Great winter cities to visit

[Marcu]

Well winter is almost here so I was wondering which winter cities are great to visit? Large cities remain vibrant all year round, but what cities really come alive during the winter months?

[JManc]

montreal

[staff]

Don't go to Scandinavia. :)

[Alibaba]

Sydney or Melbourne

Not the traditional winter as you may think...(snow etc)

however, the winter in these cities are so balmy and sun are shining ....

There are lots of cultural events going on in Melbourne - with the biggest art exhibitions opened all winter season and all of the comfort food are abundant ...

in traditional way - NYC will be awesome...

[Evergrey]

quebec city

[MNdude]

St. Paul

[brickell]

Maybe you mean cold-weather cities, but winter in Miami is the best time to visit. It's the tourist season and when most of the festivals and art shows are.

If you meant strictly cold-weather cities, then I really enjoy NYC in winter. It seems to me to be more it's element.

[Taller Better]

montreal


Canadian cities look beautiful after a snowfall, but I honestly think it is a myth that it is
pleasant visiting them in the winter, or that any northern cities "come alive" in the winter.. I've visited Montreal about 30 times in winter, and I can assure you it is far nicer and far busier in the summer. The sidewalks empty out in the evenings when it is cold. In the spring and summer, cities in the northern part of North America come alive. So, cities might look pretty after a fresh snowfall, but it does not make for pleasant sightseeing. Aside from ice skating, and occasional toboganning, there are not a lot of city activities to do in winter.

[PhilippeMtl]

Boston
Toronto
Montreal
Quebec City
Whistler

[Taller Better]

Now Whistler is an exception. That town HOPS in the winter!!
I once went to Quebec City for the Winter Carnaval, and froze my
goolies off...

[waterloowarrior]

Ottawa - We have a huge winter festival, Winterlude; it's packed with people every year. Rideau Canal, the Byward Market area and Beaver tails also make an awesome combo... but our CBD is dead because it's cold outside and everyone goes home :(

http://kaleidoscopeart.typepad.com/kaleidoscopeart/images/dsc04470.JPG

[passdoubt]

Miami? New Orleans? That's where I wanna visit in the winter.

[Marcu]

Boston
Toronto
Montreal
Quebec City
Whistler

Those are certainly great places to visit during the winter months. Are there any smaller cities or more specifically cold and snow filled cities that aren't just great to visit year-round?

[MolsonExport]

http://www.travelscribes.com/ice_hotel1.jpg

Quebec City for Carnivale (February). You can even stay nearby in a hotel completely made from ICE.
http://www2.icehotel-canada.com/img/transition_nuit.gif

[Wheelingman04]

Chicago BABY!!!

[skylife]

Canadian cities look beautiful after a snowfall, but I honestly think it is a myth that it is
pleasant visiting them in the winter, or that any northern cities "come alive" in the winter.. I've visited Montreal about 30 times in winter, and I can assure you it is far nicer and far busier in the summer. The sidewalks empty out in the evenings when it is cold. In the spring and summer, cities in the northern part of North America come alive. So, cities might look pretty after a fresh snowfall, but it does not make for pleasant sightseeing. Aside from ice skating, and occasional toboganning, there are not a lot of city activities to do in winter.

I love the atmosphere of Montreal in the winter. Gaw-jus.

NYC is amazing around the holidays, too.

[MayorOfChicago]

Miami

New Orleans

Buenos Aires

Sydney

A majority of people living in the northern cities actually die off by the end of November, with others basically shutting down their entire bodies and going into a near death "hybernation" state until spring when they start back up again and the queen begins breeding to restock the hive of those lost to cold temps.

[Ronin]

Lake Tahoe
Banff

[ColDayMan]

Main Street U.S.A., Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

[1ajs]

winnipeg in febuary during festival du voyageur
http://www.festivalvoyageur.mb.ca/portal/index_eng.htm

[LeftCoaster]

Dont come to Vancouver for the winter... it sucks, very dreary and grey.

On the other hand Whistler is amazing though.

[MonkeyRonin]

Canadian cities look beautiful after a snowfall, but I honestly think it is a myth that it is
pleasant visiting them in the winter, or that any northern cities "come alive" in the winter.. I've visited Montreal about 30 times in winter, and I can assure you it is far nicer and far busier in the summer. The sidewalks empty out in the evenings when it is cold. In the spring and summer, cities in the northern part of North America come alive. So, cities might look pretty after a fresh snowfall, but it does not make for pleasant sightseeing. Aside from ice skating, and occasional toboganning, there are not a lot of city activities to do in winter.

In December they certainly do, due to Christmas obviously. its definately a great time that I'm sure would be quite so great in wamer cities.. but the rest of the winter, yeah its shit.

[AaronPGH]

Have you guys ever been to Sydney during the winter? I will tell you it's definitely NOT balmy. I was there for three months during the winter. Rainy and freezing (no snow....but miserable). I felt like I was back in the rustbelt.

When I think of winter cities, I think of ski towns. Colorado, Whistler/Vancouver, Upstate NY, Vermont cities, etc. Anywhere that you can actually enjoy the snow. Pittsburgh's not bad either to be honest. I was blown away the first year I was here with snow blanketing Mt. Washington and the rest of the city. Suprisingly nice, just no skiing or anything within the city.

I've heard Montreal is fantastic as well. I've seem some gorgeous pictures of a snow covered Montreal.

[vizvalleykid]

Sapporo, Japan... snow festival!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Sapporo_snow_festival.jpg
http://www.welcome.city.sapporo.jp/english/snowfestival/2006/collage01.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/50/137638351_2673d9b2f5_o.jpg

very beautiful and also has nearby slopes to tear up. I visited Sydney and Melbourne this summer and their winter is not balmy at all, although Sydney was very similar to SF weather, Melbourne was freezing it was like 40s all day nothing what u call balmy. if u go to cairns up in the north, then it stays about 75 all day and its very humid!

[Alta California]

The best winter city according to Canadians and Yanks alike is

Sonny Bono

http://static.flickr.com/66/185805026_84045d9288_o.jpg

aka Palm Springs.

The snowbirds are coming and that means I need to brush up on my Canadian.

[Kilgore Trout]

winter in montreal is only good at christmas and in late february, when we have the nuit blanche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuit_blanche), an all night cultural festival that is astonishingly fun (looking at trippy art installations at 1am, watching short films at 2am, hanging out in a lounge with strange light demons hovering around you at 3am, going through the fine arts museum at 4am, eating a free communal breakfast at 5am -- that sort of thing).

aside from those two things, though, montreal is not nearly as lively in the winter as in the other three seasons. january in particular is a terrible month.

[fflint]

I'll agree with everyone who noted Quebec City.

