Four Things to Talk About At Your Company's Oktoberfest Party
Nothing is more awkward than eating schnitzel and staring silently at your co-worker. So we've kept an eye on what’s been happening around town to give you a handful of water-cooler beer keg discussion points for your next office party.
1) The “Manhattanization” of Toronto
Toronto council's approval of 18 new buildings for downtown had local-newspaper headlines heralding the “Manhattanization” of the rapidly intensifying core. Three office towers were green-lit, including Cadillac Fairview’s 54-storey tower at Front Street West and Simcoe Street. The development includes 1.3M of office and retail space and will incorporate a six-storey brick heritage building at the base.
Council also gave the nod to a 36-storey mixed-use development at 57 Spadina Ave, just south of King Street West. The project, by Diamond Corp and Allied Properties REIT, will see the replacement of an existing two-storey Winners location (built in 1900) with 313 residential units, 18k SF of street-level retail space, and 35k SF of office space—designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects.
2) The City's New Shopping Mecca
At the Aug. 24 grand opening for The Stockyards at St. Clair Ave West and Keele Street, Toronto FC star Dwayne De Rosario “kicked” things off. Developed by RioCan REIT, The Stockyards—which CEO Edward Sonshine calls the new “go-to” retail destination for Toronto’s Central West End—has more than 50 retailers, including Target, Winners, and HomeSense.
3) Dinner (And Drinks!) And Movie
Across town at Shops at Don Mills, movie-goers no longer have to wait to grab drinks and a nibble, with the opening of Cineplex VIP Cinemas Don Mills. The company says it's the first Canadian movie theatre "built exclusively for adults." (There are two other VIP cinemas in the GTA, with two more planned in 2015—Markham and Yonge and Eglinton.) Beer, wine, and cocktails are on offer before, during, or after the movie, plus appetizers and entrees, including chicken parmesan sandwiches and fish and chips. (We've never had chicken parm on top of popcorn, but we're willing to try.)
4. The End of Summer
Over at Menkes’ AeroCentre in Mississauga, the annual tenant appreciation barbecue saw nearly 2,000 office-park inhabitants chow down on burgers and dogs while being serenaded by the soothing sounds of a calypso band. We're pocketing this photo to help keep us warm when the winter winds begin howling.
