Toronto wasn't on our must-visit list but this trip was less about the destination and more about an event. We're also considering it our (early) anniversary trip. Evan and I really enjoy stand-up comedy so we were enticed by the idea that we could go to a festival and see multiple comedians over a series of days. Montreal has the most famous/world renown comedy festival in July - Just for Laughs - but since we couldn't make that this year we opted for the "baby" version, JFL42 in Toronto. To be clear, the JFL stands for Just for Laughs so the two festivals are affiliated. The Toronto version is in its infancy at only five years; Just for Laughs in Montreal has been going on for thirty-four years. The 42 stands for forty-two comedians/acts. We bought VIP passes, which allowed us to see four headliners and twelve additional non-headlining comedians.
Incidentally, we had the opportunity to attend well over sixteen performances due to a credit system. After attending non-headlining shows you get your credits back to use again.
We also did something different than usual in that we rented an apartment through VRBO (vacation rental by owner) versus staying in a hotel or B&B. Since we knew we would be in town for an extended stay, it just made sense. I've been to Toronto before to visit/stay with family so twelve years later I'm seeing a whole new side to the city. We opted for Kensington Market/Chinatown as a locale. It's fantastic in terms of great food options but oh boy, the street (people) noise at night is a real doozy. Even with ear plugs! Also, weed is everywhere. Who knew Torontontians (what a mouthful) were a bunch of potheads?
I also feel that I should explain my addition of "Hipster Parade" to my blog title. I don't know if it's our particular neighborhood or Toronto in general, but hipsters are pouring out of the woodwork. I can't even count the amount of bushy-bearded, tight-pants and Buddy Holly-glasses wearing, weed-smoking, unicycle-riding (just kidding) individuals we've encountered. If "hipster" was a sickness then I'd say there's an epidemic in Toronto. WE GET IT - you want to be different. But if everyone around you is a hipster then aren't you just like everyone else?
We brought the laptop with us so that Evan could do homework for his online Master's program; as a result, I will be "live" blogging each day rather than regurgitating an entire week's events after the fact.
We got up very early and drove a little over nine hours to arrive in Toronto late afternoon. Once we had parked in our building's garage and dropped our stuff off in our apartment we ventured out into our neighborhood to grab a bite to eat.
Immediately afterward we headed to
Sony Centre to see our first headliner of the festival,
Jim Jeffries. I saw one of his Netflix specials a few months ago and thought he was very talented. Apparently, he's made quite the name for himself all over the world. I'd have to give him 3.75 laughs because he's very clever and methodical, and even though you can tell he's very well-prepared, his act is effortless. I took away 1.25 laughs because I was so physically exhausted from our long day that at some point, I just wanted him to stop talking. He's a bit long-winded! He's also very opinionated and while I agree with most of his viewpoints there were at least a couple of things that made me cringe a little. I also expected more political humor from him (Trump bashing, for instance) so I was slightly disappointed.
Sunday, September 25
We didn't get moving until sometime after 11:00am but when we did we ventured to our nearest side street to eat chicken and waffles at
The Dirty Bird. Big mistake. I mean, it was fine but it's a) not really my thing to begin with and b) it's not something Toronto is known for. If you're going to get chicken and waffles you should get it in the U.S. and preferably in the Deep South. We both felt pretty gross afterward.
From there we took a stroll through our immediate area and
Chinatown. I was thrilled to see rambutans and mangosteens being sold on the street. I don't think I've had a real mangosteen (outside of a can) since my family lived in Thailand. It was my favorite fruit! We'll definitely go back and buy some before we leave town. Then we spent a decent amount of time in
Graffiti Alley taking pictures.
I liked the look of these giant bugs crawling all over the building.
Graffiti Alley:
Not graffiti exactly but art with a message:
This was hands down my favorite part of Graffiti Alley. Do colors get any more vivid than this?
On the way back to our area we had a few more photo opportunities.
Note: This is not an endorsement. I assume this is a play on the joke that is the lead oompa-loompa's slogan campaign.
