Canada or America?

[Matteo]

So, there's a package deal to go to Toronto. Flights and accommodation.

Few questions:

How is the climate in Toronto in December? I know it's cold, but how cold? Also, does it snow?
What are some interesting places to see in Toronto? Does it have much natural landscape and smallish towns/areas?

Cheers!

Toronto is not only the biggest city in Canada but it is also the 4th biggest city and 8th biggest metro area in all of North America. It's right on Lake Ontario which is one of the Great Lakes and pretty much an inland sea. It will get cold but it will be more of a wet cold over the dry cold you'd experience in the prairies. It will snow and the temperature itself may not get as extreme as out West. I think it being on the Lake means it doesn't snow THAT badly. And the average winter temperature is only like -1 to -6 Celsius or something like that. Not counting the humidity factor which increases the chill. Considering I once experienced -60 Celsius(including windchill) and regularly feel -20/-30 and below out here, you should be good with a decent jacket and tuque over there

Anyways Southern Ontario has a really big population so I'm not sure about small towns especially west and southwest of the city. Again an Ontario or Detroit user may be more helpful. If you head north you'll eventually find some smallish towns. Ontario becomes the land of lakes and woods real fast the further north you get. If you drive you could check out the surrounding area depending on if you can get a rental car. You'll most likely have to search farther than if you were to visit Calgary or Edmonton. Niagara Falls is only like an hour or two away depending on traffic and the Canadian side is the good side so you could easily head there for a day.

There are a bunch of Ontario Hockey League teams that play within an hour or two(depending on traffic) of Toronto that you could see. There's also the Toronto Marlies that play in the AHL. Good luck coming by or affording Maple Leaf tickets. If you really wanted to catch an NHL game then head down to Buffalo. If you can get tickets to a Leafs game aim for December 21st(WHICH WILL BE FUCKING EXPENSIVE) because the Leafs are hosting their old rivals the Detroit Red Wings.

You probably won't run out of things to do if you go to Toronto. It's a top destination. But then if you're heading there you might as well consider Boston, New York or Chicago. I still say Edmonton, Calgary, St.John's or Ottawa are you best Canadian bets if you want to visit a not so crowded city while also being able to see some small towns.

Thanks for the descriptive reply.

I never knew Toronto was that populated. I have done some more research into Calgary, and it's definitely more applicable to my criteria, and it personally seems like I'll like it more there too. Ottawa seems cool, as well. I'll go to my travel agent on Monday and see if there is any packages for that particular area.

If I do decide to go to Canada, I'd love to see a hockey game, even if it is expensive. I love sport in general.

Boston is legit your best bet if you want a nice, cold Northastern American experience. HFX painted a pretty damn good picture of Canada.

How cold does it get in Boston? Much snow? Is it atmospheric around Christmas time as well?

Fuck Canada and America! You should go to Germany. It's great there in the Christmas months. And pretty damn cold too.

I've never been to America before, but my sister in law is American so I know a little about the place. New York could be a cool choice just because it would be a major city to say that you had seen. Plus there is an idyllic quality about New York in Christmas that you always see in the movies - for some reason it would seem appropriate to be there during that time. Plus it's a major art and cultural center, which I'm sure you'd appreciate.

It's also close to some other cities and landmarks you might be interested in like Atlantic city or Boston. I have a friend who did a trip of America recently and just spent a few days in each place, rather than staying in one place the entire time. That might suit you better: you might not feel as claustrophobic in New York if you're only there for a couple of days and then move on to somewhere else.

I was thinking about going to Europe, actually. However, call me simpleminded, but I'd personally prefer to attend a predominantly English-speaking country for my first international holiday, just so it makes things that much easier.

That's definitely why New York piques my interest, though. As you said, it's a global cultural force, with so much to offer. It'd be impossible to feel bored there. But yeah, its density is really off-putting since I always have hated large crowds. Hell, I was in Melbourne the other week, and it just felt...impersonal. So many people, so much traffic, and that's just Melbourne. I'd assume New York would be 10x that much.

[VaderBomb]

How cold does it get in Boston? Much snow? Is it atmospheric around Christmas time as well?

Usually very cold. In the 10s, 20s, 30s (Fahrenheit) depending on the weather. Boston gets more snow that most US cities I assume and it has a great vibe around the holidays. The best actually.

http://www.google.com/search?q=boston+c ... 20&bih=619

[Hanley!]

I was thinking about going to Europe, actually. However, call me simpleminded, but I'd personally prefer to attend a predominantly English-speaking country for my first international holiday, just so it makes things that much easier.

