Luminato 2011 - Art under construction

Hey, good art takes time, great art is timeless and big art takes a lot of work to hang. The Luminato 2011 art installation 'Sargasso' is currently being  put together in Brookfield Place. There is a lot of stuff hanging from the ceiling.

Luminato provides the following information regarding the art installation. "In his Luminato-commissioned installation, Philip Beesley’s Sargasso combines visionary design with high-tech digital engineering to transform a downtown public space – and to offer a glimpse of the potential future of architectural art. A worldwide pioneer in the fast-growing field of responsive architecture, Beesley and his team of collaborators from the disciplines of architecture, engineering, biology, and sculpture use interactive technology to infuse one of Toronto’s busiest spaces with astonishing new life."

Toronto Maple Waffles

Ha Ha! Seen on a Gardiner Expressway pillar on Yonge Street and Lakeshore.

Beaches of Toronto

Sunday is just what summer should be - sunny and warm. The blue skies were out to bless everyone with a little kiss of sky and some exposed skin. Early morning sun fought off the fog and later in the morning rising temperatures started to warm up the sand and brought out the sun worshipers to beaches along Lake Ontario. There were also tons of boaters out, including teams of Dragon Boats practicing for a big race. Sunnyside Park has beach volleyball courts set up and there is a large patio which is just perfect for viewing the action.

This sculpture looks exactly like what you find at the bottom of a drain

Parking lots along Lakeshore are easily accessible and if you bring your bike you can travel from site to site to find the perfect combination of sand and beach. See more beaches after the jump.

Becel Ride for Heart 2011

Thousands of bicycles traveled the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) at considerably slower speeds than normal - except maybe at the peak of rush hour. The riders were riding in the June 5th, 2011 Becel Ride for Heart. It's worth joining the cause and riding a bike to help support heart and stroke research just to get up on the old hunk of elevated concrete beauty because you can stop and take pictures - there are some great views up here.

coming off the DVP onto the Gardiner

Celebrating at the finish area

Biker Chicks

Well, they were at the grand opening of Canada Cruisers in Milton, so it's almost like they are beautiful biker chicks by association. The ladies were models from Randal Martin Photography. Forget about going to Port Dover on Friday the 13th (so next year) - just check out these girls who do it for the Exposure! Here is a close up of their logo, just so there is no mistake. I wish I had a motorcycle!

Let's Get Naked

There were quite a few motorcycles on display

And you can't have a bunch of motorcycles without some skulls and such

The hot chick motorcycle wash

Honda Indy Toronto 2011 - Events and Location

As Honda Indy Toronto promoters Green Savoree Toronto begins to setup the 2011 'Steets of Toronto' racetrack we can look forward to a lot of great events both in advance of the race and during the exciting race weekend from Friday, July 8th to Sunday July, 10th. I will try to gather all the event information which makeup the 'Festival of Speed' and will continue to update this post and try to confirm details. Keep coming back for continued updates. I picked up my media credentials on July 7th and will provide coverage of the weekends events and races so make sure you keep coming back to my blog. On Friday, July 8th I will go to an Andretti Race Weekend Kick Off Party so I will let you know about all the fun that only a kick off party can generate.

The 2.8km, 11 turn street course began July 20, 1986 with the Molson Indy, which later became the Molson Grand Prix of Toronto and, after open car IndyCar and CHAMP joined together again, saw the start of the Honda Indy Toronto. The main grandstands,  the pits with their 8 second pit stops and start/finish line are in front of the Direct Energy Centre on Princes' Boulevard so the Gold, Silver and Dr Pepper grandstands get to see the drivers, the cars and the race the best of all - unless you are in the suites! They also have plenty of giant screen televisions so you can check out the action around the course from most locations. The Victory Circle is actually right beside the Budweiser Winners Circle beer garden and stage so you can watch the Bud girls then see the winning driver on the podium without having to travel to far. I loved the Dr Pepper Grandstand for their tasty pop and the Schick Hydro Grandstand had excellent razors. Here is a fast drive in a Pace Car around the Streets of Toronto race track.

