A guide to Toronto, according to P1Harmony’s Keeho
He's actually from Markham...but who is actually keeping tabs outside of Southern Ontario?
(FNC Entertainment)
Like Australia and the United States, there is a surprising number of Canadians who end up in the Korean entertainment scene. Kevin and Jacob from The Boyz, Henry Lau, Somi, Tablo from Epik High, Wendy from Red Velvet and Mark Lee from NCT are just some of them!
So imagine my excitement when I discovered yet another Canadian K-pop idol fairly recently.
Keeho from P1Harmony grew up in Markham, not far from my native Scarborough.
As a fellow Canadian, I’m very aware that we sometimes have a tendency to make ourselves known because we’re often overshadowed by our American counterparts. I will almost always brag about being from Toronto when I am visiting another country, ESPECIALLY if they ask if I am American. It was only natural for me to identify with Keeho as my favourite member of P1Harmony.
In interviews, Keeho proudly gives his hometown shout outs. In an interview on the Daebak Show with Eric Nam, Keeho said he would love to take his fellow members to his family home and the Distillery District (especially the Christmas Market).
This is why I was finally happy to see Keeho get to finally show his bandmates (Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul and Jongseob) his real hometown in recent vlogs.
So in honour of their new mini album release today, I am giving Keeho and the P1Harmony members a shout-out and have a bit of fun.
I decided to rate P1Harmony’s recent trip to Canada based on Keeho’s travel guide:
Tim Hortons
The day began with a run to Timmies, quintessential for those who make it to Canada. I kind of compare it to the Dunkin’ Donuts of the United States.
If I’m being honest, Timmies food really is quite mediocre (though their Ice Capps are pretty damn good). So thankfully, Keeho only buys Timbits and coffee. It’s not a healthy breakfast at all. But hey! You’re on vacation. Why the heck not?
St. Lawrence Market
From baked goods, desserts, pasta to ribs, you can probably find just about anything at the farmer’s market. This is the destination to go if you are looking for food to eat. But it was particularly funny to see the Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul and Jongseob distracted by souvenirs, jewellery and stuffed animals instead.
When it was time to eat lunch, the boys headed to Harbourfront to have a picnic by the water. However, wasps and bees almost always ruin the experience. It was humbling to see a bunch of K-pop idols jumping around being scared of the Ontario bugs. That’s because no summer trip to Toronto is complete without going through that experience LOL.
Niagara Falls
Commonly considered as one of the seven wonders of the world, it makes sense for the boys to come to Niagara Falls for their first big trip to Canada. Keeho mentioned he would used to visit once or twice a year. I was immediately reminded of Kim Taehyung saying “Niagara Popo!” in an episode of Run BTS.
Having never been under the waterfalls myself (too expensive!), I am happy the P1Harmony boys got to experience it from the Canadian side because that is how you truly get to see the beauty of the falls.
The rest of the group finished off their day by heading to the very touristy area of Clifton Hill for some arcade games and Go-Kart racing. Keeho did well by packing in lots of activities in a day!
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CN Tower
The second day of their trip started at The CN Tower, which was once the tallest tower in the world.
It stands at 553.3 metres tall. So if you’re afraid of heights, it might not be the place for you to go.
The CN Tower is most definitely a tourist trap, but I do believe one should go there at least once just to get a beautiful skyline view. A highlight for me has always been the glass floor, where you get to look down below to see how high you’re standing. Talk about anxiety inducing!
I also laughed when Keeho looked at the prices at the souvenir store to find a stuffed animal cost $40.99. He is literally me. I’m glad he’s stayed frugal despite becoming an idol.
Ripley’s Aquarium
Knowing how close they were to my workplace makes me wish I ran into them. But I was probably too busy at work to even notice they were right across the street.
I’ve only been to the aquarium twice, but it’s always a lot of fun to look at sting-rays, sharks and colourful fish. One of the highlights of the aquarium is standing on the conveyer belt under a tunnel to look at all the underwater creatures. It was so cute to see the boys enjoying their time here!
Kensington Market
One of favourite places to take people is Kensington Market for the food and thrift shopping, so good on you Keeho for thinking the same!
