Leafs and Raptors tickets enter the 21st century

Good news, sports fans. Never again will you have to wait in line at a game as someone fumbles in their bag for 10 minutes, looking for the crinkly tickets they printed at home. 

Starting this fall, print-at-home tickets will no longer be accepted as legitimate forms of entry at Raptors and Maple Leafs games, with a plan to phase them out of all Toronto sports teams by 2020. 

In an effort to move toward paperless ticketing, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) has decided that only mobile tickets and tickets printed on cardboard stock will permit you entry to a game. 

The company cites counterfeits as their reasons for cutting print-at-homes: scammers sometimes sell their tickets to unwitting fans only for them to find out that they're duplicates at the door.

While this is good news for any sports fan that owns a smartphone (99.9%?), some fans are complaining that it excludes those that don't own their own little piece of pocket technology. 

Already $$$ tix - how many additional barriers do they want to create? If they eliminate print at home tickets entirely and go mobile, then I know my own father in law will never attend another Leaf's game. He used to be a season tix holder. He doesn't have a mobile device.

— Morag Paton (@Morag_Paton) February 28, 2018

There's also the issue of extra costs sometimes incurred by opting for mobile tickets instead of printable tickets.

While the extra fee for a mobile ticket is usually only a few dollars, the cost is enough to have people already wishing for the days of longer lines and scrunched up paper.

by Tanya Mok via blogTO

Skating trail under the Gardiner suddenly shuts down for the season

Bentway Skate Trail, we hardly knew ye. 

Toronto's first-ever recreational outdoor winter athletic facility under a highway has announced that it will be calling it quits for the season today on account of unseasonably warm weather.

The yo-yo temperatures of winter 2018 had already prompted several intermittent closures of the ice rink since its opening in early January, and organizers feel that keeping it open during this most recent spate of spring-like weather won't work out in anyone's favour.

"After an extremely successful launch in January 2018, the early taste of spring weather in Toronto has required the premature closing of The Bentway Skate Trail," reads a media advisory sent out Wednesday.

"Effective immediately, The Bentway will close for the season."

With the early closure of the popular skate rink, construction on phase one of the full, permanent Bentway project can resume.

The Bentway Conservancy says that, by spring, Torontonians can expect something called "Strachan Gate" in and around the space currently occupied by the skate trail.

This will include "a grand cascading wooden 'staircase' that doubles as a main entrance and performance space, and the adjacent Green Amphitheatre, a grassy hill that welcomes audiences to relax and enjoy performances under the sun."

That should soften the blow for anyone upset by this temperature-motivated change of events. 

by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO

Market Village closes its doors for good today

Stunning new building coming to York University campus

While students and faculty at York might be preoccupied by the possibility of yet another strike next week, there's some bright news on the horizon for the university in the architectural realm.

What was once one of the most dismal campuses in Canada, will get yet another upgrade in the form of a new School of Continuing Studies building, which is set to break ground in 2019 for a 2021 completion date. 

This would add to a recent architectural resurgence on the Keele campus that's witnessed a slew of highly acclaimed buildings arrive on the campus over the last few years, mostly notably the Foster + Partners-designed subway station and the Bergeron Centre from ZAS Architects.

York held a design competition that resulted in a short list of three firms: HOK, Gow Hastings Architects with Henning Larsen, and Perkins+Will. The latter was recently announced as the winner, and preliminary design work has begun.

Despite the early phase, a press release form York indicates that the new home for the school is projected to feature 39 classrooms as well as student lounges, private work spaces, and office space spread over 9,000 square metres.

Location-wise, the structure is destined to rise at the corner of The Pond Road and James Gillies Street, which is just a short walk from the main subway station. 

York's early Brutalist architecture doesn't have many fans these days, but as the campus continues to fill with attractive new buildings, perhaps it'll earn more love as a whole. It's already a far cry from what it looked like even a decade ago. 

by Derek Flack via blogTO

Rental of the week: 194 Clinton Street

I think I've found my dream apartment in Toronto. It's a furnished rental, so now I just need to find an equally dreamy job that lets me split my time between here and a city like London or Paris and I'll be set. 

Seriously, not everyone is in the market to plop down $6K a month in rent, but for those who are, 194 Clinton is worthy of consideration. This three bedroom semi just south of Harbord marries loft living with the comfort and privacy of a family home. 

While the vast majority of furnished rentals leave something to be desired in the decor department (not every item needs to be from Structube, you know), the design chops on display here are superlative. Fans of Mid-century Modern furniture will be particularly impressed.

A few highlights worth mentioning beyond the wood ceilings and healthy dose of exposed brick include the working fireplace (yup, it's real), the soaker tub in the main washroom, and the private rear terrace.

If there's a problem with an apartment like this, it's that once you've seen it, it's hard to go back your old place and not feel a bit meh about it. 

Specs

• Address: 194 Clinton St.
• Rent: $5,995
• Realtor: Lina and Francesco Porretta
• Furnished? Yes
• Utilities: Included
• Air conditioning? Yes
• Bedrooms: 2
• Bathrooms: 3
• Parking: 1 spot
• Laundry? In suite
• Outdoor space? Backyard/terrace

Good For

Someone with impeccable taste who needs a furnished place for a short but significant period of time. 

Move On If

Your design sympathies haven't made it to the 20th century. This space is thoroughly and unabashedly modern. 

by Derek Flack via blogTO

The Best Wonton Soup in Toronto

The best wonton soup in Toronto are delicious bowls of swishy shrimp balls served with noodles in hot broth. These traditional Cantonese dumplings filled with ground pork, shrimp, or both, come in all sizes but always make for a satisfying meal.

Here are the best spots for wonton soup in Toronto. 

4 - King's Noodle House

The best part about these Chinatown noodles is that they come with a variety of options on top of your regular wonton shrimp dumplings. Order with duck meat and BBQ pork to really spruce up this simple dish.
11 - Keung's Delight

It gets packed at this Markham restaurant on Warden. A ridiculously popular weekend hang for families, this spot whips out wonton soups like hot cakes for satisfyingly low prices.
8 - Swatow

The noodles at this Chinatown spot are actually some of the best. Accompanying the shrimp wontons in broth, these noodles have a great texture that’s not too soft, not too chewy.
9 - House of Gourmet

If you’re craving some late night wonton soup, head to this Chinatown spot that’s open late daily. They’re also a great place to hit up during the afternoon: grab their wonton soup with the lunch special for cheap and with a Hong Kong tea.
10 - Gold Stone Noodle

You can’t go wrong with the wonton soup at this longtime Chinatown spot just south of Dundas. Wontons here are a mix of pork and shrimp, and served with more than the average bowl.
7 - Asian Legend

This Chinese chain isn’t necessarily known for their wontons, but they make them surprisingly well here. Visit one of the few locations they have around the city and try out their noodles for yourself.
3 - Jim Chai Kee Noodles

This spot on West Beaver Creek in Richmond Hill is all about efficiency, delivering meals that are cheap and quick, despite being busy all the time. With an equally good spot by McNicoll and Midland, order their signature wonton bowl, eat, and be on your way in all of 30 minutes.
6 - Wonton Hut

An itty bitty spot in Markham Town Square, the wonton soups here are definitely not the cheapest, averaging around $7 instead of the usual $6 median, but the restaurant itself is just one of those Markham staples you need to visit at least once.
5 - Wonton Chai

Shrimp dumplings are comparatively large at this restaurant close to Scarborough Town Centre. Get your wontons with egg noodles or opt for thicker ho fun rice noodles or thin vermicelli to switch things up.

by Tanya Mok via blogTO

Kurt Russell is filming a Santa movie in Toronto right now

Kurt Russell, 1980s hot guy turned legendary Hollywood actor, has been spotted around Toronto lately rocking a long white beard and sometimes a red velour twinset.

The Tombstone, Hateful Eight and Escape From New York star is reportedly in town to film a Netflix original Christmas movie produced by Chris Columbus – the guy behind Home Alone.

Russell plays Santa Claus, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and will be joined by two children (plus a bunch of live-action CGI stuff) as the movie's main character.

"12/24", Starring Kurt Russell, produced by C Columbus, directed by Clay Kaytis
#12/24 #toronto #Netflix #filmmaking #filmset #tiff_net pic.twitter.com/j9SncZ4npn

— Imad DeirAtany (@imaddeiratany) January 23, 2018

No official name has been released for the feature film yet, but we do know that it's set to hit Netflix around the 2018 holiday season. The project is tentatively titled "12/24" and started filming locally in mid January.

Shooting will wrap on March 23, according to The City of Toronto's "currently filming" database. Crews have been spotted around the Leslieville area and The Windsor Arms hotel, among other locales.

Kurt Russell is standing outside of my house btw

— Nikki Sin (@TheNikkiSin) February 26, 2018

Russell is no stranger to the city. Being a very famous film actor, he's often around for TIFF, and he and his longtime love, actress Goldie Hawn, are also said to have a cottage in Muskoka.

Still, it's not every day that a Hollywood star pops up outside your house – and certainly not dressed like Santa Claus, two months after Christmas.

Good luck tracking this production down, Kurt Russell stans of Toronto.

by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO