On that semi-bright note, here is this morning’s round-up of stories of interest to the travelers of Toronto

1) The Ontario thaw causes fog that in turn causes flight cancellations

2) The same thaw breaks a city temperature record

3) In the wake of the thaw, a few pedestrian deaths have sparked a safety warning

4) The Toronto Megacity is 10 years old! Does anybody care?

5) Parking ticket scams and how to tell the real thing

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

If you are really into the New Years spirit and have kids, then one of the great ways for you to ring in the New Year would be at the Metro Toronto Zoo.  There’s going to be fun and fanfare in the guise of great music and entertainment as well as special visitors that will be doing animal acts to delight the kids.  There are very few things that they would find more delightful and at the end of it there will be a big celebration for the New Year, assuming your kids can stay awak of course!

The Metro Zoo is located at the eastern edge of the city and the best way to get there is to take the train to Kennedy Station and then from there take the 86 Scarborough bus that will take you directly from Kennedy Station to the Toronto Zoo.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Event: Toronto Zoo Family Countdown for the New Year

Location: Toronto Zoo

Date: December 31, 2007

Time: 6:00 PM

Cost: $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $6 for children

For More Info: 416-392-5929 or http://www.torontozoo.com

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

While it wasn’t a very large amount (hence my substituting the picture above for an actual picture of the snowfall), snow did fall on thursday for the first time this year.

I was actually aware of a very minor amount of snowfall on wednesday when I was coming home from the university, but it wasn’t enough to actually make the ground look like any snow had fallen.  Thursday, on the other hand, was a completely different story!

Once we get the first truly impressive snowfall here for the year I’ll take a few pictures and post them for you to see, but for now I’ll leave you with this somewhat morbid statistic.  A doctor friend I was talking to the other day says that the day immediately after the first snowfall is the highest day for heart attacks in Toronto because of people shoveling their driveway for the first time.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Shopping in a lot of places in Toronto is much more than just buying things; it is a community experience.  One of the best community experiences you are likely to get anywhere in North America is in the Scarborough Town Centre.  This is a collection of buildings that include government offices at all three levels of government (city, province, country), residential areas and of course the shopping centre that the name usually is referring to.

You can get a lot at Scarborough Town Centre.  Not only are there the larger department stores available for people looking to browse for general items, but there are also specialty electronics and clothing stores, food stores, fast food outlets, movie theatres and many other stores as well.  There’s even a Canadian souvenir shop that you can use to get your share of Canada gear (or Toronto gear!) before your trip in Toronto ends.

Scarborough Town Centre is conveniently located on Borough Drive, close to the intersection of McCowan Road and Progress Avenue.  It also happens to be right next to a TTC station that goes by the same name.  For good prices, great selection and even an easy food respite should you need one, make sure that your next shopping trip in Toronto is to the Scarborough Town Centre.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler