Amsterdam Essentials

• 
  1. citizenM hotel Amsterdam…
  While on layover in Amsterdam I had a very early…
• 
  2. Schiphol Amsterdam Airport
  Clean, spacious and easy to navigate, not to…
• 
  3. Café de Jaren
  I had a really charming cup of munt thee (read:…

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February Review Challenge

• 
  1. SF Fire Credit Union
  Have you ever seen a bank with better reviews? I…
• 
  2. Mark's Place
  This is a must-visit lunch spot that seems popular…
• 
  3. Banana Joe's
  The banana pineapple "frosty" here is so…

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Top Beaches in Hawaii

There are hundreds of beaches to choose from on Oahu and Kauai - here's my rundown of the best of them.

• 
  1. Laniakea Beach
  Yes, this is THE turtle beach, the one you want to…
• 
  2. Waimea Bay Beach Park
  As others have said, parking in the lot is a huge…
• 
  3. Ke'e Beach
  This destination beach had great snorkelling but…

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List Of Things For New…

Do these things if you're visiting from NYC and want to see cool stuff.

• 
  1. Sidecar
  Have been back several times now, to hang out with…
• 
  2. Morning Glory Cafe
  Busy, busy! On a Saturday around noon, Morning…
• 
  3. Crooked Star
  I am furious right now.  How have I not yet…

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Best Hot Chocolate In…

If you don't have Camino or Green & Black's Organic cocoa crystals on hand at home, please don't bother mixing up your own mug of hot chocolate - leave it to these experts!

• 
  1. Johny Banana
  I recommend Johny Banana for two things:  1. The…
• 
  2. Hank's
  Quite possibly the best date square in the city,…
• 
  3. Calico Cafe
  You know, I really hesitate to update my review at…

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My Favourite Meals…

I've done a junkload of travelling in 2008/2009, and here's a list of the best meals I had!

• 
  1. Amy's Place
  Note to Buffalo, NY: STOP TEMPTING ME. Thanks.  I…
• 
  2. Café Habana
  As soon as my Yelp pals caught wind of my…
• 
  3. Food For Thought
  I visited London this past Fall for a week and…

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Kat's List Of Things To…

Some places I dined at on my most recent trip to NYC!

• 
  1. Café Habana
  As soon as my Yelp pals caught wind of my…
• 
  2. Esperanto
  80% of Esperanto's clientele must be generated…
• 
  3. Udon West
  Um, how is it that before my visit to Udon West…

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Stationery & Art…

If you love fancy pens, gorgeous paper and vellum, head here when you've got money and hours to burn.

• 
  1. Arch Drafting Supply
  Quick Tip: Don't come here during a rainstorm,…
• 
  2. MaiDo Stationery & Gifts
  GOAL: Quick stop to purchase a new pen.  ACTUAL…

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Overstimulated in SF

The best places to get caffeinated in San Francisco.

• 
  1. Jane
  7 reasons you should be at Jane right now.  1.…
• 
  2. Grand Coffee
  Sometimes I just want an expertly made coffee…
• 
  3. Ritual Coffee Roasters
  Ritual, I've been looking for you, and I finally…

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Toronto's Most Terrifying…

Descend at your own risk! The basement washrooms at these otherwise reputable establishments are terrifying, to say nothing of the actual hygiene of the facilities. Think "haunted house"-level scary. Be careful!

• 
  1. The Painted Lady
  The scariest washroom** of all time. Like, ever.…
• 
  2. Hero Certified Burgers
  I routinely crave the veggie burger ("Soul…
• 
  3. Ciro's
  4 stars go to my favourite plaided out ginger chef…

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The Dive-iest Dive Bars…

These are the dive-iest of all dive bars - but don't let that stop you from checking them out; they're great!

• 
  1. Sneaky Dee's
  Oh Sneak's, my trusty and reliable old pal!  Every…
• 
  2. Green Room
  As other reviewers have said, this is a student…
• 
  3. Ciro's
  4 stars go to my favourite plaided out ginger chef…

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The Best Places To Eat &…

I love my neighbourhood, and here's why you should too! If you've never been, start with these businesses - you won't regret it!

