Update: Feb 20, 2007
After a rousing game of telephone tag, I've finally confirmed a cottage rental for the week of July 20th-27th in Bayfield Ontario on Lake Huron which is about 3 hours west of Toronto (according to Mapquest). There may be a closer airport to fly into and I will update later when I've done some research. Anyway here are some photos from the cottage's website.
(http://www.renewalretreat.com/images/mainpage.jpg)
(http://www.renewalretreat.com/images/firepit.jpg)
(http://www.renewalretreat.com/images/image07.jpg)
(http://www.renewalretreat.com/images/cottage01b.jpg)
(http://www.renewalretreat.com/images/cottage02b.jpg)
(http://www.renewalretreat.com/images/cottage03b.jpg)
(http://www.renewalretreat.com/images/cottage04b.jpg)
(http://www.renewalretreat.com/images/cottage05b.jpg)
(http://www.renewalretreat.com/images/cottage06b.jpg)
The owners of the cabin are negotiating a purchase of a new cottage which would be right on the water and would offer more activities. If that purchase goes through they'd be selling the current cottage and transfering our booking over to the new property. I don't have any photos of it at this time though.
The sleeping capacity of the property is 20. I currently have confirmation deposits from 11 people with 4 others in transit. So there is still room for 5 additional attendees. The ultimate cost of the rental is based on the number of occupants so the per person cost is not affected by the number of attendees. The cost per person is roughly $200 CND. For those that have paid a deposit, only about $140 CND will be required in July.
If you're interested in claiming one of the remaing 5 spots, please PM me to discuss. There is no deadline for this but it will be handled on a first come first serve basis.
Confirmed attendees thus far:
1. Quintaros
2. Grundislav
3. The BaRoN
4. Disco
5. The Ivy
6. Mr. Collossal
7. Jess (Mr. C's g/f)
8. Renegade Implementer
9. Dave Gilbert
10. mattgoble
11. AGA
12. Radiant
13. Pumaman
14. Jet
15. Scummbuddy (pending)
16. Lo_res_man (pending)
Update: March 21, 2007
The BaRoN is organizing a vehicle rental for the week. It will be used for day trips as well as airport pick-ups and drop offs. He estimates the cost would be about $100 per person but needs to know how many people would be riding with him so he can select a vehicle size. My guess is that all those flying-in will be interested but you should PM The BaRoN directly to let him know.
Flying-in:
1. Quintaros
2. Matt Goble
3. AGA
4. Radiant
5. Pumaman
Driving-up:
1. Disco
2. Mr. Collosal
3. Jess
4. Dave Gilbert
5. Grundislav
Local:
1. The BaRoN
2. The Ivy
3. Renegade Implementor
Here is the schedule The BaRoN has put together for the airport rendezvous's:
Leave Yorkdale at 3pm, Friday July 20th
Arrive at Pearson Int'l at approx. 4pm.
Gather people up between 4-7pm (while making shuttle runs to a nearby bar/restaurant?)
Hit Munroe Int'l up by 8-8:30pm (if necessary)
Get to Bayfield around midnight.
Fortunately dropping people off at airports is much more predicatable:
Leave Bayfield by 10am Friday July 27th
Get to Munroe (Hamilton) by 2pm
Get to Pearson (Toronto) by 3:30pm
:O That is the exact perfect location (for me, anyway). $2000 still even if you're a local? :-\
I think everyone should contribute to the cost of the accomodations regardless of whether they plan on returning home each nightÃ, since the cottage is more than just a place to sleep.
True. I don't know if I can afford that much though...
it's 2000 for the week split up among the entire group.
Scotch is dumb!
I am interested. So is my girlfriend. We are interested. It appears to only be 5 hours from us. We could even drive there! Awesome.
Also, Jess and I would probably be driving over so if anyone wants to meet in Albany [through the airport or whatever] and drive over with us that would be cool with us!
eric
It's certainly not too early! I was going to post asking people to try and sort it out again. $2000 for the week is great if it can sleep that many sounds like a good location, doesn't sound too hard to get to.
Eric, they're american dollars, but still it's rather cheap. We've paid that much to camp before.
I'll probably attend. Most dates are fine for me, but we should probably work towards fixing some dates sooner rather than later.
I think me and my significant are in... Sounds really cool! There won' t be illegal to put 20 people in a cabin? Here there are regulations about putting people in flats, not sure about cottages or cabins. Well, you' ll have to be used to this, Darren, AKA Quintaros, Mitteners will ask totally silly thinks, and will be paranoid... Will I need vaccine to go to Canada, Quintaros???
But it's worth of it... ^_^
I'm about 80% sure you were being funny but:
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/travel/north_america/canada.shtml
Unless some great tragedy occurs I promise I'll be there. Sounds like a great place. If you do have the possibility to check the place out personally before we decide on anything it'd be great.
QuoteAlthough I don’t live in Ontario, I volunteer myself as host so that we have a single point of contact as well as someone to take care of bookings, etc.
Thank God you said that, because last night I was going to make a thread about my concerns about Mittens 2007 not having a specific host, and how that would break tradition - and I would not go. So I'm glad you're up for the job, Quintaros!
A serious question, if you're able to give an estimated breakdown of costs for an induvidual, that includes the cabin rental, car rental and any other expenses you think will be essential, that will help me make up my overall mind - because, I also have to consider an expensive flight. I do want to go, and if I start saving around Christmas - I might be able to.
Also I did some London - Canada flight research and found flights to Ontario would cost roughly £660. If anyone can quote or estimate a cheaper deal please let me know! Not sure if I'm thinking ahead too much though!
And I agree, the accomodation does sound particularly awesome this (next) year! :D
I am interested.
I want to go. And everyone who was at 2004 must go so I can finally meet them. Yes.
Don't have it during my exams, thanks :p
Hello.
I apologise for not being on the forums after Mittens, but I noticed you're planning Mittens and I thought I'd pop in to say hello. I'm definately interested in going, I've always wanted to go to Canada. Everything sounds good so far and I actually promised Darren I'd go... we'll see how my money situation is next summer, at the moment pretty much all of my income goes to my living so it's hard to try to save when there's so little extra money. But I'm definately interested.
I am very much interested and plan to be there.
The accomodation sounds great.
Quote from: Chrille on Tue 10/10/2006 20:57:25
If you do have the possibility to check the place out personally before we decide on anything it'd be great.
