Hello my pony loving friends.

There is a non-pony item I have my sights on on Ebay, going for $118 Cad and free shipping from Thailand. For this scenario, what should I expect the customs charge to be? Is it just provincial tax (13%)? Or something more? How frequently and at what price points do y'all get hit with customs fees?

I'm not an online/international shopper (maybe a maximum of three times in my life, and they took place at least ten years ago or longer), so I'm completely ignorant in how things work nowadays. I want to know what the true price I'd be paying before deciding if I want to take the plunge. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Oooh look at that! Everyone's art is great
(But... where are mine? Maybe you didn't have time to post them in there yet ^^' )

I even double checked your email and was like "yes I already added them." Minty and Tuneful have entered the herd.

@Duenia- Two jobs seemed like such a good idea at the time, right? Did you still want to add a pony to the fray? Or do you have to unfortunately drop out for this round no repercussions, like obligations always come first)?

PMs have not been sent out yet...of course, my weekend job asked me to fill in last minute today because my coworker had a family emergency. There went my whole evening.

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/en
https://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.

Quote from: aluke on February 28, 2017, 02:06:27 PM

Quote from: MsMedley on February 27, 2017, 08:19:40 AM

Quote

I still haven't worked past the sketch at this point, so I think I may have to bail on my contribution and skip on painting the meadow for something a lot simpler...I feel so bad on falling short as a host but too much work  and the absolutely crummy weather has shot my motivation.

I'm sorry you're also struggling with motivation. These winter months seem to do the same thing to me! I know I wouldn't mind if you move the submission date back a bit, if it will help!

Ugh yes, winter can be horrible. Over here we hit a new record in cloudy/sunless days this season, and that has not been helping. Now the weather can't decide between being winter or Spring. I am throwing in an extension, so feel free to take your time.

Quote from: BethMcBeth on February 27, 2017, 09:13:35 AM

Hey Aluke let me know if you need help with a background maybe I can jump in.

You are the best, thank you for offering to help out. 


And, so yes, since I still need to send out PMs and haven't heard from a few people, I am throwing up an extension, tentative of two weeks for now? I have to work tonight and tomorrow morning, but I am off in the evening and WILL send out reminder PMs to anyone who hasn't submitted their final art then. 

I've been lurking while finishing mine up.  I just checked and you said no extra details.  Does that mean no shading (was curious about this) because if so, I'm done.

Oh, shading is more than welcome if you want to add it. The extra details was relating to bgs/fgs or irrelevant props like random floating flowers/hearts/symbols/etc. Simple accessories, on the other  hand, are fine (for example, I got one pony drawn wearing the hat she came with, and another who is carrying balloons). Hope that clears things up.

Quote from: aluke on February 19, 2017, 11:38:12 PM

I have not been doing a great job of keeping up with the arena, this thread, or my part in the collab so I apologize! I will see if I can send out some PMs to everyone I'm waiting on tomorrow, but is anyone lurking here in need of an extension?

Possibly? Work unexpectedly picked up and I have the fun of putting in extra hours.

Story of my life right now, I totally understand.

I am excited to see everyone's art together <3

The artwork I have received so far is absolutely stunning, I can say that much. 

Ugh, why do I always wait til last minute on these things?? TO the art table!!

Lol! I'm right there with you. You got this.


That said, I have not gotten around to the PMs yet (I was out of the house when I checked in last time, and had to run to work that night). I also have a couple PMs I still haven't opened yet (SORRY!). I still haven't worked past the sketch at this point, so I think I may have to bail on my contribution and skip on painting the meadow for something a lot simpler...I feel so bad on falling short as a host but too much work  and the absolutely crummy weather has shot my motivation.

I have not been doing a great job of keeping up with the arena, this thread, or my part in the collab so I apologize! I will see if I can send out some PMs to everyone I'm waiting on tomorrow, but is anyone lurking here in need of an extension?

That does sound like an amazing idea. Simple and very MLP in my opinion. Today was a de-stress/rest day (and did I need it), so hopefully tomorrow I won't be a lazy butt and can work on Muse and the bg after getting my passport renewal all taken care of.

I finally beat the E4! I still need to reflect, but I think Sun & Moon claimed the spot as my second favourite gen/story line. Seriously loved Lillie throughout, she felt more like the main character in this story than me/the player character. I think I can go on and on about my thoughts, but since most everyone here has long since beat the game, I don't think anyone would be in the mood to discuss.

I will make note that the champion was a huge jerk to start with stealth rocks, considering 5/6 of my team had a rock weakness. 

My original plan was to restart once to replay the story, but now I want to dive into all the post game stuff and fill the Aloladex.