Tag Archives: toronto

Notes From the 6 Train: My Time in Toronto

Kennsington Shop

I want to tell you about the cool things going on in Toronto. It’s a really neat city that’s super close to New York and is cheaper to get to the most US cities. Luckily, I have friends there who were able to show me all around the interesting places, and avoid all the toursit traps. We went to Kensington Market that was made up of all sorts of homey and inviting shops that just scream “come check me because I will probably have sorts of stuff you won’t find anywhere else.” This was true indeed. We also got to eat some amazing churros infused with chocolate and dulce de leche cream. I didn’t know that such a thing existed but once I found it, I keep returning to the market just for the churros. Here was where I found the groovy hat in the picture beneath. I found it at a vintage store for about $8.50 US dollars! Any avid vintage shopper knows just how pricey vintage items can be, so this was quite a steal. It is now my favorite hat!

I was lucky enough to be in town for Toronto’s biannual Vintage Crawl. Vintage Crawl is when all the vintage stores in the city stay open until midnight, offer AMAZING deals on merchandise and offer free drinks, beer and snacks. Some stores even had live Dj’s. I guess they figure the more you’re eating, drinking and dancing, the less attention you’re paying to the money flying out of your wallet. They’re probably right, because I bought several items, and every single person I went to the crawl at least bought one item. I’ve never been to the vintage crawl on Brooklyn, but I had such a good time in T. Dot that I will certainly check it out the next time it crawls around.

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That’s me at Toronto’s largest monthly queer hip hop party, Yes Yes Ya’ll! Toronto has a pretty progressive queer and polyamorous community, so being able to experience just taste of it was a treat. The entire placed was packed and the crowd was incredibly diverse. They also played a variety of music types, from old school hip to current hip hop as well as reggae and dancehall ( Canada has an extremely large Caribbean community, with their being more of Caribbean descent in Canada than in the actual Caribbean).

I also went to the Textile Museum of Canada, which had several interesting exhibitions, but one of my favorites was about kimonos. I also went to check out “This Is Not A Toy,” curated by Pharell Williams at the Design Exchange, which was all about… TOYS!

unnamed ( Me looking like a nerd attempting to wear a kimono)

pharrell_williams_guest_curates_design_exchange_this_is_not_a_toy_exhibition ( Snapshot from “This Is Not A Toy)

I was able to do so amazing cool things in just the 4 days I was there. If you’re looking for a quick get away this summer, jut look up!

All things Color, Love, & Fashion,

Ayanna L.

Notes From the 6 Train: Alternative options for Spring Break

Spring break could not come fast enough! The momentary Break from classes, and this cold winter/ rainy spring weather, is more than welcomed. This is the first spring break that I will not be going home. Where am I going you may ask? Panama City? Miami? No, no, I am going somewhere event more exotic…
Canada! Toronto to be exact. Now, I know what you are thinking. Won’t Canada still be cold? Hmh, possibly, of course it won’t be Nearly as warm as Miami or Panama City, but is another country ( I try and leave the country at least once a year), and with airfare as low as $85 one way, it’s a much more student budget friendly.

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Even before I had been invited to Toronto, I had planned anther alternative spring break trip. I was going to couchsurf the east coast. I find that so many New Yorkers get stuck in New York. The east coast has so many cool cities, and with most them being a few hours away by bus, and not that expensive to get to, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be explored. I was going to do this via the website couchsurfing.org, a free travel website/community created for adventurers. I used this website while I was in South Korea and wanted to visit the capital city of Seoul. It’s almost like a dating website, but for houseguests. You must create a personal profile that is viewable for others. Find people in the new city/ country you plan on visiting, check out their references, request to spend a night or two then, the viola! You’re an official couchsurfer. If this makes you nervous, you can go to couchsurfing events held in your city to meet other people who’ve done it and see what it’s like. It’s a great way to meet new people, get a chance to truly experience the culture of the city and stay somewhere for free. (When I did this, I met people from all over the world and now have places to stay in South Africa, Korea and even made a friend who now lives in NY!) The link is posted below.

tumblr_mnyyqt8lK21s7xb93o1_1280 ( My couchsurfing friends & I at Pride in Seoul.)

Now, if you aren’t quick the risk-taker as this, which I completely get, there are other ways to explore. Upstate New York has a million different things to check out, many of which are perfect spots for day trips. Or you can take a day trip to a nearby city like Philadelphia or DC, if you still want to actually leave NY. Just don’t stay in your room all day on Tumblr!

My plan is to return to campus with new experiences, new friends and not be completely broke. That sounds like a good spring break to me, I hope yours is too.

All things Color, Love & Fashion,

Ayanna L.

https://www.couchsurfing.org/n/how-it-works