[Kilgore Trout]

i would imagine that quebec city is best during the carnaval. otherwise it's just really cold. i was there in february, the week after the festival, and it was windy, there was a huge snowstorm and the city was just really dead. coming back to montreal felt like going to the tropics by comparison.

[fflint]

Yes, I do mean Winter Carnival. Off the hook.

[hkskyline]

Sources :
http://www.pbase.com/carmen_sofia/harbin&page=all
http://www.pbase.com/waterhead/harbin&page=all

http://www.pbase.com/carmen_sofia/image/55379557.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/carmen_sofia/image/55373153.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/carmen_sofia/image/55374996.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/carmen_sofia/image/55377129.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/waterhead/image/24714973.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/waterhead/image/24714968.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/waterhead/image/24714829.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/waterhead/image/24714736.jpg

[jessie_sanchez]

If you hate snow, LA is for you!!!

[Chicago103]

Chicago during the Christmas season, but from January to mid-March (St. Pats day) its the most dead time of year for this city in terms of tourists or any type of street vibrancy. I mean there are still lots of pedestrians on the street, but instead of it being about a pleasant stroll for most of the year its simply about getting where you need to go and get indoors.

[MonkeyRonin]

Chicago during the Christmas season, but from January to mid-March (St. Pats day) its the most dead time of year for this city in terms of tourists or any type of street vibrancy. I mean there are still lots of pedestrians on the street, but instead of it being about a pleasant stroll for most of the year its simply about getting where you need to go and get indoors.

Definately. this is really the case for any northern city pretty much.

[Paintballer1708]

Boston is my pick.

[WHY-T]

Montreal and Quebec City have some interesting events during the winter carnivals, also some nice ski stations around.

Sources :
http://www.pbase.com/carmen_sofia/harbin&page=all
http://www.pbase.com/waterhead/harbin&page=all
Oh yeah, forgot about that! Besides Harbin, I heard Sapporo in Japan is also beautiful in winter. They also have some winter festival and a lot of snow sculptures too.

[Moty_The_Undead]

Quebec CIty during the Carnaval of Quebec

http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/en/index.asp

http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/19_01_b.jpg
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/19_02_b.jpg
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/16_04_b.jpg
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/10_05_b.jpg
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/15_04_b.jpg
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/15_15_b.jpg
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/02_03_b.jpg
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/18_02_b.jpg
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/18_04_b.jpg
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/18_07_b.jpg
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/images/photoalbum/13_02_b.jpg

[Taller Better]

Today, Vancouver!

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Lake Tahoe, CA/NV

Quebec City Looks awesome!

[phillyskyline]

Quebec City sure is making it's case in these pics! I've never been but hear Madison, WI is an amazing winter town that has great small-town appeal during the Holidays.

[Coldrsx]

Quebec City
Ottawa


nothing compares to those two in Canada IMO....


Jasper is amazing though

[lawsond]

in canada, it totally depends on the city's attitude to winter.
quebec city and ottawa seem to revel in it.
and they take everyone along for the ride.
whoopie! let's party in the ice houuuse!
toronto DESPISES winter and you can feel it in the city.
nothing but grumbling, snarling hunchbacks til st. patricks day.
then everyone gets a buzz on and things look up.
xmas also sucks in toronto.
no magic.
the magic is all in nyc at xmas.
oh yeah!

[MonkeyRonin]

toronto DESPISES winter and you can feel it in the city.
nothing but grumbling, snarling hunchbacks til st. patricks day.
then everyone gets a buzz on and things look up.
xmas also sucks in toronto.
no magic.

I was about to agree with you.. until I got to that Christmas comment. bullshit.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=120761

[Taller Better]

in canada, it totally depends on the city's attitude to winter.
quebec city and ottawa seem to revel in it.
and they take everyone along for the ride.
whoopie! let's party in the ice houuuse!
toronto DESPISES winter and you can feel it in the city.
nothing but grumbling, snarling hunchbacks til st. patricks day.
then everyone gets a buzz on and things look up.
xmas also sucks in toronto.
no magic.
the magic is all in nyc at xmas.
oh yeah!


I'm having an extremely difficult time imagining Ottawa "revelling"... in
winter temperatures... sorry, but I am making an effort to stretch my imagination. Quebec City revelling? Well...I've been there in Dec/Jan/Feb and I would say that with the obvious exception of the Carnival, most "revelling" is indoors, or in outdoors mostly theory. Montreal and Toronto? Let's be honest, shall we? No, we do not like Winter. We are not Sweden, and we do not shussh our way to work happily on cross country skis. We hibernate, and come alive in the Springtime, as do most other Northern Hemisphere cities in the free world! New York pretty at Christmas, of course! It is pretty year round. Does the city come alive at winter? No. One cannot judge a city by winter postcards! :D
Here are some pix I took in the past couple days of snarling hunchbacks "sucking" at Christmas celebrations in Toronto! LOL!

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5449/nov2606cavalcadeoflightie4.jpg

The Projection show on Old City Hall is called "Immersion", and is by an artist from France, Xavier de Richemont. The inspiration for it is Canada's natural abundance of water. The colours were usually like this, in between shows:

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/7048/nov2606cavalcadeoflightxc6.jpg

http://img326.imageshack.us/img326/1336/nov2606cavalcadeoflightza8.jpg

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4084/nov2606cavalcadeoflightva1.jpg

and the 50 foot tree, lit up by 10,000 blue and white LED lights, and 100 strobes:

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4996/nov2606cavalcadeoflightqu2.jpg

Naturally, it is not possible to capture the projection show without a video camera, but here are a few different shots taken during the show. First the city hall is covered with ice:

http://img450.imageshack.us/img450/3199/nov2606cavalcadeoflightpc8.jpg

The ice starts to show cracks:

http://img450.imageshack.us/img450/4654/nov2606cavalcadeoflightdp3.jpg

as they melt, great chunks of ice start to fall off:

http://img450.imageshack.us/img450/5263/nov2606cavalcadeoflightgx8.jpg

Completely melted, the water swirls over the building:

http://img450.imageshack.us/img450/8316/nov2606cavalcadeoflightnw1.jpg

and voila! The end:

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/7507/nov2606cavalcadeoflightwr3.jpg

[bnk]

http://www.travelscribes.com/ice_hotel1.jpg

Quebec City for Carnivale (February). You can even stay nearby in a hotel completely made from ICE.
http://www2.icehotel-canada.com/img/transition_nuit.gif


I have been there in mid march [ Ice Hotel] and Quebec City is an awesome city. I was a little bit amazed by how much snow they must get; for we went dog sledding the next day.

BTW what is with all of the plastic, tent like, car covers in everyone’s driveway?