I can't personally check it out but here's a link that shows some pictures and a more detailed description.
http://www.vrbo.com/85906
Quote from: m0ds
A serious question, if you're able to give an estimated breakdown of costs for an induvidual, that includes the cabin rental, car rental and any other expenses you think will be essential, that will help me make up my overall mind...
The costs are a function of how many people attend.Ã, Ã, I'd say we'd need at least 20 people for this particular place to be desirable at $100 USD per person.Ã, If filled to capacity it would be $67.Ã, I think we can count on needing at least 1 van, possibly more, dependingÃ, on how many people drive in from other locations and are willing to help shuttle others around.
I'd suggest we consolidate as much as possible when it comes to food since it's usually less expensive and there probably won't be space in the refrigerator for 30 different jugs of milk, etc.Ã, It might be fun to organize meals so that each night a group of 3 or 4 mitteners has cooking duties etc.Ã, Then we can tally things up at the end of the week.Ã, If we did this I imagine we could keep food costs somewhere around $50-$60 per person for the week.Ã, I do understand this might not be ideal for some of you who are vegetarians or have other dietary needs.Ã, Just an idea for discussion.
There will probably be other activities away from the cottage that we chose to do.Ã, I'm not sure if there is any admittance cost to seeing the Falls but I'm sure if there is it's worth it.
The short answer is that I'm budgeting to spend about $300 CND for everything beyond airfare but I'm anticipating that it can be done for less.
Sounds great, if we can get a cabin for $2000 between us, assuming that 20 of us turn up thats only like 60 GBP each.
So yes, I'd almost certainly go; and I'd second scotch in saying it'd be good to get the dates fixed as soon as possible so that we can check flights and so forth.
Quote from: Pumaman on Tue 10/10/2006 23:23:30
I'd second scotch in saying it'd be good to get the dates fixed as soon as possible so that we can check flights and so forth.
Alright then start contributing your preferred dates. I'm fine with any timing but think weather is nicest in July and August.
Well, for now I'd like to suggest (for myself) anytime after 6th July to the end of July. I'd imagine in August things like air-fare would be more expensive, but I might be wrong. Also, thanks for confirming some of the costs involved here. Not too bad at all!
I'd allow for $40 CND for the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass.
http://www.niagarafallslive.com/Attractions_in_Niagara_Falls.htm
http://www.niagaraparks.com/nfgg/
August would be best for me right now, i'll try find out the exam periods so it might be earlier. I can't miss exams and i don't really want to miss another mittens in this part of the world.
I plan to attend.
custard: speaking from personal experience, exams are usually at the end of May or start of June, with university breaking up for the year at near the middle of June. So you should be fine for any time in July.
The cabin idea (and prices!) look good. I'm a definite maybe.
Mittens in Ontario -are you SERIOUS?!?
Count me in for sure. Anywhere between July 1 -August 31 is fine by me. Heck, have it whenever -I'll make the time. I suppose as a resident of Ontario that I would be remiss in my duty to the AGS community if I didn't volunteer to help out in some way. I have my Ontario commercial bus driver's license, for starters, which means I can rent and drive just about anything to get people from/to an airport. If you're looking for a nice small cheap airport to fly into I'd definitely recommend Hamilton Int'l. You'll save $30-$50 CND in airport taxes over Pearson Int'l (Toronto), you'll get your baggage in 10 min. instead of 1 hr., and you'll be about 1/2 hr. from this cottage (vs. 1.5 hrs. + from Toronto, depending on traffic). I don't think you can fly into Hamilton directly from Europe, but if you have the opportunity to make a connection I would seriously consider it. I know you can fly to Hamilton from the U.S.
As a native Ontarian I have to tell you guys that the cottage looks a little....erm.... desolate. It'd be a shame to have Mittens in ON and not have a proper lake-side cottage, but I suppose that might cost quite a bit more. $2000 CND a week is pretty good considering the size, especially for the short summer season. I can definitely rustle up at least five tents, which would augment the occupancy potential.
QUINTAROS: Is there an organizing committee that I can join or something?
Are there any cottages for rent near Crystal Beach? I am not sure if they are all owned by people or if they are rentable. It is to bad the park isn't there anymore. Probably one of the best i have ever been too.
I live about 20 minutes from Niagara Falls.
I might be starting a new job so i can't be 100% certain i can get the time off, but I definitely plan on going.
2000 bucks for the week is a killer deal. We should scoop that up while we still can.
I know most people don't know me all that well but I might be very interested in coming. I live on Long Island, N.Y. so the Toronto area is not a far plane flight for me at all. I'd love to be able to go with my fiance but we do have small children, so I doubt that we both would be able to attend. (plus she'd probably just consider us all computer geeks anyways, LOL) When you guys set a more certain date, I will be able to figure out if this is a true option for me. I'd really like to think that it would be very possible for me.... I will be definitly keeping an eye on this situation. Plus, I do agree that the price sounds more then reasonable. (maybe I'm just used to the ridiculas costs of living on L.I.) I'm sure I will have more to say at another time.....
Quote from: AGA on Wed 11/10/2006 00:27:14
custard: speaking from personal experience, exams are usually at the end of May or start of June, with university breaking up for the year at near the middle of June. So you should be fine for any time in July.
Hooray. Matches up with the term dates I have, wasn't sure if they would include exams or not.
Just to remind people:
www.canadianaffair.com www.flyzoom.com and www.flyglobespan.com to flights UK->Canada and some of them go to Hamilton airport.
Finances allowing I'd love to be there as well...
Adam and I will probably definitely be going :) Uni for me finishes June 15th, so anytime later than that is fine!
Quote from: BaRoN on Wed 11/10/2006 00:48:14
I have my Ontario commercial bus driver's license, for starters, which means I can rent and drive just about anything to get people from/to an airport.Ã, If you're looking for a nice small cheap airport to fly into I'd definitely recommend Hamilton Int'l.Ã, You'll save $30-$50 CND in airport taxes over Pearson Int'l (Toronto), you'll get your baggage in 10 min. instead of 1 hr., and you'll be about 1/2 hr. from this cottage (vs. 1.5 hrs. + from Toronto, depending on traffic).Ã, I don't think you can fly into Hamilton directly from Europe, but if you have the opportunity to make a connection I would seriously consider it.Ã, I know you can fly to Hamilton from the U.S.
Your bus driving skills would be a definite asset.
Good advice on the airports.Ã, I just assumed for simplicity that most people would be flying into Pearson.
