Toronto Tourism Visitor Guide 2009 - (Page 105) Visitor resources Climate: Toronto’s weather is tempered by Lake Ontario, which softens the winter bite and eases the summer heat. Average winter temperatures range between 0 and -10 C, with snow usually on the ground between December and March. Summer, or ‘patio season’ as Torontonians call it, usually hovers around 20 to 30 C. 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, 1-800-561-5212; Dollar/Thrifty, 1-800THRIFTY; 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 www.SeeTorontoNow.com 105 toronto: the vitals Make your trip in and around the city feel like home Location: The capital of Ontario, Toronto is on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario; 352 kilometres west of Ottawa, 504 kilometres west of Montreal Population: 2.48 million in the city of Toronto, 5.5 million in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) Area: 641 square kilometres Money: Canadian Dollar (CAD) Sales tax: 8% provincial tax; 5% goods and services tax (some exemptions) Gratuity: Similar to the U.S. – 15 to 20% for good service at, for example, a restaurant, hair salon, or in a taxi. Time zone: Eastern time – so you won’t have to adjust your watch if you’re from Boston, Philadelphia, Washington (DC), New York or Miami. http://www.gtaa.com http://www.ttc.ca http://www.SeeTorontoNow.com
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