Hot night, wind was blowin' - Toronto

I’ve said this countless times to my friends,very few things beat a hot night out in the City, there is something about the summer heat that brings out my love of Toronto.


A few summers back I had the chance to live in the heart of Toronto, at College and Spadina, next to Chinatown, Kensington Market and the University of Toronto. Basically a few of the places you want to visit while in town. So here are a few of my favorite places to go at night, that will help you discover Toronto at its finest.  

A great night out always starts with a great dinner:

Cremini Mushroom Pizza
at Pizzeria Libretto

1. Pizzeria Libretto - for the best pizza you will ever have, I advise on ordering the pizza with the sausage, as it is made in house. Sorry pals, no gluten free pizza here. I go to the location on Ossington, it is the original spot.


2. The Grilled Cheese - in Kensington Market, its grilled cheese done great, my little "insider tip" is, order your grilled cheese, and tell them you'll be at Ronnie's (the bar across the street from the restaurant) and they will deliver your grilled cheese to you !!! Ronnie's is a great place to start and end your night, but you can just stumble outside the bar and hit up any of the hidden bars in Kensington.


3. The Beaconsfield - the best macaroni and cheese you will ever have. Just go.


Watering Holes


After you have had your pizza at Libretto, Ossington Street is a great street to start and finish your night off, if you want dancing, head to Levack Block for a great night of d. Or The Painted Lady, if you don't feel like paying cover at Levack Block. The DJ's are outstanding at both places. Around the corner from The Painted Lady, on Dundas Street, is Communist's Daughter , its a little hidden, but once you find it, you won't forget it. It is seriously a chill place, but gets rowdy nonetheless. I spent a wild Halloween there, but that is another story for another day. Or never.


Another area that is worth discovering, is Roncesvalles (again in the West end of Toronto), its traditionally a Polish area, but its becoming the next great neighborhood with great shopping, and its proximity to High Park. The pub that my friends and I hang out is The Local, a tiny pub with a great selection of beers. A guaranteed great night out. 


After pub grub


After your night out on Ossington, you're going to need something to help you and your stomach the next day. Stumble over to Poutini's on Queen Street, for some Poutine, I always order the standard classic poutine. Tip, consider leaving the bar a tad early to get your poutine, yes its worth leaving the bar early for.




Do you have a list of favorite places that you wish tourists knew about for your City?

A gluten free travel snack idea

Full Disclosure: I'm pretty new to this whole "gluten free" way of life, so I'm not sure if this is a new snack idea or not, but it just hit me this evening.


I just started trying the Gluten Free Chex cereal this week, and its kind of bland. But I thought it would be a great snack, if you mix it in with some spices. If you pack it in the right container they won't break, so a great travel snack to bring along with you on trips. 


A great gift suggestion for yourself, or your favorite traveler is a Travel Spice Kit, no matter where you are, you can have the food to your liking. 

Tea Time: Chateau Laurier in Ottawa

High tea sandwiches, and desserts.

When I travel I don't normally do anything "fancy" per se, but a few years back I went to Ottawa Ontario (which is one of my favorite Canadian Cities), for a bachelorette weekend.


Yes, the bachelorette party did include a stop for High Tea at the Chateau Laurier, I know not exactly the crazy typical bachelorette you normally hear of, but it happened.


The Chateau Laurier is located next to the Parliament Buildings and the Rideau Canal, yet another gem of a Fairmont hotel property. Its in an ideal location, walking distance to everything you will ever need to see in Ottawa. The restaurant in the hotel that offers the High Tea service is named Zoe's Lounge.

Om nom nom, the cheese course

If you are in town and not staying at the Chateau Laurier, I highly recommend going there for afternoon tea, its a reasonable price starting at $30 for a traditional tea. If you're feeling particularly fancy there is a tea course you can for $55 that includes Moet Champagne, yes please.


The food is amazing, and they are really great at customizing your food tray for allergies. I didn't miss out on any of the deliciousness.




The tea barista, and tea cart.

The experience is amazing, when you place your order for the High Tea, you also indicate which tea you would like to have. The tea barista brings a large cart to your table and you watch the tea experience unfold. You have the opportunity to smell the tea leaves before the steeping process begins. Its quite the regal experience, and the food tastes amazing, all very fresh.


TRAVEL TIP: The most amazing Croissant you will ever eat in your life can be found at The French Baker. Trust me, just go, and enjoy.

The calming feel of the restaurant









A post to get us through Friday: Istanbul, Turkey

Blue Mosque

Whenever I hear people planning their trips to Europe, I always make sure to suggest that Istanbul is a city not to be overlooked.