The main straightaway is Lakeshore Boulevard and the cars get up to their maximum speed along this stretch. The noise and speed provide the inspiration for the name 'Thunder Alley'.

Honda Indy Toronto - Pre-race Events


Thursday July 7: Alex Tagliani at Future Shop Yonge and Dundas, from noon to 2pm.
Thursday July 7: Run, Walk n' Wheelathon at the Honda Indy Toronto track start times 6pm and 7pm.
Thursday July 7: Team Penske drivers will be appearing at the Bay store on Queen Street West between 6pm and 7pm at IZOD department (thanks Alex!).
Honda Indy Toronto 2011 Street Party/Bash 'Race to the Party' Drivers Party? May not happen in 2011.
Pit Stop Challenge? Yep, missed the media pit stop challenge.
Very few events are scheduled off track for the 2011 race week.

Thursday

8:00 am - 7:00 pm	Credential Centre Open
11:30 am - 2:00 pm	IZOD INDYCAR Experience 2-Seater Rides
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm	IZOD INDYCAR Pace Car Rides
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Official Track Walk
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm	Ferrari Ride And Drive
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm	Sam Schmidt Track Walk

Honda Indy Toronto 2011 - Race Weekend Events (gates open to public at 8:00am)


Keep updated at the Honda Indy Toronto schedule of events website.


Practice and qualifying for IndyCar happen Friday and Saturday with the main race on Sunday. IZOD qualifying has three segments - Segment 1; two groups race for 15 minutes each, the fastest six cars advance to the next segment. Segment 2; one 15 minute qualifying group of 12 cars, the fastest 6 advance to the next segment. Segment 3 (The Firestone Fast Six); one ten minute, six car qualifying group. Placing determines the Pole Position Award and the rest of the next six places.

Thunder Alley and the Thunder Stage

Dr Pepper Chill Zones x2

IZOD and IndyLites Paddock

Grandstands, Suites, Beer Gardens and Lounges

Direct Energy Centre and the Support Race Paddock/Garage

Automotive Building/Allstream Centre

Track side/pit access

Motorcycle stunt shows

Starboyz street bike performers

Celebrity Grand Marshall - Dan Aykroyd

Victory Podium/Victory Circle

Concerts stages x2

Friday
FREE FRIDAY: No cost entrance sponsored by Ontario Honda Indy Dealers Association. Check out the practice and pit action, walk through Thunder Alley and drink a cold beverage. If you like it, get a ticket for the rest of the weekend.

7:00 am - 5:00 pm	Credential Centre Open
8:00 am - 6:30 pm	Gates Open
8:00 am - 8:30 am	CTC Practice
8:50 am - 9:35 am	Ferrari Practice
9:55 am - 10:40 am	Firestone Indy Lights Practice
10:55 am - 12:10 pm	IZOD INDYCAR Practice
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	NASCAR Practice
1:30 pm - 1:50 pm	VIP Pit Walk-Thru
1:50 pm - 2:35 pm	Ferrari Challenge Practice
2:50 pm - 3:50 pm	IZOD INDYCAR Practice
4:10 pm - 5:10 pm	NASCAR Qualifying
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm	IZOD IndyCar Series Autograph Session (Group A)
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm	CTC Qualifying
6:10 pm - 6:55 pm	Ferrari Ride And Drive

Saturday

7:00 am - 5:00 pm	Credential Centre Open
8:00 am - 6:30 pm	Gates Open
8:00 am - 8:45 am	Firestone Indy Lights Practice
9:00 am - 10:00 am	IZOD IndyCar Practice
10:15 am - 10:45 am	Firestone Indy Lights, All Driver Autograph Session
10:20 am - 11:25 am	Ferrari Challenge Qualifying
11:25 am - 11:45 am	VIP Pit Walk-Thru
11:45 am - 12:35 pm	Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying
12:55 pm - 2:10 pm	IZOD INDYCAR Qualifying
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm	NASCAR PreRace
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm	NASCAR RACE
3:15 pm - 4:15 pm	IZOD IndyCar Series Autograph Session (Group B)
3:50 pm - 4:20 pm	CTC RACE #1
4:40 pm - 5:40 pm	Ferrari Challlenge RACE#1
5:30 pm - 6:15 pm	Ferrari Ride And Drive

