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The Great Canadian Tourism Thread!
Alright so it's early in the morning, I can't sleep and I keep thinking about a whole bunch of stuff.
As some of you may know, I'm a new Permanent Resident to Canada (landed two months ago). My stay here in 2006-2008 made me fall in love with this beautiful country, but it wasn't until I went back to my country of birth that I started appreciating and realizing how incredible Canada is, something that unfortunately some Canadians take for granted. All this time I've been lurking the forums, learning new stuff, discovering new places, and I gotta say that it has made me want to travel all across Canada, visit all 10 provinces and 3 territories. I don't want to bug each forumer and personally ask them for tips/things to do/places to visit while in their lovely cities, hence this thread. The dynamic is quite simple. You'll advertise your city/province/region, you'll give a few things to do or places to visit. They can be the typical, touristy stuff, or maybe things that some visitors might miss out (e.g. visiting a local restaurant). Mention your favourite things to do, places to eat and stay, things NOT to do or say, etc. This is the place to ask away as well. If any of you are thinking of visiting a particular place, we can use this thread to clear all doubts/discover new things. Promotional videos or photos are also accepted. We gotta convince all those sloppy-dressed tourists to come spent their loonies chez nous, after all ;) |
Montréal
Let's start with the city I decided to make my own. Montréal is the place to EAT EAT EAT. The reputation of it being a foodie paradise is well deserved. As soon as I got here I decided to go for a classic (most of you will have probably heard of it). A poutine from La Banquise. Clogging your arteries has never felt so good. Location: http://goo.gl/maps/wUy5H I ordered a classic one (the one below) and the wife ordered "Le chicks" which has breaded chicken, delicious I must say. The atmosphere is incredible, the waitresses are gorgeous, the music selection is great. I can get packed though, beware. http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...82764656_n.jpg Edit: After you're done you can walk around Parc Lafontaine to burn all those extra calories, which is just across the street. |
First of all, welcome to Quebec and Canada - and congratulations on becoming a Quebecer and Canadian. :tup::notacrook:
It's wonderful to know we live in a country that offers enough to attract young people such as you. I know it's never easy to leave your home in pursuit of better opportunities elsewhere - and especially a home like Mexico, which has life-threatening problems, to be sure, but is also spectacularly beautiful, impressive, and filled with potential. :worship: No matter how much better it may be for you here, I know coming here is a big sacrifice on your part - so thanks for coming and welcome! :) ***** I'm thrilled to know you wish to visit all 10 provinces and three territories. While there are many similarities between neighbouring provinces such as the Prairies and the Maritimes, each is different enough to make it worth visiting individually. </end objectivity> <begin homerism> And some places - most notably your home, Quebec, and mine, Newfoundland, as well as Canada's largest cities - offer an experience so unique that it simply is not replicated anywhere else in the country. In the same way our largest cities, such as Toronto and Montreal just to name two, are the only places in Canada you can experience true urbanity, Newfoundland is the only place where you can experience a completely separate, English-speaking culture. Until 1949, we were an independent country, the Dominion of Newfoundland - equal in status to and completely separate from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and so on. And it shows still today. Everything you know about Canada - how old the country is, when women earned the right to vote, when universal healthcare was introduced, what wars they fought in, what years wars started and ended, what the official languages are, what the holidays are, what the traditions are... all of that is completely different for us. We even drove on the left side of the road until we started preparing to join Canada. Our villages, towns and cities have their own nonsensical urban form and haphazard architecture (the houses remind me of clusters of friends chatting in a busy city plaza) - and names that reflect the tremendous diversity of early settlers, including English, French, Scottish, Irish, Basque, Breton, Norman, Italian, Spanish, and others: Town of Bonavista: http://ryancrocker.zenfolio.com/img/...42348302-5.jpg Town of Plaisance: http://ryancrocker.zenfolio.com/img/...42428154-5.jpg Village