Podcast – City Living Guide

In this week’s episode Michelle and Sharon talk about changes to their design and living preferences brought about by the moves they both made from a house to the more streamlined spaces of loft and condo living in the city.

Sharon’s new streamlined Ethan Allen sofa for the condo.

What worked design-wise in a suburban home may not work in the city home you’ve chosen – and for good reason. While Netflix and a cozy night on the couch can be absolutely wonderful, you’ve got many more options in the city and taking up space in your condo or loft with a LazyBoy recliner or pillowy sofa may not make the best use of your space.

Michelle and Sharon explore these questions and more in this week’s “minimalist” episode!

Residents of Toronto may have a love/hate relationship with their streetcars when in a rush, but a TTC streetcar is actually an enjoyable, leisurely way to travel when you’re in the mood to explore historic neighbourhoods like Toronto’s Little Italy. In this week’s episode we take you on that pleasurable ride to Toronto’s culturally rich west end.

Not only is this area of the city the place to dine, see an independent film or shop, it’s an area of the Toronto with important historic relevance as it offered a landing pad for many new immigrants to Toronto over the last two centuries. Eastern Europeans, Italians, African Americans, and the Portuguese are just some of the major cultural groups who set up roots for a time along College St. from Yonge St. west to High Park.

During this episode Michelle discusses one of the ways she enjoys cultural diversity in this city even more and that is by learning another language on the fly with the help of an app called Duolingo. Try it out!

Of course the most notable portion along this route is Little Italy and we hope you enjoy this trip with us!

When it comes to getting fit in a focused, healthy and timely way personal training is the way to go and one of Toronto’s top personal training studios is in the Canary District and it’s called Think Fitness Studios.  Kevin Thorne, general manager and personal trainer at Think Fitness is actually helping Michelle with her fitness goals and we’re thrilled to be interviewing him in this week’s episode.

So if you’re ready to learn more about how you can work with a personal trainer and why Think Fitness is not only a fun and professional studio but a community of good people, you’ll want to contact Think Fitness at www.thinkfitnessstudios.com.

We’d like to ask you a quick favour this week – if you’re listening to us on iTunes, please give us a review and rating, we’d greatly appreciate it.  Also, if you’re not on iTunes we’re happy to announce that we are now on Sound Cloud so catch us there!

Kevin Thorne, General Manager, Think Fitness Studios in the Canary District, Toronto.

One of the best ways to see the city of Toronto is on a TTC Streetcar. In this episode Michelle and Sharon discuss city highlights and personal experiences as they wind through some of the city’s and country’s most iconic neighbourhoods via the King St. streetcar.

How is the job market in Toronto affecting millennials and what lifestyle decisions are they making because of it? What about those generations a little further along – how is today’s economy and changing notions about well-being affecting the choices people make about lifestyle and future retirement plans?

Michelle and Sharon sit down in Toronto’s Old Town Aroma Espresso Bar to talk about these topics and more in this very topical episode.

From millennials to boomers and retirees – there’s a new focus on well-being and lifestyle priorities as precarious employment and insufficient pensions force new kinds of financial decisions.

A new year is a time to reset and be intentional about your aspirations and priorities.

In this week’s episode we talk about our new year aspirations and personal “life hashtags” we are intentionally illuminating for 2017.

What’s your hashtag for 2017? If you’re thinking the process is a little gimmicky think about this: what easier way is there to be intentional about your aspirations then to speak it out loud in the vernacular of our time? Whether you text your hashtag in your favourite social media forum or simply discuss it with friends, be intentional about it.

Michelle used the term reset to describe all these new year activities people typically involve themselves with in January – from exercise programs, to productivity hacks. What a refreshing and accurate term. It’s the start of a new year and a fitting time to reset in preparation for the opportunities and experiences ahead of us.

After a delicious meal in Old Town Toronto, Michelle and I decided to seek a comfy coffee house for conversation about what moving to the city of Toronto has given us in terms of options.  In this episode you’ll learn what I lost, what Michelle gained and how these new decisions we’re making are changing our lives.

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Leaving the suburbs for the city has changed our lives in so many unexpected and wonderful ways. My daughter Hannah joined Michelle and I for this picture in the Distillery District.

For some people (especially those of the younger set) there is simply no question that the divine lifestyle in Toronto begins and ends in the Entertainment District. In this week’s episode Michelle and Sharon take you to the area affectionately known as King West (King St. West) in the Entertainment District.

Not only are you steps to the best theatres in Toronto, but when you’re on King St. West you are steps to some of the most exciting living options in the city of Toronto.

The highest concentration of the city’s finest restaurants are on the west side.

When the Christmas season comes to Toronto, residents and visitors from far and wide go to the Toronto Christmas Market in the city’s Distillery District. This year the market is open even longer from November 18 to December 22 and in this episode of the podcast we share our take of the sights, sounds and foods of this magical festival that is first and foremost about people and community.

Strolling down the beautiful laneways of Yorkville is a great way to spend an evening in Toronto.

One of the trendiest if not most expensive neighbourhoods in Toronto is Yorkville, so of course Michelle and I decided to explore the allure and livability of this tourist and residential hotspot in the city.

One Bloor St. East- Great Gulf Condo development.

We started off gawking at the breathtaking architectural marvel of One Bloor St. East – a condo high rise built by Great Gulf.

An evening in Yorkville requires the obligatory window gazing at clothing items the equivalent of a small home mortgage.

Works of art – bags in Yorkville’s Kate Spade shop.

But one of the highlights of our evening were the conversations we had with fellow Torontonians and visitors to the city about one of the most talked about architectural developments in recent years – the ultra modern and dramatic Michael Lee Chin Crystal addition to the historic (early twentieth century) Royal Ontario Museum.

The Michael Lee Chin Crystal juts out of the Royal Ontario Museum creating an interesting juxtaposition that begs for dialogue and reaction.

As per usual, we ended our evening with food!

We hope you enjoy the show!