If you’ve got today off from class, then good for you.  I’m glad you’re taking this opportunity to watch reality TV marathons and binge eat 100 Calorie Packs.  There’s no shame in that.  But next time you’ve got an extended weekend, perhaps you should round up your besties and hit the road.

Austin is oh-so trendy (in a good way) and boasts delicious culinary treats.  How can you say no to a making s’mores right in a restaurant?  Hit up Boston if you’re in the Northeast.  From potential celeb sightings to swank clubs, Beantown’s got it all.  If you’re feeling stuck in the Midwest, head to Minneapolis to take in some cosmopolitan activities.  And Savannah is great for all you Southern students.  Steeped in history and boasting the most attractive locals this side of the Mississippi, it is not to be missed.

Or maybe you want to take your long weekend in another country?  Toronto could be the city for you.  Oh, and the legal drinking age is 19…bonus!

Fall semester is in full swing and it’s starting to feel like you’re doing the same thing every week. Class. Study. Drink. Hangover. Poor Theme Party Costume Choice. Homework. Switch things up by taking advantage of a long weekend or your fall break (if you’re that lucky) by checking out our Weekend Getaway guides. You’ve already got a guide to Boston.  Today we’re celebrating Toronto.

For our readers in Eastern Canada, or even in the Northeastern states, Toronto is definitely a city you should consider checking out for a long weekend.  There is a lot to do in the city, and with everything in the downtown close together, you can see a lot in just a few days!  Plus, if you’re coming up across the border, the drinking age is only 19 so you, too, can get a taste of the stellar nightlife.

But beyond that, Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world – you could easily eat or shop your way around the world in only a few hours. It’s also a hub for art, shows, and fashion so there’s something here for everyone. And your money goes a wee bit further than it would in the U.S.A.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your passport and come to Canada!

What to Do

When operational, the Distillery District in Toronto used to be home to the largest distillery in the British Empire.  Now the district is home to 40 historic buildings, making up the most preserved collection of Victorian industrial architecture in North America.  Yeah, I know you might be rolling your eyes at visiting a historic area, but there are lots of restaurants and shops, too!  Like SOMA chocolate – where they sell delicious artisan chocolate. Next I’d recommend checking out the Royal Ontario Museum (commonly known as the ROM). If you’re a shopper, our Rodeo Drive/5th Avenue equivalent is in this area.

Lastly, check out Kensington Market;  there are lots of cool little shops, cafes and bars, making it the perfect stop for an afternoon stroll. If you’re into vintage clothing there also happen to be a TON of shops around there full of fun and funky threads.  Chinatown borders on Kensington so go check it out as well – I highly recommend going to a Chinese bakery while you’re there.

Three places you must eat

1. Smokes Poutinerie
Poutine is a Canadian delicacy, and Smoke’s has quite the variety of specialty poutine dishes

2. Terroni
You have to try pizza at Terroni; it’s delicious.  If you go to the location on Adelaide, it’s in the old Courthouse – a seriously cool atmosphere.

3. Fresh
Want something healthy? Check out one of their three locations.  This vegetarian juice-bar is sure to have you feeling pumped to hit the streets since you’ll be full of nutritional goodness.  And, just an FYI, Toronto is brimming with vegetarian/vegan restaurants for all of you meat-free ladies.

Nightlife

There are lots of places to go out in Toronto.  My recommendations would be to stick these areas, especially if you want to do a little bar hopping: Annex, Queen West, the Entertainment District and Kensington Market.  These neighborhoods tend to skew younger, so you won’t have to worry so much about being hit on by creepy older men. And the Annex & Kensington Market are super close to University of Toronto, so you’ll find lots of students getting their drink on.

Lodging
If you’re looking to save some money, I’d definitely opt for a hostel. Some highly rated hostels in Toronto are the Canadiana Backpackers Inn, Backpackers on Dundas and Global Village Backpackers. If you’re coming up on a weekend or holiday and want more luxurious accommodations, check out the hotels in the financial district – they usually offer reduced rates when it’s not a standard business day.

[While everyone is fabulous in their own right, we thought we should celebrate the campus fashionistas of the world for their continued excellence in not looking like a hot mess for class. So, we started stalking those girls on campus (like Ashley from Lakehead!) to get a few pics and get some tips on their personal style.

And maybe a restraining order or two.

But it’s worth it to highlight fresh, unique wardrobe choices that show personality and the courage to wear what you believe in. You think you've got some major style? Know someone else who's always looking ferosh? Think the world needs to see what she can do?  Send us an email with some photos and she could be the next fashionista celebrated right here.]

Allow me to introduce you to Tatomme, probably the only girl I’ve ever met who can truly pull off a chambray jumper. And by “pull off” I mean “work it like she’s got Rachael Zoe dressing her and she’s walkin’ down a runway.” I just met her this semester, and I was instantly impressed with her style.  We are in a few classes together right now – including being on a team in TV -  and I look forward to seeing what interesting and unique outfits she comes up with each day. She incorporates so many things that I could never pull off, and some I might even wonder why she ever thought to even try it on, but I always admire what she is wearing… and the creative mind that thought to put it all together.

I mean, those shoes and the jumper and that jacket? How did she ever know it would all work together? But it does. Flawlessly.

