Toronto and the Niagara Falls

After visiting the length and breadth of the old and dear (in every sense!) Europe we have decided (me and my companion of adventure!) To go to visit the United State.
We have taken on the fly during a two-fold: the friendship with our friend who lives in a small town near Detroit (Ann Arbor) and that can make the holidays at the end of September, far from abituli routes of mass tourism.
The flight went very well (we traveled with Northwest Airline), and to 19:30 on Sunday September 15 touch the ground at the International in Detroit! A real thrill for the first time in mitici USA.
We take our friend, Gina, and now practices docanali go by car to his house. Be prepared to answer at least three to four times the same questions "where you go, stay as you have tickets for the return 'to the canonical and the famous" you belong to fringe of Nazi fighters, have been a member of the Communist Party, etc.. " . Also armed with patience because the controls are really hard luggage and thorough.
The impact is truly disarming: the greatest cars, roads to four lanes in the direction of travel and distances measured in hours ... street!
We stayed from our friend in Ann Arbor (about half an hour from Detroit). A very pretty town with a university famous and expensive ($ 70,000 per year for membership), many locals, many young people and especially lots of shops.
We made a day trip to Detroit or what it is ... it is a ghost town, completely deserted, shops closed, many homeless and a lot of crime. The inhabitants are refusing to turn in the road at night and is dangerous to be found around after sunset ... the leading cause of death according to the statistics for firearms!
Do a lot of sadness to see this wounded giant, with its huge skyscrapers (the beautiful GM) but emptiness in his soul, with no pulse. They say that 20 years ago was a city in its full splendor of her life with General Motor engine (in all senses!) Backbone of the region and country. Today with the crisis of self, the whole city is abandoned to itself .... and are the chills to think about what might happen to our Torino ombellicale cord attached to the Fiat ...
After a couple of days September 17 rent a Chevrolet Metro, and go to Canada. We travel on these huge freeway, endless highways where the limit of 70 miles is respected by all ... except that the trucks sfrecciano impressive speed.
Another thing that struck us was the huge number of motels along the highway ... there are many, many chains (vi segnalo Days Inn, Motel 6, Super 8, Comfort Inn, but the chains are hundreds ) with prices starting at $ 35 per room up. They are all very clean and comfortable, and you can help especially when you drove for 4-5 hours in a row and the view there is starting to tarnish? We head to Toronto and after having crossed the border at Port Huron and answering questions from the usual Canadian customs official ( "you are going to look for jobs in Canada, bring weapons etc..") Filiamo to the state capital of Ontario . Nothing more distressing to us along the road, interspersed with motels, gas stations and police cars still on the road with police armed with laser gun to check compliance with the limits (in Canada the limit drops to 65 miles, just under 100 km / h).
Tired from the trip we arrive in the suburbs of Toronto and we have a small soropresa a devastating traffic! To exit the city and reach their homes clogged roads huge five-lane ... luckily we got into town and the traffic flowing and slightly more! We head towards Yonge Street, but we have the second surprise ... but first there is a short foreword. The directions are not like in Italy ... when you come on a road (or even better on a motorway) there is an indication to the nearest town or on the direction ... towards Milan, Naples, Genoa etc.. In the U.S. there is an indication of the road (expressed by a number, 95, 82 etc..) With an indication of the direction given by the cardinal points and then you will find signs like 85 or 25 North East ... then look to the direction because it could be back pretty hard ... We head towards Yonge Street the main street in Toronto without knowing who has a particularity: it is the longest street in the world with its 1900 km up to the state of Alberta.
We take the wrong (of course) that is north to south instead and then spend an hour to get downtown in the city. In the end we manage to park in a multistorey car park (it is impossible to leave the car on the street, you're definitely fine) and going to the Tourist Information Center which is located inside a large shopping mall, "Sears." Here we show a nice little distance, the Hotel Victoria. Pay C $ 105 (C $ 1 = 0.70 euro) a night for a beautiful room, with air conditioning, television, iron, super luxury bath and breakfast! The only sore point is the parking lot since we are forced to pay the parking well 15C $ per day.
We do a little tour of orientation and then we go to bed exhausted.
The next day (18 / 9) we are dedicated to sightseeing, we visit the port (with its parks and housing residenzaili) and the CN Tower, the highest building of the world with its 553 meters.! The visit of up to 2 / 3 of its height is 18 C $! Another (nice) surprise is that the exhibits are not what you pay! In fact, prices do not include taxes but pay at the time of the account! For each thing, so keep in mind the fees. The nice part is relative to the reimbursement of fees at the time of leaving the country, for all documented expenses for hotels and purchase of goods (not for food and for entertainment, nor of course to a garage and petrol). So always ask your receipts and put aside everything.
When they leave the country go to the customs and get back around 7% of your costs. Not bad, huh? It seems that only 10% of visitors requires the refund of fees ... so do not be over!
At the port there are many boats that do tours of Lake Ontario and the visit of the Center Island that faces Toronto. The tour is a must because only in this way you can ammiorare the skyline of the city and I assure you it is beautiful. We have requested $ 25 C to do this tour but you do not give in to temptation as we do ... ... there are ferry line linking Toronto and the island main return ticket costs .... C $ 5 ... if you valued it!
Center Island is fantastic ... it is a naturist park, well kept with dozens of squirrels (some constant 'throughout North America), geese and ducks. In addition many services (you can rent bikes, canoes etc.). Or have a picnic in the open air!
Another attraction in Toronto is Casa Loma (entry 10 C $ C $ 7 + parking). A castle on the northern outskirts of Toronto built at the end of a very rich character of the time and now managed by a private association. The price of the visit is high but the castle truly deserves the ticket and also includes the electronic multilingual (including the Italian!) That will help in understanding and explanation of the mysteries of all the rooms of the castle!
Another thing that you can not do is ... shopping.

