In my neighbourhood portrait about the Beach I definitely wanted to include Sandra Bussin, City Councillor for Beaches / East York, who has represented the Beach for the last 18 years. After my January 25 interview with Carole Stimmell and Sheila Blinoff from the Beach Metro Community News and a wonderful tasty lunch at Konditor I headed downtown towards Toronto City Hall, where I had an opportunity to meet Sandra Bussin, City Councillor and Deputy Mayor of the City of Toronto.

I don’t usually get a chance to interact with senior city officials and I asked Sandra what the proper way of addressing her would be. She simply said “just call me Sandra”, and the ice was broken. We sat down and Sandra was ready to tell me her life story.

Sandra Bussin grew up just north of the Beaches, near Woodbine and Danforth, in the Dawes Road area. At that time the area was mostly Scottish, Irish and English. She attended a tiny primary school: Coleman Avenue Public School, a 6 room school house which functioned as a hospital during WWII. As a child she played in a series of parks: little and big Dentonia Park, where she also learned to play tennis. Some of her friends even went on to become provincial tennis champions. Recently she had a chance to meet some of those friends again at the 30 year anniversary of the Dentonia Park Tennis Club. When Sandra grew up there was no Crescent Town yet, the area of residential highrises just northwest of the Danforth / Victoria Park intersection. The entire area here was part of the Massey Estate, and Victoria Park Avenue did not even continue all the way through and dead ended at Dentonia Park. Sandra recalls construction work on the subway in the 1960s.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not a wine connoisseur. I don’t even own a decanter. (Some of my married friends own several.)

But I like wine, especially trying different kinds. There are tons of resources out there to help you learn about wine. But I don’t have time to read them. Instead, I choose to learn by doing, or . . . by drinking. My only problem is knowing which bottle to pick.

If you put me in a wine store with over a thousand bottles, I either need a sommelier or a psychiatrist.

I usually start by studying the notes that hang by the bottles. The ones with names attached to them like Wine Spectator or Robert Parker or Bill, the stocker. I contemplate the pictures and colors of the label. I analyze the pricing structure and weigh costs and benefits. Then after an hour or so, when I’m completely frustrated, I make a completely arbitrary decision.

Read the rest of this entry »

The extensive area of Bandipur National Park is majestically placed in the southern India state of Karnataka. Embraced in the midst of Western Ghat mountains on the Mysore- Ooty highway, Bandipur is moderately known as the inhabitant of remarkable variety of flora and fauna in India. Well acquainted with modest climate and supportive geographical features, the park is comfortably surrounded by some remarkably luxurious and comfortable resorts for its tourists.

Bandipur National Park is a luscious mix of deciduous and evergreen forests and scrubs, which are well cultivated by the water of Moyar River in Karnataka. Visit to Bandipur National Park gets further exciting with the comfort and delight of luxurious resorts in Bandipur, which provides the hotel accommodation services. Consider staying at one of these hotels in Bandipur for an ultimate experience, which are mentioned below:

Tusker Trails Resort: One of the well furnished Bandipur resort is Tusker Trails, which is known for its perfect hospitality and extreme level of comfort and luxurious stay. Complied with fine accommodation amenities the resort is an ideal destination as it boosts of its ethnic looks, which gives an immaculate feel of rural and forest ambience. The best services provided by the resort are 24 hours power back up and television facilities. The cuisines offered by the resort have long menu with foods ranging from Indian, Chinese and Continental.

Read the rest of this entry »