One of my children and their spouse recently bought a house here. I did not know anything about…read moreOakville walking around the neighborhood. I am stunned by the amazing houses the trees, the beauty, the restaurants, just the total peaceful vibe.. What an amazing place what a diverse place with homes from 30,000 ft.² to 2000 ft.²

I love our town; it has so many wonderful things to offer; from arts, architecture, nature,…read moreculinary options and beautiful parks and trails by Lake Ontario or Bronte Creek Provincial Park. Amazing and very friendly people live here and we have great events during summertime, winter, Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc. We also have festivals for all family members, farmers markets on summer weekends and of course Kerr Village festival.

Cheering on our ALDS champs in Game 2 World Series! Good…read morecrowd & Mayor Chow is here! Let's Go Blue Jays!

I'm surprised that I never wrote a review about the Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square. Well,…read morethe time is now! I will admit that I am late to such trends. The first such sign that I discovered and took my first photo of was the Ottawa sign several years ago while I was at ByWard Market. As a tourist, I love such touristy attractions. They are fun and memorable. My first time seeing this Toronto sign in person was during the pandemic. It was nice to be outdoors, not wearing a mask, taking photos of the sign with Toronto reflected on the water on a warm, summery day. This sign changes colour depending on whatever event is happening. If it's Canada Day, you'll see the letters in red and white. When the Toronto Maple Leafs were making a playoff run, the letters were blue and white. I remember heading to my car after a Jann Arden concert at Massey Hall. It was a special evening for me. The letters were in white. The maple leaf next to it was red. It was a beautiful evening out. It's simply a cheerful sign at any time. It's a nice addition to the downtown core. Whenever I'm in the area, I try my best to visit and enjoy it. It's great, whether you are a local or a tourist. (95)

Tip: If you work or live in Mississauga, you can get a Mississauga library card for free. You have…read moreto present proof that you're a resident or work in the city. I'm Mary. I live in Markham. I work in Mississauga. I've been working in Mississauga since 2010. For the first five years being employed by my current employer, I was never fully comfortable saying that I knew the city well until I joined Yelp. Yelp experiences and events got me out and about. These days, I can say with a lot more confidence that I know the city a lot better. It has grown over the decades. As a kid, my parents would take me to the Chinatown in Mississauga. We'd take photos and get some buns at the local bakery. These days, there are a couple of Chinatown locations, with a lot of businesses and selection of goods. I remember applying for a job as an undergraduate, which led me to the Future Shop (this franchise ceased operations years ago) headquarters in Mississauga. I took public transit to get there. I recall the blocks being so far apart compared to living in the Beaches. Sadly, I didn't get the job. I did get an introduction to the Mississauga transit system and how deadly getting off a block early was. That walk took forever! When I first think of Mississauga, it's the airport. Many airports in Canada are not where you think they are. Toronto Pearson International Airport is is Mississauga. Vancouver International Airport is in Richmond, BC. Some airports actually do make sense, though. Winnipeg Richardson International Airport is indeed in Winnipeg, for instance. I probably know Pearson better than any place in Mississauga. I have travelled a lot, departing from and returning to Terminals 1 and 3. My employer's first location was across from the airport. The office moved to another side of the airport, so I still see planes taking off and touching down whenever I'm heading or leaving work. I've grown to love this airport. It's not the greatest when there's a strike. Baggage dropoff continues to be a pain. It's clean and it gets me to my destinations in one piece. I also love The Hearth in Terminal 1 - US departures. The food is yummy and it kills time having a casual meal before catching a flight out. Square One is the city's largest mall. It has expanded quite a bit over the years. I like the food court and the Food District. I'm always getting patties from Patties Express when I'm in the Food District. I like discovering new stores and businesses every time I'm there. Bingz and Sansotei Ramen are the latest food additions. They are excellent. Speaking of ramen, there are a ton of good ramen joints in this city. Sansotei Ramen. Kinton Ramen. Kamen (formerly Kenzo Ramen). Yum! I have many favourite restaurants that are in Mississauga: - Pho Ngoc Yen - Gyubee Japanese Grill - Arigato - Gladiator Burger and Steaks - Bombay Bhel - Bao Bar - Rick's Good Eats - Sikgaek - Spoon and Fork - Chilli Chicken House - Door FiftyFive - The Maharaja - Myungdong Noodle Shabushabu - Buka Maranga - Bravo Bistro - Kish's Roti and Doubles - The Burger Alley - Pitas and Grill - Royal Jasmine - Vamos Por Tacos - KK Sushi - Lily's Cafe (formerly Treats) - Ande Ka Funda There's definitely more. There's a ton of good eats in this city. It's nice that I can rattle off such a nice list of eateries that are worth visiting. The best perk working in Mississauga is that I can get a free library card. I don't have a Toronto one because I neither work nor live there. I can get a Mississauga card for free when I bring proof (a paystub) that I work or live in the city. I love it! Although my commute between the two M cities can be long, especially when the weather is horrible or there's an accident on a major 400-series highway, I'm used to it. Mississauga is a decent city in which to work. The food scene is great. It has been great discovering the city and what it has to offer. (298)

