Diamond Dogs, Artist: David Bowie 

Where to listen: Honestly, you could listen to the entire Diamond Dogs album while strutting around Old Town Toronto in your tallest heels and tightest jeans and have an excellent time, but the eponymous song from Bowie’s 8th studio album is a delight to listen to on your next visit to the Berczy Park Dog Fountain. 

Diamond Dogs not your speed? May we also recommend:

Dog Days are Over, Florence + the Machine

Werewolves of London, Warren Zevon

Dog Days of Summer, Steve Conte

Take on Me, Artist: a-ha

Where to listen: This Norwegian synth-pop hit from 1985 has one of the most iconic music videos of all time. It’s an energetic bop with an emotional charge that’s sure to pump you up on your way to your next Climber Conditioning or Interval Running class at Altitude Fitness- a studio that specializes in preparing you for your next adventure.

May we also recommend:

Under Pressure, Queen/David Bowie

Cherry Bomb, The Runaways

Running Up That Hill, Kate Bush

Take Me To Church, Artist: Hozier

Where to listen:  Okay. Listen. This might be a bit on the nose, but the debut single from the (now) uber-famous singer-songwriter makes for beautifully-moody accompaniment as you appreciate the glow of the newly installed lights in St. James Cathedral. Yes, we know the song is a metaphor and not actually about going to church, but the soul and gospel infusion of this alt-rock tune hits hard whether secular or sacred.  

May we also recommend:

Imagine, John Lennon

Dear Wormwood, The Oh Hellos

Hallelujah, Pentatonix

I Think I Like When it Rains, Artist: WILLIS

Where to listen: If you’re in a dreamy, romantic kind of mood there’s nothing quite like wandering around in a gentle rain with this bluesy WILLIS tune playing. Once you’re ready to dry off try popping into CC Lounge for their famous Toronto cocktail- a twist on a classic Old Fashioned.

May we also recommend:

Barstool, Gary Jules

Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes

Nothing’s Gunna hurt You Baby, Cigarettes After Sex

All Too Well (Taylor’s Version), Artist: Taylor Swift

Where to listen: If you haven’t heard the ten-minute, heartwrenching ballad that made the internet cancel Jake Gyllenhaal where have you been? This bittersweet but ultimately uplifting folk tune is best suited to accompany a meandering walk along Market Street and the Esplanade, maybe picking up some seasonal flowers for yourself at the St. Lawrence Farmer’s Market, then sitting down with a hot cocoa at Balzac’s to write in your journal. 

May we also recommend:

Scarborough Fair/Canticle, Simon and Garfunkel 

A Tiskit A Tasket, Ella Fitzgerald

These Boots Are Made For Walkin’, Nancy Sinatra

The Distance, Artist: Cake

Where to listen: If you’re working against a deadline this 90s alt-rock track by Cake is the perfect song to give you a jolt of adrenaline to get you there- especially if you pair it with a snug pair of noise-canceling headphones, a comfy nook, and a double-Americano over ice from Fahrenheit Coffee. 

May we also recommend:

Cosmic Dancer, T. Rex

Where is My Mind?, Pixies

Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles 

So there you have it- a complete playlist for a full day bopping around OTT. Have any songs that remind you of Old Town Toronto you’d like us to add to the playlist? Message us on Instagram and let us know!

The post We Made You a Mixtape appeared first on Old Town Toronto.

But no need to fret, because Old Town Toronto has you covered with a number of activities designed to educate, spark creativity, and above all be fun for your little one (with a local OTT twist)!

1. Get Creative With Young People’s Theatre

Since 1966 Young People’s Theatre has been offering innovative and fun programming for the children of Toronto, so it comes as no surprise at all that the YPT’s Education & Participation team have developed the ‘Inside With Imagination’ program, a selection of fun activities that spark creativity from the comfort of your own home! This free programming includes video drama activities for elementary school levels and a special storytelling event in which author Andri Snær Magnason reads from his award-winning children’s novel, The Story of the Blue Planet. If your child is a little too old for those, YPT has them covered with additional video drama activities for grades 9-12.