Sunday

8:00 am - 11:00 am	Credential Centre Open
8:00 am - 5:30 pm	Gates Open
8:00 am - 8:20 am	Firestone Indy Lights Warm-Up
8:40 am - 9:10 am	IZOD INDYCAR Warm-Up
9:30 am - 10:00 am	CTC RACE #2
10:20 am - 11:05 am	Ferrari Challenge RACE #2
11:10 am - 11:55 am	Ferrari Ride And Drive
11:30 am - 12:00 pm	VIP Pit Walk-Thru
12:00 pm - 12:15 pm	Firestone Indy Lights Pre-Race
12:15 pm - 1:15 pm	Firestone Indy Lights RACE
1:35 pm - 1:50 pm	Pace Car Rides
2:00 pm - 2:52 pm	IZOD INDYCAR Pre-Race
2:52 pm - 5:00 pm	IZOD INDYCAR RACE, Liver Versus - 85 laps.
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm	Post-Race

Beautiful ladies at the Honda Indy Toronto include: Bud Girls at the Budweiser Winners Circle, Hooters Girls, and plenty of models along Thunder Alley.

CHAMP Girls

Bud Pit Crew Girls

Hooters Girls

The Miss Grand Prix has now become the Budweiser Pit Crew Girl Search and the winners will present the trophies to the winners of the Honda Indy Toronto. You can become a Budweiser Pit Crew Girl at the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto by submitting a head shot and one full length photo to torsun.contests@sunmedia.ca by 12 noon on June 30th - check out the rules on the Toronto Sun website. The final ten will compete at a pageant at the Honda Indy Toronto on Saturday, July 9 with the winner taking $1000 and a chance to present the trophy on the podium after the race.


Race Series

IZOD IndyCar - Honda Indy Toronto
Firestone Indy Lights - Toronto 100
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship
Ferrari Challenge Exotic Cars


Honda Indy Toronto racing news


Wanting to be a race marshall? Check out MMS until June 23rd.

It's rumored that Danica Patrick will make the full time move into NASCAR and leave IndyCar behind starting in 2012. This could be your last chance to see Danica race in Toronto.

Canadian driver Paul Tracy won in Toronto in 1993 and 2003 and the 2010 winner was Will Power.
Current 2011 leaders in IndyCar are: 1, 2 and 3 - Will Power, Dario Franchitti and Oriol Servia. Alex Tagliani is 9th and Danica Patrick is in 15th place.

The following races remain till the Toronto event. June 11 Firestone Twin 275s, June 19 Milwaukee 225, June 25 Iowa Corn Indy 250 and the July 10 Honda Indy Toronto. The only other Canadian race in this series follows in two weeks at the July 24 Edmonton Indy.

Honda Indy Toronto Maps and Stands

Check out my post showing the various stand locations and the views that they provide.