Dreaming on owning a supercar? Head to UNIONVILLE EXOTIC…read moreCAR SHOW and support the Toronto Humane Society, and Hand Over Hand. Great way to raise funds for charity and enjoy yourself at the same time. Over a hundred exotic cars Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, Porsches, Audis, Mercs, Maseratis, and many more, including a couple of McLarens hypercars worth over $12million USD each. Event is free, you have the opportunity to get really close and personal with the cars, talk to owners, and take pictures.

The Short Version: Markham is a suburb of Toronto, but it's…read moreno sleepy suburb, it has lots of great restaurants and fun places to shop. The Long Version: I'm thrilled that Markham has its own Yelp listing. Markham is about 30 km northeast of Toronto, and it has seen significant growth in the last few decades. When I was living in Toronto, I rarely ever went to Markham (except to go to Pacific Mall, more on that later) but after I left Toronto I discovered Markham more. This is mostly because when my parents and I would return to visit Toronto, we would stay in Markham as accommodations were more affordable there, and traffic was less congested than in Toronto. Also, my dad loves Chinese Food, and since there is a large Chinese population in Markham, he's in foodie paradise there. Haha. I soon discovered that Markham had plenty of restaurants and shops that I like. My first time to Markham was to visit Pacific Mall. When it opened in 1996 it was the cat's meow. I remember my parents taking my brother and I there and I was fascinated by all the Asian shops. I was interested in the hair accessories and my brother was interested in the videogames and figurines. And we were both interested in the food court, lol. These days Pacific Mall is no longer novel and it has lost its former glory. Now there are many shops that sell the same thing and they are items that you can get elsewhere. The food court is still cool though. Once upon a time they even had a Beard Papa's franchise at Pacific Mall, but alas it closed. Although these days, my favourite food court in Markham is at First Markham Place. It's fairly large with lots of vendors and prices are very reasonable. Most vendors are small independent businesses with only one location. I also like the Oomomo at First Markham Place. I also love J-Town, which is in Markham. You'll find all things Japanese here. Sasaki Fine Pastry has amazing daifuku! Kuo Hua Trading Co Ltd is also another favourite place of mine in Markham. They sell imported items from Taiwan. CF Markville is a great mainstream mall in Markham. And it has my favourites stores, Marshalls and Winners! Markham also has several restaurants that specialize in huge wonton soups, which I love, such as Big Trio Wonton Noodles and Wonton Hut. The wontons are the size of golf balls, lol. Markham also has lots of bubble tea shops and I love my boba. Haha. I'm a fan of Markham, although I feel like you need a car to get around. It's not all that walkable, everything is fairly spaced out, but this is expected since it's a suburb. Review #26 (2026)