I had read about these goofy neighborhood watch signs before we came into town. Fun!
Back in our 'hood. I think this gives you a sense of the vibe.
We took a very brief break at the apartment before we walked to
Second City for "
In Conversation with Sinbad". Because it was a more intimate experience audience members were allowed to take pictures! It was really lovely to learn about Sinbad's life before comedy and also about his rise to fame. He's funny and energetic and he seems like a great guy. I'd give this event 4 laughs because I loved the small, cozy venue. I wish we could've seen him do stand-up but I believe that his event conflicted with one of our headliners. I took away a laugh because it wasn't a traditional stand-up performance and there wasn't, in fact, much to laugh at.
From there we had to hightail it back to our area to grab a quick bite before getting in the car and driving Downtown for our next performance. There was a Sunday festival going on in our neighborhood (as if they need an excuse to play loud music and smoke ganja around here) so we grabbed some jerk chicken and rice from
Rasta Pasta. The chicken was amazing but we've never had jerk before so we didn't realize the sauce was so spicy. Our lips and mouths were on fire so we had some ice cream (it was a medical emergency) to cool off. I got some delicious almond marzipan and Evan got black sesame and coffee.
Then we saw our second headliner of the festival,
Tig Notaro.
Gary Gulman opened for her. We were both impressed with his polished and well-crafted act and will definitely keep an eye out for whenever he's in the DC area next. Tig was predictably low-key and funny. I enjoy her calm demeanor and I find comfort in knowing that she's not going to be dropping F-bombs or bringing us into her bedroom. She even steers clear of politics. As Evan says, her focus is observational humor. I would challenge anyone to find something controversial or offensive about her act. That said, I'd give her 4.25 laughs. I really did enjoy seeing her but I'm taking away .75 laughs because she was even more low-energy (heh) than I expected. I've seen other funnier bits of hers.
Monday, September 26
We got up slowly this morning but once we were ready we headed over to a neighborhood coffeehouse,
FIKA. Evan had what was a lackluster espresso. We also ordered two bacon breakfast sandwiches. They were exceptionally good but we were so annoyed by the long wait that I don't think we'll go back.
Some Kensington Market highlights:
This guy reminds me of the Mouth of Truth in Rome:
Afterward we made our way to
Wanda's Pie in the Sky for a sweet treat. So amazing. We split a chocolate cupcake with buttercream filling and a Willy Wonka-esque slice of cake that had six different flavored layers. It tasted as good as it looks!
Following that, we made our way back to the apartment for a low-key afternoon. It was the perfect time for Evan to do some homework because it was drizzling off and on for several hours.
Early evening we walked to
Soi for dinner. Soi is unlike any Thai place we normally go to because it doesn't have the usual fare like pad thai or chicken fried rice. It's strictly street food. Evan and I each got chicken dishes but prepared in different ways. I think Evan's was cooked with fish sauce and mine was cooked with garlic and black pepper sauce. Evan's dish was good but my dish was GREAT. We practically fought over it. We enjoyed ourselves so much that I wouldn't be surprised if we went there again.
We followed up with
The Big Chill for dessert. You can smell the sweetness a full block away. Evan was a little more decadent with his two-scoop waffle cone whereas I settled for a small cup of rainbow sherbet. Why does it feel natural to pronounce it sherbeRt?
Our comedy venue for the night,
Royal Cinema, was also within walking distance so we were able to go car-free the entire day.
We overestimated the amount of time it would take to walk to dinner and then to the venue so we were milling around well before our first scheduled show at 8:45pm. We found out there was a comedy event prior to ours that had available seating so we thought we might as well attend or risk loitering for ninety minutes. The event happened to be "
In Conversation with Dan Harmon". What a train wreck! This guy wrote the show
Community, which Evan and I never watched and when we attempted to watch it, we couldn't. He's involved in a few new shows right now that we've never heard of, but that's beside the point. This guy should stick to writing because he's a TERRIBLE public speaker. He babbled, mumbled, interrupted himself, and veered off on nonsensical tangents. It was like watching an hour-long Tourette's episode. Case in point: When asked about his creative inspiration he said he was like a gingerbread man with a hole cut out of the middle, lined with meat, and that the inspiration was like juice shooting through the hole but if done properly, the end product should not be meat-flavored juice. I mean...
