West Queen West Has a Metro Now!

Heaps of prepared food. Lots of fresh juice. Massive gluten free section. Huge bread assortment including pretzel croissants (??) and Italian bread with real Italian ingredients (might be made by a real nonna?). Huge meat selection that will do custom cuts and a cool female butcher. Fresh sustainable seafood. So much yogurt. Exotic snacks. Self-checkout. Starbucks and collective art space on the lower floor. I also rode my bike there. A new grocery store in the hood is pretty exciting. Before I lived in the West End, I was at Cityplace when the new grocery store opened up. [I actually even set up a Twitter account based on the store which I then shut down]. Everyone was so excited and that might seem a little dorky but when a new food store opens in your neighbourhood with all your fav things and fresh prepped food, your life is instantly better. So, I  biked over to the new MetroWest Queen West for a tour on opening weekend (10mins bike from home!). This location puts a focus on local and community with organic chicken from Yorkshire Valley Farms in Etobicoke, pastries from Dufflet in Toronto, and Portuguese products from Borges Foods Ltd. in Mississauga. Thanks Metro, for inviting me to the opening and the pedicab ride! Make sure to stop by and order a ready-made pizza, pick up some beer for the weekend, and grab yourself a fresh juice. For info about Metro in-store events and other happenings, follow them on Facebook at Metro Ontario.

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Lunch Photo Walk Queen West

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Lifestyles of the Queen West and Fabulous

[View the story “As Keri says \”Best Night of the Week!\”” on Storify] As Keri says "Best Night of the Week!" Thursday is always a good day. There are less than 15 working hours till the weekend so make them COUNT! I’ve got a busy day at work and am excited about upcoming projects. Being Director of Social Media here at community is so fun/crazy/exciting. Each day is a new adventure! Storified by CASIE STEWART· Thu, Jan 10 2013 07:33:11 Good morning! I have a really great feeling about today. Passing it on :)CASIE STEWART This is my Thursday alarm. I plays Lady Gaga ‘Edge of Glory’ super loud. Morning motivation to get moving is great! Gonna be real nice out tomorrow 🙂 http://pic.twitter.com/eNYzSZVhCASIE STEWART Meet Charlie – My new 3-speed Linus Dutch bike. It’s like a dream to ride. I LOVE IT! Akamaihd Have you SEEN how nice the it’s gonna to be this weekend? Thanks to Lauren for posting this because I am SMILING just as big for Toronto’s weekend weather. To be honest, I don’t mind if spring comes next week. PLEASE SPRING! Akamaihd Got a little haircut last night. I’ve gone back to Sonya and her new salon (Evolve Hair Studio on Fort York) I love the details she takes to doing my hair. Next week I’m bringing back the bleach blonde. It’s gonna be hot.  Akamaihd Made a smoothie and had an avocado for breakfast. I’ve got this ‘Start the Year Off Right’ thing down pat.  Biked to work. Made smoothie. Ate avocado. Sun is out. Day is good! @ Pulp And Fiber http://instagr.am/p/UTjCIoSa9t/CASIE STEWART Tried to make a video while biking today and it was a bust. I looked super stylish on my way to work though.  Akamaihd In other news… Looks like #BritneySpears is set…

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Off to the Races! Queen’s Plate 2014 #QP14

From the cottage to the red carpet! Yesterday Sean and I went to the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine Raceway as soon as we got back from the cottage. We both rushed around to find an outfit and Queen West vintage shops saved the day for me once again. Picked up this purple hat from the Public Butter and dress from another little shop near Queen/Lansdowne (Parkdale). We bet on the last 4 races and unfortunately didn’t win. I’m not a fan of horses, for some reason they really creep me out but I do love horse racing. When I lived in Australia it was such a huge event to attend the races. Everyone there was dressed to the nines! I remember going surfing and rushing back to the house, throwing on a dress, makeup, and a huge hat before gracing the red carpet. Post by Woodbine Racetrack. Big thanks to the Sharon from the Backseat Stylers blog and Flare Canada for having us as their guests. Hoping to go back to the racetrack to place some bets before the next Queen’s Plate rolls around. It’s so fun! Song of the day… <3 CASIE

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Queen Spadina Fire

Walked Brent Winsor to Brocklyn’s house and heard so many sirens on the way. This is where they were going… One of the units on the South side of Queen just West of Spadina across from CTS was on fire. Spadina/Adelaide/Queen Street shut down. People were evacuated. I saw a couple with their cats in cat cages. Sad, I really hope everyone is ok. I looked serious. One of the restos right there recently went out of business.  Other than that, no details to report. These are my photos. Adelaide East to Spadina. So many trucks. Fire was in the building right behind these fighters. Queen/Spadina. Queen Street West. Then I saw an open manhole on my way home. This is what it looks like inside. Casie Stewart, reporter of daily events on Toronto.

