Photo of the Day (7.6.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on
This week I went aboard Virgin America’s inaugural flight from San Francisco to Toronto; and having visited Toronto only once before when I was young, I didn’t have very high expectations for Canada’s largest city. On this visit, I took the time to explore some of the outlying neighborhoods (Kensington Market) and cultural districts that really give Toronto a sense of flavor and diversity, and saw a different side that I can’t wait to visit again.

Flickr user PDPhotography has an incredible collection of photographs from Toronto that really capture the vibrance & quirks of the city. This shot was captured at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, which takes place next month from August 20th to September 6th.

Do you have summertime shots of a city you love? Share them with us! Submit to our Flickr Pool and your image could be our next Photo of the Day!

Ten Reasons to Travel to Canada

by Andrew Evans on

Happy Canada Day! Bonne Fête du Canada! Today’s the day that we celebrate that time when the Canadians defeated the British, uh, declared their independence, uh, were made the subject of a British parliamentary act (?). Whatever the celebration is for, dedicated travelers all love Canada simply because it’s an awesome place to travel. If you haven’t ever been, why not? As they say in Canadian, vous have absolument no excuse. Here’s why:

1. It’s close. So close you can drive there. Getting to Canada is simpler than driving to Disneyworld and a heckuva lot more interesting. Also, did you know that 75% of all Canadians (that’s around 400 people, haha, JUST KIDDING!) live within 200 miles of the US border? Well they do. So you don’t actually have to go THAT far if you don’t want to (although a lot of the most interesting and beautiful spots are far, far away).

2. Food. Canadian cuisine is quite different and most delectable. The fact is, Canadians were all local, organic foodies long before the trend took off on Bravo TV. If you like to eat, go eat in Canada. Try the lobster in Nova Scotia, wild blueberries or poutine in northern Québec, buffalo tenderloin in Alberta, the Chinese food in Vancouver, real maple syrup in Ontario, and Tim Horton’s just about everywhere else.

3. It’s clean. You’ve heard the cliché and it’s so true. Canada is super squeaky clean. The air even tastes cleaner. It’s about time you were reminded the real color of water and the smell of a pine forest. Canada’s so clean it will make you feel dirty.4. We Lost. Remember how they creamed us in hockey? What’s worse, it’s not even Canada’s national sport. Oh no, hockey is not the national sport of Canada. Any guesses? (Clue, it’s not baseball either). Anyhoo, Americans need to travel to Canada to understand this strange sport and learn how to beat ’em at their own game. We shall overcome.

5. They’re multi-cultural. Remember how in America we’re this big old melting pot and we’re all middle class? In Canada, they don’t put up with such illusions. Everyone gets to be hyphenated (e.g. French-Canadian, Croatian-Canadian, etc.) or capitalized (e.g. First Nations) and everyone gets to have multiple identities. In fact, Canada is probably the most post-modern destination on the planet, although that’s relative.

6. History. Canada and the USA have a huge and fascinating shared history. Head across the front lines to find out all about the other side in those touching 18th century wars. Visit some of the of forts in the Great Lakes and find out how much of Canada used to be America and vice versa. It’s mind-boggling.

7. Nature. It’s hard to give the nod to another country’s natural wonders when our own country is filled with such rapacious national parks that make us feel so patriotic. Just know that Canada has some fairly amazing sites as well, starting with the Canadian Rockies (Oh My!), the coast of Newfoundland, the Arctic, about (ABOOT) five million lakes, and a few national parks that are bigger than the state you live in. If you like being the only one with nature and the only person for several hundred miles, Canada does that.

8. I forgot what 8 was for. Oh, yeah. MUSIC! All of our greatest singers are Canadian. It’s true. The independent music scene (and the film scene and art scene and theatre scene) are all so vibrant and healthy, just like a rosy-cheeked Canadian child. You’ll be surprised by some of the bands and music festivals you find among Canada’s big cities (Winnipeg, anyone?)