I could barely muster up a smile so I can only award him 1 laugh. We weren't alone in our thinking either because afterward, while waiting in line for our next show, we overheard several fans of his saying that it was horrendous. We also spoke to someone who specifically said it was the worst thing he's seen at the festival and he's been going to it since its inception.
Todd Barry was a breath of fresh air after that cluster. We actually saw him two nights before at Jim Jeffries' show (he was attending like any other regular Joe) and Evan went over and shook his hand. It must be stated for the record that Evan had no idea who he was until I pointed him out! Anyway, we both really like his style. Like Tig, he's extremely calming and laid-back. He's not as clean but still inoffensive. He definitely won the night. I'd give him 4 laughs. My biggest critique is that he repeated a joke JFL42 used as a sample on their website. Now, why would he do that? The focus should be on new material. I don't want to pick on him too much though because I did enjoy his act overall. I'd see him again.
Our second act was
Nick Thune. He was so well-rehearsed that it felt kind of phony to me. Every comedian we'd seen up until that point had engaged with the audience but there was no such spontaneity in Thune's act. Instead I felt like he was practicing for when he films and/or records his next special. He essentially told two thirty-minute long stories, one of which, I'd heard in its condensed version months ago on a late night show (perhaps that was also in one of his JFL42 samples) so that was disappointing. Basically, I found his on-stage persona unlikeable. I'm being generous by giving him 3 laughs.
Tuesday, September 27
According to my weather app we're in for a rainy/gloomy rest of the week so we're going to try to take full advantage of our potentially last sunny day. You know what that means - picture time!
We started our day having bagels at
Nu Bugel. I don't know what it is about food service in Toronto but it seems slow across the board. Must be the European influence...? It's such a shame because while we enjoyed our bagels we really didn't enjoy the wait.
We did A LOT of walking today. We walked about an hour in one direction and then of course, had to walk about an hour back. Since we had all morning and afternoon we took our time exploring in between.
Our first stop was
Nathan Phillips Square to see the Toronto sign that was installed for the
Pan American Games last year. It's a temporary fixture and will be taken down by the end of this year. We really lucked out.
From there we walked through
Brookfield Place. We parked in its garage and passed through the building on our way to the Sony Centre our first two nights in town.
I assume this is a Chihuly piece but I didn't see a placard to confirm:
Then we proceeded toward the
Gooderham Building. Evan and I have long (ever since we arrived in Toronto) admired an art piece on the side of this building. Upon closer inspection today we realized it wasn't a mural painted directly on the brick. It's actually 3D art, which explains why it's so life-like. We think it's just amazing.
From there we went into the famous
St. Lawrence Market. It's an enclosed market like so many we've been to before - Reading Terminal in Philly, Mercato Centrale in Florence, Jean Talon Market in Montreal, etc. While there we sampled the famous and unique-to-Toronto peameal bacon sandwich. It was fine but I didn't think it was special. Sorry! It was also pretty salty. I had two bites and Evan ate the rest.
Last but not least we visited the
Distillery District. It's a very trendy and touristy area with expensive dining and upscale shopping. We enjoyed walking around but didn't have an occasion to stick around for too long.
The CN Tower and Sony Centre on the walk back:
Downtown:
CTV Station:
Ontario College of Art and Design:
Back in Chinatown:
We had dinner in our neighborhood at
El Trompo. Evan got chicken tacos and I got their speciality "Al Pastor" tacos. The food was decent but there's so much good ethnic food to sample around here that I doubt we'll repeat it.
