Today on the blog, I’m sharing some instagrammable places in Toronto, Ontario. Oxford Dictionary defines instagrammable as "visually appealing in a way that is suitable for being photographed for posting on the social media application Instagram." I can't say that everyone aims to take aesthetic photos for their social media feed, but you will find that a lot of people do like to share their lives online these days. As an avid traveler, I love seeing the world. However, I am proud to call Canada, more specifically Toronto my home, as the city has a lot more to offer than just the CN Tower, and Blue Jays.

At the time of this post (Aug 4, 2020), Toronto recently entered into Stage 3 where prior restrictions placed by the government were loosened and public spaces & businesses re-opened. Many were closed during the pandemic lockdown that started in mid-March. Please follow public health advice as they are necessarily put in place to keep everyone safe, and keep your distance from other people. Also, a friendly reminder to be respectful if you're planning on taking photos because most places on this list are businesses - and not places to loiter.

[Disclaimer: All photos belong to the original (credited) owners found on Instagram.]

Instagram Stories is a feature that allows people to post photos and videos for 24 hours. Then, they disappear completely from your feed. If you don't want them to disappear after the deadline, then you can save the stories as a "Highlight".

Prior to the update, you had to share your Instagram covers in your stories to set them as covers for your highlights. You can now select a cover from your phone camera roll. No longer do you need to spam people with these covers ... yay! Unlike regular Instagram stories, highlights are saved to custom categories on your profile. Let's begin.

I have added a new stories category (Cheese Garden). Instagram automatically chose a cover photo from a screen cap of one of the stories. 

1) Hold your finger on the highlight stories.

2) Select “Edit Highlight”

3) Select “Edit Cover”

4) Click on the “image” icon on the left

If you have a lot of photos and videos in the highlight. Scroll to the left for the image icon. 

5) Select the highlight icon (you want) from your photo gallery

6) Select the photo, and then click on "done".

Volia! Custom highlight cover is up, and you did't annoy any of your followers =)

There has been an influx of west coast imports as of late to Toronto, including Miku, Shameful Tiki Room, and Cactus Club. Another one joining the ranks is popular Vancouver sushi chain/lounge, Ebisu. They will be opening sometime this month (date is TBA) with a similar concept as their Vancouver locations in downtown Toronto. Ebisu on Queen will be taking over the former Sushi Queen space located at 204 Queen St. West. Ebisu on Queen aims to offer an extensive menu of delicious food and drinks set in a lively sushi bar lounge.

Ebisu Japanese Restaurant originated from Vancouver, as its first location opened in December 2006. There are currently two locations in Vancouver and one in Richmond, along with two restaurants under the Kamei names. What is Ebisu? Ebisu translates as "Yebisu" - meaning the fisherman's god of fortune and good luck. Ebisu is the only one out of the Seven Gods of Fortune to originate from Japan.

Photo Credit: @EbisuonQueen

Upstairs of Ebisu on Queen will be a hair salon called Muse Salon, also from Vancouver. Muse Salmon is an all-in-one beauty shop designed for your styling needs. They use the best products and equipment in the industry to provide a great hair experience. In addition, they also carry Japanese straightening and perm solutions available exclusively at MUSE. Ebisu on Queen was still under construction during my last visit, so I had the opportunity to get my hair done. So instead of tasting the menu, I got to fully experience what Muse Salon was all about.

Bye bye long hair!

I met my hair stylist who trained and worked in Tokyo for several years, so she had years of experience. We started the appointment off by discussing what style I wanted, and then it was off to wash my hair.

The chair was comfortable, so it made the hair washing and head massage much more relaxing. I was a little hesitant at first, as it has been years since I had short hair. However, I decided to let it be, and just went along with a bob haircut. Overall, I had a really good experience at Muse Salon, and was happy with my haircut.  

My bob hair cut =)

Despite not liking the cold weather all that much, I still love the holiday season. I get to spend quality time with my family, and friends, go shopping, relax, and of course attend multiple holiday dinner parties. Earlier last month, I received a lovely cheese board gift set from PC Home as a gift. I will definitely be using it at my parents' Christmas dinner this December, as they love cheese. President's Choice is a store brand owned by Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada’s largest food retailer. They don't only offer food products, but also have a wide variety of household products at more affordable prices. I recently learned that PC Home has a quality line of a wide variety of products that are available at your local Loblaws, and Real Canadian Superstore stores throughout the city. Their products range of cookware, bakeware, tabletop needs, kitchen gadgets, and appliances. Below are some of the products from their fall/holiday season line that caught my eyes.

To celebrate the fall season, you can serve individual casseroles to pies in these cute PC’s Mini Harvest Bakers. I liked these when I saw them, as they would add a lot of colours to the dinner table. 

PC Mini Fall Harvest Baker Pumpkin - $6

PC Mini Fall Harvest Baker Maple Leaf - $6

PC Mini Harvest Bakers Set - $14

PC Mini Harvest Baker Leaf - $6

I don't really eat as healthy as I should sometimes, but this looked like an amazing product to have in the home if you want to create healthy home cooked meals. You can definitely use this vegetable spiralizer to create thin ribbons of vegetable to make healthy dinners like squash or zucchini pasta.

The brightly colored all-in-one PC starter set will definitely come in handy in the kitchen during the holiday season, especially for those who love to bake, or cook. it's also convenient, cause all the pieces come together to save space in the kitchen cabinets.

I love the designs of these cushions from PC Home; as it definitely adds the holiday spirit to any room in the house.

Keep warm with the sherpa from PC Home, and they would make a great gift as well. There are various designs, and patterns available at your local Loblaws, and Real Canadian Superstore.

Throwing any parties this holiday season? These dinnerware definitely caught my eyes, cause of the cute holiday designs. These bright, and colorful wares would also make the perfect gift to those who entertain dinner parties a lot. I also love the gold colored chip/dip plate, as it would clearly stand out at any parties.

PC Bold Cocktail Shaker, PC Bold Ice Bucket, and PC Martini 2 Pack - $10-$26

Life at Home 25 Set 100mm Mixed Texture Ornaments, Red - $25

Life at Home Deer Table Decor 18", Blue - $8

Life at Home Set 100 Multi Size Ball Ornaments, Fun & Bright - $27 For more information on all of these holiday gifts, please check out http://www.presidentschoice.ca/en_CA.html.