Do they dismantle them in the summer?:shrug:

Let it snow Quebec!:worship:

[Taller Better]

OMG... I must be a True Blue Canadian, but I would no more spend a night in an ice igloo than I would participate in a cross country wheel-chair race through the Gobi desert rubbing my hands with Poison Ivy. I gather the one in Quebec is pretty similar to the original one in Sweden. When I was younger, in Manitoba, I did some outdoor camping in the wintertime, near Gimli Manitoba. The temperatures were close to -40c every night. The tents were completely unheated. You are amazingly warm snuggled up in your sleeping bag with your toque and scarf pulled over your head... but there is NO way I would do that ever again!!! Getting up in the morning is ridiculously horrible, and your face is covered with icicles :D

[lawsond]

oh one more thing.
in your pictures - lovely as they are - there don't appear to be any humans.
ok maybe a couple.
but still.

[MonkeyRonin]

oh my i guess you live in nathan phillips square.
me i spent 14 years in the REST of the city.
excuse me if i find central park and fifth ave. at xmas more charming than the slush heap that is downtown t.o.
get over yourself.
toronto is just NOT THAT amazing...esp. compared to new york.
my god!
despite what torontonians keep telling themselves...and everyone who will listen.

I'm not comparing us to New York [edited by moderation]

in your pictures - lovely as they are - there don't appear to be any humans.

Last I checked most people don't walk around on the walls of city hall.

[lawsond]

I'm not comparing us to New York dipshit.

ok ok poopyhead.
you are right.
people walk on the ground.
how could i have missed that.
you seemed to have forgotten or left out the last sentence of my magic comparison.
i was comparing toronto to new york at xmas.
get holts of yrself.
and try xmas in new york one year.
xmas day at rockefeller center is amazing.
just hopping with masses of people.
i'm just sayin.

[UrbanSophist]

Chicago BABY!!!

Yeah, Chicago's really charming in the winter. I love walking downtown with the christmas lights, crisp fresh air, fresh light snow in the air... Good times. :cheers:

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/1829/08christmaswatertower1gq2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/831/25febfrozenshoredw5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/6081/1106629573statestreetchfi3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/3048/winter03dn5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Nutterbug]

Dont come to Vancouver for the winter... it sucks, very dreary and grey.

On the other hand Whistler is amazing though.
Actually, since you're going to have to go by way of Vancouver to get to Whistler anyways, if you can get a clear day during your stay here, I suggest going up one of the local mountains on the North Shore (Grouse or Cypress) for some short course skiing. The skiing is nowhere near as extensive nor thrilling as at Whistler, but the view from them overlooking the city, the valley, the sea and the islands is amazing.

Here are a few glimpses from the slopes:

http://p.vtourist.com/1269375-Travel_Picture-Grouse_Mountain_Vancouver.jpg
http://www.talkabouttours.com.au/galleryImages/Grouse-Mountain-Skier.jpg
http://fabthered.free.fr/Photos%20Cypress%20Mountain%202/bigimages/IMGs554.jpg
http://fabthered.free.fr/Photos%20Cypress%20Mountain%202/bigimages/IMGs560.jpg

[BTinSF]

You want a place that "comes alive in the winter" then try Tucson. The weather is great, you can hike, bike, play golf, explore caverns and canyons or just bask in the sun like one of the native reptiles. In my area, the population about doubles in january over what it is in July.

http://k53.pbase.com/g3/02/90302/2/53266380.1989AZDesertMuseumPano.jpg

[Swede]

Don't go to Scandinavia. :)
Yeah, not as much snow as people seem to think + most southerners can't really handle the Dark. :D

[eemy]

From my experience, Ottawa is a fantastic city in the winter. Winterlude is the focus of the season of course. Being a three week festival, it manages to push the festivities through the late January/early February blahs. Even beyond that though, the canal is frozen over much longer than that (most years), and is destination as long as there's ice covering it, regardless of festivites. There's something magical about spending an evening skating downtown from Dow's Lake, taking in the snow sculptures and ice sculptures at either end, and enjoying a Beavertail before skating back and heading home. I haven't experienced anything like it, and as far as I can tell, the only city that offers anything comparable to Winterlude (in Canada anyway), is Carnavale in Quebec City. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to visit it yet.

[pottebaum]

Chicago during the Christmas season, but from January to mid-March (St. Pats day) its the most dead time of year for this city in terms of tourists or any type of street vibrancy. I mean there are still lots of pedestrians on the street, but instead of it being about a pleasant stroll for most of the year its simply about getting where you need to go and get indoors.

We plan on visiting on the 27th of Decemeber; do you think this would be a decent time? I would've loved to come before Christmas, but it just isn't a possibility.

[Nutterbug]

in canada, it totally depends on the city's attitude to winter.
quebec city and ottawa seem to revel in it.
and they take everyone along for the ride.
whoopie! let's party in the ice houuuse!
toronto DESPISES winter and you can feel it in the city.
I'm guessing that's because it gets cold enough there to get all the discomfort and inconveniences that come with winter, but not quite cold enough to have a winter themed celebration.

[Taller Better]

oh my i guess you live in nathan phillips square.
me i spent 14 years in the REST of the city.
excuse me if i find central park and fifth ave. at xmas more charming than the slush heap that is downtown t.o.
get over yourself.
toronto is just NOT THAT amazing...esp. compared to new york.
my god!
despite what torontonians keep telling themselves...and everyone who will listen.


I can't help you with your low self esteem and (probably well justified) feelings of inferiority, lawsond, but I can answer why there aren't many people in the photo. The pix were taken last Monday night at around 11pm. The skating rink was full, but the lights were turned low to enhance the blue Christmas lights, so I didn't take pix. The last pix of Old City Hall were taken directly across busy Bay Street. There is nowhere for humans to stand in front of me. Sometimes I go out to get people pix, but not very often. Usually I let the people walk by first as I am more interested in the architectural features. NPS is a highly used public square, if you have every actually visited it you may have noticed that.
It would be very interesting to find out what city your IP address comes from! Somehow I doubt if it is Toronto ;)

[malek]

yeah its shit.

still better than tornoto:rolleyes:


that being said, there's not a single day in the winter where you'll see Montréal's street empty during the day and evenings, at night the weekends are busy all year around with no pause in january. Its common to see people freezing their asses waiting in line to get in clubs, and pubs and bars are packed.

sure less people will walk from point a to point b, but thats understandable, its just not comfy.

[raggedy13]

I wouldn't recommend coming to Vancouver in winter. It's usually just grey and rainy unless you manage to hit the odd day when it snows which is a rather rare occurence. It did however happen this last week at a bizarre time of the year for us and although the city ceases to function properly when it snows, it still remains fairly picturesque... (photo's courtesy of Rod Dechaine via Bartman)


http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Bartman/city_on_fire.jpg

http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Bartman/mountains4.jpg

[duper]

Let's not let this be a city vs. city thread.

[malek]

some users should watch their language.

raggedy: great first shot!!