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Winter Wander with Ease

I had such a great day on Saturday. Such a treat when the weekend rolls around and I have little to no plans. Love a Saturday winter wander, stopping into shops, taking in the sunshine, and letting my mind free. Started the day at Othership, my first visit the new sauna + ice bath spot on Adelaide. It was amazing. I’ve already booked to go back again and will share more about the experience in another post. After Othership, a friend and I had brunch at Oretta. It’s the first time I’d been for brunch since at least December 2019. I’m not really a ‘brunch girl‘ but we went for the special and paired our meal with coffee and a mimosa. It was lovely! I spent the next two hours casually walking home through Queen West and Dundas West, before hitting Junction Triangle. It was cold but sunny and I was happy as can be. The past two years have been hard but I’ve really found joy in little things like a nice long walk by myself. As the world starts to open up again, I vow to not get caught up in the rat race like I was. I’m looking for a simple kinda life.

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Day 586: When Life Gives You Monday

After work, I biked over to a last-minute vintage sale on Queen West. April was going to meet me there but she had to work so I went solo. I wasn’t really looking for anything particular but I left with a beautiful silk blazer (with shoulder pads!) and a glass bowl I plan to use for plant propagation. Took home something for April in my bike basket. ? It was absolutely beautiful outside and it felt great to be on my bike in the sun. I cruised down the West Toronto Rail Path, down Dundas West, and back. Loving these warm October days and hope they stick around past Halloween. When life gives you Monday, dip it in glitter and sparkle all day. Ella Woodward Looking forward to an early night and my run in the morning. Sending you sunshine through the internet!

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Day 558: Sit Outside in Silence

Took myself on a little date after work and biked down to Queen West. Felt inspired by this post from Olivia Herricks Design, she posted a reel where you screenshot to get your mantra for the day. I love the idea of ‘sit outside in silence with no agenda’. See the post here to get your own!

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Day 495: She Wore Red Lipstick

On Day 495 she wore red lipstick and felt a renewed sense of self. With her dark pandemic locks, she put her unwashed hair in a braid, threw on some jewelry, and headed out on her vintage-style bike. She met up with a friend to catch up, the daily download on everything. The girls walked backstreets of Dundas West and got popsicles on Queen West. On the ride home, Casie stopped to take a photo of ‘billboard’ and thought, ‘that would be a great place for my face’. And as she typed this she thought, “Why don’t I write in the third person a little more? It’s kinda fun.” At home, she opened her mail to find a Tiki Party gift complete with Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum. Although she had work to do, knowing she had ice in the freezer, she reached for the blender. She worked and typed will dreaming of Pina Coladas in a tropical destination. Thought about buying some nice jewelry from Hestia Jewels. One day, she will travel again, her suitcase is ready and waiting. Outfits too.

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425: Better Days Are On Their Way

Had such a nice bike ride today after work. Went over to see April and hang out in the backyard. I’ve been loving these warmer temps and wearing cute clothes. We walked about 5km from her place, up to Dundas, to Bathurst, and back along Queen West. The trees are all starting to bloom and it will be summer in no time. Don’t lose hope, better days are on their way. Sending you love from the internet, have a great day!

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Bring on the Holidays!

We’re barely one week into November and I am happy to say I’ve made holiday cookies, decorated a tree, wrapped a present, sang Christmas music, and made a DIY ornament. On November 1st, Home Hardware hosted a Holiday Market fit with all kinds of family-friendly Christmas activities and the photos are so cute.  The holiday market was at Twist Gallery Queen West. I picked Em up from school and told her I was taking her somewhere fun, I didn’t realise they would have so many activities. ? We sat right down at the cookie decorating table after eating delicious mac & cheese and grilled cheese catered by Gusto.  I could have sat there all night.  We put a few decorations on the trees  and wrapped presents, both will be donated to a variety of Toronto charities. I love wrapping presents and the holidays so much.  It was so nice to sit down and make things. Natalie Deane joined Em and I to make a frame decorations for the tree. I  forgot to take a photo of mine, it was a reindeer (upside down gingerbread man) and I made a new hole to hang it. So fun though.  One crazy fact about this day is that I wore my glasses and I FORGOT MASCARA. I was pretty distracted when I left the house and I guess I didn’t really look in the mirror much that day because I didn’t notice until I got home. I am noting this in the blog diary because THAT NEVER HAPPENS. Mascara is the one thing I *hardly* ever leave the house without. Sometimes I wear it around the house when I’m not even going anywhere. Ok well, this section was longer than I planned it to be. My fav kind for the record is Loreal Voluminous, I’ve been using it for years. I’m excited for…

