Toronto Information
 

My wife and I are thinking of driving from NJ to the Toronto area (begining of April). #1. What is the weather like at that time.<BR>#2. When do tickets go on sale for the Blue Jays as my wife is a big baseball junkie. Besides the Blue Jays website does anyone know of any good priced brokers in case we need to go that route. We would be looking for the opening series against the Yankees.<BR>#3. Does it pay to stay in the downtown area, as I know the hotels are expensive, we will have 4-5 days and I was looking at maybe a good hotel on the outskirts that is close to train transportation for us to travel into the downtown area.<BR>Thanks one and all....

Hi Mark - I'll take a run at a few of your questions!<BR><BR>Weather in early April is quite unpredictable - I've been at opening day when it's freezing out, or when we came from an outdoor patio. The best advice is to bring lots of layers of clothes but be prepared for cool and wet.<BR><BR>Re Blue Jays tickets - a friend of mine works for the Jays - I've e-mailed him to ask when the tickets are available and will post when he answers. Re a ticket broker, unfortunately (for us Jay fans) it is extremely unlikely you'll need to use a broker - tickets for Jays games are readily available from the box office. You should order as early as possible for the Yankees series, however. (last July the Yankees series was close to a sell out but the scalpers were still only getting slightly over face value for the seats on game day). Sigh.<BR><BR>And finally, what's your price range for a hotel - there's a pretty broad range of prices downtown and it would be much nicer than commuting into town. Also, many people report great success using Priceline for Toronto hotels - you might want to have a look at www.biddingfortravel.com to see some of the prices/tactics.<BR><BR>Will post again with Blue Jays info when I receive it.<BR>

We have been able to get the Courtyard downtown for under $30 on Priceline. It is not a luxury hotel, but is clean and comfortable and better than trying to stay on the outskirts. Like Elizabeth said, go to biddingfortravel.com and check out the prevailing bids. Courtyard is a 3 star. If you are willing to pay more for a 4 star it will still be better than you would get for the room anywhere else.

My instinct is the commuting is not worth the savings. That said I don't know what the savings (if any) are or what your budget is. If you do choose to take the GO Train be aware that parking is difficult at most stations by late in the AM rush. One exception is the Bronte GO station in the west end of Oakville. It still has surplus parking.

Thanks everyone for the valuable information. <BR>Really my biggest fear is driving in the downtown area which is why I thought parking and taking a train in would be more relaxing (am I crazy)???? Maybe another question is, is there an area, location that is off the beaten path since we will be driving from NJ and stopping in the Niagra Falls area as all I hear is traffic is horrible.<BR>Elisabeth yes I would love to know when tickets go on sale as I would like to get my wife really great seats if that's possible...

As for Hotel budget my wife has five star taste but our budget would be around $100 US dollars per night. But I will try the websites everyone mentioned.

Mark,<BR>Try the Holiday Inn at Bronte in Oakville.(book ahead as Ford and Goodyear book this hotel for consultants on a regular basis) It is near the Go Train and only takes about 20 minutes to get into Toronto. Parking in Toronto is phenomenal! $30 - $60 per evening! We just moved here from Reno and my husband commutes daily. Oakville has absolutely wonderful restaurants on Lakeshore Drive. I would rather stay in a newer hotel with complimentary breakfasts and appetizers/drinks (to purchase)in the evening as opposed to $300/night just to stay downtown. Be careful of taxi drivers.. major problem with smoking pot!

At $155 Canadian you should be able to find something respectable in downtown Toronto. As for traffic in downtown Toronto it's not that bad. Just avoid rush hour times.<BR><BR>If you still want to be a commuter there is a new Motel 6 in Burlington beside the QEW. They post their rates like a gas station and are usually in the 60s Cdn. Their are other hotels and motels in the area. For train info go to www.gotransit.ca it's Lakeshore West that you want. No parking issues on weekends.

We drive to Toronto on a regular basis and pay to park in the hotel garage and leave it there until we leave. We either walk or take public transportation which is very convenient. We were unable to get a room in downtown once (Caribbean festival) and stayed further out. It is really doesn't pay to commute to the city. If you do try Priceline for a room, we have stayed in all the 3 &amp; 4 star hotels that people are getting and would stay in any of them. While we would prefer some over others, all of them are acceptable.

Joan,<BR><BR>I think it's you who must be smoking pot. $30 to $60 for parking-you have got to be nuts. You can park at the Four Seasons for $15 a night and Oakville is about as exciting as kissing your grandmother. How could you possibly advise someone coming to Toronto to stay in Oakville. And the taxi drivers don't have a problem with pot-it's crack!!

I'll weigh in with my vote for staying downtown. One reasonable option is the Quality Hotel Midtown (on Bloor St W, between posh Yorkville and the University Annex area), within walking distance of many sights and steps from the subway. Another possibility for drivers might be the Inn on the Park. It's northeast of downtown (you'd be coming from the West but there is very easy highway access), on Eglinton Ave E. - with very good transportation links to downtown (either by car if you want to drive somewhere other than downtown, or via a short bus/then subway (30 minutes max for both) and to the major highways (in all directions). It's in a beautiful location overlooking a large park (Sunnybrook). Because it's a bit removed from downtown, the prices might be a little lower than for a comparable hotel, and the parking prices might be better.<BR><BR>By the way, the public transportation system is very safe (if a bit pricy, but you can get a day pass) and the cabs are no worse than New York City (and generally are somewhat better - however, they often don't know much about routes - other than major streets and sights). Maple Leaf cabs (blue &amp; white) are the best.<BR><BR>Temperatures are usually about 5C lower than New York City. Make sure you bring shoes/boots with decent traction - sometimes the streets are slippery/icy in early April (although sometimes it's 15-18C).