To be continued...

More pictures...
I kinda regretted taking off my braids for this trip. Well, I'm thankful I travelled with a head warmer.

Finally made it to Nathan Philips Square...
When I got there, there were hundreds of people waiting to get on the Ice to skate. I have tried skating once and it wasn't the best experience Renting a skating shoe here cost less than CAD 30. I did not ask with the intention of skating though lol
I declined to skate because there were lots of people there and I am nowhere near being an experienced skater. So, to avoid stories that touch the heart, I decided to enjoy the experience with my eyes.


Pictures...

Looks like I have responded to everyone's comments. Thanks for making this engaging! I appreciate all the active readers and the ghost readers too.

Back to my trip...

Adex2442:
Sweet thread

One day I will drop mine adventure too. Amen

Thank you! I say a resounding AMEN

ednut1:
true. I was talking about economy. Been to Niagra/buffalo too looked the same

Hahahahaha That's a great observation! It took me a while to register that I was in Canada and not the US when I got to Niagara.

NumeroUno7:
When you say the USA is miles apart from Canada what do you mean? Asides economy which USA is obviously heads and shoulders above any country on earth, there's little to no difference between the US and Canada. Infrastructure, education etc.. I see the level of development and I don't see much difference.. If you are blindfolded and dropped suddenly in a street in Canada and your blindfold taken off, with someone telling you where you are is USA, I don't think you would doubt or argue. Same too if you are taken to Canada and you are told it is USA, you won't argue. This is cos both countries are similar so I don't know what you mean by miles apart.. Maybe in terms of military might and economy which wasn't what I was talking about in my previous comment

I agree with your submission! US and Canada have lots of similarities - in their systems and infrastructure.

ZINNYBANKS:

Too much stress no dey oyinbo con3 na why dem dey live long nice trip op..

Hahahahaha...thank you o.
Actually, stress dey oyinbo con3. But they differ from what many 'non-oyibo' countries experience. Even people that have salary-jobs face stress. But, it is generally good with some downsides that people may or may not bear with.

Realteeyee123:


Interesting, well you right though but at least I don’t hear gunshots or get scared at certain neighborhoods at night or odd hours lol

Lol I saw this coming! You decided to approach this thread with 'vawulence'

It might interest you to know that I have met people who have lived in the US for years who have never heard gunshots in their neighborhoods. While gun violence is a menace in some parts of the US, not everyone's experiences are same. I feel sorry for victims of gun violence. I would never wish that on anybody.
When I was planning and researching before embarking on my trip to Canada (Toronto, Ontario), I learnt there are certain no-go areas (especially at night). I found threads on different platforms and blogs where people talked about really bad experiences they have witnessed and encountered in Ontario. I forget the names of the places though.

As long as there are unemployed humans or humans that have no value for life, there'd always be problems irrespective of the society.

ednut1:
USA is better than Canada. But Canada is more immigration friendly, ease of getting papers.

Now, you're revealing good information that can help people make assessments
I'm guessing you mean better in terms of economy, job opportunities, etc.?

ednut1:
Do not compare Canada to USA biko. The Usa is miles apart lol

I think it is unfair to do a full blown comparison between the United States and Canada.
This doesn't mean I support you when you say "The Usa is miles apart". While that may be true in some areas, Canada can give the Usa a run for their money in some areas. Some people think of the economy when comparing both countries, others think of social life, while some think about safety, education, healthcare, immigration laws and other important aspects.

You may want to be specific so Canada stans don't come for you lol

Geo4646:


Yes oo, I follow celebrate ur success ooo.. show ur boy love nah.

Lol...please, reduce the volume so my destiny helpers on this forum will not think otherwise when they are led to help me.

NumeroUno7:
See sweet sweet structures na chai.. OP I took note of a place you said many places in Ontario looks like Downtown (which is likened to the Maitaima and Banana Island in Nigeria) unlike the US.
Please are you saying, take away the US hype, that Canada is better structured with more beautiful places than USA?

Well, not exactly. Being "better structured" can be interpreted differently. If you mean structure in terms of infrastructure, I cannot use Toronto, Ontario as a representative of Canada if I make an attempt to compare Canada to the United States. It will be unfair and an imbalanced comparison. Still on structure in terms of infrastructure, there is a lot of similarity between the U.S states I have visited and Toronto, Ontario. Road networks, road signs designs, metro, streets, etc all look alike. As someone said, if you were blindfolded and dropped in an area in the US, and taken off to another area in Canada, you most likely will not tell where you are except you read signs that may be written in French or if you see KM/H speed limits and very subtle differences.

If you mean structure in terms of beautiful places, Toronto, Ontario has quite a lot of beautiful high-rise buildings (condos, offices, etc) and tourist attractions. This is no different from Boston, Massachusetts, Alexandria, Virginia, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, New York, New York, and other US cities I have visited. There are lots of tourist attractions and historic sites in the US as well as Toronto, Ontario. So, I cannot say one is better than the other

I hear the healthcare system and system of benefits is better in Canada (I don't have specific and reliable information to share yet) but I interacted with some Canadians that were of the opinion that they preferred Canada to the US. it was just four people I interacted with that said this. Only one of them has lived in the US and this person prefers Canada to US primarily because the shorter route to permanent residency and few other reasons.

From my little experience, I liked the transport system in Toronto, Ontario. I guess it was great because it is a big city. Until I visit other provinces, I do not have the authority to say 'jack' about Canada.

NumeroUno7:
Please let it be Canada so you give us pictorial illustrations

Or maybe both?

Zealoy:
It is well

Amen

More pictures...next stop is Nathan Philips Square, Toronto, ON.
It's about a 2-min walk from here.

