Toronto Tourism Magazine 2009 - (Page 129)
Listings visiTor resources ARRIVING IN TORONTO By Air Toronto has two main airports. Toronto Pearson International Airport (code YYZ), just west of Toronto, is the main point of landing for most domestic and international flights. Toronto City Centre Airport (code YZT), at the western end of Toronto Islands, services some regional and chartered flights. The City Centre Airport is just a short ferry ride from shore, and then minutes from Union Station by taxi or streetcar. Toronto Pearson is 27 kilometres west of the city and, is about a half -hour drive from downtown. There are several ways to get into the city from the airport. You’ll find five car rental outfits at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, open 24 hours a day: Avis, 1-800-TRY-AVIS; Budget, 1-800-5615212; Dollar/Thrifty, 1-800-THRIFTY; Hertz, 1-800-263-0600; and National/ Alamo, 1-800-GO-ALAMO. Find detailed directions to the city on www.gtaa.com, or to your specific direction on MapQuest. If you’re not driving, there are lots of options. Check if your hotel offers an airport shuttle service. If not, you won’t have trouble finding a taxi or airport limousine. The average cost of getting into the city is about $50-plus. To save money, take the TTC, Toronto’s transit system. Take the 192 Airport Rocket to Kipling Station or to the 58A Malton to Lawrence West Station, where you can link to the subway line servicing the downtown core. Riding the ‘red eye’? Catch the 300A Bloor-Danforth bus from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. and the 307 Eglinton West from 1:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. – both operate every 45 minutes. (Visit www.ttc.ca for more info.) To be comfortable yet frugal, take the Airport Express, a luxury bus service that connects Toronto Pearson to downtown Toronto. Each bus boasts leather seats and en route Wi-Fi capability, with direct service to seven downtown hotels, as well as the University of Toronto campus. The Airport Express costs $18.50 one way, $29.95 round trip, and runs every 20 to 30 minutes between 4 a.m. and 1 a.m., depending on the direction. (Visit www.torontoairportexpress. com for the official schedule.) By Bus Toronto’s main terminal for out-of-town buses is located downtown, at 610 Bay St., north of Union Station. Call 416-393-7911 or visit http://torontocoachterminal. com for more information. For buses to other cities in and around the GTA, catch a Go Bus from 141 Bay St. (at Front Street, just east of Union Station). Call 416-869-3200 for more information or visit www.gotransit.com. By Train All trains arrive and depart from Union Station (65 Front St.). Via Rail handles most of Canada’s inter-city routes and connects to the U.S. via Amtrak. The Amtrak/VIA Maple Leaf route runs from New York to Toronto daily and takes around 12 hours, depending on the border wait. (For more information: 1-888-VIARAIL, www.viarail.ca or 1-800-USARAIL, www.amtrak.com; for general station information, call the Travellers’ Aid Society at 416-366-7788.) GETTING AROUND By TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) With only four lines and 74 stops, Toronto’s subway system is easy to navigate. Maps are on all subway cars and also available at station ticket booths. Every subway stop connects to streetcar and bus routes that web throughout the city and connect to the GTA – hang onto your transfer to make your connections for free. Single fare is $2.75 for adults ($1.85 for students/ seniors, $0.70 for children) – buses and streetcars require exact fare. You can save money and avoid token lines if you buy blocks of five in advance. Or, save money by buying a day or week pass. Single day passes cost $9 and allow unlimited rides from the start of service until 5:30 the following morning. On weekends and statutory holidays, the $9 day pass includes unlimited travel for a group of up to six people with a maximum of two adults. Weekly passes, valid from Monday to Sunday, cost $32.25 ($25.50 for students/seniors). Visit www.ttc.ca or call 416-393-INFO for further details. For information on routes out of the city and into Toronto’s neighbouring suburbs and countryside, check out the Go Transit bus and train schedules at www.gotransit.com. Planning to visit Mississauga? Visit www.mississauga.ca and look for the “click n’ ride” route planner, where all you need to do is punch in your origin and destination, and the website will map out your best route. For travel in York Region, visit York Region Transit at www.yrt.ca and click its rideQuest Trip Planner to get you where you want to go. By Taxi There are a host of cab companies in Toronto, but all charge the same base rate of about $4 and charge $0.25 for each additional 0.17 kilometre or $0.40 a minute. The easiest cab number to remember is 416-TAXICAB, which will connect you to all taxi and airport limousine companies. By Bike Renting a bike in the city is easy. Wheel Excitement, on the waterfront at Queen’s Quay West, is Toronto’s largest bike and inline skate rental outfit. Call 416-260-9000 or visit www.wheelexcitement.ca for more information. Other bike rental shops include Set Me Free in High Park (416-532-4147) and Little Italy (416-516-6493), Enduro Sport in the Beaches (416-916-0831), Cyclepath in North Toronto (416-487-1717), and Toronto Island Bicycle Rental on Toronto Island (416-203-0009). Then, visit www.toronto.ca for a copy of Toronto’s Cycling Map, highlighting the city’s bicycle paths. On Foot Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods, each maintaining its own unique identity (see pages 78 to 87). There are a series of trails throughout the city’s parks, gardens and