Roof Lounge at the Hyatt Downtown Toronto

You remember that age where you were nervous about not getting into the latest trendy night club? That happened to my husband and I yesterday when we wanted to go for a martini at the Roof Lounge, located on the 18th floor of the Toronto Park Hyatt... We couldn't even get to the bar and we were stopped on the main floor because it was passed 4pm and children are allowed in th elounge from noon to 4pm ONLY. So when you are a parent you are compeled not to be fancy and get back home after 4pm where you can drink as many martinis as you want:) So not much to say about that place, sorry guys! But don't waste your time going there with your little monkey:) Too bad it is warm and cosy in there!!! So if you can get rid of your baby for one crazy night more info at http://www.parktoronto.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/lounges/index.jsp#4225737

Lil' Bean n' Green Cafe & Play in Toronto

A trendy AND mommy friendly place in Toronto? Yes, it does exist, I went there earlier this week and it's quite nice. Lot of space to park strollers, choice of food and pastries made of fresh and local products and basic baby equipement such as high chairs and changing tables. Not to mention the wonderful setup and decoration made of vintage furniture (if it's not, that's what it looks like). The atmosphere is almost like at home except that you don't have to do the dishes after you had your coffee! And if you forgot Baby's food, no worries: they sell baby food too.
And for the little ones, there is a playroom at the back where they can play while Mommy is watching and enjoying girls talk with her girlfriends, unless Mommy wants to join the little beans group:) No shoes allowed and the playing area is protected from the sitting area by a fence. All sorts of toys from puppets to balls, from a slide to a little house on the prairie or even books and learning toys. I stayed there for a couple of hours and meanwhile a lady came to clean up and sanitize the toys. Good job!
No need to say that everybody is friendly there. We got there early in the afternoon and it got busy from around 4.30pm but the good thing, if they are old enough, is that kids get to play together.
The only downside for core downtown or west end moms is that Lil' Bean n' Green is located 1133 Queen Street East (between Greenwood and Carlaw Avenues). So you can either take the streetcar if you're comfortable or drive (parking is free in the side streets).
It looks like their website is still under construction: http://www.lilbeanandgreen.com/. Definitely a good address to check out. I heard there is a similar place by High Park so I will keep you posted soon... Stay tuned:)

Zoe's Bakery in Toronto

Achille and I went for coffee this morning at the Zoe's Bakery at 548 King Street West downtown Toronto and we quite liked it. Actually we don't drink coffee but tea and the green Jasmine tea is average price and average quality but always good:) 3 rooms with lot of space between the tables which makes it quite easy to move around and park your stroller. We were there together with 10 other couples moms/babies/strollers and we were all fine with enough space. Floor is concrete so definitely not the most comfortable if you want to put your baby down but I guess you can work something out with a thin mat (from your diaper bag). High chairs are available. No changing table but the waitress offered me to change Achille in the meeting room (his dad loved the idea that he got changed in a meeting room... Dads are always dads...)
Lots of food and pastries to choose from and it gets pretty busy around lunch time. Altough pretty quiet in the morning.
Last thing I want to mention: they have a few steps to get down to the room but at least you really feel like you deserve your sticky bun:)
In my opinion, it is worth a try. More details on their onsite and catering menus at http://www.zoesbakerycafe.ca/

Terroni Restaurant on Adelaide in Toronto

This week has been pretty standard so I don't have much to say except that I went for a late lunch at Terroni at 57 Adelaide Street East (at Church). If you want to go for italian food Terroni is probably a good address but then I would recommend that location as opposed to the one on Queen Street West (the other one I know out of the 3 that they run in Toronto) because there is much more space for you to park your stroller. However be aware of the 2 little steps to get into the restaurant and the 2 other ones to get to the main room. Not a big deal as the staff is friendly and eager to help. I was there after 2.30pm and it was not busy at all but if you go during rush hours it can be pretty crowded and loud so maybe not the best spot for your baby. Additional note: they have nice leather high chairs:) and the main room is organized with a few booths at the back convenient to let your little one play on the bench, beside you. Details on locations and menu at http://www.terroni.ca/. Viva Italia!!

Foggy Dew Irish Pub

Yesterday with a bunch of people from the Papas and Mamas meetup group I went to the Foggy Dew Irish Pub at 803 King St. West in Toronto. Get together was scheduled for 3.30pm and at that time of the day the place seems to be pretty quiet and not too crowded. It is large enough to park lots of strollers and they even have smaller rooms that you can reserve for your private party or event. Drinks and food are what you can expect. It almost felt like a cosy and family environment to me so I was not suprised to see, when I looked at their website, that they are part of the Toronto's best Irish pub family and that they also have a kids' menu. And last but not least appetizers cost $5 each between 4pm and 7pm on Mondays.
A good address to get that flavour of Ireland and for those addicted to pubs it is probably a good place to get your fix!!
More details at http://www.foggydew.ca/index-2.html

