Monkie's Coming to Toronto!
 

Yup, you read Right! :D

I'm coming up to Rochester October 11-14th, 2005 and have 2 days free. One day, I will be at the University of Rochester for most of the day. The other, I plan to take the Lake Ontario CAT ferry over to Toronto and spend the afternoon taking in the beautiful city. Anybody want to join me????



The two days I have to choose from are Wednesday, October 12th, and Thursday, October 13. I can do it either day at this point because the professor is flexible, but I'd like to pin down a date ASAP so I can give him notice for my meeting with him.


Trip Details:


The ferry leaves Rochester at 8:00am, and Toronto at 7:00pm. The ride over takes approximately 2.5 hours, so I will dock and be free (unless Canada won't let me in) by 11:00am. I have never been in Toronto or Canada before, so have no idea what/where to go, little secrets about the city that I should learn, and what places are great for just relaxing and enjoying the day. Throw up your responses here if you're interested - let's get some ideas! :D

Either day is good for me. Like I said before, I'd love to meet you for lunch.

What to do with 8 hours in The Big Smoke? Do you want to shop? Go to museums and galleries? Tour historical sites? People watch? Score some cheap perscription drugs?

Let me know what your priorities are and I will give you a list of cool things to do.

This is cool.

I would like to but I find myself afraid to venture beyond the Barrier of the Daystar.

My family and I just came back from vacationing in Toronto. I used to spend my summers there as a kid. We drove up from the Philadelphia area to Niagara Falls, spent time there and took my boys on the Maid of the Mist boat to the base of the Falls, then drove on to Toronto. If you haven't seen Niagara Falls yet, that's worth the hour and a half drive from Toronto. I was dying to take the CAT back via Rochester but the boat schedule just didn't coincide with our plans.

Among other things to do in Toronto, make sure you go up in the CN Tower, the highest man made structure in the world, look down thru the glass floor about 1200ft straight down, and then go up to the upper observation deck which is several hundred feet higher than the main observation area. Also in Toronto, I kind of also enjoy cruising around (on foot) Yorkville one evening, cutesy trendy restaurants and shops around there.

I love people watching, and just wandering around and seeing where I end up - at least when I know where NOT to go beforehand :D. If the weather holds nicely, things outdoors would be first priority, I KNOW there's no way I can cover everything in less than half a day so not really even gonna try - the company's the best part :)

Honestly? There really aren't any places that are unsafe in downtown Toronto during the day.

If you are coming alone I could arrange to pick you up at the Ferry docks and get you started (it would be on my scooter so I can only take one passenger).

Let me think about a good walking tour.

Lucky amonkie.

SOMEDAY I will make it back to Rochester and to Toronto and see everyone.

Must start counting pennies.

Toronto is a beautiful city, Amonkie. I took the kids there last summer. The CN Tower was a great place to go. The rest of the things I did were kid-friendly, so I won't bore you with those. I loved walking around the city and comparing it to NYC. What a difference!

D'oh! Wish I could be there to illegally pile onto the awesome blue moped, but alas, I'll be... well pretty far away (opposite end of the earth).

I only will be able to smile and wave from Brantford while you are in TO - /me will be at work that week :(

Charlatan will be pure gold for you - I would like to have him take me on a walking tour of some of the places that Toronto has tucked away downtown. There are lots of places with great things to look at, and a picnic lunch down by the lakefront or by City Hall would be a good way to get your people watching fix :)

I'm looking at the chance of floatin' over there as well.....depends on the Job thing....but we shall see

**** UPDATE: ****
 

**** UPDATE: ****


I have selected the Toronto day to be Wednesday, October 12th - 10/12/05 - I ended up having a professor email me back who is only available the 13th.

Very cool... I will put it on my calandar...

Cellophanedeity... what is your class schedule like for that day?

I wish I lived closer to Toronto still:(

October weather is sometimes dicey... the monday of that week is our Thanksgiving (I believe it is usually the 2nd Monday in oct) but in the last few years it's been spectacular for weather for walking around.

Charl will prob take you around MuchMusic, Queen street, Spadina with Chinatown. And maybe the Eaton Centre for some crass commercialism and major people watching. The big radio stations are all along the strip there too (CFNY - the Edge, Q107 Classic Rock ) as well as the Hard Rock Cafe...

You should go for a walking tour of the University of Toronto campus as well. In the fall, it is gorgeous.

Tdot is so awesome..


lucky devil ermm monkie :p

Guccilvr... when were you last in TO?

Let me know next time, I'd be happy to buy you a drink.

Humm Muchmusic.....maybe you should get in there and do a speakers corner...and a shout out to everyone:D

It's been a few years.. 3 or 4 I think. Had a blast though. The underground scene was superb.