Wikipedia says the following about Old City Hall, Toronto:
"The Old City Hall is a Romanesque-style civic building and court house in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was the home of the Toronto City Council from 1899 to 1966 and remains one of the city's most prominent structures".

More pictures...

From the CN Tour/Ripley's Museum, I decided to go to Nathan Philips Square (where you find the popular Toronto sign). It is usually better at night. It was a 20min walk. But before getting to the Square, I did a quick stop at the Toronto City Hall. It's a historic site as well.

Pictures...

Seunblack7070:
Nice thread. I wish to do a road trip to Canada or Mexico soon

That's great! Hope you get to document your journey to encourage all of us on here.

NumeroUno7:
Boss OP you no dey update again?

My bad...still updating.

Geo4646:


Which time I go enjoy like this.. God when!

You can plan for it if enjoyment means going on a trip like this or a better one

Hello fam,
My sincere apologies for the late update. Been catching up some stuff lately but I won't miss a day going forward till I'm done.


The Presto card is how I paid for the subway. You can add money to it. You know what I found interesting? When you tap on the card readers to get on the metro (after recharging your card), for the next two hours, you do not need to pay extra for the subway.
The other picture is what it looks like in one of the stations.

onegig:

Nah not really conversant..Had maybe one or two trips on the CN end. Not accross borders though.

For the cars , yeah true . You don't want car issues on such a long trip. Better to be safe and go with something with good ratings and reviews.

Glad you enjoyed your trip. Looking forward to making a trip probably in August towards the Windsor-Detroit end God willing...

As for CN towers. Lol those prices are kinda pricey. $80 to see a tower and aquarium ? Nah thank you. I would pass. Not a fan of heights so which makes such fees much uninteresting.

Lol!
Those prices be over the roof. I don't mind heights. Not scared of them. If I happen to find myself near the CN tower in the near future, I don't mind doing a trip up there. I think the $80 plus cost covers lunch at the restaurant up there. I don't think it is exactly bad (again, one has to save up for it unless you want to walk back home)

I hope you achieve your windsor-detroit trip sooner than later. I didn't like there was no rest area on that route. It took us about 2hrs or a little more or less to get to one. Pretty annoying! But the Windsor Riverfront is so beautiful! Overlooking Detroit from Windsor is a lovely experience!

And yeah, about the cars, I was avoiding stories that touch the heart
I'll look into Turo next time.

Stay safe, stay warm

Pictures...

P i c t u r e s . . .

I initially planned to get into the Ripley's Aquarium and CN Tower. When I saw the cost was beyond my pay grade, I changed my plans

I was happy to find an ATM where I could withdraw Canadian dollars with my temporary US debit card. I was charged some fees by my bank though but it saved me a lot of worries. Sometimes, it can be better to have cash on you to avoid situations where you cards fail you.
I hear some banks block transactions outside the US until you call their international collect number.


More pictures...

Allylic:
This is beautiful..

One personal question for OP if he/she didn't mind.

Did you travel alone? If yes, how is it like travelling alone.

Thank you! I'm glad you like it so far. Well, I didn't travel alone. If I was going to flying, I probably would have but I can't drive for so long. The max I have done at a go is 6hrs and 30mins or so. I don't have much experience with solo trips. It can be fun and you can achieve a lot more because you are in total control of your time and you don't get to worry about your other peeps unless you all agree that you will be solo.
I know traveling with one or two other people or even more can be a less expensive way to cover new grounds.

onegig:
Just seeing this.

You should have tried Turo also. Lots of options and i think it's cheaper everytime i have used it than Enterprise.

How was the border passage? Heard the officials at both sides can be a pita sometimes.

For the speedlimits there are stretches that are 70miles on the 401 also.although limited to about a 60km stretch..but 100KM/hr isn't bad enough.

Honestly, I did not have a lot of information at my reach (I guess a Google search could have changed things). Anyways, I was going to go for Enterprise until I chanced on Alamo. I was kinda weary of some 'non-popular' rental companies for fear of a bad experience. I have heard rumors about some unnecessary strict conditions some give and some cars that are not always in best shapes that some give. I think I went on Priceline or one of this travel agencies and found Alamo to be cheaper. I then reached them directly and switched at the last minute before committing. Did my background check and all. Next time, I will consider Turo. Thanks for sharing

Border passage was smooth, I'd say. They checked my documents and asked few questions - that was it. Both at the Niagara-Buffalo and Windsor-Detroit border. I guess I did not give them reasons to doubt my genuineness. Did not travel with cigarettes of alcohol and anything that could have caused a long wait at the border. I hear not everyone has smooth passages. Anyway, I'm thankful it was smooth on both days.

Yeah. I saw up to 110km/h on QEW I think. I was happy I think that's the closest to 70mi/h and of a truth, 100km/h is not bad. I liked it.

Looks like you're quite conversant with the terrain.

ImpregnaTor:
No need wasting energy always on a failed country.

I'm scared before we could sort out simple things like electricity I might already be 80 by then; chai who I offend

Don't give up yet
Hope you get to vote for your choice candidate. The change starts with you, remember?

Olalomi01:
Why have I not seen anyone cursing Nigeria under this thread as usual?

Lol... C'mon, be nice please. Show some love
This year, no violence please

Sweetvie:
I thought as much

Lol

ZINNYBANKS:

Is it true that food is very costly there too.?

Well, costly means different things to different people. I believe people that actually live here are in a better position to say if food is costly because my stay is a short stay. However, I found things (snacks and food I bought) to be cheaper than the US...of course, because of the difference in the value of US dollars and Canadian Dollars. I will tell you about another culture shock I had - gas!

Stay tuned