here

blossoms in bloom outside Buckingham Palace

marvelous Marie in magenta

custom macarons at Laduree

Rococo at its fussiest - Fragonard's The Swing

I love pink, although let's clarify - pastel not neon. Funnily enough I don't even wear the colour that often (although I certainly wouldn't say no to that Burberry Prorsum trench). I actually think the typically feminine shade looks a lot better on my boyfriend. Still, with it being springtime and the blossoms blooming in my front yard I thought this delightfully pretty hue deserved a shout out.

p.s. Remember how totally fabulous Mean Girls was. What happened to you Lindsay?

people, places, things.

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” - Tim Cahill, Travel Writer

Sometimes I think that the best things about traveling to new places are not necessarily the sites you see or the things you do but the people you meet along the way. I have met some pretty remarkable people throughout my years of travel. Most of them I remember fondly in fading photographs preserved in scrapbooks while a handful of these strangers have become some of my closest friends.

A recent travel adventure took my family on a search for long lost relatives of my great grandfather who grew up in Myanmar (or Burma back then) before moving to the UK. After several failed attempts in taxis and on foot we finally tracked down the house that my father had visited thirty years ago. Not only did I get to meet the much talked about Great Aunt Iris, who incidentally has now become a nun, (pictured at the top with my grandmother) but we connected with a number of distant cousins who were all wonderful and welcoming and miraculously fluent in English. We shared our black and white photos while sipping on watermelon juice and the world never felt so small.

Throughout the weekend I went on to meet many of the friendly faces of Myanmar. From the kind ladies who helped dress me for the temples (my wardrobe of summer dresses has become seriously problematic in the modesty department) to the taxi driver who, despite the painful language barrier, understood sign language for 'beer by the water' there were countless moments with unforgettable people. My favourite incident might have been this hilarious gang of cigar smoking ten year old boys who rushed to help me collect sand by Inya lake.

strawberries and tea

There are few things more delightful than afternoon tea with scones, even better when dolloped with gluttonous amounts of homemade strawberry jam and cream. So imagine how happy I was to discover that this quintessentially British tradition is thriving just a few hours outside of Kuala Lumpur (my home for the time being). A three hour road trip takes you on a winding journey outside of the city to the picturesque countryside of the Cameron Highlands. In stark contrast to the skyscrapers and Starbucks of KL these lush green hills are a rural wonderland dotted with tea plantations, strawberry farms and plenty of wild orchids. Amongst the breathtaking landscape is a charming little English Tudor style hotel called The Smokehouse where we stopped for quite a while to enjoy the colourful rose gardens and some sweet homemade treats. I would definitely recommend a visit for anyone who finds themselves craving some colonial comforts on this side of the globe.