I gotta make a road trip there maybe next summer:D

It's hard for me to plan that far ahead, but I might see about showing up wherever you guys meet. As for what to do, the CN tower is great on a clear day and the restaurant is excellent, if a bit pricey. The ROM is good, if that's you're sort of thing and it's a great city for people watching. Shopping, we can go to the Eaton Centre and wander around.

Keep me posted and I'll see if I can turn up.

If we don't hear from Cello.... I may be tempted to wander the campus and ask every person walking by where we can find the stunning beauty named Cellophanedeity.... figure stop enough of them, and I may find her :p

I second Janey's suggestion to wander around UofT. Toronto shows its best on a clear fall day.

Charlatan: May I suggest an initial route on your scooter? Since you're starting at the ferry docks, you should continue up Cherry St. to check out the Distillery district, then follow Front/Wellington into downtown. Lots of great architecture, both old and new juxtaposed together; not to mention St. Lawrence market.

Come to think of it. St. Lawrence market would make a great location for lunch. Plenty of cheap, excellent food to choose from, and also a handy place to meet up with other Tfp'ers. You could people watch until your heart and stomach are content.

OOHH!!!

I am infinitely excited!!

I will have no class schedule on the 13th. It will be monkie day!

:D :D :D


I think Tecoyah will hopefully chime in affirmative (crosses fingers) as we get closer... this is going to be awesome


*Goes off to gather favors for gorgeous fall weather *

My classes are from 10-11, then from 1:30-4

They are all missable for the sake of amokie and charlatan though... ;)

Oh, and is abercock back in Toronto? I'd like to see him again too!

Tsk tsk, skipping classes already :lol:

I for one have no class that day to skip :thumbsup:

Cello... I think he's still in Hong Kong until November based on his post above.. :(

Unfortunately you are right... :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

Just bumping this for any updates and ideas ...



We still haven't heard from Paddyjoe and Teknotonee, the Rochester and Buffalo tfpers .... *PMs SENT * Anyone else thinking of joining? The more the merrier ... and I promise ... Charlatan can vouch .. I don't bite .. at least not hard :p


Any ideas for the day so far, Charlatan? I will have my camera ... if for no other reason than to see the sexiness that is you and your Vespa :D

I am formulating a plan for you as I write this... most of it depends on how many will be joining you.

If it is just you, I will be ferrying to some of the outlying areas like the Beaches for a coffee and then back into the core, with side trips through Leslieville, Riverdale, The Danforth and Queen's Park/Museum...

Then I figure I can let you loose on West Queen West for some cool boutique shopping and lunch.

Then there is a choice of the Art Gallery, the Distillery District (old distillery now slightly touristy with losts of craftspeople, artists and restaurants.

If time permits, there are also some cool cemetaries (this will be good if Paddyjoe comes as I know he likes them).

The only snag is this... if it's just you. We take my scooter. If more, I can probably arrange to have the car in which case I have room for you an two more... small car.

Looks Like I wont be making the trip.....I have meetings in buffalo

I'd like to join in if I may. I could meet up for lunch at least. I'll have my car so I can make it anywhere you decide to go. All of Charlatan's ideas are excellent.

So far it sounds like just me * grumbles at Buffalo ... greedy greedy people... but we can't ALL have tecoyah :p *

That sounds like a great plan Charlatan - I've got no worries about having a great time, so as long as I get myself to the ferry dock on your side, I'm just gonna jump when you say so :)

October the 12th its a wednesday and I work sunday-tuesday...I will see what happens, might beable to get out that way!

just gotta keep my car out fo the shop... :D

OK... So we should get a role call of those Torontonians (and Kingstonians) that would like to join and when they are free.

Cellophanedeity - yes
Fresnelly - yes
Charlatan - yes
Seige - ?
Pain Train - ?
Martian - ?
Janey - ? (you probably have to work but maybe you could meet us at the dock to say goodbye?)

Count me in if you have space. If you don't, i'm not very important


Wednesday I have no class, so free pretty much the whole day.

Seige, you are Too important :icare:


Maybe this would work: Charlatan ... you meet me at the dock. at the 10:30 or whatever time .. woo me with the dazzling speed of the Vespa and a road tour of Toronto ... then we meet up with everybody at a central location near U of T or downtown for lunch and whatever else we want to do for the rest of the afternoon?

I was tempted to interject with some flippant comment about Charlatan's following Amonkie's suggestion by giving her a bedroom tour coupled with his demonstration of dazzling speed :lol:

Fortunately my maturity and respect kept me from posting any such sillyness :thumbsup: