So whatcha doing?

[QuittingGirl]

8 hours ago, Reciprocity said:

Watching the weather radar 

 

 

Ack!! That line of storms looks like something you would see out in Tornado Alley in the Midwest US, not in Ontario.   Btw, what type of weather will be in Toronto the 2nd week of October because my husband and I will be going there. Is it cold then, any snow that time of year?

[Reciprocity]

6 hours ago, QuittingGirl said:

 

Ack!! That line of storms looks like something you would see out in Tornado Alley in the Midwest US, not in Ontario.   Btw, what type of weather will be in Toronto the 2nd week of October because my husband and I will be going there. Is it cold then, any snow that time of year?

Mid-Oct?

Yeah, no worries. Just bring a light jacket.

[Reciprocity]

In all seriousness; mid-Oct in Toronto is a mixed bag. You can expect anything from warm & sunny to cool and damp. There's almost a zero percent chance of seeing any snow. 

Probably not that much different than NY only a bit cooler? If you get lucky and we get what they call an Indian Summer, which is quite possible that time of year, it can be one of the nicest times of the year because it's not too hot & the summer humidity has gone for the year.

 

You kind of have to pack clothing for either possibility. You won't need a winter coat or gloves and what not but you'll want both short & long sleeve tops for daytime & a light jacket or coat for when the sun goes down. More of a long pants season by then unless you hit a warm spell; then a pair of shorts may be in order for daytime wandering around.

 

Are you flying or driving in?

[QuittingGirl]

3 hours ago, Reciprocity said:

In all seriousness; mid-Oct in Toronto is a mixed bag. You can expect anything from warm & sunny to cool and damp. There's almost a zero percent chance of seeing any snow. 

Probably not that much different than NY only a bit cooler? If you get lucky and we get what they call an Indian Summer, which is quite possible that time of year, it can be one of the nicest times of the year because it's not too hot & the summer humidity has gone for the year.

 

You kind of have to pack clothing for either possibility. You won't need a winter coat or gloves and what not but you'll want both short & long sleeve tops for daytime & a light jacket or coat for when the sun goes down. More of a long pants season by then unless you hit a warm spell; then a pair of shorts may be in order for daytime wandering around.

 

Are you flying or driving in?

 

Yes, we will be driving.  Since it's about a 10 hour drive from NY City to Toronto, we are thinking of doing the drive there and back stopping over for the night around  Corning, NY or somewhere in the Finger Lakes region. Even though I will be doing part of the drive, it will still be long.  If we do it in one day,  we would get into Toronto late and be very tired by the time we get there.   I actually don't mind the cooler weather, as I really don't like the heat and humidity.  I will check the weather about 5 days before we leave.

 

Do you know if there are Ubers, or some sort of rideshare in the downtown area?  I haven't made any reservations in the hotel yet, but when I do, it will have to have a garage so we can keep the car in there and take Ubers to some places.  Or maybe just drive to the sights and  park in a garage.  Since the US$ is good against the C$ it won't be too expensive.  The number one sight we are going to do is the Hockey Hall of Fame.  My husband is a Huge NY Rangers fan so we will probably spend one whole day there...Ugh!!  LOL!!    I have been to Toronto a couple times, but I was a teenager and that was many many years ago!!  I would also like to go to the CN Tower and Ripley's Aquarium.  Do you think it's worth it to have dinner at the CN Tower or is it a tourist trap? 

 

I think we will stay in Toronto 4 nights.  If you can recommend other places to go, that would be great!!  Thanks! We might even stop at Niagara Falls on the way back for a few hours.  I have been there a few times as well, but it's been a really long time.

 

Thanks for your help! 

[Reciprocity]

So .... (this is gonna be long; lol)

 

Note this: Monday October 14th is Canadian Thanksgiving. That's not an issue really but it's a long weekend so not sure if hotel rates get jacked up then or not. Some stuff might be closed on the Monday holiday; probably NOT the tourist places. They are allowed to open on stat holidays.

 

By the way, you won't recognize the place if you haven't been since you were a kid.

Couple of tips here: gas up on the US side before you hit the border. US gas prices are cheaper. You won't know that when you hit Canada because our gas is priced in liters - not gallons. Almost 4 liters to a US gallon.