Honda Indy Toronto Location and getting there


The race runs within the Exhibition Place grounds and onto Lakeshore Boulevard.
1. TTC
          a) Go to Dufferin Station on the Bloor Subway and get on the No 29 bus south to Exhibition Place.
          b) Go to Bathurst Station on the Bloor Subway and get on the Harbourfront No 509 streetcar south to      
              Exhibition Place.                        
          c) Go to Union Station on the Yonge-University Subway. Find the Queens Quay platform and board
              the No 510 streetcar west to Exhibition Stadium.
         d) Go to Dundas West Subway Station on the Bloor Subway and get on the No 193 Exhibition
             Rocket.
2. GO Transit
          Take the Lakeshore Line to Exhibition Station (it is just west of Union Station).
          Here is a information bulletin from GO Transit: 
This year the Honda Indy will take place July 8th to the10th, 3 days of fun filled on and off-track activities.
For race fans on July 10th, in addition to our regular hourly Lakeshore line train services, we will be operating extra train trips to and from the Exhibition GO. Lakeshore East passengers will have an extra train departing Oshawa at 11:11 making all stops to the Exhibition, arriving at 12:16, and Lakeshore West line riders will have an extra train to Union from Aldershot at 11:34, scheduled to arrive Exhibition GO at 12:30.  We will also operate additional train trips to you get you back home after the race; an extra westbound train trip to Aldershot from Union will serve the Exhibiton GO at 17:31 and the extra eastbound train to Oshawa will depart Exhibition at 17:30. For details, please visit our What's New page at www.gotransit.com or click on the link http://www.gotransit.com/public/en/news/whatsnew.aspx
3. By Car
          From the Gardiner Expressway (don't forget the Jameson Avenue exit is closed for construction) to
          the Spadina/Lakeshore exit (from the east) or Lakeshore (from the west).
          Take Lakeshore Boulevard to Strachan Avenue or British Columbia Road,  or use the Dufferin Street
          Entrance. Don't forget that the race track part of Lakeshore will be closed.
          Parking is limited within the CNE but there are usually several lots open around the exhibition grounds      
          and in Ontario Place.

Beautiful week & Ride for Heart

UPDATE: To see photos of the 2011 Becel Bike for Heart check out my blog post here.

Update: photo taken June 6, 2011 - remember, no wading!

Spring held a 'nice week' event but that ended Friday and the thundershowers took over Saturday. I was ready to bike around downtown Toronto but I will wait and see what tomorrow will be like. To remember beautiful weather I have included a partly cloudy sky photo at top. I also happened to notice that the Nathan Phillip Square pond repairs have been completed and the pond has been filled and the water jets are working again (an older shot of the pond follows). With the water fountain in Yonge-Dundas Square also working I think that we can unofficially celebrate summer.

The Becel Ride for Heart will fill the Gardiner Expressway and the DVP tomorrow on Sunday, June 5, 2011 starting at 6am with the highway closed from 2am to 2pm.

2010 Ride for Heart photos

Luminato 2011 - Festival of Arts & Creativity

Luminato comes once again to the City of Toronto from June 10^th to 19^th, 2011. Back for its 5^th year and in partnership with L’Oreal, this annual Festival of Arts and Creativity seeks to entertain and inspire everyone with three simple programming principles; collaboration, accessibility and diversity.

The festival takes place at a number of venues and includes both free and ticketed events featuring theatre, dance, music, literature, food, visual arts, fashion, film and more. The festival stage is right between Roy Thomson Hall and Metro Hall (55 John Street) and will have a lot of entertainment throughout the festival – it doesn’t look like any Luminato events will be held at Yonge-Dundas Square this year. Check out their website for the full program, but for me some highlights follow.

I always look forward to art installations in Brookfield Place and Union Station – unfortunately I don’t think anything will happen at Union Station (especially with all the construction work). June 8^th to the 18^th the Alan Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place will have the installation titled ‘Sargasso’ by Philip Beesley Architect Inc (no entrance fee). Update: Sargasso is now being hung in place in the Galleria - here is a photo taken June 6, 2011, for more pictures check out my blog post here.

On Friday, June 17^th at 8pm k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang Band with special guest the Belle Brigade will perform at the festival stage – free!

The President’s Choice 1000 tastes of Toronto takes place June 18^th to the 19^th starting at noon on John Street. Entrance is free but all food items are $5 each.

CityTV News - Kathryn Humphreys

Kathryn Humphreys sports anchor and reporter of the CityTV show CityNEWS was in the Square reporting on Piazza Italia.

Budget Travel Tips with Readers Digest

Vacations make great adventures and memories, it’s time to forget about work and enjoy the hotels, restaurants and room service. But the excitement of visiting somewhere new and exotic comes with a high price and most people face large credit card bills when they come home from their fun in the sun (or snow).  I think the key to great vacations is to plan ahead to help reduce costs and I found great tips online at Readers Digest. Besides, if you save a lot on one vacation, you can always go on another vacation to celebrate.

