Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler OT: New Year’s Eve in Toronto

Axiom is from Canada so what better place to ask a question about Canada than here
My wife and I are considering that it might be fun to drive to Toronto from DC for the New Year’s weekend.
Well, I have a 'naïve' question ...> Do I need a passport to cross the border or my Virginia driving license and a birth’s certificate is ok? (btw:I’m a US Citizen).

Also, it’s my first time there so any recommendations on ‘do-not-miss’ places or events will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jaime

I'm not from Canada, but I crossed the border (through Washington) a few months ago without the proper ID, and it was a minor pain. To save yourself some trouble, a passport is easiest, but your DL plus birth certificate will work just fine.

Jaime, hopefully some of our Toronto residents will chime in to help you out.

Since you live in DC, I think you might benefit from some "local" input. I live in Rochester, NY which is about 40-50 miles SE of Toronto as the crow flies, but 3 1/2 hours as the car drives (around the lake).

If you come up Rte 79 thru PA, you will hit at least 2 snow belts - Edinboro/Erie and Buffalo. If you come up Rte81 to Syracuse and go east on the NYS Thruway, you wil hit 3 snow belts - Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. That's the US part of the trip and please note that you will need to go through Buffalo. I can't speak for Canada between Buffalo/Niagra Falls and Toronto, but I'm guessing that there is a snow belt there as well. Also, the mountains in PA or West Virginia could be interesting.

In general, these snow belts are fed by "lake effect" snow. Cold air picks up warm moisture as it crosses the lake and dumps large amounts on the population. We're not talking snow flurries here; 5" - 10" at a crack is not uncommon.

To give you a sense of quantity, Rochester & Syracuse average about 100" of snow per year - more than 8 feet. Buffalo gets much more than that (but then, they deserve it ).

So, let's get to your question. Toronto is a great city to visit. It is Canada's cultural (Broadway shows & such) capital and they do it well. Restaurants to die for. You should be able to find a great package deal of some type on line if you apply yourself.

Having said all of that, I provided you with the input on snow without sugar coating. Not intended to scare you off, but to at least let you consider what you might face. There might be better times of the year t schedule a road trip here, unless you have 4 wheel drive. If so, come on up .

Practically, all you need is drivers license + birth certificate. Officially, I believe the rule is that a US citizen only needs birth certificate, but they have the right to require a passport to prove you are a US citizen

The rules are the same for Canadians going down to the US. I normally bring my passport just in case but have never had a problem with just license & birth certificate.

I live in Toronto so I never know about anything interesting except when someone comes from out of town with a list of interesting places to see...

Jamie, can you give us an idea of what you and your wife enjoy? It is hard to narrow things down. Of course, there is the CN Tower and Ontario Place. There are also great deals on Mama Mia tickets and various other theatre productions.

Have you been to the Toronto Tourism Website?

I would recommend to bring passports to minimize the problems.

There are many things to do in Toronto, such as theater, chinatown (very good food), CN tower (good as a lookout point),

this website http://www.toronto.com/ has some tourist info that is easily accessible.

Thank you all for the wonderful help.
I asked the question about the passport because I don't have one, to lazy to go get one , my wife do have hers, tho.

Ray3, thanks for the snow advice, I'm originally from Puerto Rico (US territory), the snow is still part of the 'fun' although I know it may be inconvenient or even dangerous. I was not aware that it snow so much in that area. I need to get back with my wife on the snow thing; I don't want to be stuck in the snow up there and my wife going 'they told you so'

My wife and I enjoy international cuisine (restaurants), a play or musical might be nice as well. I'll love to see the city architecture, art galleries and museums. I went to the Toronto tourism site, so many great things to do! I don't think 3 days will be enough.


Jaime

As a general statement, the snow you will experience in the Buffalo area (Syracuse/Albany) is MUCH worse than in Southern Ontario...and the temps are generally colder in Buffalo than Toronto.

I point this out to dispell any "They are in Canada, so it must be worse weatherwise" We are lucky to get the benefit of Lake Ontario and Erie to control the local climates

Jaime,

You are looking at something like 10-11 hours in the car from DC to Toronto. Assume 5 tanks of gas for getting there, driving around and going back. 20 gallons per fill up times $2.10/gal = $42 per fill up. Five fill ups times $42 = $210. Plus whatever you spend on parking and food during the trip.

If this is a holiday treat/vacation kind of thing, I'll guess you can probably find something on the web for a flight that won't be much more than the cost of the drive, save yourself alot of driving time AND not have the hassle of finding your way around downtown Toronto/manage your car. Most of the stuff you might do would be within walking distance of a nice hotel.

I'm betting that Parking in Toronto is going to add considerably to the cost and frustration. I like Ray's suggestion. I mean, nobody drives in NY, DC or Boston - why would you want to do it in Toronto?