That's definitely why New York piques my interest, though. As you said, it's a global cultural force, with so much to offer. It'd be impossible to feel bored there. But yeah, its density is really off-putting since I always have hated large crowds. Hell, I was in Melbourne the other week, and it just felt...impersonal. So many people, so much traffic, and that's just Melbourne. I'd assume New York would be 10x that much.

Yeah, I can totally understand that you'd want to be in an English country for your first time abroad, particularly if you're going on your own. Or at the very least, a tourist resort where everyone can speak English. It'd be weird spending that amount of time with nobody around to speak to in your own language.

Europe would be a pretty long flight from Australia too. Although I imagine you're going to have that no matter where you go. Spending that long on a plane the first time you're on one will be a bit weird too, I'd say. Hopefully you get good seats!

Somewhere like New York is probably where I'd want to go in your circumstances, but that's just from the point of view of someone who hasn't been to America or Canada yet.

[UTK]

Come to NYC, we'll grab a beer.

The temperature in December is usually between 30s and 40s. Grab a coat and you'll be fine. The city is definitely stunning around Christmas time. I work in the city, so I always enjoy going in around then just to look at everything. Great resturants and bars.

If not NYC, I recommend Boston. I hate Boston because I have to, but I also love Boston because of the history and tourism. And their incredibly simple subway system. It took me two weeks to finally figure out NY's subway system....and I live here.

[Matteo]

How cold does it get in Boston? Much snow? Is it atmospheric around Christmas time as well?

Usually very cold. In the 10s, 20s, 30s (Fahrenheit) depending on the weather. Boston gets more snow that most US cities I assume and it has a great vibe around the holidays. The best actually.

http://www.google.com/search?q=boston+c ... 20&bih=619

I've spoken to and done some more research into Boston and it looks awesome. If those pictures you've supplied me are, indeed, true, then I'm all for it. I was talking to a mate who knew someone who went to Boston and they said they had a blast.

I was thinking about going to Europe, actually. However, call me simpleminded, but I'd personally prefer to attend a predominantly English-speaking country for my first international holiday, just so it makes things that much easier.

That's definitely why New York piques my interest, though. As you said, it's a global cultural force, with so much to offer. It'd be impossible to feel bored there. But yeah, its density is really off-putting since I always have hated large crowds. Hell, I was in Melbourne the other week, and it just felt...impersonal. So many people, so much traffic, and that's just Melbourne. I'd assume New York would be 10x that much.

Yeah, I can totally understand that you'd want to be in an English country for your first time abroad, particularly if you're going on your own. Or at the very least, a tourist resort where everyone can speak English. It'd be weird spending that amount of time with nobody around to speak to in your own language.

Europe would be a pretty long flight from Australia too. Although I imagine you're going to have that no matter where you go. Spending that long on a plane the first time you're on one will be a bit weird too, I'd say. Hopefully you get good seats!

Somewhere like New York is probably where I'd want to go in your circumstances, but that's just from the point of view of someone who hasn't been to America or Canada yet.

Australia to NYC, for example, is about 38 hours. It's two stops, but yeah, it takes a while to get there, especially for someone who hasn't been on a plane before. Canada is up to 44 hours, too. But going on the plane is part of the travel experience for me.

Come to NYC, we'll grab a beer.

The temperature in December is usually between 30s and 40s. Grab a coat and you'll be fine. The city is definitely stunning around Christmas time. I work in the city, so I always enjoy going in around then just to look at everything. Great resturants and bars.

If not NYC, I recommend Boston. I hate Boston because I have to, but I also love Boston because of the history and tourism. And their incredibly simple subway system. It took me two weeks to finally figure out NY's subway system....and I live here.

Ah, another endorsement for Boston. I'd love to go NYC and have a beer, but I'm afraid you'd spike it.


But seriously, at the moment, it's a toss-up between NY and Boston for America, and Toronto and Calgary for Canada. Got my passport photo taken today so I'm pretty sure I'll go through with it hopefully by next month.

[Viazon]

Why don't you see more than one place? I did that last year. Take a look at this site.

http://www.contiki.com/

They do tours all over the world. Basically, you spend a day or a couple of days in one place then get on a coach onto the next place. You can go on your own but you will make friends out there. There will be other people of their own as well but once you meet each other, you become like one big group of friends. This is what I did last year and had a hell of a time and met lots of cool people and got to see lots of cool places. When you check the website, just click on North America tours and I'm sure you will find one that will cover most places you want to go. I did the Wild Western one, which meant I was able to see LA, San Diego, Scottsdale, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Bass Lake and San Francisco. I'm sure there is an Eastern on there that would cover NY and Boston. Also, a majority of the people on the tour were Australians, so you would fit right in. In fact, there were so many Australians, when we got a shout out from a guy on stage at a Las Vegas, we were referred to as the Australians from Contiki, even though some of us were not.

