Travel Forum
An opportunity to assist fellow travellers (and yourself) with insights, tips,
suggestions, questions, personal experience, and once in a while, a travel
anecdote. It works best with this format:
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We will keep items organized and archive them by topic. Your email address
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format:
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WTWS
May 5/09
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Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar
I've enjoyed steak in many restaurants around the world, but this was the best! Yes, it's expensive, but if you want to splurge and you enjoy steak, this is the place.
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Burly
private
May 6/09
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Papi's Ristorante Italiano (604-277-7444)
Ken Iaci, co-owner with wife Claudette, is engaging and worth the
price of admission. Ken offers cooking classes. Locals enjoy this restaurant. Ken employs his ex-wife
as the pastry chef. Go figure.
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WTWS
May 5/09
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If you are tired of getting zapped for parking
and want a good (and free) view of the Falls, merely park your car in the Sheraton Fallsview lot
on top of the hill and take the elevator to one of the top floors. Exit and look out the large corner
window. Don't forget your camera. Or, sit in the restaurant, have a bite to eat, and view the Falls.
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Burly
private
May 6/09
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Where's the best place to park in Toronto?
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WTWS
May 5/09
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Dear Burly, if you are driving in from the west, park at the
Kipling subway station. If it's full, drive to Oakville and take the Go train. You will save money.
Parking in Toronto will cost as much as $18 for the day. You will also save the hassle of driving
through rush-hour traffic which seems to last all day. In the east, take the subway at Kennedy Rd.
From the north, I usually park free at the Yorkdale Mall and again, take the subway. Toronto's
transit system is easy to use as most routes are either E-W or N-S.
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Andrea
private
June 26/09
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Port Hope also offers one-day parking passes to visitors, so if you are coming in to see a show or play at the Capitol Theatre the tourism visitors centre is located beside the box office; just ask for a pass!
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Kelly
private
July 6/09
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Visit the Art Gallery of Alberta for free! Free admission is in effect every Thursday from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
www.artgalleryalberta.com
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Kelly
private
July 6/09
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Enjoy a full day of fun with free admission to city attractions (including Fort Edmonton Park, Valley Zoo, and the Muttart Conservatory) and selected recreation centres every September. (All food services, rentals and ride tickets will be charged at the regular rate.)
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Kelly
private
July 6/09
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On Free Admission Day, don't forget to purchase a Family Fun Sampler Pass for yourself or as a gift, and enjoy a family single admission to Fort Edmonton Park, Valley Zoo, Muttart Conservatory, plus any one of the City of Edmonton's 13 sports and fitness facilities. Website:
www.edmonton.ca/free-admission-day.aspx;
www.activedmonton.ca
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Kelly
private
July 8/09
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In the summer, take a dip and cool off in the pools and fountains at the Alberta Legislature and City Hall. Don't forget your sunscreen!
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Kelly
private
July 8/09
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Pick up a copy of Priceless Fun, the City of Edmonton guide to low-cost and free activities around Edmonton. The guide is available at Edmonton Tourism Visitor Information Centres downtown and on Gateway Boulevard. Website:
www.activedmonton.ca/prcL_fun
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Kelly
private
July 8/09
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Enjoy half price admission at one of Canada's most popular museums, the Royal Alberta Museum. Half price admission is in effect every Saturday and Sunday between 9:00 am - 11:00 am. Website:
www.royalalbertamuseum.ca
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Kelly
private
July 8/09
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Using an Edmonton Transit System Day Pass, a family is able to travel on ETS buses and the LRT (Light Rail Train) all day for only $7.50. (Free transit provided on Family Day and New Year's Eve.) Website:
www.edmonton.ca
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Kelly
private
July 9/09
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During the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, show your Festival Program Guide, Fringe Benefits sticker or button (available by donation at the Fringe Gates) to an Edmonton Transit System operator and you and a friend can ride home free after 6:00 pm every day, to anywhere in the city! Website:
www.fringetheatreadventures.ca
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Kelly
private
Aug 22/09
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MC College Group: Let the students at MC College pamper you! Their services include hair care, esthetics and luxury spa treatments - all to fit a tight budget. Check online for additional savings with their monthly specials. Website: www.mccollege.ca
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Ottawa Jantine
July 13/09
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In summer, take the tour of Parliament BEFORE the Changing the Guard Ceremony which starts at 10:00 a.m. At 10:30, everybody and their brother wants to take the tour! Go at 9:00 a.m. (or pick up a same-day ticket for late in the day) instead.
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BlueHornet
July 26/09
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What's up, is there anybody else here?
If there are any real people here looking to network, leave me a post.
Oh, and yes I'm a real person...LOL.
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WTWS
Aug 1/09
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Attention Blue Hornet: Seems like we have a lot of shyness out there. So what's your favourite travel destination & why & what's the least likely place for you to return & why?
