Sunday, January 12, 2014

Holiday to Canada - what is there to do and see on holiday?

kids electric cars toronto
 on Toronto Gardens: April 2009
kids electric cars toronto image



Dreamer


Toronto - 3 days
Niagara Falls - 2 days
Deerhurst Resort - 5 days
Pembroke - 2 days
Ottawa - 2 days

What can we do in these places?
I'm from Ireland and have never been there before, we want to make the most of it!



Answer
What you do will depend on your preferences.

Toronto....live theatres abound, small and large, and movie/cinema theatres are everywhere and Toronto is frequently where major movies are first released for viewing by the public, even ahead of all USA cities.

Bars and Clubs for after-hours fun are readily available as well, and Toronto has major-league sports teams in baseball, football, soccer, basketball and hockey, depending on the season.

The CN Tower is a major tourist attraction, being the highest structure in the commonwealth, and from which you can walk onto an enclosed platform that lets you see most of Toronto from a height of 1200 feet. It also has a restaurant that revolves around the tower once per hour. Food quality and service there can sometimes be very good, but more often varies from good down to poor. Immediately south is a series of islands, linked by small bridges and accessible by a ferry that runs across the harbour, a distance of almost one mile , depending on destination chosen. The west end of the island chain is an airport, and it is accessible also by ferry
but there the distance from shore is only a hundred yards.

This can be a quiet and relaxing way to spend a day, or get away from the noise of the city for a picnic. Food and entertainment for kids is available, bicycles can be rented and swimming is usually open.

Across Toronto shopping is readily available, the area of Bloor and Yonge being the most expensive, but malls, both open and indoors, are all around the city. The Eaton Centre is the main shopping attraction, located right next to City Hall at Yonge and Queen Streets.

Underground shopping and entertainment is also right there, as underground passages that run from north of the Eaton Centre to Union Station (over half a mile) provide many underground stores, conveniences, restaurants and entertainment, plus access to above-ground things such as hotels, banks and theatres.

Transportation type varies, but is available all day and night in downtown areas, less in suburbs. Depending on your location, you can travel by bus, streetcar (electric cars that run on rails and use spring-loaded trolleys to connect to overhead wires) and subway. Taxis, of course, are everywhere, at all times.

Food choices are open to your imagination, as Toronto probably has the most choices of any large city, with restaurants representing the foods of every nation on hand. Most of it is even reasonable in price and fairly good.

Larges ethnic areas exist. In the east is Greek, then Indian/Pakistani, mid-downtown is Chinese and Viet Namese, plus Korean. Slightly west of that is Portugese, mid-north is the Jewish district and in between is Little Italy.

Toronto even has its own real castle, Casa Loma. It does not have the history of British castles, but it does have its own character and panache. Three is a large and well-renowned zoo on the east of the city, where the animals have freedom and YOU are caged....or it seems that way.

Bear in mind that Toronto is a LARGE city, so if there is a particular attraction that you want to see, check a map and/or ask for assistance before venturing out: travelling from the airport (north-west) to the zoo (east) is more than forty miles along the highway. That highway (called 401) is an adventure if you are unaccustomed to heavy traffic. Across Toronto it has up to 16 lanes of traffic....8 in each direction.

Niagara Falls.....a highly entertaining area. Scenery is nothing less than spectacular. There is an eclectic area on Stanley Street that provides the aura of a carnival, with a lot of things available, from adult and children's rides to a Canadian Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. You can go to the Casino, as well, where you can spend money and/or watch the live entertainers, usually middle-to-upper class ones.

The Falls themselves are spectacular. They are the division between USA and Canada, and both sides offer their own views, but all visitors will agree they are best seen from the Canadian side. At night they are illuminated by coloured lights, and this is worth seeing.

You can take a brief (and expensive ) helicopter ride over the falls, or buy a ticket for the Maid of the Mist boat tour that runs all day, and takes you close to the bottom of the falls. They supply the rain gear......you WILL get wet anyway, but it is great fun for kids and adults.

Make hotel arrangements in advance, because summer visits are high season and some will raise the prices daily if demand will support it.

Deerhurst is in a comparatively remote area , approximately 100 miles (160km) from Toronto. It is largely self-contained. You get to relax there, enjoy the food, (which is usually quite good) play golf, and they have some entertainment in the evenings.

You could rent a car and drive around the area for a day and this would be highly recommended as some of the scenery is spectacular. (You drive on the RIGHT side of the road).

A little more distance and you can visit Algonquin Park, where a highway runs through the southern portion of the park and you very often see wild animals roaming free.

Fishing is plentiful in the area, mostly pickerel, pike and bass.


Pembroke....relax and enjoy. It is a small city, not that far from Ottawa. If relaxation does not appeal to you after Deerhurst, try white water rafting. Depending on the outfitter you choose, (OWL is the largest,) and the date of your visit, this can be demanding on your oarsmanship or you can go by power raft (early spring only) . This is because water levels and scenery change through the summer and some outfitters operate on less demanding waterway sections of the Ottawa River. A raft trip usually takes most of a day, meals are included, and no matter which time you choose, you are virtually guaranteed that it will be truly GREAT fun!

Ottawa.....Parliament city. Seat of the Federal Government of Canada.

Government buildings abound, and most are open to visitors, from the historical Archives to current items at the Art Gallery.

The Ottawa River runs around the city and the Rideau Canal runs through it. There are many parks and all have beautiful spots for picnics or just to watch the birds and other small wild-life. My favourite place is by Bank Street and Riverside. It is in downtown, but there are a lot of geese, ducks, gulls and an occasional groundhog or raccoon along the water edge and on a tiny island that you can walk out to. (the water is not more than waist-deep, but the bottom is covered with a few large rocks and many small rocks which can move under your feet. ) Excepting the gulls, they will come right up to you and take food from your hand. This week chicks, ducklings, and goslings are all around.

Be cautious with the parents, especially geese, as they are protective of their young. They like bread and Dollarama is the best place to buy bread....one dollar a loaf, which is often less than half what other stores charge.

I want to move to Toronto, what's the cost of living?







I plan on finishing my first degree here in my province then by the time I am finished, around 22-23 I want to go to UofT for my graduate studies. I have researched a lot and planned out carefully, or had a rough plan of my education (doing my degree here, graduate in Toronto)

I will be a FT student and looking for a PT job in Toronto (since I want to move there) I know Toronto is expensive, so while I am finishing my degree Iâll be saving up money (looking for a PT job right now) So my questions are as follow,

- How much is a studio/bachelor suite? (I know the price depends on the area, but I am curious about the range of pricing in different areas etc)
- Is it easy to get a job in Toronto? How much is minimum wage?
- How much would transportation (monthly pass, bus/subway etc idk)
- How much are the basics? (Internet, electricity, water etc)
- How much are groceries? (Only feeding me)
- How much is it to eat out? (I don't usually eat out...)

I do plan on visiting Toronto eventually, probably by 21 (itâs lame but my parents wonât let me do anything even if I am legally an adult. They say 21 is the age I can do whatever I want lol)

Btw, I am looking to permanently live in Toronto. So after I get into UofT, I plan not to only study there but move there as well. It's going to be a lot of money since I will be a student paying my expenses and school expenses too... so I am trying my best to prepare myself by knowing roughly the cost of living in Toronto.

Thanks. :D



Answer
I'm in Ontario, but don't live in Toronto, and obviously some things will depend on you and your habits and the particular house.

My costs in an older 1500sq ft 3 bed detached house.

Heating...they want $300 a month next year on our 10 month annual budget payment plan! (Currently an eye watering $1.30 a liter) Our water heater is oil fired too, and with small kids its probably costing a bit to do baths/ laundry all the time. In a modern well insulated place you shouldn't be paying a lot more than $200 a month, maybe $250. If its natural gas it will be a lot less.

Hydro (electric to you) about $100-130 a month on average.

Insurance, $90 a month (wont apply to a rental I guess)

Groceries for 2 adults and 2 kids under 5, about 500-600 a month, shopping at the cheaper stores. If you smoke or drink much it could be a lot more.

Phone $35 a month for the line and $10-20 for long distance

Cable TV $50 a month for pretty basic package. Satellite is much the same.

We have a well and septic, so no monthly water costs...someone else will have to fill that in.

Car costs for me are $300 lease payment, $100 insurance and about $100 a month for gas, but Ive been here a while, you insurance as a newcomer could be several thousand a year.




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