I honestly had such an amazing time while there, and the nightlife was amazing. I never expected that when I was researching it. I had never visited a country that was a secular state, so I guess I didn't think it would be exactly a 24 hour party city. I was wrong !!

Inside the Blue Mosque

Now aside from the partying, Istanbul is a great city to visit for History, Architecture, Shopping. I mean I learned how to bargain for an amazing necklace at the Grand Bazaar, and the Blue Mosque took my breath away. If you go in colder months you can enjoy the turkish baths.


I was lucky to stay with my friend who was living there at the time, and she was able to show my friends and I the better parts of Istanbul (including the night life). You must go to Taksim, honestly you can party all night, we went to this awesome club that had something like 4 levels.


Also, if you go to Istanbul I strongly suggest staying in Taksim, its less touristy, you get amazing views of the Bosphorus, eat where locals eat. And you aren't that far from the main sights of Istanbul by tram.


TRAVEL TIP: The best places to grab a drink in Taksim are the small, back door type bars, if you think a door won't lead to anything, trust me open the door and chances are its a bar. **Use some discretion though, I don't want you walking into some person's house.


TRAVEL TIP #2: You wont' be able to access YouTube whilst in Istanbul, just a heads up.

View of Istanbul from the Bosphorus

A year ago: Ahmedabad, India

Its hard to believe that exactly a year ago I was traveling through India. My trip took me from Delhi to Agra (Taj Mahal), to Ahmedabad (for my friends wedding). Then to Mumbai, Jaipur and back to Delhi. 


Everyone hears about the big Cities in India, but today I am going to focus on Ahmedabad, in Western India, about an hour flight from Delhi. 

Traffic in Ahmedabad

Ghandi's Ashram in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad was also home to Gandhi, within the City is the Gandhi Ashram  and without a doubt the Ashram is the most peaceful place in India. You feel like you are in the middle of paradise, when in reality you are in the middle of complete chaos. I spent about 2 hours in the ashram just walking around, taking photos, learning more about Gandhi, it was superbly invigorating. Exactly what I needed at this point in my trip.

Hutheesing Jain Temple, Ahmedabad

After the ashram, I asked my rickshaw driver to bring me to the Step Wells, as per my Lonely Planet, the rickshaw driver had another idea, and brought me to the Hutheesing Jain Temple, it had just finished raining (I was there during the monsoon season afterall). 


Please note: During this trip I was reading Eat, Pray, Love -- in Ahmedabad I was in between "eat" and "pray" and felt this was the perfect City to have my "pray" part of the trip.


Its unfortunate I couldn't take photos inside the temple, but I channeled my inner Elizabeth Gilbert and took the entire experience in, got my feet wet, literally because you aren't allowed to wear shoes in the temple. Again, more peace was had, so it was a completely unexpected visit to a great Temple. Sometime you just have to go with the rickshaw driver, who doesn't speak english, and just trust him. Unless of course, he's trying to bring you to a "special place" and its a little too friendly at the ATM, but that is another story for another day.


And finally, this picture was the last piece of Ahmedabad before I flew off to Mumbai. After a crazy weekend full of an amazing Hindu wedding, the calmness of the River was a perfect way to bid adieu to Ahmedabad. 

Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad at Dusk

Next Major Trip Announcement

Friends !!! I have some big news !!! Big travel news !!


I'm going to Sri Lanka !!!  I'm so excited, I'm going in November to Negombo to participate in a Habitat for Humanity Build. I volunteer at the Habitat for Humanity restore in Burlington, Ontario. 


If you have any travel tips/suggestions in Sri Lanka, please let me know !!

Oh Canada Week Ends...On to New York City

I hope everyone enjoyed Oh Canada Week on Travel Nutsy, I chose not to write about the obvious Canadian cities (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver). I figured there is so much information about those Cities already, plus one of my first posts was about Montreal. I will eventually get around to my own City Guide's about Toronto and Vancouver don't you worry.


Now onto this post in honor of our friends across the border, and Independence Day, I haven't been to many American Cities (Boston, Buffalo, Disney World, Seattle, New York City and throughout New England). 


The City that started my passion for traveling was New York City, I went there in 1998 with my High School, and that's when I caught the travel bug, and for that I will ever be grateful to New York City. In retrospect I was very lucky to be there 3 years before 9/11, because at the time I took a panoramic picture of the twin towers, which is now framed by my parents. 


Going to New York City at 17 was a highlight for me, going there with my best friends, learning so much about the world, and where else I could go in the world - all happened in one city. I remember the moment well, we were in the United Nations building, and the fact that when you stepped on the UN soil you weren't technically in the USA. I was baffled by this, then seeing all of the flags, and that's when it hit, yup I can go anywhere in this awesome world.


So for that I thank New York City, the City that showed me that everything is possible.