If you are crossin the border at Niagara Falls NY or Buffalo, don't do that late in the day on a sunday or on Thanksgiving Monday. There's a ton of traffic going toward Toronto from the Niagara Wine Region at the end of a weekend. Stay away from that time frame - you'll thanks me later 

 

Yes there's Uber and all means of transport like that in Tor. Plus public transport. Subway and if you're in the mood, take a Street Car. Yes, we still have them. Not sure where you buy tickets for them but your hotel can tell you. You would be well advised to take other transport rather than drive much around the downtown area. They keep tearing the roads up and closing them down from time to time. I won't drive down there any longer. It's just too nuts for me. I don't have that much patience. The long holiday weekend may help with less traffic?

 

The places you mentioned are pretty much all within walking distance of each other downtown providing the weather is half decent. Hotels are crazy expensive everywhere these days and Toronto will be no exception so look around for deals if there are any. Your American dollars will help easy the pain. If you are spending cash anywhere while you're here, tourist places, eateries & retail shops won't give you as good an exchange rate as the bank will. You might want to buy Canadian dollars before you leave from a bank or exchange outlet in NY. Using Credit Cards, the banking institution behid the card determines the exchange.

 

The CN Tower is definately worth going up to the top. It's a little pricy though as I recall but again US dollars will help a lot! Dinner at the revolving restaurant in the Tower is cool; no question. You can see the lakeshore & Lake Ontario on one side & the city on the other side as it revolves. Again, it won't be cheap but it's a once in a lifetime thing! Check the weather though before you reserve. If there's gonna be really low clouds, you may be above them and see nothing 

If you do go, try and book dinner for about 5:30 PM. Sunset that time of year will be 6:37 PM. Going at 5:30 would give you a complete 360 view in daylight then a full one once the sun is down (city lights). I did that once and it was amazing (long time ago though).

 

In terms of other sites/things to do; honestly, I would do a Hop-on; Hop-off bus thing day 1 just to see everything around Toronto. (Go to the Toronto Hop-on; Hop-off web site for info). You might come across something you want to check out plus they give you a narative of what's what around the circuit.

 

Not sure what you guys are into but here's some examples of top attractions: 1.Royal Ontario Museum 2. The Historic Distillery District is a predestrian only area that's old buildings restored into shops and eateries. Nice for a wander around. 3. Art Gallery of Ontario. 4. Casa Loma - the only full size castle in North America; very cool with huge gardens, fountains & statues etc. 5. St. Lawrence Market, in the heart of Toronto's Old Town district and has existed since 1803. Lots of stuff for foodies and many eateries of different cusines. Accordint to National Geographic article in 2012, it the world's best farmers market! 6. If the weather's nice, you could take a ferry from downtown to the Toronto Islands - just offshore in Toronto harbour. No cars allowed, you can walk or rent a bike and ride around. Not a lot going on there in October I imagine. More of a summer spot. I was actually born there - Wards Island. Now, it's got a gay nude beach so yeah, there ya go. I doubt they'll be out there in Oct though 

 

Yes, the Falls is always worth a short visit. Seeing the volume of water going over the falls never gets old. You're biggest expense there is parking but not that bad. Looking is FREE . 

 

Well; that's about it I think. Man ... I'm outta breath after that diatribe.

 

Oh yeah, one more thing ... when you go to the CN Tower, you guys should do the Edge Walk. Talk about a once in a lifetime experience 

 

[QuittingGirl]

6 hours ago, Reciprocity said:

So .... (this is gonna be long; lol)

 

Note this: Monday October 14th is Canadian Thanksgiving. That's not an issue really but it's a long weekend so not sure if hotel rates get jacked up then or not. Some stuff might be closed on the Monday holiday; probably NOT the tourist places. They are allowed to open on stat holidays.

 

By the way, you won't recognize the place if you haven't been since you were a kid.

Couple of tips here: gas up on the US side before you hit the border. US gas prices are cheaper. You won't know that when you hit Canada because our gas is priced in liters - not gallons. Almost 4 liters to a US gallon.

If you are crossin the border at Niagara Falls NY or Buffalo, don't do that late in the day on a sunday or on Thanksgiving Monday. There's a ton of traffic going toward Toronto from the Niagara Wine Region at the end of a weekend. Stay away from that time frame - you'll thanks me later 

 

Yes there's Uber and all means of transport like that in Tor. Plus public transport. Subway and if you're in the mood, take a Street Car. Yes, we still have them. Not sure where you buy tickets for them but your hotel can tell you. You would be well advised to take other transport rather than drive much around the downtown area. They keep tearing the roads up and closing them down from time to time. I won't drive down there any longer. It's just too nuts for me. I don't have that much patience. The long holiday weekend may help with less traffic?

