It’s official: I’ve been living in Toronto for 6 months! Time has absolutely flown by, and even though it’s been over half a year, I still feel like I am just beginning to get the hang of all things Toronto!

I moved here at the beginning of August and jumped right in to my new job, learning as much as I could before hitting the road. I travelled for work for most of September and October, and was back in the city for the month of November. Once December hit, I was off on vacation and away from Toronto for most of the month, coming back in the early days of January. I’ve been grateful to stay put the past couple of months here in Toronto!

These 6+ months have passed very quickly, and half of that time I haven’t even been here. Now that I have been in one place for awhile, though, I am beginning to settle in to Toronto life. I’m ready to share a few of my favourite moments with all of you! The weather, various fitness classes, the food and coffee scene, fun events, and social life – there is sooo much that Toronto has to offer. Read more below for some of the highlights I’ve experienced so far living in Toronto!

Weather in Toronto

Not going to lie, I was a little worried about winters in Toronto. Even though we do get snow in the Okanagan in BC, I always hear horror stories about the winters out east! Thankfully, right in the city of Toronto usually doesn’t get hit too hard. We’ve actually had a pretty mild winter from what I’ve seen, not a ton of snow and only a few days that have been really, really cold (think -20 C or lower). With that said, it is still February, and we’ve recently got a new dump of snow – so it is possible winter could still be sticking around!

I haven’t experienced a Toronto spring yet, which I am really looking forward to, so we will have to see what comes in the next season. I will say that the fall season in Toronto was incredible (from the limited part I saw of it!) and apart from the heatwave in the summer, I enjoyed the summer time too. So far, I actually feel like I’ve been very lucky with the weather and I’ve enjoyed the seasons overall!

Fitness vibes in Toronto

Something I wanted to push myself to do once I got back to Toronto in January was try out different fitness classes at various studios in the city. I found it difficult to maintain a fitness routine when I first moved to Toronto, since I was a bit all over the place when I first got settled, and then started travelling a lot. Once I knew I’d be here for at least two months straight, I decided to jump in and get into fitness again.

So far, I’ve visited 10 different studios in the city – and I’m still exploring more! I’ve tried various yoga, pilates, barre, and spin classes. A couple of my favourites thus far include Oblong Yoga House, Good Space (also for yoga), Barre 3, and Ride Cycle Club. I am determined to continue exploring and find my favourite spot in the city! Stay tuned 😉

Food and coffee scene in Toronto

Toronto is well-known for it’s AMAZING food scene, so I definitely wanted to get in on that ASAP. A couple of my favourite brunch spots so far include The Morning After, Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, and Good Fork. For lunch/dinner, The Drake Hotel is delicious and any ramen spot like Kinton Ramen is bomb. If you’re looking for pizza, Eataly and Bar Poet have you covered.

Of course, you can’t forget coffee! My all-time favourite is Found Coffee, and another great option is Fika Cafe. If you’re looking for donuts (and why wouldn’t you be?!), you HAVE to try Bloomers. They are the BEST vegan donuts and they have multiple locations in Toronto and the GTA! Honestly, I could probably do an entire blog post about alllll of my food/drink recommendations in the future – perhaps that will come your way soon 😉

Events + Social Life in Toronto

Since Toronto is such a big city, there are always activities and events going on. During the summer, I visited a bunch of parks and flower markets throughout the city. Plus, I went to The CNE which was super fun, caught a glimpse of a TFC game while I was there, and also went to a Jays game in September! In early September, I also went to a movie premiere at TIFF with my friends, which was a very cool first-time experience for me.

Since I was away so much during the fall, the next time I really began diving in to events was closer to the holidays. Checking out different markets, Eaton Centre, and of course, the Distillery Winter Village was all SO fun. As we’ve headed into this new year, I’ve had the chance to explore Stackt Market and went to ROM after dark. I am looking forward to more activities as we head into spring, and checking out more parks will definitely be on my list!

Developing a social life outside of work is still a work in progress too. I take part in many coffee walks, especially in Trinity Bellwoods park, which is gorgeous anytime of year. Another recent highlight for me was cat-sitting for a friend of mine for a week! I also recently took part in a photo shoot for a friend of mine, which was a total blast. I am looking forward to sunnier days and getting the chance to explore even more.

What’s next?

As I am just now starting to feel adjusted to Toronto life, I think I still have lots of exploring to do – but I’m very excited by all that I’ve managed to do so far! More fitness classes, restaurants, cafes, activities – I truly enjoy the experience of finding new places. For me, exploring and discovering what I enjoy best is a big part of making a new place feel like home. I’m excited to get to that stage here. If you’re new to the city like me, then I hope these recommendations help you begin to feel that way too!

Drop any tips you have for Toronto living in the comments!! 🙂