Might be worth a look.

[Matteo]

^ That's too much travelling, to be honest. Plus, I really don't have a whole lot of time to go to many different places. Ideally, for me, it's just sort of experiencing the one place. But yeah, it does sound cool. Where in 'Merica did you go?

I'm seriously considering either Calgary or Boston now. I was speaking about it earlier before with a few guys at uni, and they all agree either place looks awesome. Since I'm really not equipped for the cold weather, I wonder that maybe Canada will be 'too' cold. The temperature in Boston seems perfect.

Then again, Calgary just looks fucking great from the research I've been doing.

[HFX]

^ That's too much travelling, to be honest. Plus, I really don't have a whole lot of time to go to many different places. Ideally, for me, it's just sort of experiencing the one place. But yeah, it does sound cool. Where in 'Merica did you go?

I'm seriously considering either Calgary or Boston now. I was speaking about it earlier before with a few guys at uni, and they all agree either place looks awesome. Since I'm really not equipped for the cold weather, I wonder that maybe Canada will be 'too' cold. The temperature in Boston seems perfect.

Then again, Calgary just looks fucking great from the research I've been doing.

I am back to champion Canada once again.

https://weatherspark.com/averages/28211 ... rta-Canada

First the cold in Alberta is a dry cold. If you dress in warm clothes you'll be fine for the most part. Only once it gets to below -20C it starts to get complicated. Wet cold bites through layers and into your bones. It'll usually hover between -5 and -10 Celsius in December. They get the Chinook winds off the Rocky Mountains which helps them be warmer than Edmonton. I don't know the science behind it.

As an Edmontonian I "hate" Calgary but still it's a pretty cool city to visit. I've personally never been bored there. I'm actually pretty jealous of them but I'd never admit it in my real life. They have a lot of cool stuff down there especially if you're ever here in the summer.

Drumheller where they have coal mine museum, the Royal Tyrell Museum and a great landscape cause it's in the badlands. TRTM has dinosaur bones and dinosaurs are better than America.

You can also see the Rocky Mountains from Calgary. I love visiting the mountains but it's like 4 hours away from Edmonton. Like an hour drive west of Calgary and you're in the mountains. It's just a short trip to Banff, which is a fun tourist town, as well as Banff National Park which is almost as cool as Jasper. Lake Louise is in Banff and it's really really beautiful. Also if you can find a hotspring place I'd recommend going to it and taking a dip. It's so relaxing and soothing. Like a natural hot tub.

Calgary itself has a great zoo. It sustained some damage back during their flood in June and I'm not sure about if anything hasn't been fixed yet. It's probably my favorite place to visit after the dinosaur museum in Drumheller. The Calgary Zoo kicks our zoos ass on every level. I've easily spent half a day there or more. Make sure you buy a Calgary Zoo Buffalo/bison teddy and mail it to me . I started collecting them from whenever I go down there .

There's lots of small communities and farm land/ranches in Alberta that you could visit and see. We're a province of like 4 million people and more than half of them live in either Edmonton or Calgary and a good number of the rest live somewhere between the two. Because most of the province is condensed in between Edmonton and Calgary, everything else is pretty spread out so cars are mandatory to get around.

[VaderBomb]

Just curious, how long are you planning on staying at the destination in which you choose? I'd recommend at least a few days to a week if you're trying to experience a lot.

[Matteo]

^ That's too much travelling, to be honest. Plus, I really don't have a whole lot of time to go to many different places. Ideally, for me, it's just sort of experiencing the one place. But yeah, it does sound cool. Where in 'Merica did you go?

I'm seriously considering either Calgary or Boston now. I was speaking about it earlier before with a few guys at uni, and they all agree either place looks awesome. Since I'm really not equipped for the cold weather, I wonder that maybe Canada will be 'too' cold. The temperature in Boston seems perfect.

Then again, Calgary just looks fucking great from the research I've been doing.

I am back to champion Canada once again.

https://weatherspark.com/averages/28211 ... rta-Canada

First the cold in Alberta is a dry cold. If you dress in warm clothes you'll be fine for the most part. Only once it gets to below -20C it starts to get complicated. Wet cold bites through layers and into your bones. It'll usually hover between -5 and -10 Celsius in December. They get the Chinook winds off the Rocky Mountains which helps them be warmer than Edmonton. I don't know the science behind it.

As an Edmontonian I "hate" Calgary but still it's a pretty cool city to visit. I've personally never been bored there. I'm actually pretty jealous of them but I'd never admit it in my real life. They have a lot of cool stuff down there especially if you're ever here in the summer.