of Branch: http://ryancrocker.zenfolio.com/img/...42430106-5.jpg Village of Trinity: http://ryancrocker.zenfolio.com/img/...42334570-5.jpg Likewise, St. John's was a proper capital. Small in population, of course, but far more significant and powerful than most Canadians acknowledge today. Through our 500 year history, we have certainly welcomed more royalty, national leaders, celebrities, and other honoured guests than most Canadian cities - and probably more than any, really. From the titles bestowed upon on our oldest sporting event - the Royal St. John's Regatta - to our police force - the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary - you can see the hints of how proud a city we were, and are. This gives us a self-confidence that is, in my experience, very difficult to find elsewhere in Canada. Simply put, we are comfortable in our own skin. We care less about silly things and fight less among ourselves. Spend some time in our section here on SSP and you'll find very little conflict, very few competitive comparisons to other cities - except in response to condescension directed toward us. (And there's also an exception for Halifax that is, in many ways, no fault of that city. When we joined Canada, we went from being a national capital with everything that Ottawa has to being a backwater serviced primarily from the largest mainland Canadian city in the region, one we never considered to be even our equal, let alone superior. Imagine if Canada joined the United States and not only was everything based in Ottawa moved to Washington, D.C., but even basic federal services were provided to Ottawa from Utica, New York. Imagine watching as Utica became bigger and better while Ottawa stagnated and declined. That's how we felt, and you can still sense that anger and frustration, however indirectly, today.) The lyrics of a Jann Arden song suit St. John's - in its spectacular historic, geographic, and cultural uniqueness and isolation - perfectly: "I am not lonely, I swear to God I'm just alone." http://ryancrocker.zenfolio.com/img/...42385820-5.jpg http://ryancrocker.zenfolio.com/img/...75544858-5.jpg http://ryancrocker.zenfolio.com/img/...42519832-5.jpg http://ryancrocker.zenfolio.com/img/...42489262-5.jpg Before you visit, the following two misconceptions are very common among Canadians: 1. Assuming it's a small island and can be toured from stem to stern in a day or two. Excluding continents, Newfoundland is one of the largest islands in the world. It is 903km to drive from Channel-Port-aux-Basques, where the ferries linking Newfoundland to Canada dock, to St. John's. From our southern tip at Cape St. Mary's to our northern tip at St. Anthony, it is a 1,071km drive. 2. Assuming the Trans Canada Highway is a scenic drive. It's not. With few exceptions, it simply travels across the interior of the island. You can almost count on one hand the number of times you can see the ocean on that 903km-drive. Do not base your roadtrip around enjoying that drive, base it on getting off the TCH and visiting key areas - such as the Port-au-Port Peninsula, Gros Mourne National Park, Terra Nova National Park, the Bonavista Peninsula, the Burin Peninsula, and so on. For information about what to do and see, contact Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism. They're friendly and helpful and will send you well-done information - including a massive trip-planning book - absolutely free. And, to conclude, tourism promotion videos. We've won awards all around the world for ours. They're spectacular. Here is my favourite example. This one features a great deal of Labrador (which is often ignored) and I think it's actually targeted to Newfoundlanders living in mainland Canada - that's why the music is so heartwrenching and mournful. When I was living on the mainland, I spent many nights playing this on repeat. The thumbnail image before you hit play is Gros Mourne National Park, on the west coast of the island. And here is my favourite of the ones targeted toward tourists: And here is the latest one specific to St. John's: |
The tourism ads for Newfoundland and Labrador in recent years have been brilliant.
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A big welcome to you! And nice idea for a thread :-)
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Its like Signal had that written up and ready to go. ;) You should work for tourism NL. You made me want to get up from work and go explore!
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Merci Signal! :) I knew you were going to post something and quite frankly I was waiting for it. NL is top of the list for me. I love those tourism ads, I just with they were in HQ. Watching that ad in 1080p with your 55" LED TV would be mind-blowing :D What are your favourite restaurants? Favourite pub?
