Toronto Uncovered

Posts Tagged ‘Ashbridges Bay’

Bonjour, mes ami! In a few hours, I am going to be whisked away on a romantic rendezvous to Montreal for the holidays compliments of my new beau but before I leave you, I thought I’d take the time to give those of you staying in Toronto some suggestions on what to do for your Victoria Day long weekend.

If, unlike me, clowns and stilt walkers don’t strike fear into your little heart why not swing on down to Harbourfront Centre (located at 235 Queens Quay East) from the 22^nd to the 24^th between 11am and 5pm for the Toronto International Circus Festival! Other attractions promised include world-class acrobats, fire-eaters, side-splitting comedy, mind-bending daredevil stunts, balloon animals and much more. It’s all free and there will be workshops for kids so take the whole family!

Southeast, the Distillery District (55 Mill Street, near King Street East and Parliament) is hosting their Artisans Spring Craft Show from the 22^nd to the 24^th between 11am and 6pm, rain or shine. Shows like this have a very outdoor flea market setup but the wares for sale are all Canadian made. The exhibitors display hand crafted jewelry, ceramics, soaps, dolls, hats, leather, clothing, gourmet food, textiles, wood furniture, as well as photography, art and sculpture. If you’re in the market for something unique, this will be just the place to find it!

Don’t forget about Ontario Place (955 Lake Shore Boulevard West) which opens for the season with rides, children’s entertainment and fireworks. The park opens on the 22^nd and Victoria Day celebrations will run until the 24th. Weather permitting; fireworks will light up the sky only on Sunday the 23rd at 9:30pm. Admission to and hours for the park are as follows:

Admission:

Adult/Youth – $16.90 + tax

Child/Senior – $11.19 + tax

Prices listed are for Ground Admission which provides access to park wide events and entertainment. Upgrade to a Toronto Star Play All Day Pass to access Ontario Place rides and attractions.

Hours:

Saturday, May 22nd     10am to 6pm

Sunday, May 23rd        10am to 10pm (Remember, fireworks begin at 9:30pm!)

Monday, May 24th       10am to 6pm

You don’t have to pay to see fireworks though if you head down to the Beaches! Fireworks at Ashbridge’s Bay (Lakeshore Boulevard East, just east of Coxwell Avenue) start after 9:30pm on Monday the 24^th but it’s advised on their site to head down much earlier and I can attest to that. I went with friends one year only to be disappointed in learning that they set the skies ablaze a half hour ahead of schedule due to the weather. There’s other benefits to going earlier too. Take a stroll along the sandy beach, do a little shopping or pop in to the restaurants on Queen’s eastern strip. The Beaches are full of hidden gems! A couple of tips: Take the TTC and avoid the traffic or the long search for a parking spot and bring a blanket or sweater because despite the warm weather it can get a bit chilly at night still, especially down by the water!

Well, that’s it for me folks! Have yourselves a lovely Victoria Day long weekend. I’m off to La Métropole! Salut!

Image by: Rick Loftus

Summer, summer, summer time! It looks as though summer has finally arrived in Toronto (better late than never I suppose).  Last year I discovered that if you owned a net, you could play beach volleyball  at Ashbridges Bay for free. This discovery, while it may not seem overly significant, changed my summers from here on out. I bought a net and quickly became a beach rat, playing every weekend without fail.

Beach volleyball is one of the most satisfying and rewarding ways to spend a Saturday or Sunday in Toronto.  The vibe of the Ashbridges volleyball community is awesome. I met a ton of great people last year who have since become good friends and weekend teammates.  We play pick-up most weekends, and our crew is growing each year.

If you like volleyball and are looking for a fun way to spend the day, stay in shape, and catch some sun all at the same time, Ashbridges is the way to go.  As the summer picks up you will need to arrive early if you have any hope of claiming a court. When I say ‘early’, I mean 8:00 or 8:30, especially if there is a tournament that weekend.  The best solution is to rotate the positions of ‘court squaters’, giving everyone a regular chance to sleep off their hangover.

I am always interested in meeting, and playing with, new people. If you have a net, or are just looking for some new players let me know!

A couple of years ago I became extremely restless with my usual routine of work, home, work, home, work. Even though I went out with friends on the weekends, and would hit the gym when the mood struck,  my boredom was definitely mounting. I started looking into sports teams and activities in and around Toronto. In the last two years,  I have captained, co-captained, and played on a number of different teams and absolutely love it.

There are two main companies that cater to organized sports in Toronto. Toronto Central Sports and Social Club (TCSSC) and Not So Pro Sports (NSP). Most of my experience is with the TCSSC. They are the larger organizer of the two and have more sports, locations, and availability. They are fairly well organized when it comes to  the schedules and games, however, their head office is close to Yorkdale, making it difficult to pick up and drop off equipment. I also find that they are typically more expensive than NSP, although it seems their pricing has started to drop. Not So Pro, on the other hand, is a little bit smaller, but a very reliable and well run company. They recently started expanding the sports they offer, providing a  solid alternative to the TCSSC.

Dodgeball was my first team. Dodgeball is best described as being as much fun as you remember in grade school, only now you actually know how to wail a ball hard enough to scare your opponents.  I’m not going to lie, our first season out was a little rough. We had our asses handed to us on a silver platter.  Fast forward four seasons, we have moved up from the recreational to the advanced level, and are now sitting pretty in first place.  As you might imagine, dodgeball can get a little heated at times. I mean, you ARE whipping the balls at people as hard as you possibly can. There have been moments where I honestly thought an argument over a play/point might come to blows. But this just adds to the fun and intensity that is dodgeball.

Last Summer we decided to move our love for sports outdoors and formed softball and beach volleyball teams. Softball was a lot of fun, and a total beer league, however, because we weren’t exactly top notch players, and Toronto has a limited number of playable diamonds, some of the games were either really late or really far away. Organizing number of cars and rides is a good idea before you sign up. Last Spring (like most others in Toronto) was pretty wet. We played most of our initial games in the cold rain. Take this into account before signing up for the Spring leagues. Fair weathered players should hold off until Summer.

The same can be said for volleyball – the Spring weather was pretty brutal at times. Some nights the sand was so cold we actually wore socks. Last year we played volleyball with the TCSSC, however,  Not So Pro is the better volleyball organizer hands down.  All NSP beach volleyball is at Ashbridges Bay (instead of the smelly Docks), and there are more teams and competitive players.

If you are having a hard time picking one sport, consider trying All Sports or Multi-Sport. This is offered exclusively through the TCSSC and allows you to play a different sport each week. Sports include: Basketball, Volleyball, Dodgeball, European Handball, Soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, and a few made up sports like Handoccer  (a personal favourite) and Rugbee Basketball.  Most of the sports are a good work out and let you change things up weekly. During the Winter, all sports are played inside, however, in Spring and Summer most games are moved outdoors.

Ultimate Frisbee was the most recent addition to my repertoire. During the Winter, the TCSSC has league play on BMO field . In Spring and Summer, we relinquish BMO to the Toronto Football Club,  although I’m still not convinced their skill level is much higher than ours. Indoor or out, I absolutely love Ultimate and look forward to playing it next season.

I have met a ton of people by joining Toronto sports teams, and  have managed to stay in great shape without going crazy from gym boredom. If you’re looking for something to do this coming season, I would highly recommend signing up. You can sign up as either a team or individual. No excuses. Hope to see you out there!