Coffee Culture on College Street

We had made other plans for that afternoon but with babies you never know what's next and my friend 's baby would not want to wake up that day so we had to change our plans and we ended up just meeting for coffee. Kids were hungry, it was a rainy day so we didn't bother and just went to Coffee Culture at 409 College Street (at Bathurst). To me it looks like any other coffee shop chains but as far as I can remember tea is way cheaper than in another famous american brand:) and as per my friend coffee is decent. I don't think they have a changing table but the room is organized with booths and hence it is pretty easy to be discreet if you have to change your baby and they do have high chairs. A couple of strollers fit easily around a booth without being too much on the way. Afternoons seem to be quiet and staff is friendly. Maybe we were just lucky that day but other customers were really baby friendly too. Not a must but a nice place to go on a rainy or crappy day. Website for Canada at http://www.coffeeculture.ca/canada/index-5.html

Movies at Strollers and Stars

I posted about Movies for Mommies but Toronto has another movie program from Cineplex for parents ; The theatre in Toronto is Silvercity located at Yonge and Eglinton. Same as Movies for Mommies with complimentary baby food, a changing table outside the theatre and lower sound. No strollers allowed in the theatre but you can leave it downstairs by the ticket office, they have the kids dedicated room with lot of space for many many strollers:) Movies are played every wednesday at Sylvercity. For the program and other participating theatres in the GTA, you can check their website at http://www.cineplex.com/Theatres/StarsAndStrollers.aspx#whatsPlaying.
If you are interested in the Yonge/Eglinton location, you want to allow yourself plenty of time as it is not that easy to access. If you have a stroller, make sure you will enter the building on Eglinton West, there's an elevator to the 2nd floor. If you enter on Yonge Street, you are going to be stuck with escalators not wide enough for strollers:)
Big theatre for the moms program, big screen. In other words, everything you need to have a great time and if you want to reward your baby after a quiet and peaceful show you can always go to Toys'r Us on the same floor:)
Enjoy the show!

MomCafe Toronto inaugural session

I attended this morning the inaugural event of MomCafe in Toronto. MomCafe provides a forum to connect women through meetings, seminars and internet-based communication tools and they had their 1st meeting this morning at One Up, 130 Dundas Street West. The purpose of this group, dedicated to working moms or stay-home moms, is either to share experiences or network with other moms or just get out of the house doing something good to your brain:) This morning we had the chance to listen to 2 speakers or I'd rather say 2 wonder women: Caroline Connell, Editor-in-chief for Today's Parent Magazine and Sarah Morgenstern, co-founder and publisher for SavvyMom Media. They basically do it all and that was good to hear in person that it's possible:)
It is also encouraging to see that even though you are a mom you can still participate in good conversation:)
Event ran from 9.30 to 11.30am, for non-members cost was $35 + tax and child care was provided for an additional $10 from Kids & Company. Breakfast complimentary.
Annual membership to MomCafe is $99 and you get access to online tools, valuable resources, new connections and discounts on upcoming events.
Not sure when the next event is scheduled for in Toronto but they look pretty active in Calgary and Vancouver where they first launched.
More details about MomCafe at: http://www.momcafe.net/home

Swimming Class at Trinity Recreation Centre

We made it, we took our 1st swimming lesson last monday at the recreation centre by the Trinity Bellwoods park (Queen Street West, west of Barthust) and we both enjoyed it.
The class is 30 minutes long in a small pool where you can easily sit down on steps or get on your knees while holding your baby. The group is fairly small with I would say 7 or 8 couples parents/baby. The class starts off with a song and then you get to learn how to hold your baby in the water. After that it's your time to play with your baby and get him/her comfortable in the water, you can walk around the pool, pick toys for your little one to play with or just chat with other parents. If you just did you hair you may not want to do it but otherwise you can soak your baby into the water, I was a little bit scared at first but it looks like Achille liked it so who cares about my hair?! Babies in the group are a few months to 2 years old.
I take the lessons from 10.15 to 10.45am on Mondays but they also have the Guardian class (that's how they call the class for babies) from 10.15 to 10.45am on Fridays and from 7.00 to 7.30pm on Mondays.
Price is affordable because part of the city kids program. It's only $30 for 9 sessions.
It was lot of fun, Achille loved it and the instructor is really nice . However I didn't find the water was really warm and when you get out of the water changing rooms are not warm either... My sessions go through the fall so at that point I am a little bit concerned...
FYI Little Swimmers and a bathing suit are fine.

Movies for Mommies

It looks like it is becoming a real phenomenon. First launched in Canada a few years back Movies for Mommies programs are now popular among parents from all over the world including France (ok for now it is just in Paris but we're getting there:)
The concept is based on recent movies (I just saw Love Happens with Jennifer Aniston yesterday and next week they will be playing Fame) that are being played one afternoon every week and you can go with your baby.
Sound is lower than usual, changing tables and wipes are available and tickets are $8.50 with complimentary baby food. And if you are a movie addict, make sure you get the fidelity card: one movie free for 6 movies purchased.
Downtown Toronto has 2 locations: one at the Beaches and one in front of the St Lawrence Market.
The Rainbow Cinema at 80 Front Street is a good place to go, they have an elevator for your stroller but, considering the success, the theatre might be a little bit small. Lot of space to park your stroller though.
The Fox Cinema at 2235 Queen Street East is an old theater with no elevator and stairs from the sidewalk up to the theater and down to the washrooms... So you might want to get a baby carrier or ask for extra help from other moms but I thought you should be aware of that little detail:). However they will let you bring your stroller in so that Baby can take a nap and Mommy can enjoy the movie.
Now that summer is over it might get really busy but it is a good way to stay connected to the world and the every-day life. When about the TIFF for Mommies??