A place that has brilliant ads is Québec City. I sometimes want to go spend a weekend there, but I got to get some recommendations first on the MUST GO places to eat. |
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If you're looking for classier (and much more expensive) food, Raymond's is probably the city's best fine dining establishment, and consistently ranks well in wider rankings (I've seen it on "best of Canada" lists). Pub food... we've got lots of it. And everyone has their own favorite spot. The Duke of Duckworth may be the best known, and has some fantastic food. It gets packed though. For lunch, try Bistro Sophia. Their pork sandwich is one of my favorites in the city. |
:haha: Copes - and thanks all. :)
And I agree Quebec has spectacular videos. David (I think) shared one of Quebec City at Christmas that I posted to my FB, despite having no connection to the city, ha! Just wanted to share it with my friends. My favourite restaurant in St. John's is Wendy's. :haha: Kidding. Mama Soula's is great. The Celtic Hearth. Greensleeves and O'Reilly's offer the George Street atmosphere while you dine. We also have a crapload of VERY famous, VERY expensive restaurants. Raymond's is the most popular - winning just about every "Best in Canada" award going right now. I, unfortunately, have never been. Best pubs... the Grapevine if you want to chat/socialize, Underbelly if you want a great sidewalk location. Lots on George Street, like Greensleeves, have awesome patios. St. John's is extremely tolerant of the gay lifestyle, if you are. We were one of the very first cities in Canada to have a gay club and, even back in the 60s and 70s, many restaurants and clubs had an unofficial but openly gay table or section. So you don't have to segregate yourself that way. If you do prefer a gay club, Velvet is the main one, awesome clientelle, awesome DJ. Must-see attractions... View St. John's from Signal Hill. Walk in the Old Town residential areas. Visit Cape Spear. Visit Petty Harbour. Take a whale-watching/icerberg/bird-watching boat tour out of Bay Bulls. Visit Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove, particularly Middle Cove Beach, at night. Half of St. John's will be there with beach bonfires. It is spectacularly cool. If you're interested in history/heritage, be sure to see the Veiled Virgin statue and check out all of the exhibits, especially the one about Newfoundland's independent past, at The Rooms. The Ship Inn is a great pub for live music, always the best up-and-coming local bands. For an outsider perspective, PM Ayeronaut. He's from Calgary and is here for school. He'd have very valuable advice for you as a result. And, it goes without saying, and if you're comfortable, join us in the SSP section if you're really coming and let us know. We'll arrange a get-together in your honour, show you around, etc. |
Hamilton
Hamilton is very different from what most people think it is. The image anyone thinks when they hear "Hamilton" is this...
http://i.thestar.com/images/5a/8f/13...c46dc4973.jpeg Source ...and most people can't get past that. The people that do get past the steel mills are lucky enough to view Hamilton from a different angle like this... http://messersmith.name/news/wp-cont...-from-park.jpg Source _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City of Waterfalls: One of Hamilton's main attractions are its waterfalls. With over 100 waterfalls Hamilton is The Waterfall Capital of the World and has been given the name 'The City of Waterfalls'. (cityofwaterfalls.ca) The Devil's Punchbowl: Albion Falls: Tews Falls: http://www.cityofwaterfalls.ca/images/fr1_drew.jpg Source http://www.cityofwaterfalls.ca/image...n-Autumn-2.jpg Source _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Parks/Outdoors/Nature/Recreation: Wild Waterworks on the beach is always fun in the summer... http://ontarioalive.com/wp-content/u...834af6348c.jpg Source If you like biking/rollerblading/running/etc., try taking the new landmark Waterfront Link Bridge to get to the beach and then enjoy the paved trail that goes along the whole beach right to Burlington. http://media.thespec.com/images/24/3...6f36831f64.jpg Source http://dtah.com/wp-content/uploads/2...py-690x460.jpg Source _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Food: Food trucks have become very popular in Hamilton. There is an event called 'Sew Hungry' that takes place on Ottawa Street, Hamilton's Fabric & Textile District, where all the food trucks line the street so people can try them all... https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...69215245_n.jpg Source https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...04508759_n.jpg Source https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...42189225_n.jpg Source Also check out Tim Hortons store #1 on Ottawa Street. A new restaurant in Hamilton, which is nice if you want to go somewhere fancy, is 'Sarcoa' which overlooks the harbour... http://media.thespec.com/images/00/d...a1e7a16f82.jpg Source _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Supercrawl: Supercrawl is an annual event that celebrates the diversity of James North, our multi-disciplinary arts community, and the incredible spark that results with our unique mix of cultures, businesses and creative people. Supercrawl is heading into its 5th year in 2013 with the hopes to continue to grow the event into the downtown premier event of the year. https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...44577374_n.jpg Source https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...59265901_n.jpg Source https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...07381061_n.jpg Source https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...28447774_n.jpgSource _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ That's just a few reasons why it is great to visit Hamilton. |
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I'll give you a list of good restaurants to choose from while visiting Quebec City!!! Quote:
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Awesome Hamilton promo, Thomas. It's one of the things I've learned from the Canada forum: Ontario is more than Toronto (not that there's anything wrong with Toronto). I just assumed everything else would be suburban sprawl. I never would have believed pictures of places like Paris, Ontario, were from that province. And the commercial centres of many of the smaller cities, like London, and Hamilton, are awesome.