Quote from: BaRoN on Wed 11/10/2006 00:48:14
Ã, Ã, Ã, As a native Ontarian I have to tell you guys that the cottage looks a little....erm.... desolate.Ã, It'd be a shame to have Mittens in ON and not have a proper lake-side cottage, but I suppose that might cost quite a bit more.Ã, $2000 CND a week is pretty good considering the size, especially for the short summer season.Ã, I can definitely rustle up at least five tents, which would augment the occupancy potential.
I agree that the cottage grounds aren't exactly picturesque which I think is why the price is so reasonable.Ã, It would be nice to have a lake-side place but it would cost a lot more and probably sleep a lot less.Ã, I think the place is adequate for our needs but options are still open for consideration.Ã, I don't think we should allow for any additional occupancy with tents.Ã, This year's mittens was the biggest ever with 21 people and it was already a bit cumbersome so I'd say 30 should be the absolute limit.Ã,Â
Quote from: BaRoN on Wed 11/10/2006 00:48:14
QUINTAROS: Is there an organizing committee that I can join or something?
No committees...if you have an idea PM me or post here.Ã, We'll definitely make use of your knowledge of the area and perhaps send you on Chrille's scouting mission.
Quote from: thewalrus on Wed 11/10/2006 05:34:39
I'd love to be able to go with my fiance but we do have small children, so I doubt that we both would be able to attend.
Yeah I think the consenus is that people should not bring children.Ã, If you chose to vacation in the area you'd be welcome to meet up with us as family allowed.
Quote from: Domino on Wed 11/10/2006 01:19:35
Are there any cottages for rent near Crystal Beach?
I'll look into it.
yay, Niagra Falls is a whole 4 hours drive for me :P This would be the least expensive AGS outing for me yet. I am going.
As for dates, well August 4-11 (Saturday to Saturday) are booked, but the remainder of the month and July are untouched. I am fine with anything after Brittens but before September.
Since people tend to book these things way in advance, does anyone else agree that we should establish a fund for deposits, even before we set dates? That way we can reserve as soon as the timeline is known.
That place is definitely kind of ugly. Maybe we can look around for other options?
This place will hold 20: http://www.cottage-canada-usa.com/listing/0057.htm
I'm sorta wondering how many people will actually come. Last time Mittens was held in North America it was rather small, right? From my own experience trying to get a US-based gathering going, it's hard getting people to come out. But then again, this is MITTENs...
I'd say we should probably seriously consider booking the place at the latest by February or March. By that time most people should have a better idea if they'll be able to make it or not, since it's after the holidays when all those unexpected expenses tend to pop up.
Quote from: Anarcho on Wed 11/10/2006 15:47:05
That place is definitely kind of ugly. Maybe we can look around for other options?
Sure, there is plenty of time. Don't forget to check for villas. I've seen a few nice ones...
http://www.villarenters.com/advert_summary.asp?ref=2883&rag=10821A&rcam=myvillarenters&noclick=true&unbrand=
and
http://www.villarenters.com/advert_summary.asp?ref=22971&rag=10821A&rcam=myvillarenters&noclick=true&unbrand=
These look alright, but only sleep ten, though I imagine that to consider bed sleeping only.
Hostels can be rented by private groups as well for an entire week, maybe we could consider that? Something out-of-the-way perhaps. I'll look into this more when I get home.
That's right, there's still plenty of time to consider other options.Ã, We can't book a place until we know how many people are coming anyway.Ã, About 20 have expressed interest so far.
Quote from: Grundislav on Wed 11/10/2006 16:46:30
I'd say we should probably seriously consider booking the place at the latest by February or March. By that time most people should have a better idea if they'll be able to make it or not, since it's after the holidays when all those unexpected expenses tend to pop up.
I'll keep an eye on how quickly places are being booked and if it appears that places are filling up, I'll advance the deadline for confirmation. I don't have any issues with paying the booking fee myself and being re-imbursed during Mittens to avoid shuffling money around in the meantime.
I don't think we should be dismissing a site because it is ugly.Ã, I think available room,Ã, price and potential for activities are more important.Ã, The places linked by Anarcho and Disco cost more for less room.Ã,Â
Hostels cost between $20-30 per night.Ã, If you find the right one it might be cheaper but I'd rather have the privacy of a cottage/cabin.
I did a quick search, and found flights to Ontario for â,¬ 4,000.00! Tell me that can't be right. (I searched for flights in November 2006 AND July 2007)
It's ten times cheaper to fly to New York, rent a car and drive to Canada.
I think you can do better than that.Ã,Â
Amsterdam to Toronto in July is about 561 USD (on kayak.com)
Cheapest I've seen from London is 462 USD.
Paying european taxes and all it'll be a little more, but it's only a bit more than flying to NY in general.
I plan on attending, and also to be there when the first day is, not this "I'll show up five days late" thing again.
And Disco and I can talk Firefly until our heart's content.
Haha, I'm a veritable idiot. Why would it be $2000/person. Oh man. Yeah, I'm all of 1.5 hours out from Niagra Falls... As soon as we confirm approximate $ and days that would be jolly. Just so I know if I can go. Even if I haven't been around for that long.
"Splitting" the 2000 cost over 12+ people.... 150 - 200 dollars each person to visit for the whole week.
I've compiled a spreadsheet of 150+ rental cottages in Ontario.Ã, Take a look and we can discuss what best suits our needs.
http://www.4shared.com/file/4508629/5b904fc/potential_mittens_cottages.html
QuoteI plan on attending, and also to be there when the first day is, not this "I'll show up five days late" thing again.
Hahaha! Awesome - you better be! :)
I'll be there.
Probably.
I am so in on this. Yay, this is already sounding exciting!
P.S. I live in Ontario, so feel free to consult me about things to do in the area (there are many).
Well if Matt's going, I'm going.
Yeah, as an Ontario native I would be remiss if I didn't at least try to make it this time. Barring being shipped out to Alberta and forced to work for the entire summer, I should be there. And even then, if it's held in later August I could probably get away in time even if I were.
I really want to go, but I suspect I won't be able to because I'll have to spend my vacation time on a honeymoon or something like that. Work, work, work... :P ;D
Quote from: Dave Gilbert on Thu 12/10/2006 13:44:11
Well if Matt's going, I'm going.
(http://img157.imagevenue.com/loc539/th_87684_matt_and_dave_122_539lo.jpg)
Just like the good old days!