We headed toward our first venue of the night and along the way stopped at
Bang Bang Ice Cream for dessert. Evan got a Hong Kong egg waffle cone with a scoop of vanilla and banana pudding. I had the day's special of "cinnibun sammy". It's a cinnamon bun heated up and then cut in half to make room for a scoop of ice cream (vanilla, in my case) aka a cinnamon bun ice cream sandwich. Each bite was more amazing than the last. It's one of the best desserts I've ever had. Quite decadent. We are never allowed to go there again because I wouldn't be able to control myself.
I told my mom about all the weed around here and she warned me to not get a contact high because it would make me hungry. Pretty sure that's what happened because Evan was convinced I had the munchies. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun eating!
Our first show of the evening was with
K Trevor Wilson at
The Garrison, a dive bar with almost no cushioning fold-out chairs. We have to go to the venue again on Thursday night but I refuse to sit down. I'd rather be on my feet than sit in those torture chairs again. K Trevor Wilson was our first taste of an unfamiliar and Canadian comedian in the festival. He was great! He said he just got back from doing a seven week tour in the States. I imagine he was a hit with all of his fat jokes. Haha. Anyway, we thought his delivery was excellent and his material, well-prepared. I have to say, physically, he reminded me a little of John Candy. But of course, there's no one like John Candy. I'd give K Trevor Wilson 4 laughs. He was fantastic but there's always room for improvement.
We followed up with
Jake and Amir and Friends at the Royal Cinema. This wasn't one of my favorite acts because it was basically a platform for their "friends" to do short spurts of stand-up and less about the actual draw, Jake and Amir. I liked the comedy duo and I wanted to hear more from them. Instead we heard from
Neal Brennan and
Nate Bargatze, both comedians we will be seeing Thursday night. Nate was especially funny but I hope there's not too much overlap of material. We also heard from
Deanne Smith, a Canadian stand-up, who was mildly funny but mostly awkward. Last and least we heard from
Nick Thune. He condensed one of his stories from the other night so lucky us, we got to hear that material again. *rolls eyes* I'd give the overall experience 3 laughs but I'd be interested in checking out Jake and Amir some other time.
Wednesday, September 28
We started out our day with a late breakfast/early lunch across the street at
Average Joe's Cafe. I got a breakfast sandwich while Evan got a full breakfast plate. We also split a delicious (Evan wasn't as big of a fan) and beautifully presented french toast with banana and chicken bacon.
Then we returned to the apartment where we proceeded to make ourselves at home. Evan did homework and I did laundry. We made no plans for today other than dinner and our three comedy shows later tonight.
Since it was so good the first time around we went back to Soi for dinner. We ordered from the "tapas" menu and got chicken and shrimp with garlic and black pepper sauce and then a mix of chicken and pork skewers with a glaze. We got savory sticky rice and slaw on the side. It was delicious and amazing and unforgettable.
Our first show of the evening was at the Royal Cinema with Neal Brennan. I have to say, to date, this is the finest performance we've seen. His act was completely original and unlike anything I've seen in stand-up comedy before. He calls it "3 Mics". He had three microphones on stage and each one represented a different segment of his performance. One was the traditional stand-up mic, one was a confessional/story-telling mic, and one was a mic for witty one-liners. He definitely tickled my funny bone a few times but I found his candidness about his life struggles particularly refreshing and relatable. I'm giving him my highest score so far of 4.5 laughs. I'd love to see him again.
The worst performance of the festival followed the best performance of the festival. We went to Revival for the first and last time to see Mark Forward and crew. I'm really annoyed because I thought I had signed up for his solo stand-up act but when I looked at the JFL42 website afterward I realized that shows were added and changed around. My tickets even said "Mark Forward" but when I looked at the website later the time slot we had reserved said something like "A Very Mark Forward Festival Party". I had no idea what I was getting us into and I'm frustrated that we wasted our time on a bunch of untalented amateurs looking for practice. Mark Forward spent his limited time on stage bullying the audience into laughing. His "festival party" reminded me of a Halloween party that Evan and I ghosted because it was so dull. I have to assume that he didn't feel like performing so he got a few Second City rejects to perform inane skits. We left 40 minutes in. I wish we had left sooner because then we could've salvaged the evening by grabbing some dessert at Bang Bang. I didn't think it was possible for anything to be as bad as the event with Dan Harmon but Mark Forward and his motley crew really outdid themselves. 0 laughs.
