Anna Garasto ~ The Healthy Italian Goddess

Riverside is a great area filled with charm, lovely red brick and solid buildings that included some pretty amazing shops and restaurants.   View from the parking lot!  We hit The Opera House for some grilled Greek tasty kabobs and salad with a bit of pita bread on the side.  The patio outside was really nice, the day was so gorgeous and  we were lucky to get a seat. After lunch we decided to go for a stroll and happened upon a dessert place right out front the restaurant! I had a yummy French donut called a Beignet that was filled with a vanilla cream.  So soft and tasty!  I split it with my husband to be good. lol  I should have got the Nutella filled one too.  Next time!  The beats part of the fest wasn't that apparent at first but later on there were about three live bands playing in an art shop, a pub and the street all spread out.  I think they need more music next year coming from the streets.  There w...

Luminato general admission was free but there were pay events also and parking was a whopping $15 for basic parking and something even more ridiculous for VIP bit some decided to park free nearby and walk over.  The closed power plant near Cherry Beach was mostly exposed cement and pipes, however, some of the exhibits were interesting.  On until June 26th but I heard that the old plant will be converted to a club.  I was able to capture some really great shots so please take a look and feel free to hit the official website that I will put right below my pictures. For more info regarding Luminato please see:  https://luminatofestival.com/

Located in Toronto's Little Italy on College Street.  I have been a few years ago and it was really great.  We were so fortunate to secure a wonderful table at an open restaurant with a good view near the CHIN building.  There was so much yummy food available, music, dancing, carnival games, a few kids rides, gelato and more. Above is a picture of our view from the restaurant only 30 minutes after arriving so we had great service and the food was really delicious.   So much Italian swag there so if you are on the hunt for that sort of thing then this is the place for you especially since it's Euro time.  We arrived early at the very start on the Friday when it just opened and I took a few snaps while they were still setting up.  We showed up in advance just so we would get into a good restaurant for dinner. This year I hope we can check out some of the carnival games and food. This month of June is Italian Heritage Mont...

It's such a beautiful place and can you believe it's so close to downtown Toronto.  Actually, all of Toronto, surrounding GTA, the Golden Horseshoe and Ontario has so many amazing places.  I really love staycations to be honest.  The top 5 in the city are a great place to start.  Then go for the world's waterfall capital in Hamilton, Ontario.  We have seen 3 so far and they are amazing to say the least.  Then the Bluffs in Toronto East.  We went there during the Monarch Butterfly migration!  The place was covered with the gorgeous butterflies.  Pretty incredible!  Toronto even has a castle too, Casa Loma, that should be seen also.  You need a good month here to see a lot of the sites in my opinion.  Or just keep coming back, a lot. :)

St. Lawrence Market in Toronto has been around since 1803 and is a big part of the city til this day.  Sunday morning we decided to go for an all day breakfast somewhere so I suggested Paddingtons at the market and then we could enjoy the area after since there is always so much to do.  We found fair city green P parking nearby at $11 max rate for the day.  Then we arrived at the restaurant and secured a table on the lovely patio no problem.  I ordered the French Connection with real maple syrup and coffee for around ten bucks plus tax and tip.  It was fabulous and the service was just as fab!  We noticed there was a massive antique market around and next to the market too so we checked it out.  I was so glad that we did because it was packed with the most amazing things.  It was a really great way to spend a Sunday!

This is to all the victims & their families harmed in the terror attacks this morning and also for the people effected all over the world and throughout history. Conditioning children with intolerance and hate in any group needs to stop. That is the core of the problem in my honest opinion. Taken this afternoon at Riverdale park, Toronto.