Subscribe

Andrea Yu

Andrea Yu is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. She reports on a wide variety of topics including business, real estate, culture, design, health, food, drink and travel. Aside from Toronto Life, her writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Chatelaine and Cottage Life.

Latest from Andrea Yu

Inside a black-tie queer wedding that doubled as an ornate garden party

Inside a black-tie queer wedding that doubled as an ornate garden party

The venue choice was inspired by an episode of Schitt’s Creek

Inside the rhythmic Bollywood-inspired wedding of two competitive dancers

Inside the rhythmic Bollywood-inspired wedding of two competitive dancers

Featuring Margiela tabi shoes, an 18-minute dance performance and a burger run in full wedding regalia

$5 million for a cliffside Bruce Peninsula mansion with lollipop columns

Real Estate News

$5 million for a cliffside Bruce Peninsula mansion with lollipop columns

What Georgian Bay lodge would be complete without 33-foot ceilings, a massive garage with an EV charger and a patio for the ages?

Inside a DIY cabin wedding that turned into a forest rave

Inside a DIY cabin wedding that turned into a forest rave

Featuring papier-mâché animal masks and a ceremony in the middle of a forest

Two dog lovers marry in a lavish five-day canine-friendly celebration

Two dog lovers marry in a lavish five-day canine-friendly celebration

Featuring multiple outfit changes and matching bride-and-groom costumes for the dogs

How the owner of a Yorkville salon found a gorgeous apartment right downtown

Real Estate News

How the owner of a Yorkville salon found a gorgeous apartment right downtown

Tired of running into clients on her days off, Rebel and Beauty owner Olga Onulov decamped for the core

Will cruise ships soon dock at the foot of Yonge?

Real Estate News

Will cruise ships soon dock at the foot of Yonge?

The Toronto Port Authority wants to build a jumbo new terminal to boost business and tourism from across the Great Lakes

A curvy new pedestrian bridge will link the central waterfront to the Port Lands

Real Estate News

A curvy new pedestrian bridge will link the central waterfront to the Port Lands

It’s planned for 2028 and will be shipped on a barge from Nova Scotia

The Filmores building will live on—as a behemoth 44-storey rental tower

Real Estate News

The Filmores building will live on—as a behemoth 44-storey rental tower

Of its 542 units, 54 will be three-bedrooms, a rare win for families looking to stay downtown

How a $1-million reno transformed a frilly Rosedale mansion into a "home for adults"

Real Estate News

How a $1-million reno transformed a frilly Rosedale mansion into a “home for adults”

Goodbye, maximalism, coffered ceilings and faux-Euro extravagance. Hello, contemporary cool, gentle fabrics and a marriage of form and function

This couple downsized into an elegant two-storey condo—and their daughter handled interior design

This couple downsized into an elegant two-storey condo—and their daughter handled interior design

When your daughter is an interior designer, a condo renovation becomes a family affair

Inside a disco rodeo–themed wedding at a log cabin

Inside a disco rodeo–themed wedding at a log cabin

Featuring pops of orange, lots of nature and three very cute dogs

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

When Valentino was abducted, I knew three things: he’d been taken by his father, he was somewhere in India and I would not rest until I found him

Young and Retired: Meet the super-savers quitting work decades before the average Canadian

Young and Retired: Meet the super-savers quitting work decades before the average Canadian

In the age of doomspending, these ultra-driven Torontonians give up their weekends, work multiple jobs and never, ever eat out. The upside: they’ll retire long before the rest of us

"I believe my journey is easily replicable": An engineer who retired at 40 shares his savings and investment strategies

“I believe my journey is easily replicable”: An engineer who retired at 40 shares his savings and investment strategies

The subprime mortgage crisis turned out to be a golden opportunity for a fortunate few

"I think about money all the time": How this savings-obsessed couple plans to retire at 50

“I think about money all the time”: How this savings-obsessed couple plans to retire at 50

A dental hygienist and a tech product manager share their financial-planning strategies

“The idea of a life where I'm not chained to a job is a great motivator”: This tech start-up director is on track to retire at 45

“The idea of a life where I’m not chained to a job is a great motivator”: This tech start-up director is on track to retire at 45

Investment properties, no vacations and a salary in US dollars are helping him save aggressively

“I’ll never, ever spend $25 on a cocktail”: How one downtown resident is enjoying the city on a budget

“I’ll never, ever spend $25 on a cocktail”: How one downtown resident is enjoying the city on a budget

Living in King West may seem like a sure-fire savings drainer, but this AI content writer still plans to retire at 50

"People say a kid costs $17,000 a year. We’re doing it for $6,000": This couple didn't let parenthood keep them from early retirement

“People say a kid costs $17,000 a year. We’re doing it for $6,000”: This couple didn’t let parenthood keep them from early retirement

The authors of Quit Like a Millionaire share how they managed to quit work at 32

"Most days, I work more than 16 hours": This marketing specialist is doing everything she can to retire at 30

“Most days, I work more than 16 hours”: This marketing specialist is doing everything she can to retire at 30