Drumheller where they have coal mine museum, the Royal Tyrell Museum and a great landscape cause it's in the badlands. TRTM has dinosaur bones and dinosaurs are better than America.

You can also see the Rocky Mountains from Calgary. I love visiting the mountains but it's like 4 hours away from Edmonton. Like an hour drive west of Calgary and you're in the mountains. It's just a short trip to Banff, which is a fun tourist town, as well as Banff National Park which is almost as cool as Jasper. Lake Louise is in Banff and it's really really beautiful. Also if you can find a hotspring place I'd recommend going to it and taking a dip. It's so relaxing and soothing. Like a natural hot tub.

Calgary itself has a great zoo. It sustained some damage back during their flood in June and I'm not sure about if anything hasn't been fixed yet. It's probably my favorite place to visit after the dinosaur museum in Drumheller. The Calgary Zoo kicks our zoos ass on every level. I've easily spent half a day there or more. Make sure you buy a Calgary Zoo Buffalo/bison teddy and mail it to me . I started collecting them from whenever I go down there .

There's lots of small communities and farm land/ranches in Alberta that you could visit and see. We're a province of like 4 million people and more than half of them live in either Edmonton or Calgary and a good number of the rest live somewhere between the two. Because most of the province is condensed in between Edmonton and Calgary, everything else is pretty spread out so cars are mandatory to get around.

Fuck, you're good at making Canada sound good. I read about the zoo at Calgary when I was doing research. Looks great. Do you think a car is essential to get around? Because if so, that's a bit of a problem. I mean, I have a licence, but I don't drive often, especially in unfamiliar terrority.

Just curious, how long are you planning on staying at the destination in which you choose? I'd recommend at least a few days to a week if you're trying to experience a lot.

5 days sounds about right. Maybe even 6-7. Please tell me it's impossible to get bored in a place like Boston for 6 days?

[HFX]

If you stay in Calgary then you should be able to get around with public transit. I've never taken their buses before but the C-Train is pretty alright. If you plan ahead now and order them you could easily get a bus tickets to Banff or other towns. A round trip to Banff from Calgary in December is like $35 if you order now. A round trip to Edmonton is like $55. That's only with the 21 days in advance thing. It's pretty much the same all over North America though. Inside big cities is usually pretty alright but if you want to do anything outside a city you kinda need a car.

I remember you said you want to see a hockey game. If you do want to see a hockey game get a ticket soon. The Flames play at home in December on the Friday December 27th against their provincial rivals the Edmonton Oilers(WE SUCK) and on Sunday the 29th against another big rival the Vancouver Canucks. There's also the WHL which is still decent hockey. The Hitmen host THEIR provincial rivals the Edmonton Oil Kings on December 28th. They host Kootenay on the 30th. Kootenay currently has the top hockey prospect(Sam Reinhart) eligible for the 2014 draft.

Also check out http://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary if you do choose Calgary. I know Edmonton gets a lot of visitor posts and we're fairly friendly to the individual. I'm sure people down in Calgary would be more than delighted to help you out and give you some advice. They can tell you where to go, what to see, how to get there. Make sure you specify your interests because there will be someone who should know at least one place to suggest. I've found some cool places in Edmonton I didn't know about by reading similar threads. Some of them might even invite you to have a brewskie. Those people live there and know it better than I so they can sell you even more on it .

[Viazon]

Where in 'Merica did you go?

If you read my post again, you shall have your answer.

[Matteo]

^ Ah, I misread that as just your friends going to those places. Out of those places, what was your favourite?

[Matteo]

If you stay in Calgary then you should be able to get around with public transit. I've never taken their buses before but the C-Train is pretty alright. If you plan ahead now and order them you could easily get a bus tickets to Banff or other towns. A round trip to Banff from Calgary in December is like $35 if you order now. A round trip to Edmonton is like $55. That's only with the 21 days in advance thing. It's pretty much the same all over North America though. Inside big cities is usually pretty alright but if you want to do anything outside a city you kinda need a car.

I remember you said you want to see a hockey game. If you do want to see a hockey game get a ticket soon. The Flames play at home in December on the Friday December 27th against their provincial rivals the Edmonton Oilers(WE SUCK) and on Sunday the 29th against another big rival the Vancouver Canucks. There's also the WHL which is still decent hockey. The Hitmen host THEIR provincial rivals the Edmonton Oil Kings on December 28th. They host Kootenay on the 30th. Kootenay currently has the top hockey prospect(Sam Reinhart) eligible for the 2014 draft.

