Mittens 2007: Ontario, Canada (Update: Mar 21, 2007)

AGA · Mon 12/02/2007 05:57:35

I'm not pending anymore, I paid! Also, please strive for later rather than earlier, since I for one don't finish university until the very end of June, and going earlier could possibly land me right in the middle of exams season...

Chrille · Tue 13/02/2007 11:59:09

I sent some money for the cabin, but I havn't heard from Quintaros if he got it or not. Biggest problem for me is I have to be home here in Sweden on the 23rd of July. Earlier or later would be fine.

Quintaros · Tue 13/02/2007 13:55:08

Quote from: Chrille on Tue 13/02/2007 11:59:09
I sent some money for the cabin, but I havn't heard from Quintaros if he got it or not. Biggest problem for me is I have to be home here in Sweden on the 23rd of July. Earlier or later would be fine.

Sorry Chrille, I did get the deposit and modified your status in the opening post of the thread but forgot to PM you that payment was received.Ã,Â The bad news is that the dates aren't going to work out for you if you have to be in Sweden on the 23rd.Ã,Â I'll PM you about refunding your deposit.

Quote from: Discocabinreservationnewsbump

Please see the first post in thread.

Baron · Tue 13/02/2007 20:23:06

Wow that place is nice -Good work Quintaros!
The distance from Toronto -or indeed anywhere really -makes it the perfect getaway, but unfortunately it also makes getting to it an expensive hassle. I'm willing to rent a big van for the week so that we can all get around reasonably cheaply. I only live about 1/2 hour from the Toronto (Pearson Int'l) airport, so it would simply be a matter of arranging a rendezvous time and then driving everybody out to Bayfield. This would also facilitate daytrips. I'd like to see the popularity of such a measure -If everyone is renting their own car or driving with friends then there's really no point....

Swinging by Hamilton Int'l airport would add about two hours (in total, there & back), but I wouldn't rule it out if there's demand for it.

The Ivy · Tue 13/02/2007 20:50:30

The location looks great, but I really hope the distance from Toronto doesn't make day trips too much of a hassle. Have there been any suggestions for things to do in the Toronto area? I highly recommend the Ontario Science Centre. It's like "interact with object" in museum form.

Pumaman · Tue 13/02/2007 22:46:05

Looks good, Quintaros! I should be able to make those dates; did we conclude if it's possible to pay by direct bank transfer or does that not work across the Atlantic?

AGA · Wed 14/02/2007 15:49:13

If you need to, Chris, you could bank transfer the money to me and I'll ~~run away with it~~ PayPal it to Darren.

Chrille · Wed 14/02/2007 22:30:32

Argh! I was so certain I'd be going. Argh! Further dealings with PayPal!

*cries*

DragonRose · Thu 15/02/2007 07:08:48

1. Cool! Mittens starts on my birthday!

2. Bah. I'm going to be in summer school (I'm short 1 class for graduation! ARGH!) so I can't take the whole week off. But if you end up doing a day trip somewhere (Ivy's right, the Science Centre is SO COOL!), I'd love to meet up with you guys!

Matt Goble · Thu 15/02/2007 12:55:39

Holiday booked.

The Ivy · Sat 17/02/2007 22:48:45

Hey, I'll be heading to Toronto for the next few days, so I'll take pictures of some of the sights. Hopefully it'll be less snowy come July, but you know, climate change.

Edit: Here we go! It's like a virtual tour of Toronto. Somebody let me know if the high-res pictures are a problem.

We think we're Times Square!

We've got sketchy shopping districts!

We like making new friends!

We let aliens design our museums! (This is the Royal Ontario Museum, a.k.a. the ROM).

We like shiny things that spin around! This picture and all the rest are from the Ontario Science Centre.

What's nerdier than pixel art? Getting your picture taken in tiny bubbles.

How adventure game can you get? The control panel changes the colour of the bars, and pressing the bars causes different notes.

Sports! There's a bobsled simulator just to the left of this picture.

I'm science!

I'm also a sucker for hazel eyes.

At the Marvel Superheros "Science" Exhibit.