Very cool. And I love waterfalls. I don't know if I've already been to Hamilton (drove from St. John's to Winnipeg, staying on the TCH), but I'll have to visit it properly next time I'm in that region. |
Hmmmm... but why would you assume it would all be suburban sprawl? Most of the cities aren't part part of the GTA... plus there's like a million people there living in those tiny towns like Paris and Elora. I guess it's just something the average person wouldn't think about. Ontario is a pretty great place though.
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I need a Montreal greasy-spoon poutine. La Banquise is legendary.
There are other great poutineries in Montreal. World's GREATEST BBQ chicken can be had here: http://www.chaletbbq.com/eng.htm Sherbrooke Street West, at Decarie. Montreal. Since 1944. there is no contest. I make a pilgrimage every time I go back to Montreal. the real deal. http://www.yelp.ca/biz/chalet-bar-b-q-montreal http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserRe...al_Quebec.html http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8164/7...bf2f2eb0_z.jpg Shamelessly copied by the (lousy by comparison) "Swiss" Chalet. |
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Hamilton definitely has a vibe that I've never encountered in any other Canadian city. It's refreshingly down to earth and unpretentious. It's gritty and unsophisticated, but it has a strong sense of self. Toronto feels so rudderless sometimes, Hamilton does not. You should check it out for sure. GO TICATS! |
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Merci! I'll probably go for a long weekend this summer :tup: MolsonExport, I'll go to that place in the next week or so to give it a try :D |
So it turns out this amazing video was actually created for Toronto Tourism.
Planet Toronto Created by: Ryan Edmond "I was approached by Tourism Toronto to create a short piece on the city. They wanted to do something entirely different, they wanted to come away from the standard tourism video, so I figured I would step as far away from those videos as possible. I felt like it was the perfect opportunity to push my shooting style by employing a purely observational perspective. I intended to capture the city in distinctive form— I wanted to make this piece different" "By utilizing time-lapse photography and slow motion to capture intimate moments, I was able to draw attention to what we might overlook, or only offer a passing glance to. I want to represent how we move through the city; how the weather moves through it and how the city breathes, transforms and grows each day. Much like other cities, Toronto is a place you have to experience to feel the energy and emotion that pulses through the streets and neighbourhoods. I hope that I can give you a brief glimpse of the beauty, and motivate you to come explore for yourself. Thank you to my family and friends for the endless support. Thank you to everyone who has enjoyed and shared my videos this past year." Shot, edited and directed by Ryan Emond - reemond.com/ Original music composed by Joseph Mcdonald - joseph.ray.m@gmail.com Licensing requests - ryaneemond@gmail.com A huge thank you to Tourism Toronto for making this happen. For more information on Toronto travel please visit: seetorontonow.com/ |
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I believe that Swiss Chalet was started by the son of the founder of Chalet BBQ. It probably wasn't horrible when it was created, but it quickly became a generic chain restaurant. |
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