We happened upon this painted utility box (?) very serendipitously because it totally encapsulated how I felt during and after that show:
Last, but not least, we went to the Garrison to see Nate Bargatze. His opener, Tom Henry, was very dry and funny. He might be someone to watch out for. Nate Bargatze offered a comfortable and enjoyable set but I'd say he falls somewhere in the middle in terms of the impression he made on me. Not entirely memorable but it's better to be forgettable than to be memorable for being terrible - am I right, Mark Forward? I'll give him 3.5 laughs.
Thursday, September 29
We got a late start today. Evan was feeling a little under the weather so we didn't venture out into the gloomy day until around 1:00pm. We had a very mediocre lunch at
Caplansky's. I was looking forward to some good Jewish fare but the blintzes we ordered were just OK and Evan's matzoh ball soup was not to his liking. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.
Afterward we happened upon a cat cafe,
TOT, and stopped in to visit. It was our first time in a cat cafe and I have to say, aside from the awesome felines, I was unimpressed. First of all, the litter boxes were full and the cat area was a little smelly. They definitely need to get in there and clean more often. Secondly, I think it's risky to send in complete randoms without informing them of the various cat personalities. For example, one of the cats was hesitant to be petted and so I treated her gingerly and mostly gave her space. Evan was also careful with her but still got a little bit of pushback. We're very experienced with cat behavior from having worked at the humane society so we knew how to manage the situation. I think it would startle/throw off other people. Just my two cents. You also don't want the cats to be stressed from unwanted attention.
Our last outing of the day before our evening events was a stroll around the
Bata Shoe Museum. What fun! We were in and out in forty-five minutes so it's a very manageable museum if you're limited on time. There are four half-levels of exhibits and the reading isn't as overwhelming as other museums. It makes for a quick but fulfilling experience. I loved seeing shoes from all over the world and from different cultures and time periods.
Elton John's platform shoes:
Kinky Boots from the Broadway production:
My favorite exhibit was "Fashion Victims: The Pleasures and Perils of Dress in the 19th Century". You wouldn't believe the lengths that people, especially women, went to for beauty. Well, maybe you would. Back then, to achieve colors like green and purple, they had to mix elements that had deathly consequences for the mixers and their clients. There was a green dress on display (I know, it's a shoe museum) and it had traces of arsenic! There was also a crinoline, wooden petticoat, on display, and with it a statistic that 3,000 women died per year in the U.K. from them catching on fire. Holy moly!
Our first show of the evening was Siriux XM-sponsored Top Comics. Tom Green, whom we've seen do stand-up in our local area, was the headliner. It was quite neat in the sense that we got to see eight up and comers/unknowns vie for top honors. The prizes included $25,000 and slots at next year's Just For Laughs festivals. Everyone we saw was very talented but obviously, a few really stood out. Now we'll have to keep an eye out for our favorites in the coming months and years. Tom Green was hilarious as always. He has such a bizarre sense of humor and his antics are kind of legendary. We'd definitely see him again. 4 laughs.
Here's a not great iPhone picture of the finalists. The winner, Chris Robinson, is the guy on the far right.
Our second and last event of the night was to see our penultimate headliner, Jim Gaffigan. The guy is an impeccable and engaging performer. He's just such a likable and relatable person. Evan and I both agreed that we weren't rolling on the floor laughing but we enjoyed his clever and effortless presentation. His voice inflections and impressions are especially fun and set him apart from some of the other people we've seen this week. I have been looking forward to seeing him for months and I can't say he disappointed. 4 laughs.
Friday, September 30
Our week in Toronto is starting to wind down. We're pretty worn out and a little burnt out on comedy. Haha. Today we're going to take it easy in the apartment until our events this evening.