beaches. (Routes are outlined online at www.toronto.ca) Many Toronto pedestrians weather the winter chill with help from PATH, a navigable maze of underground walkways and shopping arcades that runs directly beneath the downtown core. The 27-kilometre PATH connects five subway stations, six major hotels, and some of Toronto’s main attractions, including Union Station, Roy Thomson Hall, Air Canada Centre, the CN Tower, Eaton Centre and City Hall. PATH maps are available online at www.toronto.ca. HELPFUL TOURIST INFO AND SERVICES Lost en route? With 23 locations throughout the city, it’s easy to find one of Toronto’s INFOTOGO pillars. Look for the distinctive design, inspired by Toronto City Hall. Each pillar is equipped with a large area map of the surrounding area and attractions, as well as a coin-operated pocket map dispenser ($2 per map), allowing you to take the info – to go. Want insider advice? Torontonians are keen to show you the city through their eyes. The Toronto Ambassador Program (TAP) and the TAP into TO initiative will send a volunteer greeter to welcome new visitors. By pairing guests and greeters with similar interests, the program offers visitors a chance to connect with Toronto – and Torontonians – on a personal level and to tap into the pulse of the city. Call 416-33-TAPTO for more info. More questions? Call Access Toronto at 416-338-0338 (Monday to Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.) or visit the Ontario Tourist Information Centre at Atrium on Bay (20 Dundas St. W., 800-ONTARIO), the Toronto Tourist Information Centre at Queen’s Quay Terminal, 800-363-1990 or the tourist information booth in the glass pavilion at the corner of Queen Street and Bay Street by Nathan Phillips Square. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) also has two guest services desks – located at the entrance of both the North and South buildings, to help visitors with restaurant reservations or city tours. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS At the border, visitors are required to present their passport and, if needed, a valid visa. For U.S. citizens: Visitors travelling by air – and, as of June 1, 2009, over land – require a U.S. passport or another valid travel document to enter or re-enter the U.S. U.S. citizens don’t need a passport to cross into Canada (unless coming from a third country), but are required to have valid photo ID, proof of citizenship and, if available, their Permanent Resident Card. U.S. citizens can visit – without a visa – for up to 180 days. Frequent travellers between Canada and the U.S. should consider a NEXUS card, a valid Canada-U.S. travel document that also promises expedited and simplified border clearance. (Find more information about NEXUS at www. cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/ menu-eng.html.) For more information about entry requirements, visit http://travel. state.gov./travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/ cis_1082.html (U.S. government site), or www.cbsa.gc.ca/securitysecurite/admiss-eng.html#s1 (Canadian government site). LEGAL MATTERS • The legal drinking age is 19, and licensed establishments are allowed to serve between 11 a.m. and 2 a.m. • To get married in Ontario, consenting partners, 18 and older, must first obtain a marriage licence. Submit the application (available online) with two pieces of valid ID, along with the $100 to $150 fee, and it can generally be processed within a day, after which the licence is valid for 90 days. Same-sex marriage has been legal here since 2003. All of the information you need, along with the application form, is available at www.settlement.org. viSiToR Tax ReFuNdS Premier Tax-Free Services (Canada) Inc. 905-542-1710 www.premiertaxfree.ca PST Tax refunds for visitors on goods – $50 per receipt. Credit card refunds available at Sears (Eaton Centre), Holt Renfrew (Bloor St.), The Bay (Queen and Bloor St.), Peace Bridge Duty Free in Fort Erie and Toronto Pearson International Airport. TORONTO 2009 | 129
http://www.wheelexcitement.ca
http://www.viarail.ca
http://www.amtrak.com
http://www.toronto.ca
http://www.toronto.ca
http://www.gtaa.com
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/menu-eng.html
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/menu-eng.html
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/menu-eng.html
http://travel.state.gov./travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html
http://travel.state.gov./travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html
http://travel.state.gov./travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html
http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/security-securite/admiss-eng.html#s1
http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/security-securite/admiss-eng.html#s1
http://www.toronto.ca
http://www.ttc.ca
http://www.ttc.ca
http://www.gotransit.com
http://www.mississauga.ca
http://www.yrt.ca
http://www.settlement.org
http://www.torontoairportexpress.com
http://www.premiertaxfree.ca
http://www.torontoairportexpress.com
http://torontocoachterminal.com
http://torontocoachterminal.com
http://www.gotransit.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Toronto Tourism Magazine 2009
Toronto Tourism Magazine 2009
Contents
Contributors
Welcome
Cityscapes
Toast of the Town
In the Night Garden
Gooooal!
Take a Moment
Faces of Toronto
Red Rocket
Past Perfection
Water Lust
The Artist’s City
Living the Green Dream
York Region and North Toronto
Mississauga Marvels
Vine Country
Discovery Walks
Neighbourhoods of Greater Toronto
Listings
Visitor Resources
2009 Event Calendar
Parting Shot
Toronto Tourism Magazine 2009
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