2. Bake Bread With George Street Diner

One of the most rewarding collaborations you can do with your child is to prepare a meal. After all, they learn an essential skill and in the end you get something delicious that you made yourself! And because it’s currently super trendy, we can’t help but suggest the fun experience of baking your own bread! Though don’t worry about looking up recipes or finding flour because the George Street Diner is offering kits of their Farrelly’s Famous Irish Soda Bread (a bread so famous it has its own Facebook page)! Each kit comes with the ingredients needed to make your very own batch of this iconic bread along with easy to follow instructions. And to make it a more interactive and fun experience, you can follow along with how to prepare the bread with George Street Diner’s owner Ash Farrelly!

To get a hold of the Farrelly’s Famous Irish Soda Bread mix, reach out to Farrellyssoda@gmail.com

3. Create Edible Art With Food From St. Lawrence Market

Who says you can’t play with your food? Okay, well sometimes it’s allowed and creating art made to be eaten can be a deliciously fun activity. And of course what better way to provide the young artist’s materials than with some delicious foods from our very own St. Lawrence Market? Now providing options for delivery or curbside pickup, the shops within the Market are still the source for everything you need. A sausage from Di Liso’s Fine Meats or pork belly bacon from Whitehouse Meats can be used with eggs from Sunrise Egg Farm to create the classic smiley-faced breakfast. For something a little fancier, Chris’ Cheesemongers can provide enough different cheese to create a delicious landscape, Kozlik’s Mustard or Breedon’s Maple Syrup can act as paint, or the various fruits and vegetables from Thames River Melons market boxes can be used to make a sculpture. Your plate is their canvas!

4. Learn an Instrument with Mint Music

If your young one has their sights on being the next Eric Clapton or Joan Jett, they’re going to need to practice and get a little help through lessons. With that Mint Music/The Toronto Guitar School can help them out with online group or individual lessons on a wide range of instruments from guitar and violin to bass and harmonica. All lessons are led by a ‘Mötley Crüe’ of professional musicians focused on helping your child learn more about one of the oldest creative outlets in the world.

5. Get Fit WIth OBF Gyms

Your kid’s Animal Crossing character may be running around and planting trees, but that physical activity doesn’t pass on to them. With that, OBF Gyms’ online features make for excellent exercise from home! Join in to schedule live zoom workouts, gain access to their health tracking app, and create your own routines with the help of OBF’s entire video library showing how each and every exercise is done! While there’s no kid-specific programming available, the tools available will allow you to create custom workouts with your child to get them moving! You can reach OBF through email at info@obfgyms.com or via their Facebook page.

Optimal Body Fitness from Optimal Body Fitness on Vimeo.

The post 5 Ways to Entertain Kids at Home appeared first on Old Town Toronto.

So with that, we’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about our musical history. Famous performances at St. Lawrence Hall, rabid fans descending on the Omni King Edward Hotel, Canadian music history being made, and Leonard Cohen writing a musical for…reasons. We’ve got it all right here!

The First Juno Awards

Talk about making Canadian music history! On February 23,1970 St. Lawrence Hall played host to the very first Juno Awards. Though at that point there were known as the Gold Leaf Awards.

Originally started by RPM Magazine, the Gold Leaf Awards began humbly as a reader survey “best of” special printed at the end of the year to celebrate some of Canada’s best musicians at the time. The 1970 ceremony was the magazine deciding to up its game.

Over 250 people showed up to the ceremony at St. Lawrence Hall, which was double the number of people actually invited. Winners received a specially carved walnut wood statue resembling a metronome. Some notable winners from the awards were Quebec’s brightest star Ginette Reno, folk music legend Gordon Lightfoot, and Winnipeg rockers The Guess Who.

Bad Times With Beatlemania at the King Edward

Since it’s opening in 1903 the Omni King Edward Hotel (known lovingly as the King Eddy throughout the years) was THE hotel for the world’s celebrities. Mark Twain, Louis Armstrong, Ernest Hemingway, Elvis Presley, and even Elizabeth Taylor were just some of the hotel’s notable guests. Of course, with celebrities come fans looking to catch a glimpse of stardom and grab an autograph. Under normal circumstances hotel staff were prepared to handle whatever happened.

However, the folks at the King Eddy couldn’t have prepared for what was to come when Beatlemania came to Toronto on September 7, 1964.

