Just a quick note to let everyone know we’ve set up a YouTube account for our videos so we can share our adventures with even more people!
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Archive
4 days left until at 6:52pm on Saturday October 4th, Toronto awakens for an all night contemporary art thing called Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. If you haven’t been yet … where have you been!? For the past two years, the popularity of this phenomenal free chaotic art frenzy has exploded - hundreds of thousands of Torontonians take to the street and experience art in Toronto like never before.
For those of you who have never been, Katherine and I have put together a little guide - 7 tips on how to survive Nuit Blanche and make the most of your night.
We are prepping for an all night vlogging thing and we want you to be a part of it. We’ll be heading from Zone B to A to C on our bikes. If you want to join us along the way and be a part of our evening, email us at info@nightintoronto.com and we’ll let you know where we are. You can also send us some tips if you know of a great installation we should feature on TNIT!
After we catch up on our sleep, we’ll be posting a vlog from each zone so be sure to sign up to our RSS feed to see the results! Oh, and we’ll also be teaming up with our friends at Dear Toronto to do some cross vlogging - should be a lot of fun.
Enjoy!
- Blair
Follow our journeys through the following ways:
I was working late when a colleague pointed out the window at the gorgeous colours. I ran up to thw rooftop to take some photos on my phone. It was a beautiful sunset in Toronto. Here are some shots to look at.
- Blair
Welcome to the new home of That Night In Toronto!
We’re in the process of moving over our posts and look forward to updating our site shortly! Look for our post on Nuit Blanche coming up next week!
- Blair & Katherine
I just got out I the Goldfrapp concert at the Danforth Music Hall. She was AMAZING! It took the crowd about half the concert before the Toronto audience got up and rocked along but once we got over our fear of showing our excitement for this amazing singer. I’m going to get all the albums on iTunes when I get home. Here are some photos to enjoy!
- Blair
We’re back!
Yes, it was a little touch and go there for a while after our last vlog, but we’re back on the air - this time in HD! Woot! Thanks to our brand new Canon HG10, you’ll be able to enjoy TNIT through the magic of HD - it’s almost as if you are actually there with us! (Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration …)
On Saturday, Katherine and I decided to check out the Queen West Arts Crawl, a favourite weekend event amongst many Torontonians. What’s different about this vlog is that we filmed it BEFORE 5pm! That’s right - this is not about a night in Toronto as much as it is about a day in Hogtown. As that was the case, it only made sense that we grab a bit of brunch because c’mon - it’s Saturday morning!
We made our way over to Squrily’s which neither of us had been to before (for brunch). It’s an incredibly eclectic restaurant in its décor. There’s a lovely patio in the back where we sat (well, we sat on the edge of it because there was a great big red couch that Katherine wanted to rest up). The brunch was delicious and pretty darn cheap, if you ask me. Only $20 for the two of us (incl. tax and tip!).
Then it was off to Trinity Bellwoods Park to take part in the artist fair and to take a peak at some of the amazing artists who live in this fair city.
You’ll have to watch the episode to see how it all went down. 
We’d like to say thanks to Megan Hamilton for providing her song “Detroit” as the music for this episode! If you’ve got some music that you think would work well for for TNIT, drop us a line!
Follow our journeys through the following ways:
What we talked about in this episode:
- Squirly’s
- Queen West Arts Crawl
- Nicole Katsuras
- Lisa Pijuan Nomura
- Nomura Photography
- BlogTO Maps
- Megan Hamilton
Photo of Trinity Bellwoods Park by Katherine Grainger.
I’m sitting on the new Spadina WaveDeck, one of the first projects completed by Waterfront Toronto. The mayor and many members of various levels of government were on hand for the launch of this impressive deck - one of seven to be built over the next few years. I took some photos which I’ll try to upload from my phone here or when I get back to my computer. Time to enjoy my lunch!
Hey Guys -
So here is a blog without the Video. I know what you are thinking: “OMG, Blair and Katherine don’t have a camera anymore. It broke in the last episode and now they are screwed…. It is the end…..” This is simply not true. In fact, our own Blair Francey just bought a new super duper camera and our next episode will be done using new video technology. Fear not!
Although, we have both been super insanely busy and have not had time to put something together. However, there is a ton of stuff we want to tell you about. I wanted to tell you about my Saturday night! I woke up Sunday morning with my hands decorated as ones hands should be on a Sunday morning. Check them out:
Lots of stamps = Lots of fun
I know, my hands just look dirty… and veiny…. but they represent a super fun night. On the right hand (your left) is the stamp ‘kp’ which is for Kathleen Phillips‘ comedy show. Yes that’s right, for you loyal watchers you will remember that at the beginning of the summer, I spent an entire episode talking about how we were going to see one of her comedy shows, only to get screwed when the show was sold out! Well, this one was not sold out, but it should have been. Kathleen put a show together called “Kathleen Phillips is a Haunted House” and showed it at the Comedy Bar (a new venue downtown for the comedy). I laughed so hard, but, due to my being sick and losing my voice, no one could here the joy out of my mouth. Oh well. It was a great mix of live character hilarity and some of her best short films, including my current favourite “This Fuckin’ Town” See below (disclaimer: for those who aren’t a fan of swearing, this video may not be for you … everyone else, enjoy a laugh!):
So now to the left hand. The big stamp of dancing aliens is what you get when you pay $5 in the back room of Clinton’s (at Bloor and Clinton) every Saturday night. Because on these nights, it is Shake A Tail, one of the hottest dance nights. All 60’s funk and soul and all fun. It is one of the hottest dance spots on a Saturday. Click here for a link to their Facebook Group page. Join it. They just send you a quick reminder from time to time that dancing is in order.