Same exhibit. You can lift this car if you want to.

A short video of my favourite museum exhibit ever. I had to push like 10 kids out of the way to get close to it.

In conclusion, science!

The Ivy · Fri 23/02/2007 21:57:44

Bumping for Toronto pics.

Disco · Tue 06/03/2007 22:41:33

o/

I've just been checking up on coach options. Any of the Canadians in the London(ish) area? I am interested in carpooling if anyone is coming from there or nearby. I only want to go as far as I have to on the coach, since I will have passed the exit to Bayfield nearly halfway to Toronto

. My route also calls at Brantford and Hamilton along the way if that crosses anyone's path. I promise fuel $$ and upbeat shenanigans for any takers.

SSH · Wed 07/03/2007 09:30:58

My daughters loved the Science Centre too. They spent ages in the play-shop which has a real barcode scanner!

Baron · Wed 07/03/2007 16:13:29

Quote from: Disco on Tue 06/03/2007 22:41:33
I've just been checking up on coach options. Any of the Canadians in the London(ish) area? I am interested in carpooling if anyone is coming from there or nearby. I only want to go as far as I have to on the coach, since I will have passed the exit to Bayfield nearly halfway to Toronto . My route also calls at Brantford and Hamilton along the way if that crosses anyone's path. I promise fuel $$ and upbeat shenanigans for any takers.

Well, I expect I'll be renting a car for the week, or possibly something bigger if a lot of people are interested in carpooling. As I live about half an hour from the Pearson Int'l Airport (Toronto) I figured it would be really convenient to pick up a contingent of overseas folks and then drive out via Kitchener-Stratford (Hwy 401/Hwy 8 ). But if a lot of people are flying into Hamilton then Toronto-Hamilton-Brantford-Woodstock-St.Mary's (Hwy 403/County Rds) makes more sense. I checked with a rental agency and it looks like, adding gas, any size vehicle I rent for a week will cost about $100 CND per seat (possibly less if we get a really big vehicle and split it more ways), which I'll bet is about the price of a round-trip ticket on a greyhound-type bus (I say greyhound-type since greyhound apparently doesn't go anywhere near Bayfield).

So, the pros of an AGS Bus:
-Jolly conductor

-doorstep to doorstep service
-peebreaks and sidetrips on demand
-convenient mass-transport for Toronto/London/Goderich/Stratford/Countryside daytrips
-competive pricing
-you'll have the driver's cell-phone number so you'll know exactly when & where the bus will arrive.

Cons of the AGS Bus:
-It's got a pretty lame name.
-Constitutionally all of the AGS elite can't ride at the same time

I can rent the vehicle straight up so don't worry about deposits -we'll settle up at the meet. I do[/b] have to have an idea of how many people would be interested so I know whether to rent a Smart car or a bus. Conditional interest is fine (i.e. I'm in if you go through Brantford, etc.).

Medical Waste · Thu 08/03/2007 02:37:38

I hate that Church of Scientology. Everytime I walk by they're trying to hand me multiple flyers

AGA · Thu 08/03/2007 12:37:41

They tried to brainwash one of us at the last-but-one AGS meeting.

Renegade Implementor · Thu 08/03/2007 17:08:23

QuoteI can rent the vehicle straight up so don't worry about deposits -we'll settle up at the meet.Ã,Â I do have to have an idea of how many people would be interested so I know whether to rent a Smart car or a bus.Ã,Â Conditional interest is fine (i.e. I'm in if you go through Brantford, etc.).

This works well for me.Ã,Â I'll be coming up from London via coach (no car or license sadly) and could rendevous in Stratford, Kitchener or Woodstock depending on whatever route is more convenient.

LimpingFish · Thu 08/03/2007 18:33:57

That video reminds me of the boardgame Mouse Trap! Which I always wanted as a child.

But my family were too poor to afford it. :'(

At least...they said we were too poor. $:-\$

The Ivy · Thu 08/03/2007 22:39:14

Baron: The AGS bus sounds like a good idea. I can easily grab a bus to Pearson so it'd be great to meet everyone there.