;)
Umm, I have a stupid question..... I'm not a noob..... But..... Why is it called Mittens???
Quote from: thewalrus on Fri 13/10/2006 06:15:50
I'm not a noob.....
If you're asking this then you are. :=
Anyway, you can always do some quick research (http://americangirlscouts.org/agswiki/Mittens).
Actually, I did know that.... Just forgot.... I read it here somewhere before....
I plan on attending as well. Living in Ontario certainly simplifies travel plans. :)
Right. I checked further into those properties I suggested. Forget I said anything ;) they won't work.
After looking through a good deal of the spreasheet, I'm starting to gather that we have merely a handful of option. Quintaros' pick seems to be the best-suited for us, in both capacity and location. The property may not win any beauty pageants, but the inside looks quite good and there are plenty of facilities. I think it is worthy of Mittens.
Otherwise I have looked at two other promising cottages. Kennisis Lake (http://www.ontariocottagerental.com/Kennisis_Lake_26.htm) and Moose Lake (http://www.ontariocottagerental.com/Moose_Lake_5.htm). Both are severely gorgeous and a bit cheaper than Montrose, but I have no idea where they are in Ontario :/. They both are on large[r] bodies of water have either a canoe or paddle boat with which scotch and I to get up to all sorts of shenanigans. I am a bit worried that the owners won't be happy with going over the 16 person, but who knows, a few more people can sleep on the floor by the looks of it. While one would expect that a North American Mittens this time around may get to 30 people, I personally doubt it and expect it to top out at around the lower 20s again. You never know though.
Quote from: Disco on Fri 13/10/2006 17:32:04
Otherwise I have looked at two other promising cottages. Kennisis Lake (http://www.ontariocottagerental.com/Kennisis_Lake_26.htm) and Moose Lake (http://www.ontariocottagerental.com/Moose_Lake_5.htm). Both are severely gorgeous and a bit cheaper than Montrose, but I have no idea where they are in Ontario :/.
Both of these cottages appear to be in Haliburton County, roughly two-three hours NNE of Toronto, depending on which end of the county these cottages are located. Haliburton is on the picturesque Canadian Sheild, reputed to be the oldest exposed bedrock in the world. Being rock it is mostly forested, with many lakes. It is primarily a tourist area, but as it is more off the beaten path than the more famous Muskoka and Kawartha areas it isn't "overrun" by tourists like those areas. Both of the facilities identified by Disco are more typical Ontario cottages, so if you are in favour of experiencing our indigenous (anglo-canadian) culture I would recommend one of these options. For more information on the Haliburton area you can visit their website (http://www.haliburtoncounty.ca/) or do your own search.
I'm in. Niagara falls is like 5 hours away from here. Unless I'm not in town or something... depends on the date. The closest to the end of august, the better.
Yeah, I'm definite in for this. To the Land of Mounties we go!
It'd be hard not to enjoy a place called Moose Lake! AND you get a rowing boat! Hehehe..
Sorry, I'm cluttering this thread up with crap! I won't now :p But I know what I WILL do!
I can safely say that I shall be attending... although I may need a few months to think clearly about it all. Anytime would be good for me, September preferably to lower costs.
Quote from: Creed Malay on Sat 14/10/2006 19:32:41
Yeah, I'm definite in for this. To the Land of Mounties we go!
yay Creed! The Canadian Mounties probably wouldn't mind you having an Eagle burger :P Just don't ask for any Common Loon foodstuffs and you will be okay.
I am expressing an interest.
So far 32 people have expressed an interest in coming of which 21 were probables and 11 maybes.Ã, If I were to predict actual attendance next year I'd say 24-26.
Only a handful of people have specified what dates best suited them.Ã, So far August seems to be the period with the least conflicts.Ã,Â
Yus, and remember the Skandinavians Quintaros, Petteri started terrible soon his classes, and I think that Andail might start them soon as well... I wouldn' t care to dely mittens to sept. or so, maybe it would even be cheaper, but I also want to have this friends in the trip...
Err, september? After the summer holiday? And how does that solve the problem that some people can't attend because of school?
Quote from: Nacho on Tue 17/10/2006 14:49:20
Yus, and remember the Skandinavians Quintaros, Petteri started terrible soon his classes, and I think that Andail might start them soon as well...
I'm operating under the assumption that if people don't speak up regarding time constraints they don't have any.Ã, People need to speak up for themselves because anybody else would just be guessing.
Nacho said he wouldn't care to delay Mittens till September because none of his friends would be there.
Late-June-July-August would be best for me, and probably also for most Brits at university. Though do feel free to contradict me
September = university... I don't recommend september... Even if I don't end up going, perhaps there are other people in the same situation as I am?
Late June-July-August is best for me. Work slows down in the summer, which makes it easier to attending Mittens.
The specific dates for me are anytime between June 27 and August 26-27. Although I'm sure I can miss a day or two at the very beginning of class, since I will have had the professors before Fall 2007.
EDIT- Oh, and not during Brittens either ;)
Anytime in July or August is good for me personally, but be aware that the first weekend of July is the Canada Day long weekend and the first weekend of August is the Civic long weekend, which essentially mean higher prices and traffic congestion in Ontario :P
Sorry for the missunderstanding Jet, What I was basically saying was "I don' t care of the date, because I am free to attend at any time in summer, but I' d like to see as much freinds as possible"
Quote from: Quintaros on Tue 17/10/2006 15:38:54
I'm operating under the assumption that if people don't speak up regarding time constraints they don't have any. People need to speak up for themselves because anybody else would just be guessing.
Assumed correctly (for me anyway). Time off work is time off work.
I'm easy with the dates, but maybe we could get cheaper flights if we went for late June / early July?
I'll be back in school too next year, so after late August would be not so great for me.
My school shouldn't start THAT early next year, but around early September at its latest, so late June - July - early August should be fine with me. Of course, I might get a job for summer or I might be too poor to go, but count me still in as a maybee. Seeing that so many europeans have expressed interest, it might be a good idea to look into the prices of the flights and see when they are cheapest. However, I doubt any flight company has any flights up for the next summer this early.