Cheers,
WTWS
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Erin Heldstab
private
Jan 25/10
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Check online to see if your destination has a convention and visitors bureau (commonly referred to as a CVB). CVBs have visitors guide publications, maps, sample itineraries and quality references for accommodations, restaurants and things to see and do. If you're planning a convention or meeting, CVBs also have on-site coordinators who can help with venues, finding the best hotel rates for your group and activities to entertain. Bottom line - CVBs are a one-stop-shop for planning your next travel adventure. For example, people traveling to see the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana should log on to
www.exploresouthbend.org for the South Bend/Mishawaka Convention and Visitors Bureau. There are countless resources available online and an easy way to request to have a Visitors Guide sent to your house. For your next trip, your first stop should be to your destination's CVB Web site!
Erin
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Amanda Santana
private
Jan 25/10
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This one-hour tour (tour starts every 20 minutes) is free and available in English and Spanish. When you arrive to the open-air area, ask the Bacardi greeter for tickets to the tour and he/she will also give you 2 free drink tickets per person. You could have a drink before the tour and one after, but no drinking during the tour! The tour includes a ride to the tour building, a history presentation of sugar cane and the making of rum, a movie about the Bacardi family, and a demo on how to make a good Cuba Libre and a Mojito. Drinking a Cuba Libre with Bacardi Rum at the end of the tour, I enjoyed the scenery and the nice breeze was wonderful! Bonus: sometimes they have local artists selling original paintings and carvings.
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Sandy Duquette
private
Jan 27/10
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Losing your documents can be a nightmare.... photo copy your passport, drivers license and voters registration card (Americans have this proving they can vote and only citizens can vote), and put this in your suitcase... if you are robbed or lose your documents you'll be happy you did.
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Ron Barker
private
Jan 28/10
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Are you planning to attend any events?
1. Arrive early - make sure you have enough time. City venues will open two hours before the start of events. Whistler and Cypress Mountain venues will open three hours before the start of events.
2. Take public transit - it's easy and reliable. There is NO spectator parking at any Olympic venue. Plus, show your Olympic event ticket and ride free on TransLink and BC Transit Systems on the day of your event.
3. Dress appropriately - dress for cold and wet weather. Remember to wear suitable footwear as you may have to walk on uneven, snowy or icy surfaces.
4. Have your tickets ready - and remember to take them with you. Lost or stolen tickets will not be replaced or refunded.
5. Prepare for the security screening - learn about the restricted items before you go. Food or drinks from home are not allowed, but there will be concession stands at all venues.
6. Payment options - Visa cards and cash are the only methods of payment accepted at Olympic venues.
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Karen Huefner
private
Jan 30/10
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Before traveling, lay out all your money and clothes for the trip. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.
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Mary Marie Fraser
private
Feb 7/10
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Roll up your clothing like cylinders and pack them side by side in your luggage. The clothes are less wrinkled when rolled up, and you save tons of space.
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Shannon Pinsent
private
Jan 30/10
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Scan your passport, telephone numbers, and credit card information and then e-mail them to yourself before you travel. This way, you'll be able to access the information via your mobile or you can make copies wherever there's Internet access.
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Sandra Stewart
private
Jan 31/10
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To curb hunger pains while waiting to go out for a late dinner, bring a snack pack from home: a small bottle of wine or can of pop, cheese portions, a sleeve of crackers, wrapped chocolate pieces and an apple (or other non-squishable fruit) all help to fill the void.
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Matthew Frank
private
Jan 31/10
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When in Oaxaca City, be sure to stay at Hotel Las Golondrinas (The Swallows Hotel) and eat breakfast in the garden courtyard surrounded by the namesake bird, gecko, and the dancing tree cohune palms, latex sap rubber trees, chicle gums, cyrillas, fan-leaved willow bustics, naked flame corals with their fat toxic seeds, buttress-root fig trees, pink geraniums, pungent berried madroño shrubs, a single long-limbed pecan, knife-trunked palmettos with their lavender bisexual flowers and black nectarine drupes, sapote negro, pomegranate, yagrumo macho timber, the orange spiked fruit of the sweetgum monkeyball, and buxom grapefruit bobbing like lures over what will be the best huevos rancheros you will have had in ages.
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Catherine Taylor
private
Feb 2/10
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Book extra time between flights and take advantage of airport hotel day rates. First, for pool use only. Take the kids for a swim that helps them burn off energy after sitting still and helps them sleep on the next leg. We've swum for as little as $25 for a family of four (in Chicago on our way to London). Second, check out the day rate for a room, this way you can swim-and-nap. This is great for international travel. We've done this in London and Amsterdam on our way to Africa. With fours hours there, the kids got a swim, real food, and a solid two-hour nap that saved us on our next long leg. A much more humane way to travel than just pushing through, and the day-rate was half of the overnight cost!
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Sandra Harper
private
Feb 4/10
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I often make reservation at HI Hostels on 76 Church Street. 1-416-971-4440 , toronto@hihostels.ca For a private B&B the cost is $80.91 and that includes free internet and wireless, an on-site cafe, TV lounge and laundry facilities. The location is perfect: centrally placed in downtown Toronto and near to a lovely shopping area, with lots of good restaurants. You can easily walk to museums, art galleries and shopping. I look forward to going back to Toronto this May. Right now I am volunteering in Kenya.
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