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I was all excited until I read you were visiting the wrong side of the country.
GTA native here able to give you some advice.First up, transit. We have a pretty great one--in the sense that it can take you almost anywhere in the city for $3.25 a trip (if you are going to be travelling a lot, our month passes are just under $150, but there should also be a student rate if you're at UoT). http://www.ttc.ca/ is the website for the transit system and all the info you will need.As said, we do not have a Disneyland, and not every mall here has a Disney Store, but a few of them do. Off the top of my head, I know the Eaton's Centre, Yorkdale Mall, Vaughan Mills, and Scarborough Town Centre have one. (the latter two would be a little more out of the way if you're in the heart of DT Toronto though). A lot of the places I'm going to list do close for the winter, so they would be places you should visit as early as possible if you're interested.If you're interested in theme parks, we do have Wonderland. I can't give you the most up to date info because I'm not a thrill rides kind of person and have only been there twice in the past decade, but there are lots of rides and September should be the better month to go because kids will be back in school so won't be a chaotic zoo. https://www.canadaswonderland.com/Niagara Falls is about an hour and a half away by car, may be a little longer by bus, so honestly, I would say it's better to do an overnight stay if possible, but also not required. There is a lot of smaller souvenir shops there and museums, haunted houses, and other small attractions on Clifton Hill which is next to the falls. Niagara on the Lake is a little distance away from the falls (would need a vehicle to get there from the falls) but is also a quaint, less busy, little place to walk with lots of little shops and by the waterfront Since you mentioned shopping, there is a fairly big outlet mall nearby as well (would need a vehicle to get there too).Toronto Island/Centre Island is a scenic place to walk/bike (They have rentals) around and has a very small amusement park (I think it's all kids rides actually). You would need to take a ferry across which can be it's own nice experience. It's currently closed due to flooding, but is supposed to be open to the public by August, so unless they delay it again, that shouldn't effect you.We also have a pretty fun zoo that had baby Pandas last year that should be grown up now. The CN Tower is a great place to get a view of the city up high for sure. Usually, a lot of our waterfront festivals occur during the summer months, but there may be some stragglers that take place in Sept, early October. But if nothing else, it's nice to walk along. We also a nice beach/boardwalk (not really a place for swimming, but you're here in the fall anyway) as well as another niche street full of little stores referred to as The Beaches. If you're into art, we do have a neat night event called Nuit Blanche on Sept. 30th. A bunch of artists have little art exhibits set up all around downtown from evening until dawn. https://nbto.com/In terms of weather, I can't give you any accurate advice. It has been beyond confusing the past few years. We saw one or two small snowfalls before Christmas, but mostly warm for Toronto winter standards, and I think it was either Jan/Feb before we had a real winter. I would say have a good jacket with you, and a mix of cooler and warmer clothing options. I can say humidity is a thing here, we are bordering Lake Ontario, so our highs are hot and gross, and our lows feel colder than typical.Shopping? We have lots. I can't really list any souvenir stores because it isn't exactly my market, but there should be dozens scattered about. Lots of little one off stores around, as well as many malls and chain stores about. And most importantly, lots of food. Toronto is super multicultural so you can find cuisines from practically ANY culture. Our dollar is pretty lousy right now, though, so don't necessarily expect 'cheap'. Walmart is probably the best place for cheap clothes/groceries/stationary. But you can also try out Dollarama. Not quite a dollar store anymore, around $1-5, but they have lots of stationary, some food, and cheap household supplies you may need like mugs, plates, toiletries, etc. Haha, I can't really sell my city as a tourist destination since I take a lot of our attractions for granted. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to let you know. But otherwise, if you need any help, feel free to contact me when you're down here. Hope you will have an awesome time.Edit: Oh, a couple of places I forgot to mention (that are indoors and year round) and all easily accessible. We have the ROM which is a fairly nice museum, the AGO is our art gallery, Ripley's Aquarium (that I have yet to check out, it's only a few years old, but have heard good things about), and The Science Centre, which is more geared towards kids, but I think adults can still get a kick out of, or at least catch a few science documentaries if that's your thing.http://www.rom.on.ca/enhttps://ago.ca/https://www.ripleyaquariums.com/canada/https://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/Also, just want to clarify, a train from TO to NYC is over 15 hours, driving is 8-10. It's not close at all especially if you are looking for more day trip/activities.
