Days 2-4 in Canada

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678) 09/08/2015 at 10:09 • Filed to: None

2

27

Just got home last night from my super fun trip to Toronto with my girlfriend. I originally planned on making a post each day but I got a little side-tracked with enjoying the adventure and internet was hard to come by.

DAY 1, Escaping the US and Niagara Falls:
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

DAY 2, City Exploring:

We spent Saturday exploring the city of Toronto. Main places that we hit were Chinatown (Spadina ave), University of Toronto, Kensington Market, Church and Wellesley (gay village), Bloor street, and down by the harbor-front to check out the water and the CN tower. Fun filled day and very beautiful weather. The $11 day pass (for two people) on the public transit was great since the street car and subway made getting around really easy. We both want to go back to see more and eat at some places we thought looked really cool. After that, we finished off the night by seeing a drive-in movie. We watched Straight out of Compton and Uncle, and we didn’t stay for the third movie since it was already like 130am lol.

Day 3, Driving tour:
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Sunday was spent exploring the cottage country area of Muskoka (I think that is where we were at least). This was a pretty long drive but it was worth it to see the country side, spend some time on “Miata roads” and just do something different. Would have been nice to spend a day up there but it was fine for the amount of time we had. Stopped along Lake Simcoe to get some ice cream, had a great time on Southwood Road (route 13), stopped in Honey Harbour, and got rained on while heading back south on the 400. Overall a fun day and we ended it with some nice dinner in Port Credit. Very fun area there too!

Day 4, Return to Murica :
Monday (Labor Day or Labour Day as the Canadians call it) was mainly spent returning home to the US. We did take a different route home though just to vary things up. This day was spent driving East past Toronto around the northern side of Lake Ontario. We stopped in Kingston for a bit to walk around, enjoy the weather, and buy some maple syrup. Also stopped at this tourist trap called “The Big Apple” which had some decent Apple pie!

This was a cool building in Kingston, looked important so we stopped there. We had no internet of course and didn’t plan out anything for where to go in Kingston. Just drove around randomly until we saw this building and stopped for a while to walk around.

There was a little flea-market style thing set up in front of that building. They had this book set up on one of the tables! I was tempted to buy it since it was only $3 but I really needed my last few Canadian dollars to buy syrup. Still thought it was a funny find.

We definitely needed something touristy to buy and it was really good tasting anyways. Go Canada!

The remainder of the drive was rather pretty going over the Thousand Islands area and then down 81 through NY and PA. We actually spent a couple hours of it with the top up and the AC on since it was hot and we were tired. Didn’t negatively affect my gas mileage much at all which was great!

I thought this sign was hilarious and had to get picture. Someplace in NY while taking a detour (NY route 11) to avoid traffic on 81.

CANADA, EH!

This was a lovely trip and I am glad to have taken my Miata along with us for the adventure. Top down weather the whole time, very little traffic (for a holiday weekend), and a unique adventure through a different country made for a wonderful time. We both have a great appreciation for Canada now and would love to go back. The exchange rate was amazing and helped make the trip pretty cheap too. It was like $0.76 to the dollar so basically everything was 25% cheaper for us. Even though gas was like $4 a gallon (rough conversion of units), my full tank was still under $30 after the conversion rate.

Lol, first picture that came up when I googled “Miatas in Canada". I should have tried getting a picture of my car next to a Canadian flag, but oh well.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/08/2015 at 10:15

0

Fun fact: I was in Toronto as well this weekend.

Wacko > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/08/2015 at 10:42

0

I told you to put your winter tires on. :)

Free wifi at every tim hortons, Mcdonalds....

Moves-Like-Senna > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 09/08/2015 at 10:42

2

Fun fact 2: I was in Toronto as well this weekend

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Moves-Like-Senna 09/08/2015 at 10:51

0

did you pass by the Royal Ontario Museum? I was there.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Wacko 09/08/2015 at 10:54

0

Yeah, I definitely could have tried harder to find free wifi. But realistically it was more the being too busy either exploring or sleeping to bother with it. I didn’t miss cell service one bit!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Moves-Like-Senna 09/08/2015 at 10:55

1

Haha lots of people went to Toronto then, neato!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 09/08/2015 at 10:55

0

Where is that at?

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/08/2015 at 10:58

0

100 Queens Park, in the older part of Toronto. I was there for some rather odd interpretation of a ‘wedding’.

Wacko > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/08/2015 at 11:14

0

hope not for the cell service, the only place you can lose service is in the regions in the middle of nowhere. but in any city no problems.

Wacko > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 09/08/2015 at 11:15

0

wait you where at the museum for a wedding??

how old was the bride, 2000 years old?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Wacko 09/08/2015 at 11:23

1

well my cell service is US only so it didn’t really matter that we were in the middle of a city, no signal there! I had my girlfriend with me though so I didn’t have anyone else I cared to be in contact with.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Wacko 09/08/2015 at 11:54

0

Indeed i was. And no, she was in her 20’s.

