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The culture club: 6 things to do in the Irish countryside

By Ashleigh Dempster & Amanda Blakley | September 2nd, 2010 | 3:14 pm

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The author takes a pause in the Glendalough Valley, County Wicklow, Ireland

Annie Evans here, director of the Society’s Miami chapter and special correspondent for today’s Culture Club post. After a jam packed spring calendar of cultural encounters, I was ready for some R & R and the hills of County Wicklow in Ireland seemed like the perfect place to indulge.  Below are my top 6 must-sees on the trip:

Sleep: Wicklow Way Lodge (wicklowwaylodge.com) Nestled in the hills of County Wicklow, this charming B & B, built on a family farm, didn’t disappoint. Book a room with a balcony and prepare for stunning views of the garden of Ireland and a deeeelish traditional Irish breakfast (minus the black pudding–we weren’t fans). Read more »

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The culture club: Top 6 spots for an end-of-summer Muskoka getaway

By Ashleigh Dempster & Amanda Blakley | August 27th, 2010 | 3:45 pm

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The beach at Touchstone on Lake Muskoka

It’s the dog days of summer and we’re feeling anticipation for the fall season (and all the great wardrobe changes) as well as bittersweet that we are saying goodbye to the warm weather for a while. Before the cool breeze sets in, we took a trip to one of our favourite summer haunts: Muskoka. It was just the kick we needed to get of our city slumber and onto Ontario’s beautiful lakes. Here are our top six spots in and around Lake Muskoka this summer:

Touchstone on Lake Muskoka (touchstoneonlakemuskoka.com) Set right on Lake Muskoka, this idyllic resort has its own restaurant, spa, tennis courts, fitness centre and infinity pool—one night is definitely not enough. The Tree Top Villas cottages sit atop a tree-lined bluff are also available to rent (or, if you love them, buy.) Truly, Muskoka at its most luxe. Read more »

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The culture club: 6 ways to make the most of your long weekend

By Ashleigh Dempster & Amanda Blakley | July 29th, 2010 | 4:00 pm

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Image courtesy of Langdon Hall

We Culturites aren’t really sure where the first half of the summer went, but with the August long weekend quickly approaching we want to make sure we treasure every minute left of this hot and gorgeous weather, so we’ve put together some tips that will help you make the most of a mini-vacay:

Look for getaways close to home There are so many gems just a few hours from Toronto that we often overlook but make for a perfect short getaway. In Ontario, check out Langdon Hall (langdonhall.ca), Muskoka’s Touchstone (touchstoneonlakemuskoka.com) and The Waring House (waringhouse.com) in foodie mecca Prince Edward County. Read more »

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The culture club: 6 vendors to see at the Brooklyn Flea

By Ashleigh Dempster & Amanda Blakley | July 22nd, 2010 | 4:30 pm

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A recent trip to Brooklyn Flea at One Hanson last weekend was beyond successful. Housed inside the former Williamsburg Savings Bank, a Brooklyn landmark, it is full of all kinds of delights for the senses.

The market was a sea of mustaches, plaid shirts (despite the 100 degree heat) and Ray-Ban glasses for the men and vintage flower dresses and leather Moroccan sandals on ladies. The entire experience was a sensory overload, making it extremely hard to narrow it all down to a top six list, but after hours of sifting through the treasures, here’s the list of our top six vendors at the Brooklyn Flea:

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The culture club: Our top 6 ports of call on our European cruise adventure

By Ashleigh Dempster & Amanda Blakley | July 15th, 2010 | 4:20 pm

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Relaxing seaside in Corfu.

We recently spent a week with Silversea Cruises hopping along the coast of Italy, Croatia and Greece. Here are some of our favourite stops:

Venice, Italy: With only 24 hours in this heavenly city–our first port of call–we opted for a contemporary art overdose, taking a crash course at Palazzo Grassi (palazzograssi.it), which houses one of the best contemporary art collections in Italy, and the Fondazione Emilio e Annabianca Vedova (fondazionevedova.org), which is currently showing an exhibition of some of the rare textile works by the late Louise Bourgeois.

Trieste, Italy: The home of Illy Coffee is, like the rest  of the country, a historic hot-bed. Culturites recommend grabbing a coffee (Illy, obvs) in the largest seaside piazza in all of Italy, the Piazza dell’Unita d’Italia, which is surrounded by Viennese architecture left over from the time of the city’s Austro-Hungarian rule. Post java fix, take in the Museo Civico Revoltella (museorevoltella.it) to immerse yourself in works by some of Italy’s most significant artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. Read more »

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The culture club: Top 6 summer beats

By Ashleigh Dempster & Amanda Blakley | July 8th, 2010 | 4:40 pm

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Dan Buckman of Bellosound

As Toronto’s current heatwave indicates, summer is now in full effect. We were jazzed (pun intended) to share a summer soundtrack with you, so we sought out the recommendations of our music stylist and fellow Culturite, Dan Buckman founder of Bellosound (bellosound.com). We love his company motto, “love what you hear.” Music is so much a part of our everyday lives, so why not surround yourself with sounds that enlighten, enrich and enhance? Here Dan’s six picks for the best summertime beats. You can download the playlist from the iTunes store for $7.

“L’amour à trois” by Stereo Total

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The culture club: 6 stops for a sunny Saturday bike ride

By Ashleigh Dempster & Amanda Blakley | June 24th, 2010 | 3:15 pm

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We’ve been working on our fitness as of late, taking to the road on our Batavus bikes. We’ve put together a little Saturday itinerary below for a great city ride. Enjoy:

10:00 a.m. For the first stop of the morning, caffeinate at Scratch (1358 Bathurst St., 416-536-2220) with the best espresso north of Bloor.

10:30 a.m. Bike through Wychwood Park and check out the beautiful century homes that have over-grown gardens and ivy reaching up massive trellises. It feels like biking through the country right in the middle of the city. Read more »

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The culture club: 6 quick fixes for blisters, brassiness and other summer emergencies

By Ashleigh Dempster & Amanda Blakley | June 17th, 2010 | 3:00 pm

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A friend and member of The Society NYC, Kelly Barrett is our go-to gal for any problems. We realized this on a recent night out with her in Miami. We danced to the sweet sounds of Bob Sinclair at Casa Tua until the wee hours of the morning and the aftermath was battered feet, torn to shreds by our adorable summer footwear. Luckily, our friend is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to tips and tricks for taking care of these mishaps (and avoiding them in the first place). Here are Kelly’s top six cheap-and-cheerful fixes for those little summer emergencies:

Band-Aid’s Friction Block ($10, well.ca) is a summer essential for your feet. It’s an invisible soft solid that’s applied like a tiny deodorant stick to vulnerable areas, like your heels or between your toes. Your shoes literally glide over those tough spots, preventing blisters.  You will never worry about breaking in a new pair of shoes again. Read more »

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