Help!!
I have only 2 days in Toronto on May 21, 2005. I would like to do NF one day and go to Toronto Chinna Town the other day. WOuld you please help me whether or not the drive from NF to China Town far or near? With only 2 days, is it possible if I can do that with a car rental? All advices are appreciated. This is my first time to Toronto from Buffalo Airport. Please include things to do at night around the falls, I will be staying at Best Westin Cairn Croft (about 2 mi. to NF). Looking forward to reading your input, many thanks again. An Asian lady.

A rental car is a good idea, especially if you do not have a lot of time. With a car you can come and go when you want, instead of wating for trains or buses.

Toronto has several Chonatowns. probably the most interesting and traditional is in downtown Toronto.

From Niagara Falls or Niagara on the Lake, take the Queen Elizabeth Way to Toronto. The QEW changes its name to Gardiner Expressway at the edge of Toronto, but is the same raod.

Keep driving toward Toronto and before you get to the CN Tower (you will see it clearly) exit at Spadina.

Drive north a few blocks on Spadina to Dundas Street, and you will be in Chinatown.

BAK

China Town on a Saturday is a great dynamic place to be. Just be warned though that traffic could be crazy, so just be alert and patient.

The drive from the Falls shouldn't be more than about 1.5 hours.

Hi Bak and Matrexx,
Thank you for your quick response, I will take your advice along with me.
Bak, you said Toronto has more than 1 China Town, is the one in your direction big and have many shops to eat and look?
Matrexx, you said that the drive should be around 1 and 1/2 hour long, is it the same China T. one that Bak mentioned above?
Please advise, I really appreciate it. Looking forward to reading your input again. Thanks, Asian lady.

Pacific Mall at Kennedy and Steeles and First Markham Place at Woodbine and Highway 7 in Markham are better places to visit than Chinatown in my opinion.

My favourite restaurant is Din Tai Fun
in First Markham Place - they serve Shanghai dim sum. Most wealthy Hong Kong emigrants moved to the north east part of town.

Here is a link:

If you are coming from Niagara Falls, stay on the Queensway to downtown.
You will be past the downtown core look for the exit
up the Don Valley Parkway. Continue up the DVP and exit on Steeles east. Drive right (east) to Kennedy past a large IBM building where you will find the Pacific Place Mall.

To get to First Markham Place,
exit the Pacific Place mall on the Kennedy street (west) side. Drive north on Kennedy to Highway Seven.

Turn left.

Make a detour into Unionville down main street. There are shops, art galleries, restaurants, Victorian houses and a Starbucks here.

Return to highway seven down main street. Turn west (right) and proceed along Highway Seven one light past Roddick Road (there is a Homesense store and movie theatre here). Turn left at the light and you will be in First Markham Place. If you pass Longos grocery store and the LBO liquor store, you have gone to far west.

http://www.geocities.com/cplarosa/toronto/malls.htm

Downtown Chinatown on Spadian near Dundas is full of streetvendors, excellent restaurants, and a great deal of vitality and action.

The far-away suburban Chnatows are full of much more Canadian-style stores, and are based around giant parking lots, and are modern places.

The comparison to non-Chinese stores is this: Chinatown in Markham, is like going to a shopping center in the suburbs and downtown Chinatown is like going to the heart of the city, and to tradition and memories.

BAK

Hello Bak and Jim,
I surely appreciate your information, I will have them along with me as my guide. I think 1 day I will be at NF and the other day: half day is in Downtown CHina T. and the other haft day is in Pacific Mall and First Markham Place.
Any more helpful information for the falls too is appreciated. Thank you all.

As I remember it from about 5 years ago, the drive from NFalls to Toronto was really long late one afternoon; it seemed to me at least 3 hours if not more. Yahoo Maps says 2 hours. It must have been the traffic we hit on the way. Niagara on the Lake is really beautiful too, make sure you at least drive through it on your way.

Please be advised of several items (1) the QEW in and out of Toronto is heavily travelled and at times can be congested (2) Be sure you have the necessary documents from your rental car company to take it into Canada (3) Be sure you have plenty of documentation to cross the border in or out of Canada. If you do have a U.S. Passport, you should bring it. If you are not a U.S. citizen, be sure you have the correct documents to get into Canada and back into the U.S. Over the past year (and depending on the custom agent)they have asked for more identification and will really check you over.

Hello Dhoffman,
I am a US citizens, I will bring the passport, thanks so much for your advices. I guess, being Asian, wherever I go, I would like to visit China Town, first for eating, 2nd for the culture. Most of the rental car agency said to me that they ok for me to take their cars to Canada. Please let me know any other advices that you may have. Regards.