The mega-famous pop group’s ‘64 tour was their very first world tour, taking the lads from Liverpool to over 100 cities throughout the globe. To say that the reception was nuts is a bit of an understatement. We’ve all seen the videos of teenagers screaming and just losing it at the mere sight of the Fab Four and their appearance in Toronto was no different. The Beatles landed in Toronto, were accompanied to Maple Leaf Garden to perform, and then jammed on over to the King Edward’s Royal Suite for the night. In theory that was a simple enough plan, but the King Edward’s lobby was invaded by over 3,000 screaming hysterical teen fans who held their ground for 36 hours. The staff did their best to control the situation, but come on, that’s a HUGE crowd. It was so big that not even Toronto Mayor Phil Givens and his wife could get in to meet the group.

This wasn’t the King Eddy’s only brush with Beatles fame either. John Lennon would return to the Royal Suite in 1969 with Yoko Ono during their famous “Bed-Ins for Peace” tour to give a press conference before moving on to their week-long Montreal stay.

The Swedish Nightingale Sings at St. Lawrence Hall

Aside from being the city’s main public speaking hall, St. Lawrence Hall was also the main venue for musicians and performers coming to the city. And no performance was more famous than when the world-renowned Swedish soprano Jenny Lind came to town in 1851.

At the time Jenny Lind was incredibly famous throughout Europe, performing for royalty and concerts that were always sold out. Frédéric Chopin was among her many famous suitors and she was frequently regarded as a muse to many of history’s greats. Felix Mendelssohn composed arias with her voice in mind and Hans Christian Andersen’s story The Nightingale, about a bird whose song restores the health of a dying Emperor, was inspired by her. The latter even earned her the name as “The Swedish Nightingale”.

Sensing a money-making opportunity, American showman P.T. Barnum approached Lind for a North American tour, promising a fee of $1,000 a day plus expenses, totalling $187,500 (nearly six million dollars in today’s money) upfront. After securing the funds Barnum got to work and soon everyone was talking about The Swedish Nightingale landing in North America. She faced mobs of fans wherever she went.

So naturally when Lind was slated to perform at St. Lawrence Hall, the good people of Toronto were thrilled. A. & S. Nordheimer Co., a music store on King Street East, was the only place to buy tickets and they had to call the police to help control the crowds, showing that even then Torontonians loved lining up for things. Tickets were unusually pricey for the time at $3-4 each (About $500 today, roughly the cost of a Rolling Stones concert) and people happily paid.

The concert, naturally, was a complete success. Lind enchanted audiences with arias from Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” and Handel’s “Messiah” while closing with such hit “pop” songs like Robert Burns’ “John Anderson my Jo, John” and “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye”. Not only did the Lind concert mark an important moment in Toronto’s cultural growth, there are still signs of her success today, with an island in Nunavut named after her!

Leonard Cohen is a Hotel

One by one, the guests arrive
The guests are coming through
The open-hearted many
The broken-hearted few

So begins famed singer and poet Leonard Cohen’s “The Guests” from his 1979 album “Recent Songs”. Aside from being a hauntingly beautiful track that touches on Cohen’s spiritual ambivalence and the soul’s yearning for something more, it was also the inspiration for “I Am a Hotel”, a half-hour romantic musical made in 1983. The hotel in question? None other than the beautiful Omni King Edward.

Written by Cohen and television producer Mark Shekter, “I Am a Hotel” is essentially a narrative music video following the romantic yearnings and exploits of the hotel’s guests and staff. Cohen is of course in in it as a bystander and the film’s narrator, singing five songs from various points of his career for every scene (The Guests, Memories, The Gypsy’s Wife, Chelsea Hotel #2, and Suzanne). The cast had some stellar Canadian notables, including figure skating champion Toller Cranston as The Manager, founder of the National Ballet of Canada Celia Franca as The Diva.

It’s an interesting little artifact of where Leonard Cohen was at in the early 80s, but the real star of the show is the backdrop of the Omni King Edward! As always the breathtaking view of the lobby never fails to impress and getting a glimpse of some of the off-limits parts of the building is an absolute treat!

The post The Surprising Musical History of Old Town Toronto appeared first on Old Town Toronto.