June 2022

Navigating Toronto’s Shopping Neighborhoods – Queen Street

After Yonge Street, Queen Street is the next major shopping street in Toronto. In fact, there may even be more stores per capita along this route that spans the city from the Beaches in the east to Parkdale in the West.

Queen West

Queen West is probably the most well know shopping neighborhood along Queen. At one time it was the hippest spot around, but has become quite commercial with many chain stores setting up along this strip. You will still find some boutiques and Toronto mini chains, but most of the boutiques and Canadian designers are elsewhere along Queen.

Queen West Fashion District

Once you get past Spadina the chain stores are replaced with fabric, craft and bead stores. If you are into crafting, sewing or do it yourself you need to check out this section of Queen.  Places to stop at are MacFab for Amy Butler fabrics, Arton Bead for a vast selection of synthetic and natural bead choices and Americo Original for great wool.

West Queen West

West Queen West is one of the most concentrated sections of boutique shopping in the city, second only to Yorkville. Leave the teenybopper behind in Queen West, this strip is chocked full of contemporary fashions, many from Canadian Designers. Starting past Bathurst, there are fashions for kids, men and women over 25, plus home design. The further west you go the more galleries you will see, as this is the art and design district.

Stop for lunch in Trinity Bellwoods Park or come back in the evening for the bar scene. The revitalized former flop house The Drake Hotel is a popular spot.

Parkdale is further west, and while there are a few boutiques setting up shop here it isn’t yet worth the trip unless you are going for something specific.

Queen East

On the other side of the DVP you will find shopping along Queen East. Two neighborhoods along the eastern part of Queen offer up some great shopping.

Leslieville is to the East as West Queen West was well to the west end of Queen. You will find indie Canadian designers as well has home design and lots of antiques. There are also a number of fantastic bakeries (try Altitude Bakery), a fish and a cheese market.

The Beaches is the commercialized neighbor to Leslieville, but geared to families and brunch crowds. Probably more famous for its annual Jazz festival this neighborhood makes you feel as though you have left the city for cottage country. The Beaches offers tons of shopping and has more artsy feel that Queen West. …

UN55C9000 – How to Find the Best Price On the Samsung UN55C9000 Online

Have you been looking for the ultra sleek UN55c9000 by Samsung? If so, you may also want to find it at the best price.

The Samsung UN55c9000 is one of the thinnest 3D HDTV’s available. It is only .31″ thick and weighs a modest 56 pounds for its size.

The Samsung UN55C9000 offers unparalleled picture quality

You’ll also be amazed by the awesome 3D picture quality, Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as its ability to sync with multiple devices.

Another fantastic feature this HDTV offers is its built-in theater sound from the built-in speakers.

Energy conscious buyers will also be happy to know that this TV meets and exceeds Energy Star Standards.

Shopping online is a great way to find good deals

Shopping online is an awesome way to find good prices. Especially when shopping for items that are highly sought after.

A big reason a lot of people prefer to shop online is because they can thoroughly research the product they’d like to buy first. You’ll also be able to check to see which stores offer the item at the absolute best price and which ones offer free shipping.

Another reason why people choose to shop online is because sometimes local retail stores will only have a minimal number of items in stock.

A great benefit to shopping online is that you can avoid the long lines and save a commute to the local store.

How to find the best deal on the UN55c9000

A popular way to find out which online store has the product you are looking for is to type the product name in quotes into Google, Yahoo, or Bing. After that, a list of stores will come up and you can then visit each site individually to see which store has this specific model in stock. But, this can be a bit time consuming.…

Where To Shop For Healthy And Organic Produce

Most people are becoming more and more health conscious and that may also mean saving money on organic food. If you have considered this yourself in the past, it is likely that you will come the conclusion that organic food is expensive and difficult to afford. Although it certainly is true that purchasing something organic is generally going to cost you more than if you purchased conventional food, that does not necessarily mean that it is always would be the case. If you know where to shop and are very selective, you can get the organic food that you want without having to worry about breaking the bank in the process.

One option that you have available to you is to look for stores that cater to those who are interested in organic products. If you are trying to buy organic items where conventional items are generally sold, such as at the supermarket, you are going to end up paying a premium price. If there is an organic market in your local area, however, you will often find that the food is not only much more affordable, it is of higher quality. Of course, this is going to differ on a case-by-case basis but it is going to be to your benefit if you identify the local stores where you can purchase something organic on the spur of the moment.

Don’t overlook the possibility of purchasing the organic food that you need on the Internet. There are stores that are available which offer you everything from gluten free shopping online all the way to fresh fruit delivery, straight from the farm. This is going to be beneficial, because these online shops are generally able to pull in items from a variety of areas and can shop around to find a better deal. They also are able to find the items at a better cost because they are purchasing them in bulk instead of purchasing them one at a time.

It also helps if you know some of the types of foods that are not as bad if they are conventional. There are a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that can be purchased relatively safely, even if pesticides were used. In some cases, it is less likely for the pesticides to soak into the fruits and vegetables and in other cases, there is not as much pesticide that is used. If you are going to be purchasing conventional items, try to get them from larger sources. The reason why that is beneficial, it’s because smaller farm tends to use more pesticides so that they have a higher yield from their plants.

