While there’s so much to do in the city, sometimes you just need to escape and take a day trip. Winter is a great time to get outside and we’ve rounded up some of the best spots that are just a short drive from Toronto. Find out what made our list! Continue reading
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5 Things To Do on the Toronto Islands This Winter
The Toronto Islands are such a popular destination in the summer. – it’s a no brainer to go hop on the ferry and head over to the island on a warm, sunny day. But what about in the winter? With a community of people living there year round, the islands don’t close up during the winter. Ferries still operate and there’s plenty to do across the lake in the winter!
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Step inside Suite 2B-01BF with us
We’re so excited to finally share some of our floorplans with you! Stay tuned because there are more to come after this. We’re starting with a beautiful suite that features 2 bedrooms and could be your 662 sq ft home right on the lake. You’ll have access to amenities such as this gym that’ll make you want to get moving and this pool by the lake. It doesn’t get any better than that. Continue reading
Toronto’s Best Winter Block Party: DJ Skate Night
Was your New Year’s resolution to have more fun with your friends and family? What about being more active? If you answered ‘yes’ to both (or even one) of these questions, then you need to check out DJ Skate Night.
This event has been going on for many winters in Toronto now. DJ Skate Night transforms our favourite ice skating rink, the Natrel Rink at the Harbourfront Centre, into a mini dance club. Every Saturday night they bring in a new DJ to entertain the crowd so you can dance – or skate – the night away. It’s one of our favourite outdoor activities to do in winter and with a new theme and performance each week, it never gets old!
Here’s what you can expect at DJ Skate Night for the remainder of the 2016 season:
January 9th
DJ John Kong will be spinning at DJ Skate Night this weekend. He is a Toronto-based DJ who is well known in the city for playing an awesome mix of soul, jazz, funk, and disco tunes. A guaranteed good time!
January 16th
Wavelength is a non-profit and artist-run organization in Toronto whose focus is on creating amazing music festival and event experiences. They’ll be bringing their friends from Synthesexer to DJ Skate Night this week, who will be playing a selection of electro-pop, italo disco, and house music.
January 23rd
The Small World Music Society is bringing DJ medicineman to the Natrel Rink this week. Their show promises to bring a great mix of tunes and beats from around the globe. If you listen to CIUT 89.5 FM, you’re likely already a fan. Can’t wait to check this one out.
January 30th
DJ P-Plus will be taking over DJ Skate Night on FLOW 93.5 FM night. The only description for what you can expect from him is that he’s bringing “old school to life.”
February 6th
Ever had a French Caribbean DJ dance party? If you’re intrigued, you’ll want to come to DJ Skate Night this weekend to learn what Kizomba, Bachata, and Kompa is all about.
February 13th
If you’re looking for a pre-Valentine’s activity, this is perfect! You may have heard DJ Trambo at Lula Lounge in Toronto before – he’s all about bringing the topics to the dance floor or in this case, the rink. The perfect cure for the winter blues!
DJ Skate Nights happen every Saturday this winter from 8pm to 11pm. It’s always free to attend, and you can take advantage to the heated indoor change room, lockers, washrooms, and skate rentals on site.
See you there!
Winter Events at the Harbourfront Centre
The Harbourfront Centre on the Toronto waterfront has been one of the city’s main creative and cultural hubs for a few decades now. Thousands of events pass through there on an annual basis focusing on everything from theatre, literature, dance, music, film, crafts, and visual arts. If you’re an artistic person or just enjoy being entertained, you belong here!
Even though it is situated on the waterfront, the Harbourfront Centre is active all year round (mind you, during the winter most events are indoors!). As always, this winter is full of great programs and classes you and your friends and family can enjoy together. So, let’s take a look at what you can get up to in 2016:
The Power Plant: Winter 2015 Exhibitions
Starting on January 30th, you can go and explore the amazing works of four talented artists – Leslie Hewitt, Patrick Bernatchez, Aude Moreau, and Carlos Amorales – whose exhibitions are big, bold, and beautiful. Whether you’re into photography, videography, or visual arts, you’ll find something you love there.
World Stage
Each year the World Stage exhibition brings some of the best contemporary works of art to the Harbourfront Centre. This performance event has been happening there since 1986 and is an eclectic mix of art forms that always wow audiences. It’s one of the most unique events that happens in Toronto each year, and we highly recommend you don’t miss it.
Dance Ontario
Fan of all types of dance? The Dance Ontario 2016 weekend will be sure to entertain you then. This weekend brings together dancers from companies all over the city to perform mostly traditional dances from around the globe.
Glass Blowing
On the weekend of January 15th, you could learn all the techniques of glassblowing! The class covers both solid and blown forms of glass, as well as colour application, hot and cold techniques, and how to use the equipment. So cool.
Pottery
Always wanted to learn how to make your own cups and bowls? Sign up for the 8-week course on either Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays starting in January and learn how to throw, coil, slab, trim, and decorate your own pottery pieces.
Don’t forget you can also grab your skates and hit the ice at the Natrel Rink down at the Harbourfront. This rink has been a crowd favourite for over 30 years in Toronto! It’s free to use, there’s a heated indoor change room, and they host awesome events like DJ Skate Night and their annual New Year’s Eve Skating Party.
Interiors by Steven G: The Brains Behind Our Lobby
Photo via interiorsbysteveng.com
Meet the team behind our beautiful lobby!