The happy face on the left hand was for a concert it one of coolest or most random places. My brother Sebastien (www.myspace.com/sebastiengrainger) was playing at this newly renovated old building on Queen West called the Burroughs Building. I am trying to find information on how to find information on what goes on there, but it is all really weird. It looks like they are trying to lease out a lot of the spaces in the building but in the meantime renting out for events. Well, it was a really cool concert venue, it was like you were in a friend’s loft with huge windows overlooking Queen West. Only problem was… only 2 toilets! Seriously. I spent a good half hour in line. Though I was dancing at the same time. As for the concert, well, my brother and his band ‘the mountains’ rocked as usual. It was a sort of Virgin Fest after party. Poor them, they had to play the next day on the island. Not much partying for them… but that meant more free backstage (or behind curtain) white wine for me. If you haven’t heard their stuff yet, do go the myspace page. I am not just saying it because he is family. His music is seriously great and his first full album is coming out in October. Watch for it. Your ears will be blown.
That’s it for the tour of my hands. I DARE YOU TO SEND ME PICS OF YOUR ‘SUNDAY MORNING HANDS’. Would be great to have a little Facebook album full of stamped hands and tiny stories in the comments. I dare you to do it. Let’s go for it!
As for the next episode… Blair and I will be hanging out at the Queen West Arts Crawl on Saturday at Trinity Bellwoods Park. We won’t have a chance to air the episode until the event is over, so please check it out. I went last year and it was so great. I am looking forward to it even more now as I live so close by! I’ll get to know the artists in my neighborhood.
Okay - that’s it for me. Send in the photos of your stamped hands and please come and try to find us at the Queen West Arts Crawl this weekend. If I see you and you tell me you came because I told you so, I’ll either give you fifty cents, or a big kiss on the cheek. Wichever you choose.
See you around town guys!
It started out as an excellent night.
Katherine and I met at City Hall to check out what installation was in the Rotunda. We found a great piece from Vietnam - 300 (out of an original 1,303) painted lanterns by school children about how they viewed the country. Some of the paintings were amazing for such young children! The piece was only on for a few days, and we weren’t allowed to film it, but Katherine took some great photos!
Then it was out to Nathan Phillips Square to take a look at the art on the square. Some people might not know that we have a Henry Moore sculpture right there! And how many of us have taken the time to actually read about the Peace Garden (how many of you knew there WAS a Peace Garden)? From the City’s website:
The Peace Garden in Nathan Phillips Square consists of a simple cube with a pitched roof, an eternal flame, a pool and stone platform walls. The roof has a damaged appearance, which signifies conflict and evokes the theme of civilization’s frailty.
The eternal flame appears to support the structure, symbolizing the hope and regeneration of mankind.
Former Mayor Nathan Phillips presented the sundial located in the Peace Garden to the citizens of Toronto. It is inscribed with the words, “In appreciation of the opportunity to serve.”
The sundial, which was installed on Nathan Phillips Square in 1969, was designed by G.R. Johnson (in consultation with City Property Commissioner H.H. Rogers and architect John C. Parkin) and fabricated by F. Caruk, Master Welding Limited.
On March 5, 1984, during the City’s Sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) celebrations, then Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau turned the first sod for the Peace Garden’s construction.
In September of the same year, His Holiness Pope John Paul II lit the eternal flame with an ember from the Memorial for Peace in Hiroshima, Japan. The Holy Father poured a vial of water from the rivers that flow through Nagasaki into the pool.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II formally dedicated the Peace Garden in October, 1984.
Then it was off to the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre to see Avenue Q - but on our way over, we decided to investigate the flying Canadian Geese at the south entrance to the Eaton Centre. The piece, called Flight Stop, is by internationally renowned Toronto artist Michael Snow. This is another wonderful piece of art which many probably take for granted. But it’s a rather significant installation as there was some interesting controversy surrounding it.
After grabbing a quick bite to eat at Sushi Q in the Eaton Centre food court (to tie us over), we made our way over to the Elgin to pick up our tickets to Avenue Q. Before the show, we checked out another installation on the Palladian level of the Elgin by Theatre Museum Canada (yes! We have a theatre museum - it just doesn’t have a physical home … yet). They have some lovely costume and set designs on display at the moment. Make sure you check out what’s on display next time you’re there.
Here’s a quick peak at a song from Avenue Q:
It’s a hilarious show! We laughed and cried (from the pure joy of some of the songs). But then drama struck … you’ll have to watch the video to find out what kind of drama exactly … 
Follow our journeys through the following ways:
What we talked about in this episode:
- City Hall, Toronto
- Toronto Eaton Centre
- Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre
- Avenue Q
- Dancap
- The Jersey Giant
Photo taken of the Toronto skyline by Blair Francey.
Formats available:MPEG-4 Video (.m4v), Flash Video (.flv)
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