I screwed up during my initial look at scheduling.Ã, Upon re-examining, it now appears that there are no conflicts between July 6th and August 26th..Ã,Â
People want to travel when it's cheapest but I don't think that there is any period that will please everyone.Ã, Ontario's vacation high season is said to extend from mid May to mid-September so Mittens will fall into it regardless.Ã,Â
I don't know where everyone will be flying from but I assumed that more Mitteners would be flying out of London than any other location.Ã, For that reason I'm operating under Spock's principle “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the fewâ€.Ã, In my investigations the cheapest time to Toronto via London is July 11th or 12th returning the 18th or 19th.Ã, These flights would be around 380£.Ã, During the rest of July and August the flights are typically in the 440£ to 460£ range except for August 7th to 20th when the price increases to >500£.Ã, Ã, Maybe someone else can find a better deal.Ã, Maybe I'm totally out to lunch on how many people would actually be flying via London.Ã, Let me know guys.
Currently, I'm leaning toward booking a cottage for the week of July 12th to 18th with the 11th and 19th as travel days.
Those dates sound great, under my circumstances at least :)
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/colbert.jpg)
Yep, 11-19th July sounds good with me too.
Ditto.
Considering that the Tour of France has been crap without Lance, and next one might be, yeah, Lore and me are in.
I have to not fail any exams, since the resit period goes on to the 27th of July, that should be enough incentive, i hope. :D
Sounds Good to me!
I'm okay with those dates.
Hmmm... southern Ontario you say? I may have only been lurking lately, but I'd love to go!
those dates sound good to me also
Yep, the dates sound A-OK to me.
This is intriguing. I'll show up if I can afford it/am allowed
Please see first post.
I'm out of the running. Checked current flights, far too expensive for me now, and by the time I have money to spend, they will be astronomical.
Money's not an issue for me. I can't ask for time off work this early, well I could, but I'd get no for an answer. I might sign up and just hope I'll be allowed to go. But it'd be a huge bummer if I'm denied time off that week
I have made plans already for a week or so before Mittens and then again just a few days after, I was hoping I'd be able to stay an extra week in Canada, but it doesn't look like it'll happen. I'd still like to come for that one week though.
I can understand why as the host you'd like to get firm commitments and deposists from people, but you'll probably find that for a lot of people it's very difficult to commit so far in advance. I probably wouldn't be able to do so by the end of the year -- setting a deadline like March might bring in more people when things are more definite?
What a great week to get fired.
I'll be a pharmaceutical test subject in january (hey, it's better than turning tricks), so I get some big bread afterwards.
If I squat a building (which isn't technically illegal in Netherland, just a hassle) instead of renting a â,¬300,- a month closet, I should be able to live like a prince till summer and still have â,¬600 to spare on a trip to Canada.
But that's AFTER january.
Out.Ã, I'll meet you Americans/Canadians one day! ¬¬
Okay...okay...maybe this end of year deadline needs to be revised. Ã,Â
In my work situation, the earlier I decide I want a specific week off the easier it is to get approval but I guess this is not true for all.
To me March seems late but I'm a bit of a worrier and like to book things early to assure availability. Ã, For now I'll push the deadline back to the end of January so that people are at least booking vacations within the same calendar year.
So, where do we send a check to again?
I think CJ and Quintaros are both right: the venue should be booked sooner rather than later, but the sign up deadline can be comfortably pushed back to the beginning of spring. It would be nice to have a definite number of attendees as well as some cash in hand before booking, but realistically this is not going to happen. At least, not before all the best places are already booked. I think if we establish a ceiling of accommodation/food costs per person (say $200 CND for the week?) and estimate a minimum of 20 attendees, then we can plan on having $4000 to spend. If there are more attendees, as is likely, then the cost will come down, or we'll be able to provide more elaborate services (transportation, group entry fees for attractions, matching team jerseys, booze..... etc.).
Now is, however, definitely the time to book, as venues disappear quickly in the spring time. We should assemble a short list of advertised cottages and start making enquiries ASAP. Do you want me to organize this?
BaRoN
Quintaros: in Europe at least, all banks have a thing called IBAN (International Bank Account Number, I believe), which would allow you to receive money by bank transfer from any other bank. If you have one, that would be a good way of taking deposits...
I might make it, If I can get a phreeking job. Ontario, HO!
I'm still interested, and have no problem with the deposit, but until the boss puts a 2007 calender on the wall it's a bit tricky to start booking time off work.
I will give you a firm answer before the end of January, and that answer should be a yes ;)
On a semi related note, those of you who came to Mittens or Brittens this year and didn't recieve a copy of the annual, drop me a pm with your postal address so I card start sending them out next week. I'll do a proper announcement and all at the weekend, but while it's on my mind...
With regards to paying deposits:
Canadian Banks have a service called Interac E-mail Money Transfer for transferring money from one account to another. There is a charge of ~$1.50 for the sender.
I'm not certain if it's available through international banks but I'm looking into it.Ã,Â
<Edit> This option is only available through Canadian banks. Please see first post for more details.
Matt, good news!
Quintaros, 2007 is going to be an expensive year for me. Really early deposits from myself are very unlikely.
... I LOVE this location (seeing as I LIVE in Southern Ontario). I could probably house all of you too... however I really don't have time. :x In my program, we have co-op and classes and no summer break, so I'm sad to say that I can't join you guys. -_-; This would've been an excellent opportunity too. But maybe a miracle will happen and my uni will be closed for a few weeks. I can always dream...
You could stop by...
Skip uni for a week? I've done it for less cool reasons...
Only 1 person has PM'ed regarding the deposits I asked for back in November.Ã, So no cottage has been booked to date.Ã, It may seem early to start thinking about these things but the window of opportunity is closing.Ã, My first choice is now completely booked for the month of July and the availability of others is also declining.Ã, The dates that I initially specified may need to be revised because of this.Ã,Â
So again, please PM me to make arrangements for a deposit so that I can secure a suitable site for this year's Mittens.
Thank you,
Darren
Th... That was me right?
I am still hoping to come, but I'd like to know if it's going to be just me and Eric attending, or whether more people are coming. Because, quite frankly, I despise Eric.
Quote from: MrColossal on Tue 23/01/2007 22:46:31
Th... That was me right?
I suppose you did PM me regarding the deposits before any method was established to actually transfer money. Since I updated the thread with some methods...nada.
My apologies. However, AGA's question stands for me too...
I mean Jess and I will go to canada and stay in a cabin for a week, no problem... But will other people be there? If no then we'll be having lots of canadian sex... If yes then we'll do the same but I'll trim my public hair down a little first. Don't want to gross you guys out!
So far no one has firmly committed although I imagine there's still a fair amount of interest.