One other suggestion that I would have for you is to count the cost in other ways than the bottom line. Yes, you are going to end up paying more for organic food in most cases but you’re also getting a healthier items and as a result, you are getting more for your money. You are also getting something that is typically more flavorful, which makes it worth the money as well.…

Countryside-Like Sanctuary in Hong Kong – Beyond Shopping Spree and Commercialized Entertainment

Despite the notoriety of being highly urbanized, having an unusually high population density and very small in size, one can still find a green sanctuary to soothe the fatigued soul that has been wrecked by the hurly-burly of the city in Hong Kong. After a shopping spree, Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park, Nan-Lian Garden that offers free admittance daily from 7am to 9am is a must-not-miss tourist destination. It is an ultimate attraction for garden and greenery lovers in this highly urbanized city. For food gourmets, they can find MSG-free cuisine here. Visitors will also have a chance to enjoy tea-drinking and this is a good way to revive one’s mental energy.

The Nan-Lian Garden is easy to get to. First, get to the MTR Diamond Hill Station. Take Exit C2. The garden is about one minute of walk away after crossing Sheung Yuen Street.

It is a garden built on an area of approximately 35,000 sq m following the architectural and landscaping style of Tang Dynasty (618 – 906). In the garden, one sees unusual looking rocks specially imported from mainland China. Each of these is from a famous mountain or rock formation. The whole area is laid out with winding paths, ponds, little hills and waterfalls. One will also experience the tranquility of a Japanese garden as there is a collection of ancient bonsai trees. The Chinese likes to describe such a conducive, comforting environment to be ‘As pretty as a poem, as beautiful as a scroll painting’. Then, strolling about in such a conducive environment, one is an assimilated part of the pretty poem and the beautiful painting.

The Tang-Dynasty-styled buildings in the garden is an amazing architectural wonder. The buildings are constructed completely without any nails. The superior workmanship is the masterpiece of a team of Japanese craftsmen who specialize in restoring historic buildings. They were in Hong Kong just to work on this garden!

Walking along the ponds, one will at a point come to a high waterfall. Discreetly hidden behind the waterfall is the Long Men Lou Restaurant. It is a restaurant that serves vegetarian cuisine. One point deserves emphasis here is that the food served here is guaranteed to be totally free of the food flavor enhancer called MSG – monosodium glutamate. Crispy beancurd rolls, preserved mushrooms of special formula and stir-fried asparagus are some of the highly praised items for their subtle and delicate tastes which are beyond description.

There is also a teahouse in the garden where one can learn the art of Chinese tea drinking. Tea drinking is a good way to make a lethargic person mentally energetic again. The legend says that the Chinese tea plants grew out of the great Zen Master Venerable Bodhi Dharma’s eye lids. Once, the Buddhist master Bodhi Dharma fell asleep during meditation. In order not to fall into the same mishap again, Venerable Bodhi Dharma pulled off both his eye lids and threw them on the ground. When the torn-out eye lids hit the round, tea plants grew from them.

After all the sight-seeing and resting in the Nan-Lian Garden, one can go on with one’s journey to the Wong Tai Sin’s Temple, either by MTR or walking.

Wish you a journey sweet in the beginning, sweet in the middle and sweet at the end, and be sweet forever in memory.…

Vinyl Replacement Windows – The Facts

You may already know that you can decrease your energy bills by replacing the windows within your home. You choose the bests vinyl replacement windows, keep the glass clean at all times, and you expect them to last the whole lifespan of your home. However, this is not always the case when it comes to these windows. But once you find out the following little facts about your windows you will soon find out that they can last a lifetime.

One of the first things is that there are a few installation woes that you need to consider. When you replace your windows its not because you are worrying about having to replace the drywall or siding on your home. However, if you hire an expert to install your windows you will not have to worry about this at all. These experts will bring with them all the materials that they will need to finish the job right their first time. All you should be left with would be the finishing work and a little cleaning.

Another thing that you must remember is that not all the vinyl replacement windows are maintenance free. You are still going to need to keep your windows clean by using only a mild soap and water. Also be sure that you do not use any scratch pads or scouring powder such as Comet as this will only result in ruining the surface and then cause dirt to stick in them which makes them appear dirty.

Also you are going to want to be sure that you pay close attention to the tracks that your windows slide in. If these tracks become dirty you will find that you have problems opening and closing your windows. Eventually, this dirt can wear away at the surface of your window and as a result you can end up with air leaking.

Also you will be more prone to both mold and mildew if you allow this dirt to collect any moisture. One of the best ways to keep these tracks clean would be by using a vacuum. Also you can run a damp rag up and down the track to be sure that you are removing all the dirt.

You will also need to be sure that you are choosing the proper vinyl replacement windows that have the right U-Value along with Solar Heat Gain Factor. If you are living in a colder climate you will need the SHGC to be lower and in the warmer climates vice versa.

When you are looking at replacing the windows in your home you need be sure that you are taking all of these facts into consideration. When you do this you will be blessed with great vinyl replacement windows that will last you for a long time to come.

When you take the time to consider these facts you will have a great investment in your home that you can be proud of and show off to your family and friends.…