Early afternoon we made our way over to Second City to see "In Conversation with Natasha Leggero". We saw her do stand-up in Denver when we visited my brother-in-law last summer. We enjoyed her act though, Evan is now saying he wasn't that impressed. I didn't think the conversation was all that interesting and it didn't really rev me up to see her to do stand-up tomorrow night, which we're currently scheduled to do. (We ended up cancelling.) It was partially not her fault because the moderator really dominated the conversation. But I did think it was prissy that she expressly didn't allow photography unlike the other people we've seen participate in these more casual events. 3 laughs.
In between events I looked at the pictures around the Second City entryway and you can see all the greats that came out of there like Martin Short, John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, etc. It's easy to forget how many famous comedians are Canadian because they all live in the U.S.
Afterward, we stayed and saw "In Conversation with Anthony Jeselnik" in preparation for seeing him do stand-up tonight. If the conversation was any indication of what's coming tonight then I am REALLY excited to see his stand-up routine. He's fabulous. When the room opened up to questions Evan asked him about his musical preferences and how they inspired his persona. He said he was particularly inspired by the arrogance of hip-hop, specifically, NWA. 4.5 laughs.
For dinner we ate at a neighborhood burger joint called
The Burgernator. It was decent. I'd say it's akin to a Five Guys but on a much smaller scale. I think it only has one location but everything is made to order.
And then...oops, we did it again, on purpose - we went back to Bang Bang! Evan got an exotic mix of fresh mint and totaro. I got a half ice cream sandwich with milk n' cookies ice cream and b'day (sugar) cookies. OMG. I want to eat there every day forever. Amazing.
Afterward, we saw our final headliner of the festival, Anthony Jeselnik. He's known for his edgy/controversial/offensive comedy but we rolled with it and had a great time. I like that he pushes boundaries. He's really honed his craft of delivering zingers. What's a shame is that because his expertise is delivering one-liners, it's hard to remember everything afterward. That's part of what makes comedy so fun - reliving it after the fact. For example, there's a particular story Tig shared about her cat and Evan and I have referenced it every day since. I feel like that says a lot about the power of Tig's comedy. That doesn't mean Anthony Jeselnik's comedy isn't as strong or impactful; it's just fleeting. It's also hard to relive because no one can deliver his material with the same level of over-confidence. I'm waffling on his score because even though a part of me wants to say that Tig was my favorite, I feel like he's on par but in a different category. In other ways, I feel like he bested her. For now, I'm going to go with my gut and say 4.5 laughs.
Saturday, October 1
We were set to see Craig Robinson twice, once for an "In Conversation" and once for stand-up, but Evan hasn't been feeling well and today he woke up feeling much worse so we're going to cancel and head home a day early. We saw sixteen acts, which was our original intention before we started to reuse our credits. No complaining here! Also, because we had never seen Craig Robinson do stand-up before, who knows if it would've been a hit or miss. I'm glad we were able to end the festival on a high with Anthony Jeselnik.
Overall, we had a fabulous time in Toronto. It did, however, feel like a long trip. I didn't know there was such a thing as too much comedy but I think we hit that threshold. We learned that going forward, if we're to attend another comedy festival (Montreal's Just For Laughs would be an aspiration), we'll probably limit our participation/be more picky about who we see and do it over a shorter period of time. Toronto is also way more hip(ster) than I was expecting. And the pot! Look, I'm all for legalizing marijuana but maybe there's something to be said for keeping it in your home. We both got really sick of smelling skunk everywhere. And also, does anybody freaking work around here? I mean, you can't be high and work unless you work at a dispensary (and ethically, you probably shouldn't even do that). It's kind of ridiculous. That also reminds me of the street noise we experienced in our neighborhood. Again, does anybody work? How can you be up until the wee hours every night partying and singing and doing God knows what else and then work the next day? I don't even work and I'm in bed by 10:00pm every night!
On the plus side, we were really impressed with how safe Toronto felt. We spent many a late night walking to/from event venues and never once felt uncomfortable or threatened.
I don't know when/if we'd ever be in Toronto again but at least one reason to return would be the incredible food. BANG BANG.
