Most hobos prefer the exhaust grates outside of a museum to the exhibits indoors. But not a Coco Hobo.
Tee hee hee
We live for the dinos, the Emily Carr’s, the minerals from outerspace, the stuffed albatrosses (albatri?). But due to the nature of the ‘bo, we can’t always afford the $20+ entrance fee into these hallowed halls of higher learning. In England museums and national galleries are free. This makes sense. Why prevent the masses from educating themselves or acquiring just a touch of culturalism? We all know the masses would rather spend their $20 at the movies watching some lame CGI film with no character development or actual story. Or maybe spend it at the bar. (Which, in that case, we would understand and agree, hence another reason why museums and galleries should have free admission. Even hobos get thirsty!)
Speaking of delicious beer, me and J have been meeting with our designer lately to finalize The Beave’s logo! These are exciting times, these are. It should be ready for public viewing by the end of the month. Can’t. Wait. Yay, beer! Yay, resourcefulness! Yay, dinos! Oh yah, dinos. Back to my original blog topic: Cultural things to do on a shoestring.
Or, a list of which cultural centres offer free or reduced admission on which days, and other ways to enrich your lives and not reduce your savings:
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)
Half-Price Fridays 4:30-8:30pm (adults therefore pay $12 each)
Sneaky Wednesdays – admission is FREE but only between 4:30-5:30pm
Address: Bloor & Avenue – 100 Queen’s Park
TTC: Museum Subway Station
Web: www.rom.on.ca
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
FREE Wednesdays 6:00-8:30pm (permanent collection only – full adult price is $19.50!)
FREE every day for Ontario teachers with proper I.D. (something for them to do with all that time off I suppose…)
FREE after 3pm Tuesdays to Fridays for Ontario highschool students with valid I.D. (although I doubt any of them are reading my blog)
Address: Dundas & Duncan (just west of University) – 317 Dundas West
TTC: St. Patrick Subway Station or 505 Dundas streetcar to Duncan
Web: www.ago.net
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery
FREE Wednesdays 5:00-8:00pm (adult admission is otherwise $6)
NOTE! The Power Plant is closed for renovations until March 2011.
Address: Harbourfront Centre – 231 Queen’s Quay West
TTC: 509 Exhibition or 510 Spadina streetcar to Lower Simcoe
Web: www.thepowerplant.org
Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO)
The TSO often has specials, but no standard reduced rate time/day.
However, if you are aged between 15-35yrs, I recommend joining TSOundcheck. It is free to join, and members get access to AMAZING ticket deals. I once picked up two front row mezzanine tickets to Rachmaninoff, over $100 value, for $12 each. (Yes, I did sleep through the second half, but only because of the Port I had at intermission, and also because classical music makes me so happy that all I can do when surrounded by it is pass out in a state of climatic joy. But I digress.)
Address: Roy Thompson Hall – King & Simcoe (just west of University) – 60 Simcoe Street
TTC: St. Andrew Subway Station or 507 King streetcar to Simcoe
Web: www.tso.on.ca
The Canadian Opera Company (COC)
The COC (no comment) regularly offers FREE concerts on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon, and some Wednesdays at noon and 5:30pm. Admission is on first-come, first-served basis, and seating is limited. For a PDF of the concert listings, click here.
Again, like with the TSO, your other option is to join their free Opera for a New Age group. Except the COC only grants this favour to those UNDER 30yrs – therefore 29 or less. (The TSO used to cut off at 30, but luckily the year I became too old, they bumped it up to 35! Yay!) Oh, and unlike the TSO, from my experience the cheap COC tickets are usually shoved into the top back corners – sections 3D, 4C, and 5B. Whereas the TSO treats its TSOundcheck patrons like equals, the COC seems to be embarrassed by them, and hides them away. This is not the way to win future patronage, people! But if you don’t mind the heights, you can get opera tickets for $22.
Address: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts – Queen & University – 145 Queen West
TTC: Osgoode Subway Station
Web: www.coc.ca
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir
I love Baroque music! It is always so happy and toe-tapping and makes you want to sip afternoon tea on the grass along the River Thames on the grounds of The Oakley Court in Windsor, UK. Or maybe that’s just me. I miss that place!
Tafelmusik often has FREE concerts at the ROM around 1-3pm. Check their website for updates. What could be better than dinos and Baroque!? I knowst naught!
Now, if you are 30 AND under, you should join Face the Musik where you can get concert tickets for $16, $22, $25 or $26.
Or, there’s Pay-What-You-Can-Fridays at Trinity-St. Paul’s. For a list of less-hyphenated concerts, click here.
(Have you noticed everyone is always discriminating against us thirty-and-over-somethings? I suppose it’s because by now we’re supposed to have real jobs and obviously afford full-priced tickets. Ha. What about the late bloomers? No culture for you!)
NOTE! I just noticed on the PWYC Friday schedule that on March 4th 2011 at 8:00pm, they are holding another performance of The Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres! YAY! I missed it last year. Here’s what their website says about it:
“Back by popular demand – Tafelmusik’s “out of this world” (Toronto Star) multi-disciplinary stellar concert experience, conceived and programmed by our own Alison Mackay as an homage to Galileo. Gorgeous, celestially-inspired baroque music, stunning visuals, and seamlessly woven literary and historical excerpts narrated by Shaun Smyth. Don’t miss it!”
Hello! Toronto Annex date night! They should link that to Plenty of Fish.
Address: Trinity-St. Paul’s – Bloor & Major (just west of Spadina) – 427 Bloor West
TTC: Spadina Subway Station
Web: www.tafelmusik.org
The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA)
Admission to MOCCA is Pay-What-You-Can every day. How very!
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00am-6:00pm, and located in a strange parking lot at the corner of Queen and Shaw. I have never been to MOCCA because until last week when my friend M and I were strolling along Queen West delivering Christmas baked goods to the homeless (I mean, my friends) I never knew it existed. We actually paused to look in the window of the crepe shop next door and then were like “OMG, MOCCA, PWYC!” (We speak in acronyms, it is fun and annoying. Actually we don’t. But wasn’t believing that both fun and annoying?)
Oh, and MOCCA also hosts exhibits from The National Gallery of Canada (NGC@MOCCA, acronyms 4EVA!), which is a great way to see some of their works without the trek to Ottawa.
(Which reminds me, I need to book a trip to Ottawa soon. For great savings on VIA Rail tickets, click here! Coco Hobo loves her some last minute specials.)
Address: Queen & Shaw – 952 Queen West
TTC: 501 Queen streetcar to Shaw, or Ossington bus to Shaw/Queen
Web: www.mocca.ca
Now go get your culture on! And spend that $20 on a beer.
Enjoy,
x