[BANKofMANHATTAN]

Buffalo, if you can survive it. :haha:

[Taller Better]

I knew this thread would wind up bickering about which city has the most people hanging around outside in the freezing cold quickly smoking their cigarettes before they go back inside!! LOL! Another boring City vs City. To me those Chicago pix were a heck of a lot more convincing than people exaggerating how crowded their sidewalks are in the dead of winter.

I dug up a couple of pix from Dec 4 of last year. This shows what the skating rink is like:

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/1664/dec0405cityhalliizb8.jpg

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/4913/dec0405cityhallnf3.jpg

[Grumpy]

Moscow seems to be great in the winter

[barneyg]

I somewhat agree with Taller Better. With the notable exception of the Winter Carnival, Quebec City is awful in the Dec/Jan/Feb months (having lived there for 25 years, I know first hand). March can be extremely nice, where there's still a lot of snow everywhere but days are much milder.

If you go to Quebec City for a ski trip, no matter where you're staying, do not miss Le Massif. It's a 45-minute ride from downtown, and has incredible views of the St. Lawrence River (see picture below), better than Mont Ste-Anne which is still nice.

http://www.lemassif.com/fr/images/headers/head_home_05.jpg

[Gerrard]

Berlin. People actually stand outside in the cold and drink.

But getting into a pissing contest over who is stupider to revel in below 32 temps is kind of moronic.

[Gerrard]

"and try xmas in new york one year.
xmas day at rockefeller center is amazing.
just hopping with masses of people.
i'm just sayin."

Amazing, yeah. For tourists.

Masses of people: Masses of tourists.

I wouldn't go near Rock Center at this time of year unless I was going shopping at Saks.

[IntotheWest]

I think TO at Christmas is quite nice...the skating rink pic (above) is fantastic.

I also think Calgary is a great winter city - as the temps for the most part aren't too bad (and its dry), its sunny, and the mountains less than an hour away are my favourite spot...we usually go to Banff Springs at Christmas time....

Shopping in Banff...

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c126/intothewest4222/dec30-0012-tune-1.jpg

With Canmore as well, there are loads of world-class cross-country skiing trails ('88 Olympics), and Canada Olympic Park within Calgary itself, there is lots to enjoy.

[Taller Better]

Banff is mindblowingly beautiful, all year 'round. Jasper is pretty, too....

[forumly_chgoman]

Chicago....yeah Feel It Baby

[Echo Park]

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/1664/dec0405cityhalliizb8.jpg



Nice rink. Makes Pershing Square's dinky rink look like a pile of crap.

[muppet]

German cities, where much Christmas festivities originally came from eg Christmas trees, decorations, candles, stockings etc. They have a nationwide Xmas ban right until December to avoid over commercialisation that's the bane everywhere else in the world. Then when December hits the Xmas markets come out, it ususally snows and when it does its truly magic:

http://cache.viewimages.com
http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/56272876.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF19390335F8FA9CA92A699B36DCA08B60A71A96D640C844286CF http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/age/age054/christmas-market-oberhausen-germany-~-b24-167391.jpg

www.sogonow.com & www.lodgephoto.com
http://www.sogonow.com/archives/DresdenChristmasMarket2.jpg http://www.lodgephoto.com/galleries/germany/images/DE-E-106.jpg

www.travel-destination-pictures.com & www.germany-tourism.de
http://www.travel-destination-pictures.com/data/media/29/christmas-market-frankfurt_9.jpg http://www.germany-tourism.de/images/content/pic_wm_dresden_striezelmarkt_art_1_rdax_300x241.jpg

www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk
http://www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk/shoppi4.jpg

http://sedulia.blogs.com
http://sedulia.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/christmas_tree_and_christmas_market_fran.JPG

[Bergenser]

Don't go to Scandinavia. :)

Agreed. Less snow, nearly no sun(for freaking months!)
I think Brasil/Australia is nice to visit in the winter(their summer.)

[tdawg]

January and February here in NYC can be awful but December is magical. We don't get nearly as much snow as people think, the days feel more like late fall and there are a plethora of outdoor skating rinks around town, Rock Center, two in Central Park, Bryant Park, Prospect Park, etc.... that are great for "soaking up the season."

http://www.wayfaring.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/bryant-park.jpg

http://wirednewyork.com/parks/central_park/images/central_park_rink.jpg

[Rusty van Reddick]

NYC does not have a "plethora" of skating rinks. Toronto has a PLETHORA of skating rinks. The NYT had a travel story a few years ago about how blessed TO was for skating and for celebrating winter in general, and lookie here, I found it:

WINTER IN THE SNOW; How Toronto Keeps Its Edge


By KATHERINE ASHENBURG
Published: November 15, 1998

DECEMBER is 13 months long, July's one afternoon, the poet Alden Nowlan boasted in ''Canadian Love Song.'' It's an attitude Canadians embrace, taking a perverse joy in the length and severity of their winters, inventing or adopting defiant, robust pastimes to heat their blood from November to March.

Among these, skating is constant but unobtrusive, like a strong supporting actor in a play or the continuo in a Baroque concerto. It doesn't have the mythic status of hockey, the truly bizarre tension of curling, the primitive simplicity of snowshoeing or the glamour of downhill skiing. But it's always there, doable for brief periods with minimal equipment and, in Toronto, impressively urbanized. With 25 artificial outdoor municipal rinks in the central city alone, many of them open well into the evening, it's something to do on a lunch hour or evening or weekend, knit into the fabric of downtown Toronto. It's also a good (and completely free) way for visitors to clear their heads and stretch their legs in between shopping, eating or museum going.

The model for these downtown spaces is Nathan Phillips Square, designed by a man who knew something about ice and cold, the Finnish architect Viljo Revell. When the civic square opened in 1965, Revell's centerpiece, the New City Hall, got all the attention: Two tall, curved towers protecting an overturned-saucer shape was a far cry from staid Toronto's idea of a public building. But, as Robert Fulford writes in ''Accidental City: The Transformation of Toronto,'' it is the square itself that has been the unexpected triumph, a rare case of a modern civic plaza that works. Here Toronto protests, celebrates, mourns, deliberates public issues -- and skates.

Revell designed a rectangular skating rink (in use as a reflecting pool from March to November), 100 feet by 200 feet, spanned by three concrete arches, close to the front, or Queen Street side, of the square. It's rather like skating around the history of Toronto: Behind you is Revell's space-age New City Hall, prefaced by Henry Moore's The Archer; to your left is Old City Hall, its sandstone bulk smocked, carved and checkerboarded as turn-of-the-century taste dictated; to your right, the 19th-century neoclassical confidence of Osgoode Hall, the provincial law courts; ahead, the anonymous modernism of the Sheraton Hotel.

When the surrounding trees are illuminated, as they are after Nov. 27, and evening skaters follow their breath around the rink, it really does look like a page from a modern northern fairy tale. The only problem with skating at Nathan Phillips is its popularity, but that, too, is part of the civic experience.

One of the smallest and the most astonishing of the city's skating rinks is Ryerson Community Park, also in the heart of downtown Toronto. Three blocks north of a huge shopping complex, the Eaton Centre, you find yourself on the tidy campus of Ryerson Polytechnic University. From the corner of Gould and Victoria Streets, the campus bookstore, a coppery clock tower, classrooms and offices are all visible -- but so is a small (one-third of an acre) oval sheet of ice studded with huge granite boulders. Ten striated pink-and-gray rocks form a bulwark at one end; others stand singly or brood in small groups in the ice; at the edge of the rink, one that looks like an elephant flank can be sat upon. No matter how many times you come upon it, it's startling, as if someone had the uncanny idea of designing a rink inspired by Stonehenge.

The idea actually came from the landscape architects Steven Moorhead and Richard Strong, of Moorhead Associates. When funds were allotted in 1978 to transform a corner parking lot into a reflecting pool and skating rink, Moorhead and Strong chose the biggest chunks of the huge, pre-Cambrian Canadian Shield (from the Muskoka region, about two hours north of Toronto) that could fit on a flatbed -- weighing as much as 125 tons, some as tall as 15 feet. It's not a rink built for speed skating, but how often do you get to negotiate your blades around a freestanding piece of the Shield while surrounded by a downtown campus? Afterward, the Pickle Barrel (312 Yonge Street) is a good choice for hot chocolate.

Just a few blocks north of Ryerson is the Barbara Ann Scott rink, named for the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal for figure skating (in 1948). Slipped into a busy area of shops and offices between Bay and Yonge streets just south of College, this intimate, round rink (100 feet in diameter) is shielded from the neighboring workaday world by some stout Scotch pines and a small garden. It's just enough of a barrier that, when you lift your head, the office towers standing guard all around come as a surprise.

It's also sufficiently secluded that, according to veteran skaters, you may virtually have the rink to yourself on weekends. When warmth and hot chocolate beckon, go into College Park (the rink is at its back door), a shopping center fashioned from an Art Deco department store, and head for a self-service cafe called Cultures.

Down at Lake Ontario, the sprawling Harbourfront Centre is home to modern dance, theater, film, readings, visual art, craft studios -- and skating. An irregular one-and-a-half-acre rink nestles amid the lake to the south, the Power Plant art gallery to the east, York Quay Centre to the north and an outdoor amphitheater to the west. Admitting that the parking is expensive and the winds off the lake can be withering, a skating aficionado not given to gushing calls the Harbourfront rink exceptional for its size and lakeside location.

It's also exceptional because Harbourfront is such a cultural wonderland. Literally minutes after looking at cutting-edge art at the Power Plant you can be out on the big rink, with only a stop at the skate rental booth and changing room between the gallery and the ice. Ahead of you is the lake and the treed bulk of the Toronto Islands, behind you are York Quay's cafe, galleries, studios, shopping. A heady urban-lakefront experience; if you want more, you could shop and eat in Queen's Quay to the east, and finish off with a play at the du Maurier Theatre Centre or a modern-dance performance at the Premiere Dance Theatre.

About five miles west, just north of the lake, is Grenadier Pond, a skating experience as natural as Harbourfront is urban. Beginning at the southern end of High Park's 400 acres and extending almost its length, the pond is named for the British Grenadiers stationed at nearby Fort York during the War of 1812. They drilled on its frozen expanse; now, when the ice is at least eight inches thick, the city plows a 1,000-yard circle for pleasure skaters and a 2,000-yard oval for speed skaters.

There are no lights, just a fire pit in the snow; no changing rooms or lockers, just pondside benches underneath which you leave your shoes; there is a hot chocolate stand by the pond and the Grenadier Restaurant a short trail away to the northeast. The season is short, usually January and February; the ice can be pitted and rough, in the natural way of things, and winds can invade from the lake.

In spite of, or because of this, Grenadier Pond rivals the Ryerson rink for poetry. Not only do you skate the way your grandparents did, the pond is lined with marshes popular with waterfowl, willows and, at the eastern or skating side, a prairie savannah with black oak and prairie grasses. And underneath, more than a dozen species of fish, including northern pike and largemouth bass, navigate the pond at their own speed.

From one of Toronto's oldest skating places to one of its newest and most artfully conceived involves a trip to suburban North York, about six miles north of downtown Toronto. Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe were award-winning architects with an affinity for water and landscape, but had never designed a park. When they were asked to redo Ledbury Park, they transformed a standard 40-year-old combination of hockey rink, swimming pool and baseball diamond into a stylish, thoughtfully imagined park that won first prize in International Design magazine's environments category in 1998.

Its elements, a skating rink, a swimming pool and a changing house arranged in an L, sound simple but Shim-Sutcliffe thought hard about the park's various functions, its users, and the ways design could add to the delight of skating. The rink itself is a smashing 50-by-300-foot slice that nods at Canada's most famous skating place, the Rideau Canal in Ottawa (the rink's architects call it the skating canal). ''We worried about the skaters' turns,'' Brigitte Shim said of the narrow width, ''but it worked out fine.''

Just about every decision Shim-Sutcliffe made has a utilitarian and an esthetic point. Sunk three feet below grade and protected from the wind by berms, one side of the rink has a formal allee lined by braided linden trees, the other a more casual planting of sumac and maples. The custom-made, red light standards are specially designed to reflect soft light, first up, then down: ''Light is important,'' said Ms. Shim, ''because in this climate the walkway lights go on at 4:30 P.M. and stay on until 7 A.M.'' (The rink usually closes at 10 P.M.). The deck between the rink and the glassy changing house has a Tough-Shield floor, a dense rubber that seals and heals itself after contact with your skates. And above the rink soars a little aria of a bridge, made of Cor-Ten steel that deepens to darker and darker burgundy.

An old-fashioned English way of disparaging something is to say it is neither use nor ornament. Ledbury Park is both.

A guide to gliding

All rinks are free of charge. Skate rental is available at Harbourfront and Nathan Phillips Square. Harbourfront charges $4.20 (with $1 Canadian worth 65 cents), $3 under 12 and seniors, with no time limit, and you can take the skates to other rinks with a reservation. At Nathan Phillips, the rate for two hours is $4.90, $4.20 for children; after that, $2.60 an hour. All the rinks except Grenadier Pond have lockers and changing rooms.
The Harbourfront Centre rink is at the south end of York Quay, on Queen's Quay south of Simcoe Street. Beginning sometime this week, the rink will be open 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. daily until mid-March. Information: (416) 973-4866.
The rink at Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen Street West, was to open yesterday, with daily hours of 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. Ryerson (Monday to Saturday 10 A.M. to 11 P.M., Sunday until 7 P.M.) and Barbara Ann Scott (Monday to Saturday 10 A.M. to 10 P.M., Sunday until 5:45 P.M.) open Nov. 29; all three close on Feb. 28. For information on these rinks: (416) 393-1111. These three are most crowded at lunch on weekdays.
Grenadier Pond is at the corner of Ellis Avenue and the Queensway; the No. 501 Queen streetcar stops at Ellis. Skating is supervised only on weekends from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. There are no lights, so skating effectively ends at 4 P.M. Information: (416) 393-1111.
Ledbury Park is at the corner of St. Germain and Ledbury Streets. Skating starts on Dec. 7 and ends Feb. 27. There is supervised skating only on Friday from 7 to 9 P.M., Saturday from 2 to 4 P.M. and 7 to 9 P.M., and Sunday from 2 to 4 P.M. The rink usually closes at 10 P.M. Information: (416) 395-6016.

