September may be here, but that does not mean summer has come to an end. Summer 2019 may have been the hottest one yet, but I wanted to make it even hotter. What better way to intensify the hottest summer of my life by escaping to the sunny beaches of Cancun, Mexico. During my visit, I resided at the Óleo Cancun Playa. One the newer all-inclusive boutique resorts in Hotel District, Óleo garnered an impressive 4.5 stars out of 5 on Trip Advisor alone. Besides seeing photos and reading excellent reviews online, I wondered if the boutique resort would surpass my expectations and this summer one to remember.

Vogue magazine suggests that Toronto’s Queen Street West is one of the “coolest places in the world”. Although this holds some merit, as a fresh faced Torontonian, I believe that Kensington Market takes the proposed title. From the vintage clothing stores to the hidden cafés, the colourful neighbourhood should be on everyone’s list to explore.

Since 1879, The Canadian National Exhibition has been a Toronto staple. For some, the Ex is the epitome of summer break, but for most, it marks the seasons’ end. I haven’t been to the CNE in years so a comeback was imperative. Primarily attending to capture photos, I quickly realized that the memories created that night simply could not be captured in any photograph.

Cities worldwide have been capitalizing on communal spaces. Shared office spaces and pop-up exhibitions are a few examples of how these spaces can bring people together. In the midst of Downtown, Toronto, Stackt Market is the latest addition to these spaces. After hearing mainly positive reviews from the concept, I visited Stackt to pinpoint what made it special.

Pratt mentions that in British television, serious talks usually occur on piers or harbours as it elicits a sense of drama and personal reflection for a cast mate. After hearing her remarks, I began to think and she does have a point.

Last Friday I visited Tilt, Toronto’s largest vintage arcade bar. An out-of-the-blue decision, I wanted to do something along my interests, yet something new. I have never visited an arcade bar (the closest would be Chuck-E-Cheese’s), let alone a vintage one. On my way downtown, I could not help but listen to Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” to get me in the mood. Not only does the songstress sing about video games, but the video was shot with a vintage aesthetic borrowing nostalgic images from previous decades. Let’s just say, I had extremely high hopes that night.