I understand your reluctance to commit when no one else has but someone has to be the first. I'm coming for certain (and it's no small trip for me either), Mattgoble seemed ready to put his money down, there's a fair number of Ontario locals who have no good excuse not to come... It may be a group of 10 rather than 30 I really don't know.
I'm totally in, even if it means telling some white lies at work. "Foot surgery" indeed. :-,
Ditto. Except for the foot surgery part. PMing now.
I'm coming. How can I go to 3 meets over 4,000 miles away and not go to one that is closer to 300 :P. The problem right now is the deposits, I hope to be able to come up with some funds soon, but have issues being worked on right now with the nice people down at the unemployment office :/. I should be able to update my status within the week.
I'll be in, assuming that we get the critical mass of people that we need to make it happen.
Since some people are reluctant to commit until they know who else is going, I'll maintain an updated list of confirmed attendees in the first post of this thread.
LOL! That sucks. People won't go unless certain people will? Tsk!
Anyway, I'm gutted. I just won't have the money for this, cos I quit my job and got a new one which doesn't pay anywhere near as well. If I do go it'll be last minute (as it has been every other year, to be fair :P)
I cannot get the money for this. I am therefore out.
Helm, M0ds...sorry to hear that you two can't make it. I was looking forward to seeing each of you again.
Oh, er, right! I kind of forgot about this thread. Anyway I'd love to be there, and the deposit shouldn't be a problem although I'm not sure if the bank would transfer it before the 31st.
That'd be fine.
Had to recheck with my boss and it looks like I'll be able to make it as well, PMing now.
We (Lore and me) want to come, and unless something wrong happens we will be there. Going to check the bank info...
Sorry Darren, but I'm afraid I can't come after all, even though I promised. I just simply can't afford that much money right now, not in few of years actually. I will be getting a summer job, but I will spend that money on other things. So I'm out.
Sorry to hear that Petteri. I'm sure I'll see you again the next time Mittens is on your side of the Atlantic.
All right, looks like I'm in for sure. :)
When's the last I could confirm for this? Cause it's currently in the hang, should knows by midweek-next...
I'm planning to book on the first of February so I'd like to know how many people are attending by then. We may be able to accomodate latecomers but there's no certainty.
Balls. Note me down as a potential latecomer then. It's in the laps of the gods, for the now. >:(
I'm going. I'm planning to stay a few weeks in North America this summer.
I'll send some money when I'll get some international transaction forms. PM you later about that.
PS: Lending my body for medical tests was the best idea I ever had.
I'd like to go. I've got the money and I've got the time.
AWESOME! I want Chrille to come! In fact I demand it!
Quote from: Chrille on Fri 26/01/2007 17:10:16
I'd like to go. I've got the money and I've got the time.
Excellent, Chrille. I look forward to seeing you again. Drop me a PM when you get a chance.
Put me down as pending. I'll let you know for definite ASAP.
I'm thinking about it. It's in toronto right? If so I don't think I'll need lodging.
I'm in!
(Avoids thinking about January's credit card bill...)
Just did a quick look on flights, and Lastminute.com lists all the 'majors' charging around £560 return (London Heathrow - Pearson / Hamilton)
Canadian Affair offers Air Transat (Any Good?) for between £100 & £170 each way, although they can't offer exactly 12th & 18 (which will change anyway?) (London Heathrow - Toronto)
Zoom Airlines offers flights from £100-110 each way (London Gatwick - Toronto).
If people want to fly from London Heathrow or Gatwick you can crash at my house, then get the bus to Heathrow - you can from there get a coach to Gatwick (That's what I did for Benidorme).
m0ds, I suppose I will just have to mail you twinkies or something to help you pass the time.
I will be coming. I know, I know, hold your applause. Maybe even the elusive ScubaChic will come. :o
Scummbuddy, thanks - I think I need them! I'm pretty depressed I can't make it, but I will try and save up. The only problem is, as I mentioned, if I can go I may not know until 5 days before :P So I might have to sleep on the grass, lol!
We'll sleep in the rafters if we have to, but if you can make it m0ds it would be so great. :D
Canadian Affair are OK, I went with them to Toronto, back in 2005.
cabinreservationnewsbump
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...
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.
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, 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, I'll PM you about refunding your deposit.
Quote from: Discocabinreservationnewsbump
Please see the first post in thread.
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 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 (http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/default.asp). It's like "interact with object" in museum form.
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?
If you need to, Chris, you could bank transfer the money to me and I'll run away with it PayPal it to Darren.
Argh! I was so certain I'd be going. Argh! Further dealings with PayPal!
*cries*
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!
Holiday booked.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07014.jpg)
We think we're Times Square!
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07022.jpg)
We've got sketchy shopping districts!
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07111.jpg)
We like making new friends!
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07112.jpg)
We let aliens design our museums! (This is the Royal Ontario Museum, a.k.a. the ROM).
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07025.jpg)
We like shiny things that spin around! This picture and all the rest are from the Ontario Science Centre.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07034.jpg)
What's nerdier than pixel art? Getting your picture taken in tiny bubbles.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07038.jpg)
How adventure game can you get? The control panel changes the colour of the bars, and pressing the bars causes different notes.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07054.jpg)
Sports! There's a bobsled simulator just to the left of this picture.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07065.jpg)
I'm science!
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07050.jpg)
I'm also a sucker for hazel eyes.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07081.jpg)
At the Marvel Superheros "Science" Exhibit.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/TorontoFeb07085.jpg)
Same exhibit. You can lift this car if you want to.
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s262/LivelyIvy_2007/th_TorontoFeb07130-1.jpg) (http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s262/LivelyIvy_2007/?action=view¤t=TorontoFeb07130-1.flv)
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. :P
In conclusion, science!
Bumping for Toronto pics.
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 :P. My route also calls at Brantford and Hamilton along the way if that crosses anyone's path. I promise fuel $$ and upbeat shenanigans for any takers.
My daughters loved the Science Centre too. They spent ages in the play-shop which has a real barcode scanner!
Quote from: Disco on Tue 06/03/2007 22:41:33
I've just been checking up on coach options. Any of the Canadians in the London(ish) area? I am interested in carpooling if anyone is coming from there or nearby. I only want to go as far as I have to on the coach, since I will have passed the exit to Bayfield nearly halfway to Toronto :P. My route also calls at Brantford and Hamilton along the way if that crosses anyone's path. I promise fuel $$ 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 (http://www.greyhound.ca) apparently doesn't go anywhere near Bayfield).