[Derek]

Buffalo, if you can survive it. :haha:

I'm going to the Bills-Giants game on December 23rd. :)

[ginsan2]

I'm going to say that the best place to visit in winter is Los Angeles, Miami, or maybe Sao Paulo/Rio.

We already have ice on our roads "up here" and, as has happened nearly every year since Ginsan2 got his license, today I was nearly killed by some Texan in a pickup truck who doesn't know how to drive in cold weather. :hell:

[tdawg]

Are you trying to turn this into a city vs. city? please don't. NYC is not quite the icebox TO is in winter. NYC does, in fact, have a "plethora" of outdoor rinks, with the most incredible city views on Earth, probably. NYC is more than just Manhattan. Also from the NYTimes...

MY NEW YORK
Skating on a Gershwin Set, Whatever the Tune

By CHARLES McGRATH
Published: December 29, 2006
SOME of the most arresting and otherworldly photographs of New York are those turn-of-the-century black-and-white pictures of people skating on the lake in Central Park: the women in bustled skirts, the men in bowlers and the lonely outpost of the Dakota in the background. That was back when we had winter. Anyone trying to skate in New York these days, except on artificial ice, would surely drown, and lately it has been so unnaturally warm that unwary, overdressed skaters venturing out onto the city’s several outdoor rinks have even risked heatstroke.

The skating rink at Rockefeller Center, which turned 70 on Christmas, is probably the most celebrated rink in the world and worth braving the crowds in any weather.
A great deal of the fun of skating in New York, however, consists of rubbernecking — of studying your surroundings and your fellow skaters — and in any weather, even a little drizzle, it’s always worth the effort. Why not start with the rink at Rockefeller Center, which turned 70 on Christmas? You’re going to want to skate there, probably the most celebrated rink in the world, at least once in your life, and with the tree up and lighted, and the place thronged with tourists, you can enjoy the maximal experience. Oddly, it proves in large part to be an experience of miniaturization. Except for the price — until Jan. 4, a steepish $14.50, or $17 on weekends, for an hour-and-a-half session — everything about the Rockefeller rink is tiny: the ice, which is 122 feet by 59 feet, or seven or eight brisk strides end to end; and the skatehouse, a windowless cubicle tucked under the stairs on the east side, which at the beginning and end of a session can resemble the lowest deck on a troopship. Even the Zamboni is pint-sized.

When you get out on the ice, you experience an immediate, antlike sensation of being peered at by all the spectators looking down from the walkways above. Then you glimpse an alarming image of yourself, not nearly as graceful as you imagined, reflected in the ice-view windows of the Sea Grill and the Rock Center Café. This rink fosters self-consciousness, which is surely why it is home to the city’s most exhibitionistic skaters: those showoffs in full ice-show rig — the short, flouncy skirts, the one-piece jumpsuits, the tights that pull down over the skate boot — who cruise around in spread eagles and annoying arabesques.

Happily, the Rockefeller rink also attracts some of the worst skaters around, the out-of-towners who have seldom, if ever, been on the ice before. They cling to the boards like shipwreck survivors or haul themselves along, hand over hand, as if traversing a steep pitch on the Eiger or sneaking like burglars from one window ledge to another. Every now and then one of these fledglings lets go and, with arms outstretched, attempts a glide, often ending in a pleasing, if unintentional, half-turn. The resulting grin is usually spontaneous and contagious, a reminder that this whole business of frozen-water navigation never ceases to be a little miraculous.

Wollman Memorial Skating Rink

A few blocks to the north, the Wollman Rink at the southeastern end of Central Park, may lack some of Rockefeller’s glitzy, touristic appeal — no Christmas lights, no splashing Prometheus fountain — but it’s easily the prettiest place to skate in New York. The ice surface is huge and vaguely trapezoidal in shape, which helps dispel that claustrophobic feeling of rink-boundedness.

Wollman really does seem like a pond, or it would if they let you skate all over, in any direction, to your heart’s content. But it’s usually so crowded that the skate guards not only enforce the customary round-and-round traffic pattern, but also often reverse the flow, directing skaters to travel clockwise. For some reason right-handed skaters usually turn more easily to their left, which is why the traditional rink route is counter-clockwise. Forcing skaters to go the other way, a guard explained, is the equivalent of erecting speed bumps. More time, in other words, to savor the surroundings — the weeping willows, green and burnished gold at this time of year, at the southern end; the rocky cliff to the east; and, all around, some of the most beautiful buildings in New York: the Plaza on the corner and, unscrolling to the right, the rest of Central Park South like the backdrop on a stage set, with the stately towers on Fifth, off to the left, glowing in the late-afternoon sun. At certain times of day, when the light falls just right, they should reprogram the music here, and instead of the rock and hip-hop so popular at rinks these days, let loose with a few bars of Gershwin or Cole Porter.

Lasker Rink

Lasker Rink, at the other end of Central Park, is proof, if proof were needed, of where the money is in New York. This rink, which doubles as a vast swimming pool in the summertime, is both scruffy and a little surreal. The ice is surrounded by a chain-link fence, and you enter through a cagelike maze. There are two sprockety-looking gizmos at the western end and, at the other, four enormous vaults that look like empty, blue-painted sarcophagi, or giant upturned bathtubs. The Zamboni rests above the ice and descends by means of a long ramp and then a little elevator. On a damp gray day, of which we had plenty this year, the whole place feels a little like a stockade on a far-off, slightly crumbling planet.
In the old days Lasker too aspired to a kind of free-form, pondlike shape, but now, thanks largely to the swelling of youth hockey in New York, the surface has been divided into two adjacent and not quite regulation-width rinks. This creates a lot of available ice, and until the school and pee-wee teams start arriving in late afternoon, one or the other of them is usually empty. For $4.50 you can skate any which way you want, far from the wobbly-ankled crowds downtown, and no one will notice either your pratfalls or your nifty double salchows.

Still farther north, the rink at Riverbank State Park, on Riverside Drive, is another no-frills facility. This rink, which opened in 1993, is on top of a wastewater treatment plant 70 feet above the Hudson and has a roof but open sides. Were it not for a grandstand (which probably doubles as a windbreak) the western side would afford a terrific view of the river and the New Jersey Palisades, while the other, unobstructed side looks over the West Side Highway. But skating north you can see the green-lighted, connect-the-dot curves of the George Washington Bridge, and on the southbound return trip you might catch a glimpse of the Fairway sign. So much hockey goes on here, and so much serious figure skating, that, except over the holidays, the rink is open for general skating only on Friday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

If you grew up in New England, as I did, this is the New York rink that may remind you the most of your youth. On a recent Friday it was as if nothing had changed: the breeze carrying a whiff of Zamboni fume; the exasperated skate guards whistling vainly at the teenage boys in hockey skates who were bombing around, whipping and weaving through the crowd, and stopping short every now and then to spray some girls with ice shavings. The girls shrugged, pushed off with the toe-picks of their figure skates and pretended not to notice. The only things different from, say, the Cleveland Circle rink in Boston about 1960 were the temperature, which was close to 60 degrees, and the bouncy Latin music, a welcome change from “Lady of Spain” and the other organ standards that seemed so tired even when they were new.

Sky Rink

Another place to see good skaters is the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers. The Sky Rink, which is really two rinks (named in honor of a place, now defunct but fondly remembered by late-night hockey players, that used to perch on the 16th floor of a building on West 33rd Street, reachable only by a ponderously slow elevator), is not outdoors, strictly speaking. But the westernmost of the two rinks, the one normally used for public skating, extends way out over the Hudson on Pier 61 with glass on both sides, and there is also a clerestory skylight in the roof. Big, bright and airy, the place feels as if it were floating in the air.

Chelsea Piers is a bit of a pain to get to, however, and like most of that enormous sports compound, the rinks tend to attract more or less serious athletes. Hockey is played practically around the clock, and the recreational skaters (who pay $11 a time) are less apt to be tourists on rental blades than people looking for some real exercise. For some reason the Sky Rink also features some of the weirdest outfits in New York. Late on a recent afternoon there was a guy dreaming the dream in full Rangers uniform — helmet, gloves, jersey, pads — and also a very tall, skinny fellow wearing tights, orange short-shorts and an undershirt from the Attager rowing team. He hurtled around, flailing a little on the corners, like someone possessed.

Kate Wollman Rink

The Kate Wollman Rink in Prospect Park, on the other hand, is arguably the most truly outdoorsy of New York’s outdoor rinks, the only one from which you cannot see a building or hear a lot of traffic. This rink is starting to show its age a little and could use a windfall of Trumpian generosity like the one that The Donald bestowed on the Central Park Wollman back in the late ’80s, but the setting is still bucolic, with the lake on one side, the Concert Grove on the other and a cattail marsh at the far end. And because the rink is unusually wide, it most nearly replicates the feeling of wide-open pond skating. Late on a recent Friday afternoon it was dotted with Orthodox Jewish skaters squeezing in a little ice time before sundown: little boys in velvet yarmulkes, their moms in snoods and ankle-length skirts. Gliding along, their feet barely seeming to move, these women looked a lot like those Central Park skaters of a hundred years ago.

The Pond at Bryant Park

And finally, best for last: the Pond at Bryant Park, a yearly miracle that materializes on the lawn behind the New York Public Library. The ice freezes up at the end of October, just as it would in a more cooperative climate, and then in mid-January, around the time of an early thaw, the compressor is turned off and the whole rink is trucked away. Hemmed in on three sides by glamorous tall buildings, including the Grace Tower on the 42nd Street side and the old American Standard Building (now the Bryant Park Hotel) on 41st, the place feels both magical and protected, a sort of wintry secret garden where leaves from the plane trees occasionally tumble down and get decoupaged into the ice.

The Pond, which is entirely free, by the way, plays by far the best skating music in New York — jazz and Broadway show tunes — and at nighttime especially you can feel like an extra (or even a principal) in a costumed ice show. Last year I got in the habit of arriving first thing in the morning, before work, and sometimes had the ice all to myself, or shared it on a few unlucky occasions with a guy who affected both racing skates and racing tights, into which he stuffed himself like a kielbasa. This year I’ve been going at lunchtime or late in the afternoon, when the ice is more crowded but still not mobbed. Part of the fun is spotting the many passers-by who on their way through or past the park are still astonished that such a thing could be taking place — ice skating, right on 42nd Street.

I remember last winter when I was showing off one morning with some backward crossovers, a young Hispanic woman stopped and watched me for while, before saying, in a tone that was part doubtful and part exclamatory: “You a skater!?” A while later I was brought gently down to earth by a skate guard who was staring at my skates — Bauer 1000s that, as some of the guys on my hockey team like to point out, were purchased before some of our younger teammates were even born. The guard shook his head and said, not unkindly, those skates “are old!”

http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/images/thepond.JPG

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1216/1485693871_0734b138a7_o.jpg

http://www.visitingdc.com/images/rockefeller-center-picture.jpg

http://hungary.usembassy.gov/uploads/images/Gyxrp5kq8vjr-zypJhoL5Q/ny_rockefeller.jpg

[al2six]

Here's some pics from Detroit. It might not be quite as festive as say montreal, but it's nice nonetheless, so i figured i'd share. some of the pics are from an event called detroit's winter blast. it features dog sled rides, sledding, figure skating and snowboarding demonstrations, ice sculptures, live music, food, etc

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/154/383215648_4c26e2c706.jpg?v=0
http://flickr.com/photos/cobby17/383215648/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/43/96188922_2c359a7043.jpg?v=0
http://flickr.com/photos/allanm/96188922/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/36/96188919_20e4fd7407.jpg?v=1184988518
http://flickr.com/photos/allanm/96188919/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/39/97572310_02ce022951.jpg?v=0
http://flickr.com/photos/girl-in-the-d/97572310/

http://kirkallen.exposuremanager.com/scripts/expman.pl?rm=view_photo&photo_id=detroitnightoflights46&file=detroitnightoflights_medium.jpg&dir=galleries/2&touched=1195417429
http://kirkallen.net/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/327769338_7a3b223bb7.jpg?v=0
http://flickr.com/photos/snweb/327769338/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/2044588611_45fc164aae.jpg?v=0
http://flickr.com/photos/qtee313/2044588611/

[ginsan2]

Are you trying to turn this into a city vs. city? please don't. NYC is not quite the icebox TO is in winter. NYC does, in fact, have a "plethora" of outdoor rinks, with the most incredible city views on Earth, probably. NYC is more than just Manhattan. Also from the NYTimes...



