Nikki.

If you can overlook the lingering smell of vomit (I have no idea what that's about), it's a pretty chill place to drink some cheap pitchers and shoot the shit.

It's also rare that they ID here, so I'm pretty sure 83% of the clientele are jailbait.
:D

So Hollywood lies again, and I have no idea how the movie represents LA's Chinatown.

Oh well.

I live a few blocks away and I'm pretty stoked that I can walk down the street and hit up some real dimsum where they don't speak any English or even Engrish. There's this janky non-Chinese store along Broadway where chicks dance on tables to sell used clothing. No joke. My friend threw a dollar bill at them and pranced away.
http://www.facebook.com/v/637304301631"

Because Heath Ledger is dead, and I think it's in real poor taste that you walk around poorly impersonating him/his interpretation of Joker to entertain idiot tourists.

I am totally not into celeb culture, and even less so into celeb impersonators. Unfortunately the concentration of both is quite high here.

My cousin lives in a nice loft right beside the Row.
With my urban instincts, I thought it'd be alright to walk to his place from the subway station.

I was wrong.
The row of tents and excrement were signs that I probably wasn't in a typical Downtown anymore. So I just walked faster, a little jankier and started talking to myself so I would fit in.

I didn't get raped, assaulted, or peed on for drugs so all in all it was a successful walk!

When I think of downtown anywhere, I think of a central business district and yuppies in cafes with their designer drinks and MacBooks.
With this in mind, I used to HATE coming to DTLA because the abundance of hobos and lack of life during the weekend days was quite eerie.

I have now grown to enjoy it (mainly because my knife-wielding friend took me on what he called the Nitty Gritty City tour) and saw some realness to it. The gentrification actually turned me off a little.

I love the whole frozen yogurt thing that seems to have only picked up in SoCal. This is the place to try it. As long as you can navigate your way through sketchville to this 3-block section of Asian joy.

Also a high concentration of sushi bars per capita. Not necessarily the best quality, but it's kinda fun trying to see which ones are worth it.

We spent a good few hours exploring this park, walking toward the ocean. There was a little amusement park (which we avoided cuz we do not like children), some waterfalls and ponds, and elk!

I do wish we had rented bikes because that would have been a more efficient way of seeing it. But we had an alright time getting lost in the woods.

The Quebecois don't pronounce h's, so if it wasn't clear, the plateau is pretty hip in a way that couldn't even give a shit. Lots of boutiques, cafes and vintage shopping to be done within this laissez-faire environment.

Even though you will often find lotsa annoying kids running around here, they're pretty easy to avoid or push out of your way for a prime Harbourfront experience.

There are lots of free cultural events during the weekends in the summer. Local bands play the stage. And there are ethnic food vendors depending on the event.

The winter is kind of a different story - very bleak and dreary. But the skating rink is decent. Although, I have heard rumours that one time the ice cracked, and someone sunk into the connecting lake. I don't even know if that's possible, but be careful.

I feel like Queen West started out with an alternative feel, but is continuously getting more saturated with the mainstream. Meh. A decent selection of boutiques both grungy and high(ish) end. Restaurants are kinda whatever.

There's a pretty evident art vibe, which turns to starving artist, to just starving the more west you go.

The Financial District is just another place to see suits go between buildings from meeting to meeting, being boring.

Toronto has no distinct architectural style... except for an affinity towards using glass. Of whatever colour. So I guess it's cool if you like reflective surfaces.

A new condo pops up ever 3.57 seconds, so just be wary if you're high up in one of these towers- your stunning view of the city will quickly be replaced by one of your building (at least, the reflection of it in the new building's exterior).

I used to come here a lot as a child and even swam in Lake Ontario (probably why my growth is stunted... pollution joke thanks to US industries that dump waste in our Great Lake... you'll hear them a lot in these parts, though people will talk about third eyes or extra fingers).

But it's still a good time, especially when you bring a cooler of booze to discretely drink as you chase Canadian geese whilst avoiding their droppings. There are a few BBQ pits around, and bike rentals. And a clothing optional beach!

Some people have the misfortune of actually living here... Be glad you can take the ferry back to the mainland.

So a restaurant that specializes in poutine would be like my dream, right?

RIGHT!

My first experience of the Poutinerie was when my friends moved dangerously close to the joint (just above it), and brought home 3 different servings to thank the people that helped them move. While true Montreal poutine is just brown gravy, hand-cut fries and cheese curds, a little variety once in a while doesn't hurt.

So you have a choice of gravies (they got a mushroom selection for you vegetarians out there), and meats and other toppings to fancy up you heartattack.
Delish!