 

Canada

There are many malls and shops along the streets of Toronto and the prices, thanks to favorable exchange rate, are cheap (this is a rare thing for us with the Italian lira which we have never had an easy life!) But if you really want to do shopping you have to go cheap at the outlet mall, shopping centers outside of major cities, where prices are very low and the choice is almost endless.
I will point out a long the way for Niagara Falls, where you can buy Levi's C $ 30, Nike 60 C $ e chi più ne ha più ne metta. Unfortunately, these are countries where consumerism is a constant and be much less than the duty ligi not able to resist the temptation.
On 19 / 9 we are moving towards the Niagara Falls, it takes about an hour's drive (traffic permitting). Arriving at the city of the Niagara Falls Tourist information directs us to the outskirts of Niagara Falls where there are hundreds (seriously say) of motels of all kinds and all prices (some have the signs that advertise the Jacuzzi in the room ... ). The prices are very competitive and we have stayed in fine American style motel with a pool of 60 C $.
Stowed luggage, we went to see the waterfalls (there were 6 in the afternoon by now) and the spectacle that we see before us is nothing short of breathtaking ... two beautiful waterfalls on one side and the other American, the largest on the border Canadian - American. In fact the waterfalls are located on the border of two nations that are united by the Rainbow Bridge (the bridge of colors) and two cities that are looking face to face and have the same name, Niagara Falls!
The noise, the dust of us are taking the wind ... it is really beautiful emotion. We decide for the next day to take a cruise to admire from below! But the possibilities are infinite (for all pockets): you can choose to do a tour by helicopter, to sleep in a big skyscraper hotel chain (of your choice Sheraton, Hilton, Marriott, etc..) Chamber that overlooks the waterfall. .. and then in the evening the great show ... when the night falls the falls are illuminated by a colorful play of light ... white, red, blue, yellow ... from 20.30 to 24.00 over the color This spectacle of nature.
For that you do not eat spoiled dela choice, the city of Niagara Falls is a kind of Las Vegas of the north, with dozens of restaurants of all types for all tastes ... souvenir shops of entertainment e. .. each type (museum of horrors, house of dracula, museum of Guinness Book of Records, etc..).
20 / 9 make the trip under the falls by boat (cost C $ 25 inclusive of water - very useful). E 'indescribable emotion. There are beautiful views from above but below is a shocking spectacle, the boat reaches a few tens of meters from the point of falling water with no hesitation ... the more crazy the Japanese are (dozens) that take any crazy thing understood in the draft.
In the afternoon we move to Detroit and we come across a crazy time on the road, not far from the border with the U.S. ... we stop at a motel (Comfort Inn chain by paying C $ 99 a room equipped with every comfort) to about an hour's drive from the border.

To view the photos or continue the journey ... I refer you to the story about the U.S.! Good Reading!