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Takin’ It Back to Where It Started in ’71

If you’ve been near Queen West and the Ossington area lately you’ll probably have noticed a big blue building at 9 Ossington. Until September 30th it’s the home of the San Rafael Experience popup, a time warp that takes you back to 1971 where ‘4:20’ started in San Rafael, California. I went for the opening and honestly, it was really cool! Cannabis companies are being super creative with their marketing in order to try and drive sales of their products like a nitro cookies strain, for example. This is another great example brought to you by the same company that did the Altavie event in the spring. Once you step through that blue doorway, you enter a 70’s themed record shop with a bar, dj, living room, screen printing, vintage shopping, and plenty of photo opps. There’s live music every night in the basement and can use your San Rafael token to can peruse and pay for real records the shop. Scroll down for some pix and the list of artists performing this week. Thanks to the San Raf team for the invite and I’ll be back this week for live music & retro hangs! FYI there was no cannabis at the popup but if you have questions about anything before legalization, they’ve got answers. ?? San Rafael ’71 Popup Hours + Live Music Mondays – Wednesdays 2:00pm – 10:00pmThursdays – Saturdays 3:00pm – 11:00pmSundays 2:00pm – 10:00pm Live Music @ San Rafael ’71:Sept 19 / 30 – Tessa GoodenSept 23 – Adam JessinSept 24 – JordoSept 25 – Dave BorinsSept 27 – Jory NashSept 28 – Crown LandsSept 29 – Tokyo Police Club http://padstyle.com/wp-content/languages/new/nexium.html buy Finasteride Buy Flagyl online Buy Amoxil online

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Brighter Days

Smile into the sun. Feel it on your face. There are brighter days ahead.  What a week right, amirite? I don’t think I’ve ever been more looking forward to escaping to the cottage for the weekend. We have worked really hard since March to get it ready and we’re finally there. Time to relax. Yesterday I had a nice lunch with my sister Queen West. We sat outside and laughed in the sun. I spent some time in Bellwoods, caught up with an old friend, met up with Lauren. We went to the Zane X Jenny Bird pop-up at ZANE for a bit. It was so nice out. I met Jenny Bird and totally fangirled like a DORK. Real bugger to hear about the Ontario election results after such a great day. Also sucked waking up to hear about Anthony Bourdain. He was such a great storyteller, inspiring chef, great traveller. This weekend I am focussing my energy on the great stuff. Planning the next 2 months. I have some trips coming up to plan for and a couple really fun brand partnerships coming up. I am feeling very grateful for the opportunities I have and the people around me. Extremely excited for the rest of summer. Today I signed up for 6 months with a trainer. I’ve wanted to do this forever and I’m doing it now, for myself! It isn’t sponsored and I probably won’t be posting workout stuff I biked there today and didn’t even tell anyone haha. Sending you sunshine through the internet. Here’s to a great weekend. ? Fluoxetine without prescription http://rxbuywithoutprescriptiononline.org/lasix.html Buy Cipro online

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You remind me of a sunshine the way you light up a room.

I used to post a lot of collage photos of my faces, different faces, expressions. I mean, used to as in the ‘old days’ of social media, pre-Instagram, early Twitter. I love taking photos of myself and documenting them. I love myself and I want you to know that. You should love yourself too. What else can I say? You gotta love yourself first because the more love you have, the more love you can give to others. Love and kindness are infinite. I always thought it was fun to take a million (ok, a hundred?) photos of my facial expressions and post them. As a kid, I spent heaps of time making faces in the mirror, ask mum. Honestly, I take about 50+ sometimes before I get one I want to post. I’ve always had an expressive face. When I was a kid, I did a lot of dance competitions across Ontario, New York, Myrtle Beach. At one competition my adjudicator was Patsy Swayze, Patrick Swayze’s mum. She trained him for Dirty Dancing in 1987 when I was 5. It was circa 1990 when she recorded a tape about me.  Back then, judges used to record their comments on tape while you were dancing and give it to you after the awards. I still have the tape of her talking about me. She said, “it’s too bad we don’t have lighting from the audience to show this child’s facial expression because she really does deserve it”. To this day, that is one of my proudest moments. “it’s too bad we don’t have lighting from the audience to show this child’s facial expression because she really does deserve it” I will never stop showing who I am. I’m too damn old to try and pretend to be someone else, gah, imagine how much work that would be? I am who I…

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