A high school friend recently returned to the greater Toronto area (GTA). We met for dim sum in…read moreMarkham and she brought her childhood friend. We had this conversation just before we got the bill: Friend: What is Markham known for? Me: Horrible drivers in BMWs. I curse more at drivers here and their poor driving than any other place. We all laughed. It is also true. There are plenty of incompetent drivers in this city that I call home. Markham is north of Toronto. It's considered a suburb and is a part of the GTA. I've actually had two stints in Markham. My parents and I moved from the Beaches to Markham after I had graduated from high school. Back then, Markham was a town. I moved away for nine years. I returned to Markham and it has been my home ever since. I saw the population boom. Markham has been deemed a city since 2012. I have seen a lot of change in Markham over the years. Retail and urban areas used to be between Steeles Avenue East and Major Mackenzie Drive back in the day. Farmland dominated Markham above Major Mackenzie. Urban sprawl happened when housing became ridiculously expensive in Toronto. More folks wanted to live in Markham because housing used to be cheaper and affordable. More development happened here, which has caused a lot of farmland transformed into neighbourhoods and shopping centres. Case in point: downtown Markham. It used to be nothing but vacant, vast plots of land. It's now home to condominiums, retail stores and services, and a lot more. The city does have many high tech companies and is considered Canada's high tech capital. IBM, AMD, and General Motors are some of the bigger technology players. It's cool that York University is creating a Markham campus in the downtown core. I wish that it were there when I was an undergraduate student! I like living in Markham. There are a ton of good restaurants. It has everything that I need. There are pockets of this city that still feel like a town. Every time I visit my local post office to pick up a package or parcel, everyone there knows me. When I visit my go-to pharmacy, the pharmacist knows me. It's cool and nice. I will highlight the Markham Theatre. It's a lovely place to take in a concert or musical. It's affordable in a classy venue. I have seen Jann Arden there. It was also a nice venue for a Yelp event a few years back. Mary from Markham. I love the alliteration. It's also a cool city in which to live. (137)

The 3-day RC Show event this year is happening at The International Centre in sauga March 8-10,…read more2026. 5 halls filled with lots of vendors, exhibitors, media and attendees! This was my first year attending and now I can understand why this is a 3-day event lol. I had a great time :) Hall 1 has all the alcoholic beverages, endless food samples, and AMEX lounge (definitely worth checking out) Hall 2, 3, 4 has all the huge appliances (with delicious samples), beautiful tableware, sustainable takeout packaging... we even saw sushi making machines that T&T Supermarket has adopted. Hall 5 has all the coffee tasting, machines and latte art competition + Kawartha ice cream truck, and milk chocolate sample.

Tips: - The first day of this three-day event is the most…read moreexciting with a welcome, opening address, and more. - Parking at Enercare Centre is packed in the morning. If you can delay coming till mid-afternoon, you'll have better luck with available parking spots. - In 2026, the show moves to the International Centre. - Wear comfortable footwear and clothing. You'll be walking around a lot, and sampling food and more. Yesterday, I visited the Restaurants Canada (RC) Show for the first time. A friend graciously got me a pass to go to this three-day trade show and conference, which saved me $149 to participate for the first time. I was grateful for the invitation. RC Show allows you to network with industry professionals. It's Canada's largest foodservice and hospitality event. It was a wonderful experience to shop, taste, learn, connect, and grow businesses and taste palettes. I frankly didn't know about Restaurants Canada until I found about this show. Canada has roughly a $114 billion foodservice industry. This trade show runs annually. I got to learn from the best, hear about the latest product innovations, and sample good eats and drinks. This event was at Enercare Centre. I'm familiar with it. I've been to the One of a Kind Show and Planted Expo here. I also attend Toronto Marlies and Toronto Sceptres at Coca-Cola Coliseum next door and park at Enercare Centre. I got here just after 11 am on a Monday. Finding an available parking spot was tough. I had to settle for crashing a lone parent-child parking spot. It was tiny, but my car fit in it fine. The check-in process was horrific. I was parked closer to exhibition hall D. You register online and need to have your QR code. At the registration counter at exhibition hall A, you get it scanned and then a badge is printed. You then go in exhibition hall B for the show. I lined up for 1.5 hours. My friend didn't tell me that I could have used to Skip the Dishes line to save time. Ugh! I did learn while in line chatting with a past attendee that it was faster entry last year. Scan the QR code and then enter. This new process was painful. One I got inside, it was awesome. I learned about Bunn slushie machines relying on torque and adjusting water levels to make the smoothest slushies. The peach one was fantastic! I am a tea person. I got to sample mango chai tea from Tea Squared. I have been a fan of its on-the-go square teabags for looseleaf tea for eons. It was wonderful to enjoy tea and see this vendor. I went a bit crazy with tea. It brings me great joy. I sampled peppermint tea and iced black tea from Steven Smith Teamaker. Both were excellent. I got a massive reusable bag and tea samples. I love this bag! I had a lot of dessert samples. A chunky monkey cake sample was divine from Elite Sweets. The best fruit preserves and fruit shots from Darbo and White Toque, respectively, were outstanding. The dulce de leche churro bite from the latter was incredible. The frozen treats were delicious. I got green apple and mango alphonso gelato that were amazing. The nachos, salsa, and sauce samples from Splenda and Select Food Products were inspiring. I rarely add corn to my salsa. I should after trying the former's recipe! The smoked lime and tequila sauce from the latter was incredible with nachos. The best products were paper cups and straws that don't get soggy by SoFi. They blew my mind. The latter had a bendy straw. I was impressed. I got sample paper straws. They are excellent! I also enjoyed the shell pasta sample from Griss Pasta and the Impossible chick'n nugget. Delicious! There was so much to take in. I ate and drank my way through this show. I will also suggest that there be more places to sit down to enjoy your samples. I ended up borrowing a side table at a booth to put down my stuff and sample before moving on. I only sat down once at a demonstration area and watch a man pour coffee from the most fancy industrial coffee maker. It was cool, even for a non-coffee regular. I liked the robots that past by me. I want one. I left at around 4 pm. It's definitely a day event and you can stay till closing. I was good going home earlier to avoid the crazy rain and winds. I had a good time. I learned a lot. There are improvements to be made with the badge procedure. I'm hoping that things are better, including parking at the International Centre next year. (124)

