Canadian thoughts...

[ashedd]

Until this week I had only been to Windsor Canada.. I have in-laws in Detroit and sometimes we go to the casino in Windsor... nothing major.

This week I went to Detroit and decided I wanted to drive to Toronto for a quick overnight trip. Took the old SD without incident... I would drive that car to Iceland if I could... it's THAT reliable. Just looks like hell

Where to start..
Canadians are extremely courteous on the roadway. If you want to change lanes you simply signal, wait for a hole, go for it... no mean mugging or tailgating like you get in the US. Accidentally cut someone off, sometimes you just have to do it, no problem. I only noticed maybe 5 people, all young, following too close to others. People stop at yellow lights, I actually felt bad a couple times when I took a yellow... and I don't run them like a lot of people do. If I can stop fairly well I will. In downtown Toronto... not one horn honk! I have never been in a large city in the US without hearing horns.

Now I admit I am American.... I simply cannot drive on a large open road at 30mph. It's just too slow. Canada seems to have low speed limits. On the highway it was 100 km/h and I was OK with 115. There are signs that tell you the speeding fines but the lowest fine starts at 120... so it seems 115 is a non event.

And because I did too many drugs when I was younger I tend to do dumb things at the ripe old age of 33. I parked in a pay garage overnight, it was a close walk to the hotel and bars... the next morning I can't find my car keys. So we power walk to the car.... well I left the keys sticking in the door. Not one thing is out of place in the car. Alpine stereo is there, money in console, etc etc... Only in Canada.

Downtown Toronto at night... WOW all the buildings are covered in glass.... it's like a city under the sea, very cool. Typical crazy cab drivers but nothing the SD could not deal with. Big car, American plates and spirited cornering keeps everyone in check.

So is a W126 SD rare in Canada? I was getting a few hard looks from guys that appeared to know what we were driving. I saw a 560sel and that guy looked at me like we were driving a ufo.

Well that's about it... went up in the CN tower then headed back to Detroit to see all my friends at the boarder patrol. It was a neat trip.. I was hoping Canada would feel more foreign but that is simply asking too much. I believe it's referred to as "North American", although my other half swears Mexico seems totally foreign to the US.

PS.
Diesel was cheaper than gas

[buffa98]

Lucky is what I have to say about the car keys.

As far as the rest seems about right, I used to drive up to Scarborough(Toronto Subburb) on a weekly basis. Then over to Montreal, down to Quebec city then back to Buffalo.

Montreal a completely different animal. I looked at like Montreal was to close to NY. The roads were terrible drivers sucked, horns all the time. Not to mention all the signs in french!!

I enjoyed travelling through Canada. The roads for the most part were smooth as glass in ON. PQ well a little different.

PS Did you have any Tim Hortons?

[ashedd]

Originally Posted by buffa98

Lucky is what I have to say about the car keys.

As far as the rest seems about right, I used to drive up to Scarborough(Toronto Subburb) on a weekly basis. Then over to Montreal, down to Quebec city then back to Buffalo.
I wanted to drive my TD to Quebec city until I figured out it's not a good road car for someone over six and a half feet tall. I read that QC is the most European feeling city in North America.

Montreal a completely different animal. I looked at like Montreal was to close to NY. The roads were terrible drivers sucked, horns all the time. Not to mention all the signs in french!!
This may sound dumb but it never occurred to me that french Canadians would speak english with a french accent... I just figured they could speak both without an accent. But after hearing them speak it makes more sense that French was their first language and English was taught in school. Sometimes I feel pretty silly.

I enjoyed travelling through Canada. The roads for the most part were smooth as glass in ON. PQ well a little different.
All the roads I traveled were like new. Nice concrete/cement highways
PS Did you have any Tim Hortons?
No not really my thing but we did talk about it at diner tonight. We ate Thai and Japanese... we don't eat meat

second line

[t walgamuth]

I have been to Canada many times. I always enjoy it very much. An interesting combination of the familiar and the foreign for me. Many of the Canadian values seem to coincide with my own....a personal fiscal conservatism it seems, and seemingly a bit more care about design in commercial buildings.

[LUVMBDiesels]

Canada is a great place to visit!
I have friends in TB and while I have never made it up that far, Toronto, QC, Montreal, PEI, Nova Scotia, and Ottawa have all been destinations. Out of all those places thought I really fell in love with Halifax, NS. That is a cool small town and looks like it would be a great - if foggy - place to live!