Online research in advance of your travel can be fun and also provide information and savings on all aspects of the trip, from destination research, hotels, activities and on things you may not have looked for when you reach your destination but could turn out to be a highlight of your stay. We found the GO Cars online (pictured at top) and we had a ball exploring San Francisco on the three wheel, open cockpit vehicles - the kids loved them as well.

Planning ahead should help you to get the best deals and we also used an online travel company to book everything when we went to San Francisco. I was a little hesitant at first to book online but when we went to a travel agent their complete lack of customer service made it a lot easier. Readers Digest talks about how to get the most from your travel agent, how to find the best airfare deals and summer bargain destinations. The one thing the travel agent did do was recommend that we stay down near the waterfront piers and not in the downtown core. While we did travel downtown we spent most of our time along the Bay or traveling to other places we found on Google maps. Man, I have to start packing my luggage. 

Read more about budget travel tips at Reader's Digest.ca.

This is a sponsored post.

Piazza Italia - 150th Anniversary of Italy

Toronto is joining in the celebration of the 150^th Anniversary of Italy and Yonge-Dundas Square has been transformed into Piazza Italia. The entertainment and Italian food mini festival started at noon and runs until late this evening (till 11pm June 2, 2011), so come down, try an espresso and buy a brand new Fiat motorcar. Yes, Fiat has some beautiful models downtown in the Square – and the cars looked pretty nice as well.

I just wished they could have hooked up one of the construction cranes to the CN Tower and pulled it over a few degrees – then we would have a leaning tower of our own.

Ciao Bella! See more photos after the jump.

Honda Indy 2011 setup begins

Green Savoree Toronto has today (June 1, 2011) begun the construction of the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto race course which runs through Exhibition grounds and onto Lakeshore Boulevard (picture above supplied by Honda Indy Toronto). It's exciting to think of the racing which will happen soon in the heart of our city. The setup lasts 39 days which means a lot of concrete blocks and fences have to be placed to keep everyone safe before the race can begin. The pictures below show this year's construction of the Thunder Alley Grandstands over looking the Lake Shore Boulevard run and the barriers and fence along Princes' Boulevard and the Direct Energy Centre.

This year which marks the 25th anniversary of racing on the streets of Toronto was helped by FedDev Ontario which provided some funding for safety infrastructure improvements that will be undertaken by the race promoters. Pictures of last years races follow.

The week of the race will be full of fun with live entertainment and interactive activities which usually include a street party where you can meet all the drivers, several days of events - usually within Yonge-Dundas Square with celebrity/media pit stop challenges and high performance open wheel race cars placed at various locations in Toronto (I remember there was one outside Bay at the Queen Street Corner and one car inside Brookfield Place) to promote both local sponsors and the exciting race.

If I can recall, there were many beautiful models like the Hooters and Budweiser Girls wandering everywhere so keep your cameras ready at all times.

Derby Luv!

I heard from the ever excellent Speedin Hawking of the Death Track Dolls. Speedin handles PR and Marketing for the Toronto Roller Derby (ToRD) and she let me know about a couple of upcoming events and she finished her email with 'Derby Luv!'  What a great expression and so true for Toronto - the derby fans fill up the Hanger in Downsview Park and each game seems to get more crowded with more sold out games. It's easy to get addicted to the fast paced action, lingerie, colourful uniforms and watching 'Real Women. Real Hits. Real Heart.'

A couple of interesting roller derby tidbits. 1) Apparently roller derby is the fastest growing sport with over 1000 leagues worldwide. 2) The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) has just accepted the all-female, skater owned and operated Toronto Roller Derby into their governing body association - way to go ladies!. 3) The last regular game finished with the Chicks Ahoy beating the Death Track Dolls. 4) The league now goes into the semi-final on Saturday, June 11 with the final Championship game, named 'Battle for the Boot', on Saturday, June 25, 2011. These games tend to sell out fast so get your tickets as soon as possible. 5) And don't forget The Clam Slam in support of Pride Toronto on June 30.

See more derby shots after the jump.