9. It’s foreign. So many of us dream of visiting a different country, going beyond our border to new exotic climes. Canada is one of the places. You might not think it because their dialect is so similar to that of Minnesota and so on, but Canada actually is another country with lots of exotic, different, foreign things to enjoy. Parts of Canada feel like old-time Europe, and other parts of Canada feel like Jurassic Park, so before you wait your whole life saving up to go on safari to Africa, go on safari in Canada. Grizzly bear and beluga whales may not be what you had in mind, but it’s a lot different than what you have living in your backyard.

10. Eh. Yes, “EH” is totally a reason to go to Canada. What are you waiting for, a personalized invitation with your name in calligraphy? It’s Canada Day, so, like, Go to Canada, eh?

G20 summit hits Toronto tourism hard

by Sean McLachlan on

If you’re in Toronto to sample the Canadian city’s great shopping, culture, and nightlife, you picked the wrong weekend.

The G20 summit has caused many of the downtown businesses to shut, reports travel site Martini Boys. The site gives an long list of major restaurants, theaters, and other attractions that will close their doors this weekend. Even the iconic CN Tower will be shut up tight and the Toronto Blue Jays have moved their next three home games to Philadelphia.

Fearing protests, G20 the police have set up a 4 km (2.5 mile) long barricade around the convention center, cutting off much of downtown and disrupting some 2,000 businesses. The U.S. State Department has posted a travel advisory suggesting people stay away. Many places are shutting down for the duration. Nobody is sure what the economic impact of all these closures will be, but the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association says that restaurants alone will lose $23 million Canadian (US $22 million) this weekend.


Photo of Toronto G20 security fence courtesy Gary J. Wood.

Top five weekend travel media stories

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Here are some of the best travel stories from this weekend’s English-speaking newspaper travel media.

1. In the New York Times, Stephen Heyman profiles six moderately-priced New York City boutique hotels. One of the boutique hotels reviewed even has nightly rates under $200!

2. In the Globe and Mail, Heather Zorzini writes about her night in the apparently quite beautiful Dildo, Newfoundland. (How beautiful is Dildo? Look above.)

3. Tom Neal Tacker dives with sharks in Fiji, survives, and writes about it for Melbourne’s The Age.

4. In the Guardian, Tim Bryan bypasses Prague for Brno, giving the Czech Republic’s second-biggest city the weekender treatment. He eats and drinks like a champ, all for 2000 Czech crowns (under $100).

5. In the Sunday Times, Martin Symington lists seven great spots across the UK (in Cornwall, Cumbria, Isle of Lewis, the Lake District, Orkney Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire) for observing the summer solstice.

(Image: Flickr/joannapoe)

The Tour Divide mountain bike race is underway

by Kraig Becker on

The Tour Divide mountain bike race got underway last week in Banff, Alberta, Canada, where nearly 50 hardcore fat tire enthusiasts set off on the longest off road biking trail in the world. They’ll now ride the entire length of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, a distance of 2745 miles, before reaching the finish line along the U.S.-Mexico border, in Antelope Wells, New Mexico.

The trail ranges from practically non-existent all the way up to jeep trails, with just about everything in between. The entire route is unmarked, so the riders have to navigate their way along the GDMBR on their own. They’ll also have to go completely unsupported, carrying all of their gear and supplies with them along the way. Aside from that, there isn’t much in the way of rules. The race clock runs non-stop, there are no checkpoints, and it is up to the rider to decide how far they’ll ride each day, and when they’ll stop to take breaks.

The full route winds it’s way through Alberta and British Columbia, before crossing the border into the U.S. and continuing south through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and finally New Mexico. The riders will gain more than 200,000 feet of altitude along the way, as they ride through some of the most stunning scenery that the U.S. and Canada has to offer. The mountain passes will challenge their legs and leave them breathless for sure.

To give you an idea of what kind of athletes ride in the Tour Divide, last year’s winner, Matthew Lee, finished the ride in just 18 days, which works out to more than 152 miles per day across some very unforgiving terrain.

[Photo credit: Tour Divide Mountain Bike Race]