Maybe that's an exaggeration. Maybe not.

The Madison, for whatever reason, is a meat market, as you will often find a wide variety of meatheads there.
Canada doesn't really follow the Greek System, but along Madison Avenue, there are a few "frat houses" even though there is no official university affiliation. I guess people who want an idea of what that's like go to the Maddy... And so they go, have incoherent conversation, participate in fistfights and get felt up.

Nonetheless, it's got decent patios and many many bars with a wide variety of drinks on tap - you can do an extensive barhop under one roof. Thursday nights, the piano bar is hopping.

Also, Thursday through Saturday nights are 21+, I guess to weed out those 19 and 20-year kids.

Times Square is just excessive. I don't understand why Dundas Square in Toronto is trying to be like it (it's already like NYC jr. in so many other ways).

If you like crowds, the possibility of seizures, offensive odours, hit-or-miss street eats or expensive low-qual resto food, being pushed around, definitely check it out.

Somehow, poutine sneaks into several reviews of mine... I'm not even from Montreal, but as a Canadian I can appreciate a good plate of the best pre-, during-, and post-drinking food available.
On this particular occasion, I needed the Quebecois delicacy as post-booze nourishment and was glad that my roommie was nice enough to make the short drive up Sunset.
The poutine was subpar, but acceptable considering I am now well south of the border. My roommie's omelette was a pretty generous serving. And there was an overall chill vibe.

But oh.
They were filming something inside, which meant we couldn't close the shutters when the sun was in our eyes (continuity).
Oh, and Kirstie Alley was there. Larget than life.

After starting the Friday night at La Cita, we rocked up to 107. A nice change of pace, almost an assault to the senses.

My cousin jacked a souvenir for me which made the experience so much more awesome. And I walked out with it in full view, and nobody seemed to care.

...I hope this review doesn't incriminate me.

Nothing dirty, just means "good enough".
I mostly come here for my poutine fix, as there is a dearth of gravy n' cheese curded hand cut fries in the Annex.
While they claim to be a Montreal bar, their menu (apart from the poutine) is a weak reflection of it. But I guess the Habs fans during hockey season compensate. Decent patio anyway.

I think every Monday they have Scrabble tourneys, but I never had the chance to check it out.

Maybe it's not their fault - maybe, it was poorly communicated... But we went to the Boulevard the first time on a Thurs, only to be informed that the BBQ was on the weekend.
So we returned on Fri at 6ish, only to find out that it apparently started at 10?
We wanted all-you-can-eat BBQ! We left with disappointment. And hunger.

It was pretty disheartening. Maybe they can smell the essence of out-of-towners and reject appropriately. It still kinda hurts.

As far as I know, this AYCE BBQ is a myth.

This place was huge for my lactose-intolerant friend, who had heard about it through her vegan friend. There are also gluten-free options for those glutards out there.

Not necessarily cheap, but pretty high-qual - like eating real ice cream!
The flavour selection is pretty fantastic too - pumpkin was my fave. Oh! They also have cake batter soft serve!

I love this bar. Though we barely got to go because it was at capacity, I am glad we were able to squeeze in.
Pitchers as low as $7 (a cheap blonde), and a decent red for $9.
Not to mention, endless hot dogs.
Unfortunately when I was there, the combination of both was too much for one girl to handle -- her serving was spewed upon my jacket because she couldn't make it to the toilet in time (only one stall for the ladies... marks deducted). But hey, I kinda expected that from NYC.

Out of all the sights in NYC, I made sure to check out this spot because it is quite recession- and budget traveler-friendly.
The wings weren't the best, but hey - you get what you pay for... and I think I ended up paying for more for extra sauces than actual wings. Nevertheless, I definitely came down with a case of meat sweats after this outing.

Good thing they have great selection of indie crafted booze to take care of that, apparently you get a free shirt if you try each one. Too bad my short trip and brokeness could not accommodate that challenge.
They were playing 3 different Canadian hockey games when I was there, which almost made me long for my home and native land. Almost.

Newtown is a very interesting cross section of Sydney's population. Among the endless Thai restos, you'll find people many different sub/countercultures.
Refreshing break from the footy-loving blokes.

Not that movie dates are high on someone's travel agenda, Bloor Cinema is still worth checking out for a cheap escape from running around the city.

Everything is locked in time; I'm plenty of the merchandise has been there for decades.

Even if you're not in the mood to shop, it's worth checking out due to weirdness-factor. And hours later, once you've discovered the exit, you'll probably escape with the randomest cheap knicknacks that you never would have needed.