So, the pros of an AGS Bus:
-Jolly conductor ;D
-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.).
I hate that Church of Scientology. Everytime I walk by they're trying to hand me multiple flyers >:(
They tried to brainwash one of us at the last-but-one AGS meeting.
QuoteI can rent the vehicle straight up so don't worry about deposits -we'll settle up at the meet.Ã, 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, Conditional interest is fine (i.e. I'm in if you go through Brantford, etc.).
This works well for me.Ã, 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.
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. :-\
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.
Awesome. Any other takers?
I think, since there's a strong probability that people will be arriving different dates that we'll swing by a couple of Toronto locations for convenience's sake. I think Yorkdale mall is a forsure, because it has easy parking, easy access to the freeway, and most important of all it's on a subway route. So if folks are in Toronto a day or two early they can tour the town and still hook up with us pretty easily. Then we can swing by the airport (again?) on the way out to Bayfield.
It does seem the most sensible option. I expect I'll end up doing this.
Quote from: Renegade Implementor on Thu 08/03/2007 17:08:23I'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.
You can get from London to Toronto by coach? Screw this flight malarky, let's do that!
QuoteIt does seem the most sensible option. I expect I'll end up doing this.
I'll do whatever everyone else is doing.
A coach to Canada? That'll only take a month.
Quote from: Pumaman on Fri 09/03/2007 19:46:15
I'll do whatever everyone else is doing.
We're all jumping off the Brooklyn bridge.
Real London. Not London, England.
So, AGA, Matt (are we the only Brittensiens?), what are your thoughts on flights? I just checked on the Zoom website and there are no flights available on the 19th or 20th, so with them we'd have to go on the 21st.
Flyglobespan.com seem to have some flights for 386.00 return from Stansted to Toronto John C Munro airport (is this far from Pearson?), but I don't know if they're a reputable airline or not...
http://www.canadianaffair.com/
Again, these guys can only do 21-27th July, but Heathrow to Pearson.
Matt
John C. Munroe =Hamilton Int'l Airport. It's feasible to pick folks up there, and recommendable to fly into due to marginal airport taxes (which were $50 at Pearson per ticket vs. $10 at Hamilton the last time I flew). It is kind of in the middle of nowhere if you're coming early though....
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/Published/ontmap.PNG)
You have a Cambridge, a Stratford, a Middlesex Centre, a Grimsby, a Norwich, a Lincoln, and a York. Seems London is not the only English place-name you have the real one of.
It's plageurism, sir!! Canada should be expelled from the exam!!
Unoriginal immigrants strike again! That's always perplexed me...why leave a country and settle someplace brand new only to call every place the same names you left behind?!
Everyone needs their Home From Home.
But isn't this the case with the entire North America? My idea is that the names of all locations in each and every state are identical, only sort of re-shuffled in terms of sizes and relative positions.
We're getting better at toponymy (the naming of places): Toronto used to be called York, and Kitchener used to be called Berlin. Having said that, Cambridge is just an amalgam of Galt, Preston & Hespeller, two of which were fairly original names, so I guess there's been some backsliding.... ::) Swastika Ontario is sticking to their guns though: they figure they had the name first so Hitler can go blow himself. Awesome. Just awesome.
Don't forget Southampton.
Greetings Mittensers,
It has been brought to my attention that I should firm up the AGS Bus schedule so that people can plan flights, etc., accordingly. This isn't set in stone, and if there are any big problems let me know, but the plan so far is:
Depart Yorkdale Mall (Toronto) 12:00 noon on Friday July 20th
Arrive Pearson Int'l Airport (Toronto) 12:30 pm (going to arrival levels of various terminals)
Depart Pearson Int'l Airport (Toronto) 1:30 pm
**Arrive Munroe Int'l Airport (Hamilton) 2:30 pm
**Depart Munroe Int'l Airport (Hamilton) 3:00 pm (it's only one terminal)
Drive through Woodstock, Ontario, approximately 5pm
Hit Bayfield by 7pm, a little later if we stop for grub.
**Note, if no one's going to Munroe than we'll get to Bayfield about two hours earlier.
Depart Bayfield approx. 10am on Friday July 27th
Reverse directions and times above
Meaning you could be at Munroe by 2pm for sure (but we'll skip this if no one is flying out that day)
Pearson (Toronto) by 4pm (gotta allow for rush hour)
Yorkdale by 6pm (if necessary)
-Most flights to Europe fly overnight, so you should be good for check-in times, etc.
Unless anyone will miss the bus and/or flight due to this schedule that'll be how we run it. If you fall into the boat just mentioned just give a shout and we'll see what we can do.
Cheers!
That reminds me, I booked my flight last week.
Arrival: Toronto, Lester B. Pearson International. 20/07/07 16:45
Departure: Toronto, Lester B. Pearson International. 03/08/07 06:45
(I'm staying longer and explore the rest of north america)
I will rent a car, but I'd like to tail the AGS bus, if possible.
Baron, from my experience with airports, I'm afraid waiting just 1 hour isn't enough. Think big, think slow.
Dang! A little research of incoming flights does suggest that most European flights arrive in the late afternoon. Bugger.
OK - Revised plan:
Leave Yorkdale at 3pm, Friday July 20th
Arrive at Pearson Int'l at approx. 4pm.
Gather people up between 4-7pm (while making shuttle runs to a nearby bar/restaurant?)
Hit Munroe Int'l up by 8-8:30pm (if necessary)
Get to Bayfield around midnight.
Fortunately dropping people off at airports is much more predicatable:
Leave Bayfield by 10am Friday July 27th
Get to Munroe (Hamilton) by 2pm
Get to Pearson (Toronto) by 3:30pm
I'm still trying to decide whether to take the coach to Pearson or Munroe. Does everyone know where they are flying yet? Do any of you who are taking vehicles from your private collection have plans to meet and greet at either of the airports?
If the bulk of those flying in end up going to Pearson I may choose to go with the Team Munroe. This way the larger group would not have a monopoly on fun :P
Quote from: Disco on Wed 21/03/2007 21:28:04
I'm still trying to decide whether to take the coach to Pearson or Munroe. Does everyone know where they are flying yet? Do any of you who are taking vehicles from your private collection have plans to meet and greet at either of the airports?