I live on the other side of the country, so I can't help you with local Toronto things. But I can advise with some baisic tips to surviving a Canadian winter. Here is Canada winter boot camp 101:1. Invest in some winter gear. I'm talking snow coats, boots, gloves and a scarf. Doesn't have to be top end, but should be able to keep you warm. The scarf will be needed on windy days. Cold wind is cold and brutal. When true windchill (fancy term for what the temperature feels like with wind on unprotected skin) feels like -28, frostbite can occur in thirty minutes. -40, and you have ten minutes. -55, and environment Canada encourages you to not go outside. But temperatures below -30 are rare over here in good ol Alberta, so I don't think you have to worry. But do invest in keeping yourself warm. And remember: ice is slippery. Watch where you step. Many injuries in winter happen from falls. Do not be a statistic!2. Know the location of your nearest coffee shop. I would advise a Tim Hortons, but any will do. It's a Canadian coffee chain, and also has got chocolate! This will not only allow you shelter from the cold, you can also warm yourself up with a nice hot beverage.3. Look both ways before crossing the street. I know this should go without saying, but I advise you do especially in the winter. The roads are wet and slippery. So in addition to those few who are horrible drivers and should probably be on canadas worst driver (hilarious television show) you now have to worry about potential accidents from the weather. Stay safe.4. Have fun. Snow can be fun. But you may get hit with a case of snow blindness. This is where, in very sunny days, the snow reflects the sunlight directly into your eyes, causing temporary blindness, like staring at a lightbulb. It won't cause any permanent damage, and it's abnormal occurrence. If you are planning on going skiiing, bring sunscreen. The light and uv rays bounced off he snow will cause sunburn.Have I scared you off yet? No? Well, have fun coming over here to the great white north! Oh! And I just realized something! Your coming at the end of august. You will get to see the geese flying south for the winter! That's my favorite part of fall. If you hear honking and see a v shape of birds in the sky, that's geese. Admire the majestic beauty of these big birds.
Hi I have nothing useful to add but I hope you have a great time on your trip. Even though you won't be coming behind the Iron Curtain into the US, it's still fun to know the alicorn Pinky will be visiting my continent!Have you seen this clapping Pinky .gif i found? fun, isn't it visitors can't see pics , please register or login
Oh! I just realized another awesome thing you probably have never seen! In the fall the leaves on the trees become orange, red and yellow! And then they fall off. Hence why we call it fall. Think of the running of the leaves in mlp. However, we don't have a running of the leaves. Not sure if you get it in tropical areas, but it's a pretty sight. And you get to have Canadian maple syrup! I've been to Australia. The syrup there isnt anything like Canada. You want good maple syrup, go to Canada. Enough said. Put it on your pancakes! Oh! And you also get to see poutine! It's a Canadian thing of french fries with gravy and cheese curds on top. It's more of a Quebec thing, but most folks thing of that when they hear Canada. Speaking of Quebec, did you know that everything in Canada is in both French and English? We are a bilingual country. And those are our two official languages. But you probably won't hear much French in Toronto. It's a Quebec language, as Quebec was a French colony a long time ago. Again, have fun on your travels. Have you ever watched hockey? Here in Canada, it's a big thing. Even though our national sport is lacrosse. Do not argue with a hockey fan over hockey. If you do, grab a few beers. You're gonna need them!
1) How does public transport work? Busses are the main public transportation, most cities don't have subways / light rail. Consult with your exchange program but you'd probably qualify for student monthly or semester bus pass prices, which are far more reasonable than paying cab fare. All that's usually needed is your student ID card to qualify. Cabs aren't really a big thing in Canada - most of the time you need to call to have one arrive wherever you are, it's not like NYC with flocks of them cruising around. 2) What places are a must-see? Toronto has lots of nice places to visit, like the Toronto Zoo or the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). Canada's Wonderland is located nearby - it's sort of like Disneyland, only far smaller. TBH unless you're a kid or never been to an amusement park before it's, well, not going to be that novel. We spent more time in the waterpark last visit than at the rides; lines are loooong most days for thrill rides. It's weekends only after August and closed after October so check the park schedule before planning a visit. If you're going to go more than twice, a season pass is more affordable than the day passes. 3) Seasons!Oh goodness. Yeah, seasons are going to be interesting for you!You're going to need the full gamut of clothing to cover those months - August is hot, things cool down quickly between October and November (but we can have big swings between daytime and nighttime temps, so sometimes you'll need to carry gear for +/- 20 degrees on the same day!) and by the end of December there's often snow, though it doesn't always stick around until January. The autumn months are unpredictable, can be hot and dry or cold and wet or any combination thereof. Going to see the forests change colour is pretty spectacular, even for someone who's used to it, but how nice the display is any given year varies by the weather.In short, you're going to need a variety of clothes. Everything from shorts/skirts/t-shirts to sweaters, pants and fleecies. Bring stuff you can layer. An umbrella and waterproof jacket - imagine you'd already have these, and a variety of footgear. Sandals/walking shoes for warmer temps, and good boots if you have them. Toronto doesn't get as much snow as many places but you will likely need some snow gear, most importantly a sturdy set of footwear and a winter coat, plus the usual hat, gloves/mitts, scarf. Buy comfortable over stylish when it comes to boots. You will be spending most of your outdoor time in them, and it's misery if you've got cold or pinched feet.4) Finally, I'd like to ask about shopping! Will have to leave this for the Toronto locals, but my experiences as a visitor were that things were a bit more expensive than Ottawa but not by much. Toronto does have a really good assortment of specialty shops for art and cultural stuff.
I second the ROM. It was always a nice place to go to for school trips but its not just for kids. Lots of pretty to look at and lots to learn.Depending when you get here the Ex MIGHT still be open. Its a seasonal themepark with much shopping and food.