• 
  1. High Park
  I've lived in the High Park area for nearly my…
• 
  2. The Sweet Potato
  I'm the type of person that loves to grocery shop…
• 
  3. Tim & Sue's No Frills
  This is my grocery store of choice - MY No Frills.…

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10 Things I'll Miss About…

I'm moving to Leslieville on August 1 - I've never lived east of High Park. Here's a list of the 10 things I'll miss the most about this west end oasis.

• 
  1. Grenadier Pond
  Grenadier Pond is my #1 favourite place to skate…
• 
  2. High Park
  I've lived in the High Park area for nearly my…
• 
  3. Crema Coffee Co.
  Who knew The Junction would be so bustling on a…

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The Best Outdoor Spaces…

The great outdoors - the best in Toronto parks & rec!

• 
  1. High Park
  I've lived in the High Park area for nearly my…
• 
  2. Leslie Street Spit Trail
  What the deuce? How had I never been here before…
• 
  3. Grenadier Pond
  Grenadier Pond is my #1 favourite place to skate…

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The Best Places To Eat,…

If you haven't checked out any of Queen Street east of Yonge, you'd better get a move on. The neighbourhood is humming with activity and there's lots to see and do (& eat!).

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  1. The Burger's Priest
  I don't normally like veggie burgers all that…
• 
  2. Babycake Cupcakes
  If you want cupcake variety, you've gotta make…
• 
  3. Gio Rana's Really Really Nice…
  Still my favourite, and consistently wonderful.…

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San Francisco Laundromats

The best and the worst of my days schlepping soiled clothing across town.

• 
  1. The Missing Sock Laundry
  There isn't a task I loathe more than laundry. I'd…
• 
  2. Wash 'n Royal
  I had a GREAT time here!  Wash 'N Royal (the…
• 
  3. Wash and Go
  This is a laundromat review. I shan't mince words,…

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Best Toronto Restaurants…

It's a bit of a pickle, this whole vegetarian thing, huh? You don't want to be a pain and drag your friends to a hippie granola co-op but you also don't want to be relegated to the dreaded "grilled vegetable sandwich" or "pasta primavera" if you go to a regular place, right? Everyone should be happy. That's why you should bring your friends to these veg-friendly places that don't suck for anyone!

• 
  1. Utopia Café & Grill
  Utopia and I have gone straight from second base…
• 
  2. Rua Vang Golden Turtle
  I have to preface my review by saying I've never…
• 
  3. Epicure Cafe & Grill
  When I walked into Epicure Cafe today it was like…

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Sandwiches That I Can't…

Yummy, delicious lunch options that won't weigh you down!

• 
  1. The Sentinel
  BALT, I just can't get you outta my head.   I've…

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To Do List: London

I went to London and here's what I did - highly recommended!

• 
  1. Borough Market
  An impressive collection of stalls and counters…
• 
  2. Stables Market
  An absolutely absurd amount of stuff is crammed…
• 
  3. Leake Street Tunnel
  Hands down the most elusive and exciting of all my…

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Caffeinate Thyself

Places that pull a great shot of espresso, with or without attitude.

• 
  1. Bisogno Espresso Bar
  Come here to satisfy your urge for everything…
• 
  2. Blondie's
  The cafe by day, bar by night concept is a wise…
• 
  3. Mercury Espresso Bar
  NOW OPEN TILL 8PM EVERY DAY.  Holy shit, this…

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Beautiful In Berkeley

Here's where I go for my beauty upkeep in East Bay!

• 
  1. M&M Thread Salon
  Eyebrow threading simply doesn't get better than…
• 
  2. Anna Bella Nails
  As I type this I'm actually trembling, because I…

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Cheers - To Your Health!

Here are the best health care practitioners in the city. Take care of yourselves!