My favorite thing about Tatomme’s look, though, is that signature bag, which she casually slings across her body as we lug camera equipment across campus.  When I asked her about it, I learned that this Liz Claiborne bag originally belonged to Tatomme’s mom, who wore it when she was about our age.

Vintage, cute and sentimental…. I just love it.

Name: Tatomme Flanagan
Year: 2012
Major: Journalism

1) Describe your personal style
I shop in vintage stores.  I like older, funky looking clothing but with pieces from newer shops that I can add my own flair to.  I dress things up with accessories.  I love jewelry.

2) Complete this sentence: I can’t leave home without ____
As we’re just getting out of the winter season, my scarf, but also my purse and sunglasses.

3) What is your favorite store to shop in?
Vintage stores on Ossington Ave. in Toronto or H&M and Forever 21 for plain shirts.

4) What/who is your biggest style influence?
Sienna Miller – she is a trendsetter but doesn’t follow mainstream fashion.

5) What is your favorite trend, past or present?
High-waisted pants and skirts, baggy sweaters and Mary Kate & Ashely Olsen’s “homeless” look.

On Tatomme:
Jumper – American Apparel
Cardigan – Winner’s
Sneakers – Urban Outfitters
Bag – Mom’s closet

Yonge & Dundas Intersection in Toronto after Team Canada Win

This week’s Weekly Ten, Why Canada Deserves Silver, stirred up quite the controversy yesterday. Seriously, I didn’t see this much hate on CollegeCandy since one writer expressed her disdain for Taylor Swift. And rightfully so. Yes it was meant to be a joke, but we in Canada aren’t entirely laughing with you.  While we know for a fact CollegeCandy loves their Canadian readers, and even has a few Canadian writers (myself included), this post pissed a lot of people off.

But instead of get angry and insult the intelligence of the writer, editor or Americans in general, I decided to take the high road and just show why Canada deserves more than just a gold medal in Olympic hockey. So here is my condensed version (there are way too many reasons for one post!) of all the reasons Canada rocks that they forgot to teach you in high school.

Education – Education (university included) receives higher subsidies from the government in Canada, meaning it’s cheaper for us to attend post-secondary school.  Also, did you know that Toronto, Canada’s largely city (where I happen to attend school), has more people with university degrees than ANY other large city in the world? Yeah, take that and deep fry it!

Health Care – Okay, so maybe you’ve heard about this recently with Obama pushing for health care reform and all, but it’s true – we have universal health care in Canada, thanks to this pretty awesome guy named Tommy Douglas.  We also have a higher life expectancy rate and lower infant mortality rate than the United States.

Good Music – I agree with you, America: Avril Lavigne isn’t the greatest, but Canada has some other pretty fantastic musicians.  Arcade Fire, Metric, Stars, Feist, and The Weakerthans are just a few of my personal faves.

Tim Hortons – As I write this, I’m rolling up the rim to win on my Tim Horton’s coffee cup.

Inventions - I’m sure you’re enjoying some Canadian inventions as you read these post.  Have a light on? Used the telephone? Wearing jeans (with a zipper… not Pajama Jeans)? Played or watched hockey or basketball? Used your CrackBerry? Taken out the garbage? Eaten peanut butter? Yeah all these things were made possible by Canadians or on Canadian soil.

Multiculturalism – Canada is a mosaic of multiculturalism.  When people come to Canada we don’t expect them to give up their own identity – instead we embrace our differences.  We have two official languages in Canada – French and English – as well as  two national anthems. “Thy history is an epic of the most brilliant exploits” is a snippet of the English translation of the French version. Yeah, we’re pretty epic.

Nationalism – We have a pretty inoffensive nationalism in Canada, except when it comes to hockey.  The street parties that ensued following Sid the Kid’s gold medal winning goal were truly Canadian – according to CTV 16.6 million people saw this goal, making it the most watched broadcast in Canadian history.

Space/Landscape - As Molson Canadian (makers of the fine Canadian beer) puts it, “we have more square feet of awesomness per person than any other nation on Earth.” We have the fourth lowest population density in the world and our country is full of diverse landscapes.  This was captured by the Group of Seven, a group of Canadian painters from the 1920s that developed a new school of truly Canadian art.

Definition of Marriage – Canada was the fourth country in the world, and first in the Americas, to legalize same-sex marriage.  Much like our belief in the mosaic of multiculturalism, this shows our commitment to equality.

[photo courtesy of Max Mertens]

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I know why the caged Housewife sings.

The Amy Winehouse situation is getting despaerate.

Looks like it’s time to put away that life-sized poster of him you were painting, because Ryan Gosling might just be off the market. According to a few sources, including this one, Ryan recently bought a ring for on-off-on again girlfriend Rachel McAdams. They’ve also been seen checking out houses in LA and Toronto, Canada.

We’re not gonna lie, Gosling is one of our main “shrine-worthy” guys, so if he does get engaged, we will most likely cry a little bit in the corner, waving people away when they come to see what’s wrong, shouting “I’M FINE IT’S JUST DIRT IN MY EYE”…but after that’s done we’ll be happy for them.

[photo from celebrities.glam.com]