The Don Valley park system, trails, and surrounding pockets of nature might be one of my top 5…read moreplaces in Toronto. Within a few minutes of downtown, in the middle of Canada's largest city you can literally find yourself deep inside of a real forest setting. The trail system is very well maintained and used for a variety of purposes from dog walking, hiking, mountain biking, etc. It's been estimated that there are nearly 100km of trail system within the Don Valley if you include all of the trails that connect in the surrounding area. To start exploring most people will begin at The Brickworks, the Pottery Road trailhead, or the large parking lot at Taylor Creek. You can explore the Don year round. Fall is probably the best time, but you do need to be careful if it's the rainy season as the clay based trails get very muddy and very sticky. Enjoy real nature in your urban backyard.

This walk of fame area in the entertainment district of Toronto Ontario Canada displays maple leaf…read moreshaped sidewalk stars embedded into the pavement to honor famous Canadian's including celebrities, movie stars, actors, arts, sports, science, business and charity. Founded in 1998, it spans 13 blocks mainly around Roy Thomson Hall, Princess Wales Theatre and the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

I recently attended a musical at the Princess of Wales Theatre. After it was over, I walked out of…read morethe theatre and looked down. I normally don't look down at the sidewalk, but I did for some reason. I noticed inductee names and stars. I was walking on Canada's Walk of Fame. So cool! Since 1998, a number of Canadians who have excelled in various fields are inducted in Canada's Walk of Fame. The fields are diverse, from science and philanthropy, to athletics and music. Inductee stars are present along King Street West, between John Street and Simcoe Street. They are also on Simcoe Street, between King Street West and Wellington Street, in downtown Toronto. I was at King and John, so I'm at the beginning or end of the walk of fame, depending on the direction that you're going. I like that if you're looking for a specific inductee, you can do a search on Canada's Walk of Fame site. It'll save you a bit of time if you just want to see specific inductee stars without walking the whole thing. The link is here: https://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/the-walk-of-fame/find-a-star I enjoyed taking a bit of time looking at the inductees before I headed home. I took a few photos of these notable folks: - Monty Hall, host of Let's Make a Deal (Winnipegger) - Wayne Gretzky, the Great One of hockey - Guy Lombardo (I grew up listening to his Christmas album with His Royal Canadians) - Timothy Findley (author best known for The Wars) I would love to return to check out all the stars. I like being a tourist in my hometown and learning from self-discovery activities, especially when they are free. (328)