We’re excited to bring on the amazing team at Interiors by Steven G. to work on the Pier 27 Tower lobby and make it the most beautiful condo lobby in the city. They’re a high-end interior design firm that is actually based just outside of Miami, but is known for their work all around the world. The Interiors by Steven G. team has an elegant eye, years of experience, a variety of style, and are one of the top high-end interior design firms in the United States. That’s why we chose them for the Pier 27 Tower, of course. Continue reading
What happens to the Martin Goodman Trail in the winter?
If you frequent the Toronto waterfront like we do, you’ll know the Martin Goodman Trail well. The trail is over 50 kilometres, spans the majority of our city’s waterfront, and provides a dedicated cycling and pedestrian trail for Torontonians to enjoy. You’d think a trail like this would only be useful in the summer months, but because of the awesome waterfront revitalization that’s just not true! The Martin Goodman Trail is in full force during the winter and we spoke to our friends at Waterfront Toronto to learn more about it.
Since this is the first winter that the new portion of the Martin Goodman Trail has been open, Waterfront Toronto is still waiting to see what usage will look like during the snowy months. However, during its peak months the trail became the most-used piece of cycling infrastructure in Toronto (in only its first summer), so it’s clearly a popular commuting and recreational route. This past summer they saw about 600 cyclists per hour using the trail, which is amazing!
The Martin Goodman Trail has always been maintained to “bare pavement” standard during the winter and the new stretch of the trail will be the same. That means it has first priority to be cleared and salted after a snowfall of 5 centimetres or more. Since it gets darker earlier during the winter, the new signature light poles installed as part of the Queen’s Quay revitalization will help light your way if you’re using the trail in the evening too.
What’s most important to remember when cycling during the winter is to use your best judgement when getting out on the road. Trail etiquette is more important than ever in icy winter conditions, so always ride with caution and courtesy. The City of Toronto actually has some great winter riding tips you can check out too.
Sugar Beach in the Winter
It’s been a super warm winter here in Toronto, and we can’t complain!
Not only have we not had to whip out our parkas yet, but it means spending time outside is a bit more bearable than our typical frigid Canadian winter weather. That being said, we do love winter because once the snow hits the ground the city completely transforms. It becomes a beautiful urban landscape covered in white, and we love it. Continue reading
Skate in the Neighbourhood: Where to Go
It may not feel like winter in Toronto just yet, but that doesn’t mean that all the winter activity time needs to go to waste! As of a few weeks ago skating rinks all over the city opened to the public and we can’t wait to get out on the ice for the first time this year. Our Pier 27 community is really lucky to have some of the city’s best and most notable skating rinks within a short walk too.
The Natrel Rink has been a go-to for skating in Toronto for over three decades. There’s a heated indoor change room on site, where you can put your belongings in lockers if needed. There’s also a great rink-side restaurant called the Lakeside Local Bar & Grill in case you feel like grabbing a drink and a bite after your skate session.
Of course, there’s Nathan Phillips Square – the city’s most famous skating rink. It’s also a great place to go if you don’t own skates because there’s a place to rent them. The vibe is especially Christmasy there with the giant tree and all the lights hung across the arches over the rink. It’s even better now with the giant Toronto sign lit up in the square. Skating here is a truly “Toronto” experience.
Even though those two are extremely popular, sometimes it’s nice to go to a rink that’s a bit less busy. The Sherbourne Common Rink is accessible 24 hours a day and is right next door to us, or if you feel like exploring a new neighbourhood the one in Trinity Bellwoods is also one of our favourites.
Happy skating!
The Amsterdam BrewHouse on the Lake
If there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that Torontonians love their craft beer. We believe that the recent spike in craft beer popularity is all thanks to the wonderful people at Amsterdam Brewery… but we may be biased! The folks at Amsterdam Brewery have been making craft beer in Toronto since the 80s, long before it was a big trend here, and we were ecstatic when they opened up with harbourfront location back in 2013. The Amsterdam BrewHouse is now a neighbourhood staple for good food and drink.
It has been a crazy journey for them to get to where they are today. Their first location was on John Street, which they opened in 1986 and finally had a big space to brew their own beer. This was back when it was called the Amsterdam Brasserie and Brewpub. During this time their Nut Brown Ale became extremely popular, which is now known as the Downtown Brown. In 1988 they sold the John Street location, moved to King Street and was renamed the Amsterdam Brewing Company. Just under 20 years later, they outgrew this location and moved to a spot on Bathurst Street, and seven years later outgrew that outpost which sent them to their current location in Leaside. The Leaside location is where all of your favourite Amsterdam Brewery beers are currently made, in addition to a small on-site brewery at the Amsterdam BrewHouse on the Lake.
It’s such a fantastic restaurant and bar to have nearby because not only does it have tons of drink and food options, but it’s huge, has lots of indoor and outdoor seating, has a retail beer store (which means you may never have to go to the regular Beer Store again!), and is located in a beautiful, historical building. The BrewHouse building is actually a big old boathouse on Pier 4, which means it is literally right on the water! The space, of course, hasn’t been a boathouse for a while now and used to be home to the Toronto Maritime Museum before it made its way into the hands of our friends at Amsterdam.
Check out these photos which compare the building in the 1980s to today:
![Harbourfront. - [between 1977 and 1998]](http://pier27tower.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/s1465_fl0145_id0005.jpg)
Photo via City of Toronto Archives
If you feel like making a trip to the BrewHouse to see what all the hype is about, we recommend you go on one of their free brewery tours (Monday to Friday) and then sit down for a tasting flight, or two.
Enjoy!