The price of early retirement? Multiple full-time jobs, lugging work laptops to family get-togethers and chronic stress headaches

Inside the epicurean backyard wedding of two pasta-loving gourmands

Inside the epicurean backyard wedding of two pasta-loving gourmands

Featuring carbs on carbs on carbs

Real Weddings: Inside the city hall wedding of two TTC superfans

Real Weddings: Inside the city hall wedding of two TTC superfans

Featuring a thrifted dress and an impromptu subway photoshoot

Real Weddings: Inside a kitschy art-filled celebration at the June Motel

Real Weddings: Inside a kitschy art-filled celebration at the June Motel

Featuring gigantic lemon sculptures and a “no black” dress code

$7 million for a brilliant bungalow in rural Erin with 98 acres and an organic veggie farm

Real Estate News

$7 million for a brilliant bungalow in rural Erin with 98 acres and an organic veggie farm

What house on a gravel road would be complete without hay fields, a table made of wine barrels and a heated pool?

Summer Camp Guide

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Discover our top-rated summer camps for kids of all ages

Best New Restaurants

Toronto Life ’s Best Restaurants returns for its 10th-anniversary edition on June 8

Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants returns for its 10th-anniversary edition on June 8

General admission tickets are now on sale for Toronto’s biggest culinary night, featuring top chefs, restaurants and drinks

Big Stories

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

This year’s list includes a 150-square-foot omakase counter, a Parisian brasserie in the Annex, Korean comfort food, Filipino karaoke and a Summerhill seafood spot that’s reinventing the raw bar

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

After years of false starts, months of nail-biting negotiations between the league and the players’ union, and an 11th-hour scramble to build a roster, Toronto finally has its own major-league women’s basketball team. Now it just has to live up to the hype

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Slowikowska is the first Canadian to join the cast of Saturday Night Live in more than 25 years. She’s also this season’s breakout star. Now all she has to do is keep crushing it

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

The man who represented the infamous drug lord is unapologetically flashy—he has a Lamborghini and two Maseratis and wears $1,200 Louboutins. But did he become an accomplice to his client’s crimes? Deepak Paradkar says he was just doing his job. The FBI says he crossed a line

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

We’re not over it, but they are. Six months after that devastating defeat, the Jays take the field once more, bent more than ever on winning the World Series. Dispatches from the dugout

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My dad was the infamous Rolex Killer. The news of his crimes nearly broke me. And ever since, my family has been hounded by reporters, podcasters and true crime fanatics—a whole new circle of hell

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Larry David is the indisputable king of brutal honesty. But if anyone comes close, it’s Robby Hoffman, the suddenly everywhere comic from whom no group is safe

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Pamela Sugiman, a former arts dean at Toronto Metropolitan University, was a key player in the school’s push for diversity, equity and inclusion. When the backlash against DEI arrived, she was demoted. The school says it was a coincidence. She disagrees

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

Scenes from the rent-for-life revolution

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

It’s hard out here for a 20-something

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

Desperate wannabe parents are betting their life savings on unproven treatments and false promises

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Last spring, a chatbot convinced Allan Brooks that he had discovered a revolutionary mathematical theory. He says it nearly destroyed him

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Homegrown innovations that will transform lives for the better

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

When Valentino was abducted, I knew three things: he’d been taken by his father, he was somewhere in India and I would not rest until I found him

The Violent Life of a Tow Truck Driver: How an unremarkable profession turned Toronto into a war zone

The Violent Life of a Tow Truck Driver: How an unremarkable profession turned Toronto into a war zone

The towing industry has been hijacked by criminals and kingpins who fleece customers, beat up dissenters and shoot their enemies. Inside the brutal turf war for the city’s wrecks

Street Fight: Inside the battle raging over Toronto multiplexes

Street Fight: Inside the battle raging over Toronto multiplexes

If this city stands any chance of solving the housing crisis, it will need buildings with multiple units in residential neighbourhoods—a move that has many residents saying, “Anywhere but here!”

Young and Retired: Meet the super-savers quitting work decades before the average Canadian

Young and Retired: Meet the super-savers quitting work decades before the average Canadian

In the age of doomspending, these ultra-driven Torontonians give up their weekends, work multiple jobs and never, ever eat out. The upside: they’ll retire long before the rest of us

Just Listed

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

This rare property features 2 houses on 1 lot

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

A testament to time presiding over one of Uxbridge's most storied streetscapes, this magnificently preserved circa 1880 residence commands its prominent corner lot with the quiet confidence of a true architectural landmark

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

A commanding architectural statement in prestigious Stonegate–Queensway, this newly completed custom residence by Bali Homes Group presents a refined interpretation of contemporary luxury living

For Sale: 75 Queen Street

For Sale: 75 Queen Street

Guelph is having a moment

For Sale: 112 Mildenhall Rd

For Sale: 112 Mildenhall Rd

A rare opportunity to own a custom-built masterpiece in the heart of Lawrence Park beautifully designed by Gray Smith and Arca Design for the most discerning buyer