Anime North was my first convention. I remember being seventeen years old, and going through the doors of a Holiday Inn that had been transformed into a mecca of Japanese pop culture. The initial feeling that washed over me was awe, as though I was standing before a Technicolor Grand Canyon. I soon returned to reality once a seven-foot tall, five-hundred-pound Sailor Jupiter passed me by.

AN (as it is more colloquially known) was my gateway drug--the place that helped me connect with Toronto's geek communities all those years ago. Even though I'm more detached from the Japanese pop culture world than I was in my teen years, I still consider Anime North to be a fun venue--if you know what to look for.

The best parks to have a picnic in Toronto prove that we don't need much to enjoy a picnic in this city — give us a patch of grass, above-freezing temperatures, and we're eager to throw down a blanket (or jacket) and feast on that sandwich like there's no tomorrow. It's no surprise then, that in season, Toronto's parks turn into meccas for the picnic junkies big and small. We lug our coolers and our babies, ready to combat anything from wasps to squirrels to the parking pains — in exchange for a few hours of gastro recreation.

While a lot of web platforms aim to make our online lives more exciting, Toronto startup Uniiverse set out to do the exact opposite.

Launched in February, the goal of this "platform for collaborative living" is to nurture the kind of trading, borrowing, bartering and learning that is quite sustainable, often free and very plentiful if we look hard enough - what Uniiverse dubs "the sharing economy."

By allowing users to post activities and services, this web platform facilitates local micro-entrepreneurship and freelancing, freecycling and re-selling, gathering like-minded people or giving neophytes a way to reach out and experience something different.

Italian bakeries in Woodbridge are not a rarity. Being of Italian heritage myself, I'll let you in on a little secret--we prefer our sweets to be less, uhm, sweet (a gross generalization, I'm sure). Although you can find the occasional take on baklava or various versions of the classic chocolate cake and apple pie in most of these bakeries and pasticcerias, you must try scrumptious staples such as the tiramisu, cannoli, amaretti cookies and sfoglia-based cakes and pastries (a crispy yet airy dough).

The desired taste results in Italian dessert world are creamy and cheesy (ricotta, mascarpone) or boozy (Amaretto, Marsala, Brandy & Vermouth are regulars) and nutty (oh yes, we love nuts!).

Lawn bowling in Toronto is not an adrenaline rush. It's a different kind of fun, a lazy one. It's a casual game that can be played with a beer buzz, and it's been in Toronto longer than one might think. The first known lawn bowling tournament in Toronto was held in 1902.

Essentially, lawn bowling is a competition about tossing a bowl (a small black ball) close to a jack (a small white ball). A player or team earns one point for each bowl closer to the jack than the nearest opponent. The catch is that the bowls are unevenly weighted to one side, so a straight toss isn't as simple as throwing a bowl straight, because the bowl turns.

Pick-up basketball in Toronto is one of my favourite summer activities. It's a good thing there are plenty of courts to play on in Toronto, each of which gets different grades for the conditions of their rims, their level of competition and how accessible they are via bikes, car and public transit.

I also helps to know whether it's easy to get involved in a game rather easily or if you have to be part of the regular crowd to be allowed in. For those looking for a competitive full court game or a free hoop to challenge a friend to a game of one on one, here's my list of some of the best places to play pick-up basketball in Toronto.