Let's Go to The Ex

Traditions. They give you something to look forward to, a constant yearly or monthly celebration that you can mark on the calendar and count down to. 

My family and I have lots of traditions —Kempenfest, Christmas tree shopping at Drysedale's tree farm, getting our easter basket blessed — but one of my favourite ones is going to the CNE every summer with my mom. 

The crowds! The food! The energy! The colour! The shopping! The shows! And yes, it all has an exclamation mark because the CNE is a big! freaking! deal! I think over a million people visit every year, and this past week, it was so rowdy on one of the days (youth day) that they had to close down the whole shebang early. 

Luckily, Momma and I went on a rather tame day — still insanely busy, but no fights breaking out. 

Here are our favourite things to do at The Ex (in no particular order):

Eat at the Food Building

I've been trying my best to stay healthy this month, but the CNE is a place where all those health dreams go to die. 

Deep fried everything, salty mixed with sweet, cases of food poisoning, calories, calories, calories. I thought "Farm to Fryer" might have had some healthy options... but alas, I wasn't in the mood for a fried pig ear sandwich. 

Luckily, I found my staple "healthy" food, vermicelli with chicken and spring rolls, at a nearby booth. The portion was ginormous, so Mom and I shared it. 

Treat yourself to something unhealthy

Key word here — treat. I know I just went on a huge rant up above on how it's hard to find healthy food at the CNE, but it's also nice to treat yourself to something delicious and indulgent. It is The Ex, after all. 

The treat of my choice (split with my Mom again for optimal healthiness, ha ha) was a hot waffle ice cream sandwich. 

Look how happy this little treat made me!

Watch a show

There's a show for everyone — concerts, buskers, parkour, kids shows like Barney and Bob the Builder, and the iconic Air Show. Year after year, my favourite show is the Super Dogs. With multiple shows per day, and a packed audience, it's definitely a lot of people's favourites. Dogs are just so fun to watch, and after the show, you can pet and take photos with them!

My mom's favourite show is probably the skating show. This year, Olympic Bronze Medalist Joannie Rochette was in the show, along with many other skilled ice skaters as well as acrobats. 

Shop at the International Pavilion

This is one of my favourite shopping experiences of the year, because it feels like a huge market with stalls from every corner of the world. 

Even though I didn't buy anything this time around, I still enjoyed meandering through the aisles and getting a small cultural experience by peeking into the booths.

Take a ride  

The sky ride has been around since 2012, but for some reason, it wasn't until this year that I finally decided to go on it! 

Mom was terrified the whole entire ride (which was really long!) but the views were spectacular and it was totally worth the $6.50.

Take it easy

Even though I live a 10-minute drive away from the grounds, it took 1 hour for us to get there by public transit. That's how bad the traffic is. The lines and the crowds are insane, and to get a seat at any show, you gotta show up 30 minutes early (seriously). 

But, it's all part of the experience. Give yourself plenty of time to explore, and don't get frustrated. Everyone wants to be at The Ex, which is why they're there. So just take it easy, and enjoy every moment!

Street Food at Taste of the Danforth

Despite the crowds, the lineups, the insane heat — year after year, I still come back to Taste of the Danforth. I just can't resist all that delicious Greek Food at ridiculously cheap prices. 

The Danforth has a long history of being a Greek community, but in recent years, the yearly street festival has featured cuisines from all over the world. My mom ordered a spring roll and said it was her favourite thing!

Not to worry, there was authentic Greek food on every corner, too, with those iconic stacks of meat roasting on spits. 

I have one place and one place only that I eat gyros (Greek version of a burrito) from — Messini's. For only $5, you get a gigantic lamb or pork or chicken gyros stuffed with tzatziki, tomatoes, onions, and if you want, french fries. I usually opt out of the fries because the gyros itself is like an entire's day meal in one. 

From corn to kebabs to gyros to whatever those things up there are, there's an endless amount of food to try on the Danforth. 

Since Mom was still hungry after her spring roll and piece of lamb, I convinced her to get a slice of pizza from Pizzeria Libretto, hands down my favourite pizza in the city. They're certified by Naples for making real Neapolitan pizza, chewy and crispy and fresh. 

For dessert, Mom and I shared loukoumades from Athen's Bakery. They're these delicious fried honey pastries and they're oh so good! 

Zoey was super interested in all the food we were eating, too. She was like a little vacuum strolling down the street with her nose to the pavement eating up any crumbs she could find.

This year, they had peformers dress up as Grecian statues posing in the middle of the street for photos. The line up to get a photo with these faux-Greek-gods was insane!

If you didn't get a chance to go to Taste of the Danforth this year... you can still eat all this delicious food year-round. Messini's and Athens Pastries are long-time staples of the community. The crowds won't be there, the lines won't be there, but you'll still have an amazing meal. Promise.

Arts and Crafts Festival in Barrie

Every year during the Civic Holiday long weekend, Kempenfest comes to Barrie. And (almost) every year, Mom and I make a habit of taking a few hours to stroll around the artist booths, food stalls, and antique stores.

It was a cloudy day, but that made it perfect for walking around and taking in the interesting (and sometimes downright strange...check out that skull chandelier!) things for sale.

Since there's construction along the north side of Lake Simcoe this year, the festival was shifted entirely south. It didn't seem like a big deal, and it made more sense because the festival organizers grouped all the food together, but I had a hard time locating my favourite booths - where was the ukelele guy? those delicious dips by Deb? the handmade necklaces?

Despite not being able to find some booths, the vintage and antique section was in a better postion this year, in an area with more space and walking room.

When I eventually decide to own a home or apartment, I'm coming to Kempenfest and getting all my furniture here. How cute is that BAR sign?!

Want a stunning hand carved totem pole? Only $695.

Zoey was definitely a thirsty pooch. As the day went on and the sun started coming it, it got hot. HOT.

Mom and I thought we would be beating the crowds by showing up early in the morning, but there were already hundreds of people already there. Goes to show that Barrie is becoming *quite* the place to be. At least on the Civic Holiday when Kempenfest is happening.

Wish, the Best Brunch in Toronto

I'm here to tell you about a restaurant. Now, this place is no secret. You need a reservation many days in advance to snag a spot, or show up really early or really late (or just pray to the gods that it's your lucky day if you do a walk-in).  It's a popular place, but hasn't made it into the "Best Brunch in Toronto" lists that are on Toronto blogs/websites (you know which ones I'm talking about...)

Whatever, as if Wish needed to be on any list to validate its deliciousness. It's loved by many, and it's one of my go-to brunch places since my good friend Kaylin told me about it. 

This place is so cute I would squeeze it if I could. The decor is adorable. Just look at that water pitcher. And those potted tulips in the back. Precious. 

Last time I visited with Mom, I ordered the Challah French Toast with blueberries and caramelized bananas. That's what Ellen got this time, but since I knew just how massive it was, I opted for the Grilled Nutella Sandwich with Raspberry Compote. Equally delicious, just a smaller portion.

Ellen's eyeing that massive stack with a little bit of fear and uncertainty, haha. I think she didn't realize just how large it would be even though I warned her :)

Despite being impossible to finish, it's also impossible to not rave about it. Food = great. Service = great. Even though we didn't have a reservation, they managed to fit us in between guests. Thanks, Wish, for being accommodating, kind, and making such yummy food!