• 
  1. Hassle Free Women's Clinic
  OK, people. Time to hunker down and get real…
• 
  2. Dana Lerman, ND
  Not to sound like a new agey, age of aquarius,…
• 
  3. Jennifer Malcolm, MD
  I would give Dr. Malcolm (née Pettigrew) 100 stars…

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The Most Random Things…

Yelp isn't all restaurants and shopping, you know. Check it.

• 
  1. Kyle Wanzel, MD
  When I nearly cut off my left thumb in The Great…
• 
  2. The City Of Toronto
  Review #400! What else to review than the badass…
• 
  3. Passport Canada
  If you live in Toronto and are getting a new…

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Reliable Wi-Fi In Toronto

These cafés have decent, reliable wi-fi that isn't a hassle to connect to and are ideal spots for doing work on the go!

• 
  1. Crema Coffee Co.
  Who knew The Junction would be so bustling on a…
• 
  2. Zoots Cafe
  I think Zoots may be my new favourite place to…
• 
  3. Gladstone Hotel
  The Gladstone Hotel is divided into three…

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Florists

If you've got a green thumb, here are the best places to buy your plants and greenery!

• 
  1. Guy Young Flower Shop
  This is an outstanding "no name" flower shop on…
• 
  2. IKEA Etobicoke
  There are all sorts of quips and complaints about…
• 
  3. East End Garden & Hardware
  My middle name may as well be "herbicide",…

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Cafés That Actually Have…

If it were up to me, any coffee shop not offering to stay open past 5pm would be promptly put out of business. Go here if you want a beverage after work hours or need to get work done.

• 
  1. Cafe Florentin
  The hours are dynamite (7am-10pm daily - I can't…
• 
  2. Tango Palace Coffee Company
  Still a solid place to get work done and the only…
• 
  3. The Pie Shack
  10 Things I Love About Pie Shack!  1) The hours…

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The Best & Worst Airlines…

Like banks and telecoms, all airlines suck some of the time. Here are my experiences...

• 
  1. US Airways
  I don't personally know anyone who's had cosmetic…
• 
  2. American Airlines
  My experience with American Airlines was brief but…
• 
  3. Porter Airlines
  I'm sad. My most recent Porter experience has…

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Adventures In Berkeley!

Shopping & eating in East Bay

• 
  1. Crossroads Trading Co
  It's true, the employees here are quite angry and…
• 
  2. Zebra Tattoo & Body Piercing
  This review is for jewellery purchase only.  I…
• 
  3. John's Ice Cream
  What's the catch?  How can an ice cream scoop only…

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To Do List: Boston

Some fun things I did on my recent trip to Boston, MA!

• 
  1. The Other Side Cafe
  I couldn't have whipped up a cooler restaurant…
• 
  2. Drink
  Coming from Toronto where (to my knowledge) there…
• 
  3. Neptune Oyster
  I'm adding Neptune to my list of favourite dining…

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My Favourite Shopping…

Admittedly I'm not a huge fan of shopping - I prefer to browse stuff online than sift through racks and racks of shapeless pieces of fabric. But when I get that periodic urge to inject some life into my wardrobe, these are the shopping hotspots that are guaranteed to destroy my credit card!

• 
  1. Frock
  I love that Frock is located so close to my home…
• 
  2. Trove
  Trove is one of my "holy grail"/top 5 places to…
• 
  3. Winners
  This Winners location still consistently stocks…

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Best Toronto Veggie…

I've been on the hunt for the city's best veggie burgers and I think I may have narrowed it down to six! If you're vegetarian and you're looking to enjoy a burger with your friends, try one of these!

• 
  1. The Burger's Priest
  I don't normally like veggie burgers all that…
• 
  2. Hero Certified Burgers
  I routinely crave the veggie burger ("Soul…
• 
  3. Lick's Homeburgers & Ice Cream
  Hands down one of the best veggie burgers in the…

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Toronto's Best Italian…

Here's hoping my list will rival Melissa G's - these are my favourite places to gorge myself on pasta and pizza.

