Despite an overall lack of density, Toronto is nevertheless a city of apartment buildings. Scattered throughout the city, these concrete slabs are a throwback to both the architecture and planning of the 1960s and 70s. Monumental, use-oriented, and almost invariably ugly, they don't tend to inspire aesthetic reflection.

But, strangely, I've always been fascinated by them. Perhaps it's the convergence of so many lives in one place, the grid-like patterns formed by the balconies, or the warm light that emanates from the many windows at dusk, but when looked at from a particular perspective, these structures often reveal a beauty that belies their Brutalist roots.

Located just east of College and Lansdowne, Industtrees operates on the time worn premise that quality should be privileged over quantity. The tiny, white-washed gallery space is also home to a retail shop, which offers an intriguing selection of unique and hard-to-find items.

Read my review of Industtrees in the gallery section.

Over the last few weeks, we've checked out a number of restaurants around the city. Claire stopped by Mogette, a charming French bistro located on Mount Pleasant north of Davisville. And Orman headed to Bloor West Village and the Shops at Don Mills to try out My Place -- A Canadian Pub and Glow Fresh Grill and Wine Bar, respectively.

Full reviews of Mogette Bistro, My Place - A Canadian Pub and Glow Fresh Grill and Wine Bar are posted in the restaurants section.

Photo: "AGO stairs" by septembergurl99, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

Former Canadian Olympian, Marnie McBean summed it up nicely: "Toronto finally won something." Beating out Lima and Bogota on the first ballot, the Pan Am games will come to the city in 2015. Although the bid organizers are ecstatic about the win, public reaction has been ambivalent. As desirable as new sporting facilities and infrastructure are, many are worried about the price tag of an event that's not as prestigious as it used to be.

A Globe article featuring Amir Gissin, Jerusalem's leading PR man and Israel's consul-general for Toronto, explores his project to "rebrand" Israel abroad by using Toronto as a testing ground for the international community at large. Citing the city's overall size, its large Jewish and Muslim communities, and the fact that it's home to some of Israel's harshest critics (the article mentions the United Church and the Canadian Union of Public Employees), Gissin views it as an excellent testing ground for a PR project that aims to change the discourse that surrounds the country.

The TTC announced yesterday that it'll be limiting the number of tokens purchased at one time to 10 or less. The move is intended to prevent hoarding in the face of a possible (likely!) fare increase in the new year. Was it ever fast, though. The decision on the fare increase won't even take place until Nov. 17th. I also wonder about the effectiveness of such a strategy. If one really wanted to hoard tokens, couldn't he/she just purchase 10 over and over again on separate days? I guess they bank on people not going to the trouble of doing so.

View Larger Map

Toronto is home to some pretty strange houses and front lawns. And living around Dupont and Christie, I've had a chance to take a look at quite a number of them, clustered as they are in this area. I've often wondered, however, where else I could find such quirky architecture and/or laugh-inducing landscaping. Well, by combining the resource (read distraction) that is Google Street View with the recommendations of blogTO's followers on Twitter, my curiosity has been mostly satisfied. I've just taken a virtual tour of some of the weirdest properties in the city, and I thought I'd share the experience.

October's been a busy month for the visual arts throughout the city, headlined by the Leona Drive Project and the Toronto International Art Fair. And along with these major (although sadly short-lived) events, there's been plenty of stimulating shows at galleries across the city, many of which are still running, if only for a few more days.

Here's a roundup of the exciting events I've checked out over the last few weeks and some recommendations for upcoming shows.