Real estate for Torontonians has always been quite an adventure. Now, in the midst of a pandemic, that couldn’t be more true.

While sales continue to climb despite the current state of the world, some of those who made the call to take the plunge this year made truly interesting — dare we say wonderful — moves.

Toronto Life has rounded up the stories of these adventurous buyers, and we’re highlighting three of our favourite tales right here.

When we think of Toronto, what usually jumps to mind at first is its cultural vibrancy, amazing food, bustling arts scene and intense sports fans.

But there’s another Toronto, one full of strange and unusual facts that even lifetime residents might not be aware of.

Summer is a truly magical time in Toronto, and it’s amazing to watch the city come alive, bustling with events and activities.

This summer, however …

With sustainability a key topic of Audi’s CIAS 2020 presentation, we figured: Why not carry on the eco-friendly conversation? Namely, the new (and welcome) trend of reusing containers, and the joys of “naked” products.

For many Torontonians, it’s a point of pride to discover prominent landmarks embedded in various Hollywood films and disguised as other cities — “Hey, was that Casa Loma?”, or “They shot that at my high school!”

But along with that feeling of pride, there’s also often a sense of inadequacy: Why are we pretending to be, say, Chicago, or New York, instead of playing ourselves?

That’s the question presented in a brand-new TIFF exhibition called !Toronto.

The Dave Kemp-Alexandra Anderson collaborative installation explores all the various instances of Toronto as it appears on film, particularly the many times where the city is depicted as another place entirely. It centres around the impact of Toronto’s film representation — or, as is often the case, its misrepresentation — on the city’s identity and on the discourse around Canadian national cinema.

!Toronto combines a vast array of film clips, new interviews with local filmmakers, and a wall-sized map of the city where locations are overlaid.

Plus, there are extra Toronto-on-film tidbits featuring the likes of David Cronenberg, Patricia Rozema, and Atom Egoyan.

You can catch this free exhibition at the Film Reference Library on the fourth floor of the TIFF Bell Lightbox, where it runs until December 14. Check the TIFF website for showtimes.