“It’s a secret. I’ve only been here two or three times,” Keeho admits in the video. Shh! No one needs to know!
To be honest, Kensington Market is a little too expensive for my taste but you can find some gems if you dig hard enough. If anything, I often walk through just to people-watch and have ice cream. But I’m glad Theo lucked out with some purchases, buying a vintage DKNY black bomber jacket and knitted cashmere.
Smoke’s Poutinerie
You can’t do Canada without eating poutine at least once! Poutine is fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. However, Smoke’s also serves different variations with other toppings like bacon and steak.
According to Theo, Keeho has often talked about eating poutine during their trainee days, so it was nice to see them all eating this Canadian delicacy together.
Unionville Main Street
Because Keeho grew up in Unionville, it was particularly heartwarming to actually see him take his members up to the deep suburbs. I could feel Keeho’s sense of nostalgia as he walked through the streets he grew up around, reminiscing about his childhood days.
Keeho took them to Unionville’s Maine Street (fun fact, it served as Stars Hollow in season one of Gilmore Girls). That’s where the band had ice cream at the Old Firehall Confectionery, and were fascinated by the train tracks. This was also where Keeho coincidentally ran into a former classmate from summer school.
Poor guy didn’t really recognize her. It was giving “I know her face, but I don’t know her name” energy. But I love that he stayed cool because I know I would have just ran away.
Unionville High School
No trip back home is complete without a visit to your old high school, so it was natural for the boys to head to Unionville High School for a game of basketball.
This was where Keeho went to his classes and sang in his school choir before he became an idol trainee.
When it was time to debrief their favourite places in Canada, I was surprised to hear the P1Harmony members really loving their visit to Unionville for its “romantic” and “quiet” nature. I guess being from a busy country like South Korea really makes you yearn for a less hectic environment!
All in all, Keeho really managed to pack a short visit to Canada with many things to do!
I just hope he gets to go home more often, instead of every four years due to work and touring commitments. It warmed my heart hearing how excited his bandmates were by Canada.
Wouldn’t it be nice if they all got to come visit again soon?
It’s never easy to leave your family and friends to make your idol dreams come true. But it’s exciting to see that Keeho has managed to successfully debut and even become the leader of P1Harmony.
I just hope Keeho never forgets his Canadian roots and screams it loudly and proudly everywhere he goes. Judging by his recent visit to Toronto, I don’t think he ever will.
P1Harmony’s new mini album Harmony: Set In comes out today!
In other K-pop news:
The ‘unionization’ of LOONA
The events surrounding LOONA and their management company BlockBerryCreative continues. Last Friday, the company said member Chuu had been expelled and withdrawn from the 12-member group, citing “violent language” and “misuse of power toward staff.” As for Chuu, she shared a short statement through an Instagram Story post. On Monday, she wrote that she was not contacted about nor does she know anything about the recent events. She shared that she would release another statement soon but told fans she hadn’t done anything they would disapprove of.
In another turn of events, reports that the remaining 11 members of LOONA (Heejin, Haseul, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Go Won and Olivia Hye) are said to be taking legal action to break their contracts with BlockBerryCreative. The agency dismissed the rumor. A BlockBerryCreative representative told Billboard that the report is “groundless.” Read more here.
K-pop’s favourite IT Couple breaks up :(
Early today, HyunA and DAWN announced that they have broken up. In a post shared on HyunA’s Instagram she wrote, “We broke up. We decided to remain as good friends and colleagues from now on. Thank you always for your support and for looking over us fondly.”
In 2018, the couple were fired after going public with their relationship. That caused an uproar amongst fans and critics. I’m sad that they’re not together, but I hope HyunA and Dawn each find happiness and peace.
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Oh gosh - I absolutely love the young and fresh energy P1Harmony exudes! I think Keeho is a fantastic fit as leader (and designated Canadian tour guide) of the group. He is well spoken, respectful, and funny with a side of sass! I'm with Jiung - Unionville seems like such a pleasant and beautiful place to live! I will be sure to check out some of their itinerary the next time I visit Toronto.
What would be some of your itinerary picks for someone visiting the Toronto area for the first time?