The fascinating thing about being in NYC in the winter, even in the other boroughs besides Manhattan, is that no matter how cold it may "officially" say, you don't feel cold due to city heat effect. You just feel damp. Really, really damp. Chilly, of course, but it's just the dampness during the day that gets to you more than the "Bone-gnawing, skin-rending wind of razor ice" that assaults us here in the midwest.

[zaphod]

when you live your whole life in a warm climate, all that freezing stuff looks very appealing...

I guess you can complain about the weather wherever you live. I would hate to be somewhere that stays dark and buried in snow for months, but then it's not so fun being in a un-airconditioned wood frame house in Texas either.

[ginsan2]

I just can't wait until I don't live in the midwest anymore. Someplace where the ground doesn't freeze and winter just isn't the major season that lasts forever. The removal of that burden from my psyche will be the best thing to happen since sliced bread.

[Gerrard]

I remember living in Toronto in the 70s and early 80s, the city used to make a neighborhood skating rink in every city park of sufficient size to hold one. And city workers would maintain them. Unfortunately they were among the first to go when costs had to be cut because of financial mismanagement & as the country's richest city, Toronto also has to give away a higher percentage of its revenue than it receives back from the province and federal governments. I'm sure this, coupled with immigration from non European nations has helped to make the city no longer appreciate the winter season as it once did (and it did). Of course global warming and the fact that it really doesn't get cold there until January helped too. Personally this never affected me much as I'm one of the few hockey hating non skating Canadians of euro-extraction but it's a shame nonetheless.

Having said that, it's one of the few cities I've lived in and visited in winter that puts on such a spectacular light show for the holiday season, public and private. I know Chicago is similar in this way too. One thing I think would be incredibly successful in Toronto is a German style Xmas Market.

[LivingIn622]

Detroit has a motown winter blast thing that goes on during the winter. Ice skating, music and a huge christmas tree. But I think Canadian cities would be the most lively during the winter.

[LSyd]

Miami

New Orleans

Buenos Aires

Sydney

A majority of people living in the northern cities actually die off by the end of November, with others basically shutting down their entire bodies and going into a near death "hybernation" state until spring when they start back up again and the queen begins breeding to restock the hive of those lost to cold temps.

:haha:

-

[Mister F]

Lake Louise
Tremblant
Stowe
Whistler
Sunshine Village

:D

[tdawg]

toronto has something like 40 outdoor public rinks, so it's in a class by itself in that respect. not many cities, however, can claim to have the views you get from Central Park or Rockefeller Center.

[MolsonExport]

^Montreal is no slouch with outdoor rinks. And I am quite sure QC, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg are equally good on this measure.

[phillyskyline]

Anyone been to Madison, WI around the Holidays? I hear it's very festive & charming in the snow...

[#10 Shirt]

toronto has something like 40 outdoor public rinks, so it's in a class by itself in that respect. not many cities, however, can claim to have the views you get from Central Park or Rockefeller Center.

Minneapolis and St. Paul each maintain over 30 public outdoor rinks.

Each city also maintains cross country ski trails, sliding hills, and ice climbing locations. Ice fishing is also common on the city lakes

Here's a great map of outdoor winter activities in St. Paul...(haven't found one of Mpls yet):
http://www.stpaul.gov/depts/parks/specialservices/ski/files/Winter%20Activities%20All.pdf

[BlackRedGold]

^Montreal is no slouch with outdoor rinks. And I am quite sure QC, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg are equally good on this measure.

Ottawa has over 230 public outdoor rinks.

[salvius]

^ really???

Ottawa wins it just on the basis of the Rideau Canal, as far as I'm concerned. Truly a special moment, and the view is nice too!

[eemy]

Wow, so does that make Ottawa the king of outdoor rinks?

[Mister F]

Looks like it. That includes natural ice surfaces though, while Toronto's 49 is only artificial rinks. I'm sure Ottawa still has more though. The Rideau Canal is amazing, everyone should skate the whole length of it at least once. Growing up in Peterborough we had something similar in the canal under the lift locks, but that was a fraction of the Rideau Canal rink's length.

[BlackRedGold]

Looks like it. That includes natural ice surfaces though, while Toronto's 49 is only artificial rinks.

Not many natural ice surfaces on the list. More then half are rinks with full boards.

The full list can be found here:
http://ottawa.ca/residents/parks_recreation/seasonal/fw/outdoor_rinks/locations_en.html

[Nowhereman1280]

Cedarburg, WI.

Its hands down the the most stereotypical small town in America and is great for Architecture buffs since its main core is basically frozen in time since the 1800's. Right now they have about 2 feet of snow there and I hear its gorgeous. Its where I was raised and I should be going home for Christmas and will try and take some pictures then to give you all an idea of its supremacy as stereotypical small-townland...

The best part of Christmas there is that everything on Mainstreet is decked out with lights, but not in a tacky way, they are almost all just white lights. Very pretty indeed.

[big W]

^Montreal is no slouch with outdoor rinks. And I am quite sure QC, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg are equally good on this measure.

I am not sure on the number in Edmonton, but I do know that there is one out door rink for every 2 subdivisions in the city. Then there is the 25 indoor rinks as well. Then the is a rink in WEM and in Westmount Mall not to mention the Agricom. So they are everywhere in Edmonton.

[brickell]

Since this has become a thread about ice rinks...

There's an article in Time about Mexico City and their new ice rink. The "largest in the world according to boosters."

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1694460,00.html

[#10 Shirt]

Since this has become a thread about ice rinks...

There's an article in Time about Mexico City and their new ice rink. The "largest in the world according to boosters."

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1694460,00.html


That's great. It's nice to see people in warmer climates getting a chance to experience what many of us take for granted.

I don't know about it being the largest outdoor rink in the world though. The John Rose Oval in Roseville, MN (a Minneapolis suburb) has a 110,000 s.f. outdoor ice surface. http://www.skatetheoval.com/oval_facts.php

http://www.skatetheoval.com/images/about_photo.jpg

[BlackRedGold]

I don't know about it being the largest outdoor rink in the world though. The John Rose Oval in Roseville, MN (a Minneapolis suburb) has a 110,000 s.f. outdoor ice surface. http://www.skatetheoval.com/oval_facts.php


The Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa, at 7.8 km long, is officially the world's largest skating rink.

[Crawford]

That's great. It's nice to see people in warmer climates getting a chance to experience what many of us take for granted.

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Central Mexico definitely gets to experience a real winter. The difference is that it's only for half the day. During the winter months, daytime temperatures in Mexico City and Guadalajara regularly reach 80's F while nighttime temperatures regularly fall below freezing.

This is my first time in a climate where 60 degree weather swings are "normal", day after day. It's very strange. There's even occasional snow in Mexico City's western suburbs and (stranger still) ski slopes!

I guess the wacky climate is from the altitudes. Both Mexico City and Guadalajara are significantly higher than Denver.

Obviously, Mexico's coastal areas are radically different and completely tropical.