The only places that seem foreign were Montreal and Quebec City. QC more so than Montreal as Montreal is a French speaking version of NYC. Same attitudes, same drive in the people, just a different language!

Toronto never thrilled me - it is TOO CLEAN and TOO NICE - Kind of like Minneapolis!
Good shopping though!

[buffa98]

Originally Posted by ashedd

second line

The issue is the Quebecers want every one to speak french, hence the signs in ON have both english and french but french only in PQ.

PS Tim Hortons is a coffee shop. I think it is better than Dunkin Donuts for coffee.

[Zeus]

Glad you had a nice trip! Toronto is a great city, traffic notwithstanding.

You probably got a few stares with the SD as they just don't last up here...they rust away. Not many older examples driving around in good condition. The odd one, yes, but fewer each day. Even the relatively new W210s have gone...

I've travelled to many US cities and would agree that Toronto is pretty similar. Montreal less so, and Québec City is even more foreign. It's truly a gorgeous city, very European. It's just so far from anywhere...

As for driving 100 Km/h on the 401 in Toronto...the Toronto police once had a blitz on in the summer for drivers going too slow in the left lane. They stated, on TV, that drivers doing less than 115 Km/h in the left lane would be ticketed for impeding traffic. Limit is 100. Most drive about 120-140 Km/h on the 401 through Toronto. Go figure, only in Canada.

The really crazy thing about Toronto is the film/tv industry. Seems like a new show or movie is being filmed there every day. Hollywood North...

[LUVMBDiesels]

Originally Posted by Zeus

Glad you had a nice trip! Toronto is a great city, traffic notwithstanding.

You probably got a few stares with the SD as they just don't last up here...they rust away. Not many older examples driving around in good condition. The odd one, yes, but fewer each day. Even the relatively new W210s have gone...

I've travelled to many US cities and would agree that Toronto is pretty similar. Montreal less so, and Québec City is even more foreign. It's truly a gorgeous city, very European. It's just so far from anywhere...

As for driving 100 Km/h on the 401 in Toronto...the Toronto police once had a blitz on in the summer for drivers going too slow in the left lane. They stated, on TV, that drivers doing less than 115 Km/h in the left lane would be ticketed for impeding traffic. Limit is 100. Most drive about 120-140 Km/h on the 401 through Toronto. Go figure, only in Canada.

The really crazy thing about Toronto is the film/tv industry. Seems like a new show or movie is being filmed there every day. Hollywood North...

It is funny, I remember people FLYING on the QEW! 140 km/h seemed to be the minimum people were driving. has that changed recently?

[kerry]

I lived in Toronto in the late 70's, right downtown. Loved it. Last time I was there about 8 yrs ago, I thought things had gone seriously downhill. Never saw a homeless person when I lived there. Saw a lot when I was there recently.
I can't recall anyone ever driving only 100kph on the QEW.

[okyoureabeast]

Originally Posted by Zeus

The really crazy thing about Toronto is the film/tv industry. Seems like a new show or movie is being filmed there every day. Hollywood North...

Toronto was the other city I was looking for work in. I absolutely love it there and would not mind becoming moving to the frozen northern tundra.

[ashedd]

Seems like I see more rusted out newer American cars in Detroit than I did in Toronto.

I was doing 115 from Windsor to Toronto. The QEW was full of traffic and construction so I stayed away from it. Took Queens blvd(?)... whichever is 2 streets from the lake. A lot slower but worth it for the sight seeing.

I still want to take a trip to QC... oh and of course Vancouver.

[MS Fowler]

My family and I vacationed in Canada probably 7- 8 times when the kids were small--non air-conditioned pop up camper made trips to the North better than ones to the south!
Ontario is like you describe--like Michigan-North; same language, same stores ( more or less) same-same.
We visited Quebec at the height of the separatist movement, very different, Much more like being in a foreign country. Merchants greeted in French first, but immediately switched to English, if the customer desired--some private citizens were less easy-going. However, they were generally more accommodating to English-speaking foreigners (us!), than English-speaking Canadians. We even took our "Parisian-French" exchange student on one trip, and he ( in typical French fashion) was rather dismissive of the language as spoken there.
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were even kinder and gentler. A pedestrian only has to LOOK like they might want to cross the street and traffic STOPS and waits, patiently.