Moves-Like-Senna > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 09/08/2015 at 12:10

0

I most definitely did, Sunday around 3-5:30 pm. Are you from Canada or the states?

Moves-Like-Senna > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 09/08/2015 at 12:11

0

Wait! I saw that too, did we overlap?

Dunnik > Wacko 09/08/2015 at 13:13

0

Glad you enjoyed Toronto - and the favourable exchange rate, heh.

That the building you saw in Kingston “looked important” is working as intended. It was built in 1844 as the legislature for the then Province of Canada, but then they moved the capital before the legislature convened and so today it’s used as Kingston’s city hall.

For future reference, free wifi can be had at any Tim Hortons (there’s one, like, every 100 feet) and McDonalds or at any library or public building.

If you re-visit southern Ontario in the fall, be sure to drive along the famous Algonquin Parkwa y.

Wacko > Dunnik 09/08/2015 at 13:18

0

sorry wrong person.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/08/2015 at 15:57

0

Probably near Syracuse area, definitely an Onondaga or Seneca (One of the Haudenosaunee nations) language. Pretty neat actually. Grew up in the area so I’m sorta familiar with the Native American presence in the region.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 09/08/2015 at 16:31

0

So how does one attempt to pronounce that name?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Moves-Like-Senna 09/08/2015 at 16:37

0

Wait, this is at University of Toronto correct? I remember seeing a wedding party there while walking through on Saturday. I think we all crossed paths without knowing.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Dunnik 09/08/2015 at 16:41

1

Yeah if the exchange rate stays that way, I would definitely go back sooner rather than later. I did know that Kingston used to be the capital (not sure where it is now though?) but that is cool about the significance of it. I always enjoy historical buildings like that outside of the US. Algonquin Parkway looks awesome but that is even more out of the way from Toronto lol. Canada is so big!

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/08/2015 at 16:47

0

Haudenosaunee or the one on the sign? If the one on the sign, yeah, I haven’t a clue, I don’t speak the languages.

Haudenosaunee is hawd in sawnee (kinda)

More simply Haudenosaunee peoples are also called Iroquois or the Six Nations in an easier to say English name. Haudenosaunee is what they call themselves, roughly translated as “People of the Long House.”

Picture was kinja’d but that’s their flag, also known as the Hiawatha belt.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Moves-Like-Senna 09/08/2015 at 20:46

0

I was there Saturday night, 6pm to 2 am.

Dunnik > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/09/2015 at 02:08

0

Yea, it’s a bit far to go just for a drive - most people who go up there go for the massive Provincial Park - but during the fall its one of the most breathtaking drives (cue Jeremy Clarkson voice) in the world .

I only mention it because you said you went up into Muskoka, which is more than halfway there.

The capital was moved to Ottawa, where it is today, because politics. The Province of Canada was formed with the union of two previously separate colonies, Quebec and Ontario. The French Canadians felt, with good reason, that sighting the capital in english Ontario wasn’t fair, but the Anglos wouldn’t accept a capital in Montreal or Quebec City.

Nobody knew what to do until Queen Victoria pointed on the map to the Ottawa River, which forms much of the border. Put it there, she said. And so they did. An added bonus was that Ottawa, being so far upriver, was less likely to be invaded and burned by US troops (the War of 1812 was only 30-40 years before).

As mentioned Kingston was the provisional capital for a time, and the city got busy building this grand neo-classical structure to house the legislature. But then they (our British overlords) moved it to Ottawa, and so the city is gifted with a rather overpowered city hall.

Dunnik > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/09/2015 at 02:15

0

The ROM, UofT and Queen’s Park are all within walking distance of each other, so yes, you probably did all cross paths.

UofT is a popular wedding photo spot, especially under the stunning neo-gothic arch of the entrance to University College. Too popular, really. In the summer it seems like every 5 minutes they’res some new group of hopeful newly marrieds showing up.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 09/09/2015 at 08:29

0

Ahh okay, I recognize Hiawatha and Iroquois from the Civilization games. And I recall seeing a sign about something Long House in a Native America territory on Route 38 in Ontario. Did not know the other names! But yeah, I was referring to the sign because it looks crazy.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Dunnik 09/09/2015 at 08:34

1

Thank you for the Canadian history lesson, it is definitely interesting. I should probably read into it some more, it is a shame that I never really learned much outside of US history in school. Maybe some bits and pieces of European stuff too but never anything on Canada. I am assuming most of the population is within Ontario and Quebec then? Are the other areas mostly just rural territories then? I would definitely like to check out the Provincial Park some day since it is driving distance from home.

Dunnik > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/09/2015 at 12:55

0

Eighty percent of the Canadian population (of 35m, about the same as California) lives within a few hundred miles of the US border, where most of the arable land is. And you assume correctly: most (60%) of the population lives in Ontario and Quebec.

Provincial Parks are, as you’ve likely figured out, just like State Parks in the US, except usually wilder and bigger. Algonquin is probably the most famous of them all, serving as inspiration for the “ Group of Seven ” artists.