Also check out http://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary if you do choose Calgary. I know Edmonton gets a lot of visitor posts and we're fairly friendly to the individual. I'm sure people down in Calgary would be more than delighted to help you out and give you some advice. They can tell you where to go, what to see, how to get there. Make sure you specify your interests because there will be someone who should know at least one place to suggest. I've found some cool places in Edmonton I didn't know about by reading similar threads. Some of them might even invite you to have a brewskie. Those people live there and know it better than I so they can sell you even more on it .

Cheers. I'd love to see a hockey game, but I won't be there during late December. I am thinking about leaving early December and coming back just before Christmas, but we'll see. That reddit link will certainly help if I do decide to go there. Thanks.

[Viazon]

^ Ah, I misread that as just your friends going to those places. Out of those places, what was your favourite?

Probably Vegas. I don't know if that is your thing, but I just loved it. I have seen it in the movies many times but to actually be there. The atmosphere every where was great. I loved every where I went on that holiday though.

[Matteo]

^ Vegas seems very loud. It doesn't look all that appealing to me, but I'm sure I'd have a blast if I went.

[HFX]

I'm back to my favorite thread

http://www.hitmenhockey.com/schedule/li ... 20/team/27

http://flames.nhl.com/club/schedule.htm

Well here are both the Hitmens and the Flames schedules for the season. I'd recommend trying to get tickets to see the Bruins. They are one of the best teams in the NHL. For the Hitmen I'd recommend trying to see them play either Medicine Hat or Portland. Both those two are two of the best teams in the league right now. Medicine Hat and Calgary are also divisional rivals and are really close talent wise and in the standings with only 1 point separating them right now.

[Matteo]

^ Do you have to purchase tickets in advance though?

At this stage, I am thinking of either...

1. Calgary for 4-6 days.

or

2. New York for 2 days and 3-4 days in Boston.

The latter seems quite appealing at this stage. I still get to see NYC, but don't end up spending my entire trip there. The thing is, as much as I'm not a fan of large crowds and large metropolises, I'd love to experience its nightlife and overall atmosphere. I know that sounds cliche, but it looks lovely. After that, I could go to Boston which I'm liking more by the day. It is so rich in American history and has the Paul Revere museum which looks awesome. Does anyone know how long it takes to get from NYC to Boston? Can you go via public transport or just by plane?

Then again, Canada (specifically Calgary) still seems so endearing. I was watching some videos earlier today and it seems really moderate and calm.

A toss-up between those two at the moment. If I find the time, I'll head down to the travel agent tomorrow and get some price quotes. Option 2 would be much more expensive, I'd assume.

[HFX]

You probably wouldn't need to pick up tickets in advance though I would recommend it. Well for the Flames at least. The NHL is the biggest league in Canada and tickets disappear real fast and can get expensive when scalpers try and sell them for profit. The WHL is less followed and there should be tickets available the day of.

Even if you don't choose Canada this time I'd recommend you make a trip in the future. It's especially beautiful in the summer and there's a lot more to do because it's way warmer . We're an awesome country and very different from region to region just like the USA. Edmonton and Calgary are the two biggest cities in Alberta and we're still way different. Edmonton is blue collar more physical labor city that is surprisingly very into the arts for some reason while Calgary is a white collar, work behind a desk but pretend to be a cowboy city. Funny enough both our cities have amongst the most disposable income in North America or so I've read.

BC is pretty different in itself. One part is warm/rainy and really green while the rest is mountains. Alberta is very forested the further north you get while the further south it becomes more farms and ranches with badlands in the south east and mountains and foothills along the west heading northwest. Ontario goes from forests, lakes and no people to uber crowded mega population in just a couple hours. Quebec is Quebec and has its charms. Lots of french people, history and culture. The Maritimes are really small and the people are really nice. It's where my dad and his side of the family came from. It also has some of the oldest settlements in Canada. The territories are pretty much wild and HUGE chunks are still similar to how they would have been 1000's of years ago. Though they are a different beast even by Canadian standards. The Yukon was a beautiful and fun place to visit.

Almost none of the provinces are similar to the others besides being Canadian. I know Alberta has more in common culture wise with Montana and Wyoming over Vancouver. Vancouver is a lot more similar to Washington and Oregon. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are pretty similar to Alberta except they have lakes. Northern Ontario might as well be Eastern Manitoba while the south is similar to America more than any other part. The Territories are similar to Alaska except I think Anchorage has more people than the three territories combined.

[Matteo]

^ Yeah, it all sounds really nice. There is this great video on YouTube that goes for about 20 minutes basically just walking through Calgary. I couldn't believe how quiet and moderate everything looked and felt.

Interestingly, I never knew that French was the main language spoken in Montreal.