 

The places you mentioned are pretty much all within walking distance of each other downtown providing the weather is half decent. Hotels are crazy expensive everywhere these days and Toronto will be no exception so look around for deals if there are any. Your American dollars will help easy the pain. If you are spending cash anywhere while you're here, tourist places, eateries & retail shops won't give you as good an exchange rate as the bank will. You might want to buy Canadian dollars before you leave from a bank or exchange outlet in NY. Using Credit Cards, the banking institution behid the card determines the exchange.

 

The CN Tower is definately worth going up to the top. It's a little pricy though as I recall but again US dollars will help a lot! Dinner at the revolving restaurant in the Tower is cool; no question. You can see the lakeshore & Lake Ontario on one side & the city on the other side as it revolves. Again, it won't be cheap but it's a once in a lifetime thing! Check the weather though before you reserve. If there's gonna be really low clouds, you may be above them and see nothing 

If you do go, try and book dinner for about 5:30 PM. Sunset that time of year will be 6:37 PM. Going at 5:30 would give you a complete 360 view in daylight then a full one once the sun is down (city lights). I did that once and it was amazing (long time ago though).

 

In terms of other sites/things to do; honestly, I would do a Hop-on; Hop-off bus thing day 1 just to see everything around Toronto. (Go to the Toronto Hop-on; Hop-off web site for info). You might come across something you want to check out plus they give you a narative of what's what around the circuit.

 

Not sure what you guys are into but here's some examples of top attractions: 1.Royal Ontario Museum 2. The Historic Distillery District is a predestrian only area that's old buildings restored into shops and eateries. Nice for a wander around. 3. Art Gallery of Ontario. 4. Casa Loma - the only full size castle in North America; very cool with huge gardens, fountains & statues etc. 5. St. Lawrence Market, in the heart of Toronto's Old Town district and has existed since 1803. Lots of stuff for foodies and many eateries of different cusines. Accordint to National Geographic article in 2012, it the world's best farmers market! 6. If the weather's nice, you could take a ferry from downtown to the Toronto Islands - just offshore in Toronto harbour. No cars allowed, you can walk or rent a bike and ride around. Not a lot going on there in October I imagine. More of a summer spot. I was actually born there - Wards Island. Now, it's got a gay nude beach so yeah, there ya go. I doubt they'll be out there in Oct though 

 

Yes, the Falls is always worth a short visit. Seeing the volume of water going over the falls never gets old. You're biggest expense there is parking but not that bad. Looking is FREE . 

 

Well; that's about it I think. Man ... I'm outta breath after that diatribe.

 

Oh yeah, one more thing ... when you go to the CN Tower, you guys should do the Edge Walk. Talk about a once in a lifetime experience 

 

 

 

Wow!!  Thank you so much for that very detailed response!!  Yeah, I know that it's the Canadian Thanksgiving and actually the rates for some of the hotels that I looked at are cheaper for that week than for the week before.  As of now, I haven't made any reservations anywhere, but I do know that I am looking to stay in the downtown area close to the CN Tower and the Hall of Fame.

 

We will use the GPS and whichever border crossing it takes us to, we will go to.  We will be leaving to go up on that Thurs, staying over somewhere in Upstate NY, and then crossing into Canada Friday morning and then coming back home on Tues staying overnight again in Upstate NY and getting back to the city on Wednesday. I have to find a hotel that is half way between NYC and Toronto. Probably about 5 hours in between.

 

Yeah, the US$ is pretty good against the C$ now. 1 US to 1.37 C, but of course that will change.  I'm wondering, when I book the hotel, do I get the rate the day I book it, or the day that we check in, since that is the day they actually charge my credit card.  We have an account with TD bank and they do currency exchange so about a week before I will order about C$200, although most charges will go on the credit card.

 

The revolving restaurant sounds really nice.  I remember doing that in Niagara Falls many years ago and it was really nice.  I forgot the name of the place though.  I was reading about all those other things you mentioned and they sound great.  So many things to do, not a lot of time to do it...LOL!!  As far as that Edge Walk, I will definitely pass!!  I am definitely not a dare devil...LOL!!  Did you ever do it?

 

Are there any wineries within like a  30-45 minute drive outside of Toronto? We like going to wineries too.

 

Thanks again! 

[Reciprocity]

You book a hotel today, that's the price you'll pay when you stay there. The exchange on US/Can $$ may change by then but not your base hotel rate. The tower you ate in at the Falls is called the Skylon Tower. The CN Tower is much more spectacular in many ways. I have not done the Edge Walk myself as I have an aversion to pooping my pants in public!

 

Wine country is just down the road from where I live now. It's called Niagara on the Lake. Very popular especially on weekends. If you have time on your way back, it's only about 15 mins off the QEW highway that takes you to the border. The downtown area is really quaint. Worth a short wander around the shops.

 

 

My favorite winery in Niagara on the Lake with a retail store in it is Wayne Gretzky Estates (your husband will know that name lol). I love their Salted Caramel Cream Whiskey. It's like Baileys Irish Cream only much better I'm not much of a wine drinker but they have lots of different wines there and also their own whiskies. With the exchange difference, if might be wise to take your alcohol limit back to the States with you and the Wine Country is the place to get it.

 Dozens of other wineries in the area as well!

This area is also where the Welland Canal is. That's the series of locks that transitions large Lake Freighters around Niagara Falls. Any ship travelling on the great lakes must go through this canal. There's even a Welland Canal museum in the area. Interesting stuff.

If you're into Wineries, you could easily spend two full days in Niagara on the Lake and Oct. is probably harvest time there as well I expect. Better extend you trip - lol!

 

[QuittingGirl]

Thanks again! 

 

I will probably book the hotels within the next couple of weeks.  That's right now I remember, the Skylon Tower, it was a very nice place. 

 

I heard of Niagara on the Lake and I even know who Wayne Gretzky is...LOL!!  I am sure my husband will want to go to that winery, and he will definitely love that cream whiskey you are talking about.  He loves all sorts of whiskies.  Those pictures look really nice.  I think we will go there and stop off in the downtown area as it does look lovely.   I have to see how many bottles I am allowed to take back into the States with me.  I'm hoping at least 5 so I can stock up.  I checked the prices with the exchange and it's really good as of now.  That Welland Canal sounds very interesting too! 

Edited June 15 by QuittingGirl

[Doreensfree]

This sounds very exciting … 

It looks Wonderful xx

[Reciprocity]

Yeah; that Salted Caramel Cream stuff is the bomb. There's a regular Cream Whisky too so make sure he gets the Salted Caramel. He won't regret it 

 

Edited June 15 by Reciprocity

[Reciprocity]

2 minutes ago, Doreensfree said:

This sounds very exciting … 

It looks Wonderful xx

You wanna try the CN Tower Edge Walk; right?

[Doreensfree]

I will …if you come with me lol..

[Reciprocity]

In Saint John New Brunswick since late Thursday, we’ll; turned into early Friday morning with flight delays Didn’t hit the bed at the hotel until almost 5:00 AM & had meetings at 11;00 AM & 11:30 AM. 
 

Went for Mom’s funeral, which was delayed a month so everybody’s schedule could match up. 
 

9 out of 10 Grandchildren showed up from all across Canada. That tells you how well loved Gramma was

 

We’ve been meeting up for dinner every night since Friday & tonight’s the last supper, so to speak. Of course, they’ve all been at seafood places because we’re right by the ocean! 
 

Hard on the wallet but yummy, yummy, yummy in the tummy

 

Flying back home tomorrow afternoon. Will check in then for the major celebrations

[QuittingGirl]

3 hours ago, Reciprocity said:

In Saint John New Brunswick since late Thursday, we’ll; turned into early Friday morning with flight delays Didn’t hit the bed at the hotel until almost 5:00 AM & had meetings at 11;00 AM & 11:30 AM. 
 

Went for Mom’s funeral, which was delayed a month so everybody’s schedule could match up. 
 

9 out of 10 Grandchildren showed up from all across Canada. That tells you how well loved Gramma was

 

We’ve been meeting up for dinner every night since Friday & tonight’s the last supper, so to speak. Of course, they’ve all been at seafood places because we’re right by the ocean! 
 

Hard on the wallet but yummy, yummy, yummy in the tummy

 

Flying back home tomorrow afternoon. Will check in then for the major celebrations

 

 

My condolences again to you and your family on your mom's passing.  I'm sure she was a lovely lady! 

