Toronto Advice?
 

Hi all!

I may have the opportunity to take on a 3 - 6 month assignment in Toronto this year. I've put my name in the hat as willing to go, and from what I hear from my coworkers, there aren't many of us willing, so hopefully my odds are good.

I will be 'based' downtown in the financial district area, and would love to get any input from y'all on everything under the sun. Some things I've thought of are:

- how long can a US citizen stay in Canada?
- I think my company will get me a furnished apartment, is that the best route for lodging?
- public transportation is available, right?
- what are the must-do things while I'm up there? I think I'll be able to come home at a minimum every-other-weekend, so that'll leave me some time to explore.
- and of course, who are the cool FTers that I need to meet when I'm up there??

I welcome any other input too -- this is new to me and I know there are hundreds of things I haven't even though about yet! TIA!

To work in Canada, you will need to get a work permit. They are usually good for one year. If you still need to be in Canada for work after that, you can get another one. Your company should handle that with a lawyer.

A furnished apartment probably is the best idea. There are a number of different buildings with corporate apartments in them along Yonge and Bay. If you are working in the financial district, try and get something that is south of Bloor.

Transit is available, and if you are working downtown and living along the subway line, very easy to use. Best to get a limo to and from the airport.

If you are going to be here in the summer, there are a lot of festivals that run on the almost every weekend in the summer worth checking out.

Obvious tourist attractions are the CN Tower, Casa Loma, Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario and Metro Toronto Zoo. The Bata Shoe Museum is supposedly really interesting. Toronto has lots of great, ethnic and mixed neighbourhoods. Check out Kensington Market, China Town, Little India, The Danforth (Greek) and Little Italy to start.

Enjoy TO,
Greg

If you are into bending the plastic then you must head up to Yorkville. Lots of yuppie eateries and shops to indulge in.

www.toronto.com will give you a taste of what is going on when in the city.

I spent 18 months there in a serviced apartment and loved it. Even the brutal winter was a bit of a novelty for me.

I would love to go back to Canada to live. Maybe someday. ^

You have now managed to connect my two favourite places in NA. I have some great friends in Kyle TX who are Aggie fans and I worked in TO for 18 months after leaving SAT. :cool:

awesome! odds are I will be there during the summer...yes, YYZ in summer where it'll be beautiful and nice, as opposed to DFW where it'll be H-O-T; sounds like a good plan to me!

thanks!! :)

the winter scares me a bit ...my boss threw out there going in June and staying til December -- ummm, I'm used to TX winters so novelty is a good word, indeed.

love hearing about Aggies -- we're everywhere! ^ thanks for the link and all!

Hey,

When my family first came to visit Canada the winter before moving, it was brutal. -16C tempreatures and tons of snow. We thought we would never survive. However as soon as we moved, and we had our first winter as residents, the coldness became much more bearable. We got to go skiing, skating on lakes ( it was amazing :) ) and it really made us feel "Canadian."

Another great thing about the winter here is that the weather is usually pleasant (bright and sunny) even if it is very cold, unlike London, where it is quite rainy and cloudy most of the time.

Cheers

I dont think we've had a normal winter in YYZ for 2 years maybe 3. One day its -12c, the next +8c. Very odd weather indeed. In the summer we can and often do hit +30-35c and +40-45c with the humidex. IIRC this past summer was the worst for smog days. That being said I woudlnt move for anything. YYZ is a great city with loads to do and see.

Toronto Forum on FT: http://flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=508

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thanks everyone! Any other input is appreciated! I'm off to check out the Toronto forum too!

Hi Aggie Girl,

Another suggestion to find info on the Toronto area, is to post your requests on the Air Canada forum, here on FT. You'll find lots of useful answers from Torontonians (or Hogtowners, as Toronto used to be known many years ago). May be more of a response to all your questions.

Downtown transportation is good, via the subway, buses, or trolleys. I agree with using a limo from/to the airport. About $45-50 CAD, depending on where you're going in the downtown area.

By the way, if you're planning to be here longer then expected, get ready for winter!! Today, after a very mild January, we've got rain, freezing rain, snow, ice pellets, and wind. Not bad so far, but much more forecast for tonight. More snow predicted for most of next week.

But, aside from the weather (it can get muggy in July, August), TO is a great city to work in and visit, and I'm sure you'll find lots to keep you occupied and interested. Enjoy.!!!

bj-21.

thanks for all of the above info, I will pop over to the Air Canada forum later! :) And yikes on the winter thing....I'm going to have to gear up for that, literally and figuratively!