• 
  1. Dimmi Bar & Trattoria
  It didn't occur to me until recently that this…
• 
  2. Mercatto
  Mercatto: now with more birthdays! Mercatto was…
• 
  3. Mangia & Bevi Resto Bar &…
  If you didn't have a cool friend like Angela H. to…

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The Most Sinfully…

If you want to be wowed by a dessert and aren't counting your calories, try out one of these decadent and fabulous desserts. You won't regret it!

• 
  1. Yasi's Place
  Hey everyone, what's for lunch? Come on over to…
• 
  2. Dimmi Bar & Trattoria
  It didn't occur to me until recently that this…
• 
  3. Gio Rana's Really Really Nice…
  Still my favourite, and consistently wonderful.…

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Where To Fill Helium…

A list of places that fill your balloons (or theirs) with good, quality helium!

• 
  1. Good Catch
  There should be a category called "HAVEN OF FUN",…
• 
  2. Bargain Max
  I desperately needed safety pins, a stapler and…
• 
  3. Dollar Bazaar
  Who knew dollar stores could be so useful for…

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Sangria!

Let's go on a boozy fruit tour of Toronto!

• 
  1. Bonjour Brioche
  ...and we're back. Service has returned to "I'm…
• 
  2. Café Diplomatico
  "Psst," the waiter said to me: "The food here is…
• 
  3. The Red Room
  The sangria at Red Room was cheap ($16.50/pitcher)…

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Toronto's Best & Cheapest…

I'm a staunch believer in the "7 before 11" model of fruit consumption - that's 7 servings of fruit before 11am if possible. Needless to say, I barrel through a junkload of fruit in a week's time.

These small fruit markets have the best selection, highest quality and cheapest prices in the city!

• 
  1. John's Fruit Village
  It may officially be called "John's Food Village"…
• 
  2. Carload Food Market
  Next to John's Food Village (the farthest WEST…
• 
  3. Olympia Fruit Market
  Olympia Fruit Market has the NUMBER ONE selection…

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Leslieville's Best…

Where to benny & bacon it up on Queen East!

• 
  1. Lady Marmalade
  In July 2009 when Lady Marmalade first opened,…
• 
  2. OK OK Diner
  The Chocolate Elvis (banana, peanut butter, honey…
• 
  3. Joy Bistro Bar
  Supremely yummy brunch options! I love Joy (and…

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Chicago Must Eats!

My food adventures in Chicago, as researched on Yelp!

• 
  1. BIG & little's
  What a lovely find!! The Yelp app led me here from…
• 
  2. Bongo Room
  I've been salivating over Bongo Room's incredibly…
• 
  3. Giordano's
  On a recent visit to Chicago, my friend and I…

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Toronto Cupcake Crawl…

The city's best cupcakes! Try to resist the urge to leap out of your chair and head down to these bakeries after reading the flavour descriptions!

• 
  1. Babycake Cupcakes
  If you want cupcake variety, you've gotta make…
• 
  2. Miss Cora's Kitchen
  We stopped by Miss Cora's Kitchen during a rather…
• 
  3. Sweet Bliss Baking Company
  It's time for an update - with my multiple visits…

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Toronto's Least…

In addition to having generally awful sound quality, layouts and crowd control, these four venues are notoriously hard to get to by public transit. Before you click "buy tickets", have a long, hard think about what you're about to commit to, mmkay?

• 
  1. Arrow Hall International…
  Congrats to Arrow Hall for getting my vote for…
• 
  2. Sound Academy
  Sound Academy is, IMO, the least desirable concert…
• 
  3. Ricoh Coliseum
  Ricoh Coliseum definitely ranks very, very low on…

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Sarah & Kat's List Of…

One day, Sarah L and I had this conversation:

KAT: I'm hungry. I need to eat.
SARAH: I'm really hungry too, but I haven't showered nor do I have time to. We can't go anywhere nice. Can you consult our list of dumps on Yelp?

And thus, this list was created. Great food, and no one will care if you've showered.

• 
  1. Bus Terminal Diner
  How have I never reviewed this place?? This…
• 
  2. Hastings Snack Bar
  Come here for greasy, no frills, no banter diner…
• 
  3. Collegiate Lunch
  Call me crazy, but I like my food to be a little…

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Serious Brunch List:…

I know, I know - there are a lot of best brunch lists being strewn about in this city. So why should you read mine? WELL, I go for brunch on Saturdays AND Sundays (hardcore!) and I just tested a brunch cookbook that's coming out in the summer. So there. Now go read up on the best meal of the day.

• 
  1. Cool Hand of a Girl
  I just can't get enough! I went to Cool Hand for…
• 
  2. Big Mamma's Boy
  Little did I know when I set foot in Big Mamma's…
• 
  3. Morning Glory Cafe
  Busy, busy! On a Saturday around noon, Morning…

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No Nonsense Lunch Spots

Skip the rigmarole - these are no frills lunch restaurants that will leave you full and won't take forever to get through a meal.

• 
  1. Calico Cafe
  You know, I really hesitate to update my review at…
• 
  2. Yasi's Place
  Hey everyone, what's for lunch? Come on over to…
• 
  3. Lunch Box
  If you're slowly re-entering the world of solid…

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Best Places To Buy…

Anyone who knows me is aware of my obsession with avocados and guacamole. I'm about to uncover my secret - where to buy perfectly ripe avocados at all times! These places have the most top quality specimens ripe for guacamole!

• 
  1. Meating on Queen
  UPDATE: So, via the fruit sticker, I emailed the…
• 
  2. Olympia Fruit Market
  Olympia Fruit Market has the NUMBER ONE selection…
• 
  3. John's Fruit Village
  It may officially be called "John's Food Village"…

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Home Decor 101

Some great places to pick up organizational knick knacks and accessories for your home!

• 
  1. Cayne's Super Housewares
  If you're a kitchen appliance junkie like I am and…
• 
  2. B & J Trading Company
  Only one review!? Scandal. If you're planning any…
• 
  3. Solutions
  If you are a voracious fan of Real Simple…

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Jammin' With Gelato

Here's the scoop on gelato in the city - many more to be added as I recover from my ice cream headache!

• 
  1. Il Gelatiere
  Il Gelatiere has all the hallmarks of a typical…
• 
  2. Ed's Real Scoop
  OK fine. Five stars. How can I not? * incredibly…
• 
  3. Greg's Ice Cream
  I appreciate that these guys are open acceptably…

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Late Night & 24 Hour…

These places are open late - till 4am, if not 24 hours a day - and therefore make me (a perpetual night owl) very, very happy.

• 
  1. 7 West Cafe
  I am a 24/7 type of person who's constantly…
• 
  2. King Palace
  When I'm famished after a long night at the local…
• 
  3. The Lakeview
  For the first time possibly ever, I visited…

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Cheap Toronto Eats

Where to get stuffed if you're down to your last $5!

• 
  1. Rua Vang Golden Turtle
  I have to preface my review by saying I've never…
• 
  2. Urban Herbivore
  Incredibly tasty soups and sandwiches that are so…
• 
  3. Sneaky Dee's
  Oh Sneak's, my trusty and reliable old pal!  Every…

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Grill 'Em! Toronto's Best…

Mmm....gooey.

• 
  1. W Burger Bar
  I was here twice within 24 hours, both times…
• 
  2. Disgraceland
  GOURMET GRILLED CHEESE ALERT!  Yep, it's true. The…
• 
  3. Drake's Corner Café + Bistro
  The arugula and radish salad I had today was a…

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Bursting Burritos In…

Eat them! And get positively STUFFED!

• 
  1. Big Fat Burrito
  MMMM!  Sweet potatoes are my absolute favourite…
• 
  2. Mission Burrito
  Great new burrito place in the OCAD/AGO…
• 
  3. Utopia Café & Grill
  Utopia and I have gone straight from second base…

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