 

Oh St. John must be a seafood lover's paradise!  Did you have lobster?  I love lobster, it's my favorite food.  We went to Maine 3 times and I had lobster every single night on each trip.  I can't get enough of it!! Yummy!!!

 

Have a safe trip back home! 

[jillar]

Safe travels @Reciprocity, I'm glad so many of your family members could be together to say goodbye to the family matriarch. I'm a lobster lover too. Unfortunately though the prices are ridiculous.

[Doreensfree]

Safe Journey home .

So pleased to hear your family made a big effort to honour a grand lady who has lived such a full life ..

Sea food …yum

[Reciprocity]

Here's the place we ate dinner twice It's called Steamers in downtown Saint John; N.B.

That's our waiter; behind the bar working hard for us 

 

Another view of the interior. You can see the mini Lobster Pound (where they keep circulating sea water in a series of white & turquoise tubs to keep the lovely critters alive and healthy until you order one. Then it's  for the poor Lobster and  for you!) The stacked shallow tubs are where the little critters live. You can go up & pick your own if you like 

 

The local beer is called "Moosehead". It's brewed in Saint John by the Oland family. My dad was good friends way back when with Paul Oland, one of the sons of the original start-up owner. I'll say it's similar to a Coors Light; which some of you may be familiar with. Moose Light is their "light" version of Moosehead.

 

Now for the food features 

 

Lobster Roll with the best french fries I've had in a long, long time. Don't know what they coat them with but Oh So Yummy! There's NO filler in the Lobster Roll. Just tender, juicy Lobster, fresh from the ocean with a little mayo mixed in on a lightly toasted roll (OMG; I'm making myself hungry again 

These Bacon Wrapped Scallops are no sloutch either! The scallops are sooo tender! I've never had melt in my mouth scallops before and the perfectly cooked bacon wrapped tightly around the scallops ... I don't know how they do it but they're absolutely amazing  They don't look like much but a cup of seafood chowder & 6 of these golden nuggets of heaven and you'll want for nothing else! Well, maybe another cocktail?

Edited June 25 by Reciprocity

[QuittingGirl]

That definitely looks like my type of place!!!  And the food looks amazing!! Yummy!!!  They gave you really huge chunks of lobster!! 

[QuittingGirl]

Does anyone know how to put a cover photo in the profile area so that the whole picture shows up?  I was trying to do it yesterday but when I do, the picture gets huge and you can't see the whole thing.

[jillar]

2 minutes ago, QuittingGirl said:

Does anyone know how to put a cover photo in the profile area so that the whole picture shows up?  I was trying to do it yesterday but when I do, the picture gets huge and you can't see the whole thing.

 

It's not possible to do that but you can position it so that when you click on the cover photo it expands and shows more of the pic.

[QuittingGirl]

2 hours ago, jillar said:

 

It's not possible to do that but you can position it so that when you click on the cover photo it expands and shows more of the pic.

Thanks Jill 

[Reciprocity]

If it's your background Profile photo @QuittingGirl you're talking about, what I do is I pick one that is suitable for an extreme landscape format & I size it prior to using it doing that in "paint". Then I place the photo in my profile background and move the image around in an effort to capture the subject matter I want to show. 

 

Because it's a extreme landscape formate you can never fit the entire subject matter of your photo in there.

 

I've attached mine below. There's lots more image in the photo I chose but most of the important images are lined up for an extreme landscape viewing format. 

 

The key is picking the right photo. One that has interesting subject matter in a narrow band across the photo.

 

[QuittingGirl]

Thank you @Reciprocity I downloaded a picture and put it in paint, then what do I do to it.  It doesn't look landscape like your picture.  I tried making it more into a landscape picture but it didn't work. I just put the picture in there but it didn't work.  Definitely not landscaped like your picture.

[Reciprocity]

14 hours ago, QuittingGirl said:

Thank you @Reciprocity I downloaded a picture and put it in paint, then what do I do to it.  It doesn't look landscape like your picture.  I tried making it more into a landscape picture but it didn't work. I just put the picture in there but it didn't work.  Definitely not landscaped like your picture.

 

I normally only use paint to reduce the size of the photo as they start out very large if it's from your camera or phone. 

 

If you like you can PM me a copy of the pic you're wanting to use and I can play around with it & try adding it to my profile cover photo to see how it works? If you like it then I can tell you how to use it as your profile cover photo.

[QuittingGirl]

Thanks, I sent it to you in a PM.