I’m lucky to have established some roots in Toronto since first year, and if I’m bored, I know where to look. You’d think with reading week, and it being Toronto, there would be tons of awesome things you can Instagram and make your hometown friends jealous with. There are! This weekend there’s ton of limited-time Fall stuff that will get you all of the <3s online, and all of the fun in real life. So with 72 hours left of your reading break, put down the laptop, pick up the subway token, and enjoy the best city in the world!
Rocky Horror Picture Show
You haven’t really lived until hearing the name “Brad Majors” results in a Pavlovian “ASSHOLE!” from you. If you don’t know to bring toast to the theatre, then you are what we call a “virgin”, someone that hasn’t experienced the glory that is Tim Curry in thigh-highs. The Lower Ossington Theatre is doing a cabaret of the longest-running movie in history this Friday and Saturday, so go check it out! How often do we venture that far west of Ryerson? Not to mention there’s tons of cool bars and restaurants in the area, in case you need nourishment after the long trek.
ROM Friday Night
Going out dancing seems to be a very divisive issue in university. People either love to spend their Friday nights tearing up the dance floor, or would rather chew tinfoil. But for those of you who might prefer a more intellectually stimulating night, the ROM does Friday Night Live. They get some DJs, they get a liquor license, and they “turn up”, as the kids say. For those of you interested in going, you can buy your tickets here, just make sure you’re 19 or else you’ll be left admiring the collection from the outside.
Riverdale Farms
If you grew up in a small town, you were probably shocked like I was to move here and no longer see any horses, cows or goats on your daily travels. Luckily, Riverdale Farms at Parliament and Gerrard is there to meet your over-emotionally-invested-in-farmlife needs! They’re open 9-5, and have farmers milking the goats at 11:30, tours of the residence at 11 and 4 on weekends, and it’s a nicer, closer alternative to High Park. Which I’ve never actually been, because forty minutes on the streetcar?! I’ll stick to Regent Park, thanks.
Toronto After Dark
If you’re looking for something a little less wholesome, this is probably more up your alley. Nine days of science fiction, cult, and above all, horror films. Lots of them are Canadian in origin too, so you get that sick Canadian pride, even though you wouldn’t expect Canada to be known for our proficiency in a genre known for stabbings and slashings, but we hold our own. It’s at the Scotiabank Theatre on Richmond, too, which is perfect for horror films (I know this because when I saw The Conjuring there my friend screamed “OH JESUS!” at a not-scary part and everyone in the audience still jumped). Check it out while tickets are still available!
Comedy Bar
If you’d rather drink/laugh away the weekend, then head on over to Comedy Bar at Ossington and Bloor. Toronto’s premier Improv Festival starts Friday, and this is one of the best venues for live comedy I’ve ever been to. It’s cozy, the seats are comfy, there’s not a bad view in the house, and the stage is at that perfect level of elevation where your view isn’t ruined by the seven foot monster who sat in front of you, but you’re not going to spill your drink by tilting your head to see.
I hope everyone enjoys their last 60 hours of freedom! It feels so bittersweet. I’m excited to go back, but sad that I won’t be able to just enjoy all the cool things that Toronto always seems to have to offer. I guess it’s better to have known the freedom, however brief, in Toronto, then to have been in engineering and having to work through a week where your friends all post pictures of their lovely vacation (we love you, ENG!).