It's 6 of one half a dozen of the other for me. Flying into Hamilton is slightly less expensive but has more connections and makes for a longer day. Pearson will still involve much waiting around but it will be with other mitteners which is preferable to waiting alone. So I'm leaning that way, I guess.
Due to a lack of available flights on the 20th, it looks like Mattgoble, AGA and me will probably arrive on the 21st; as a result, I guess we won't be able to get the AGS bus. What are the public transport options like for getting from the airports to teh Mittens Cabin?
Public transit, eh?
Well, getting to Bayfield seems to be a bit.....difficult via public transit. My suggestion is to take the bus or train to Stratford upon Avon (Ontario), and I'll pick you up. You catch the train (http://www.viarail.ca) at Union Station in downtown Toronto and it goes via Guelph & Kitchener to Stratford (about 2.5 hours, normally, but it will easily take you an hour to make it from the airport to downtown). There is a train that is leaving Toronto at 5:40pm on July 21st and will cost you $37.10 CND each. The train also stops temptingly close to Pearson airport in Brampton at 6:14pm and would only cost you $29.68 CND each to Stratford, saving you time and money, but I'm not sure how easy it is to get to. The three of you could probably split a cab for $30 and get to the Brampton station in -estimating- half an hour or so.
Apparently you can catch the greyhound bus (http://www.greyhound.ca) at Pearson Int'l airport but it looks like you'd have to take it downtown and then from there to Stratford via Guelph & Kitchener (probably about 2.5 hours as well, from downtown). I can't seem to get a quote from the website, but I'm guessing it'll cost about $40 and run at inconvenient times.
We can make a day trip to Stratford on Saturday so it won't be out of our way. I hear there's a summer Shakespeare festival there.....
Ok, flights booked, looks like we'll be landing at Pearson on 20 July at 14:50 after all, so hopefully we can get the AGS bus!
I'd just like to make a correction to Quintaros's list. I'm going to be driving with Eric and Jess, and not flying directly into Toronto.
Quote from: Pumaman on Sun 01/04/2007 19:51:07
Ok, flights booked, looks like we'll be landing at Pearson on 20 July at 14:50 after all, so hopefully we can get the AGS bus!
Booked, I think, on the same flight as CJ and AGA.
Booked. Arriving at Pearson @ 14:16.
AGS Bus Update:
So far it looks like everybody is coming through Pearson, so we might be able to cut Munroe -and two hours of extra driving -out of the route (please post or PM if this affects you!). The tentative ridership list to date:
Mittens Attendee Pick up
BaRoN Orangeville
Ivy Pearson
AGA Pearson
Pumaman Pearson
Quintaros Pearson
Mattglobe Pearson
Disco Pearson/Yorkdale (?)
Renegade Implementor Yorkdale
Unless there is a surge in demand I'll look into renting a moderately sized van (10 seats so there's room for swag).
Speak up if you feel I've misrepresented your itinerary or you want on (or off) the bus.
Hey BaRoN,
I'm confirmed for the Mittens Bus, will be on the same flight as AGA and CJ.
Matt
Yes. Provided that it is still in the neighbourhood of 100 CAN then I will be going in the AGS Bus.
I will be arriving in plain old Toronto rather than going straight to Pearson, as for some reason the coach from Saginaw to "Toronto Airport Terminal 1-3" is a 26 hour trip, and going to Toronto is only 14 hours :o. I arrive at 6:20am on the 20th so there is plenty of time to arrive at Pearson by 4-ish, or hang out with Toronto locals?? ???
I'd like to confirm a spot for the AGS bus.
I'll be arriving at Toronto's Greyhound station around 10 am on the 20th, which should allow some time to quickly visit some shops.
If it's still possible, put me down as a yes for pickup at Yorkdale mall. Getting there by subway seems easier than trying to figure out the TTC bus system. :)
The cost will be around $100 per person for the trip to Bayfield and back to T.O. (or wherever en route) + day trips. I can guarantee that rental will be less, hopefully significantly less, but there'll probably be several hundred dollars worth of gas to account for.
I'll reinstate the Yorkdale pickup for Renegade Implementor and recommend it to Disco and The Ivy (the subway is just so much easier than crossing municipal boundaries on the bus).
Ah, Yorkdale Mall is the first stop :D I'll be there then, just a wee wait with Renegade and perhaps Ivy, and less hassle ^_^
*bump*
I don't want to inconvenience people, but how flexible is the Airport Rendezvous schedule? My flight back appears to leave at 1:30 pm, and The Baron's schedule says to get to Toronto 3:30 pm. Are there other options, like the Canadian equiv of a Greyhound?
I have an alternate flight option which leaves at 6pm for the return, but arrives at 8pm for the arrival, again clashing with the Baron schedule. And I can't mix and match both because they're different airlines, argh.
Suggestions please? Thanks.
I don't think we're have anything planned for that last day: I was just assuming that I'd have a bit of a hangover and that 10am would therefore be a couth hour for departing Bayfield. We can certainly leave earlier (say 8am) and head directly to Pearson (arriving c. 11am). Or we can delay leaving T.O. on the first day, since we're not heading to Munroe Int'l. I'd say that's the preferable option, since I'd rather stay up later than get up earlier. But we can accommodate you either way.
Is there any update as to how much the bus rental will cost? The better I can budget for this trip, all the better.
Quote from: BaRoN on Thu 31/05/2007 01:03:50
Or we can delay leaving T.O. on the first day, since we're not heading to Munroe Int'l.
Thanks. Okay, I'll pick that one, then. For some reason the flights to Munroe were 500-800 euros more expensive, so I won't be going anywhere near there :)
Any stuff I'd need to bring? Like sleeping bags or an air bed? Also if people are interested I can bring stroopwafels, drop, and/or any amount of boardgames.
Quote from: Radiant on Thu 31/05/2007 08:55:15
Any stuff I'd need to bring? Like sleeping bags or an air bed? Also if people are interested I can bring stroopwafels, drop, and/or any amount of boardgames.
I'll bring Zombies!!! (http://www.twilightcreationsinc.com/)
What aboot pc's/laptops?
You don't need to bring any bedding or towels. There is a games room equipped with board games but more entertainment is welcome if you want to bring some of your own. Any treats from home you want to share would also be appreciated I'm sure.
I hope someone is bringing a labtop, because I'd like to see some demos.
And don't forget the lube :=
Hey, I have the second edition of Zombies!! It's pretty neat, though I probably should have gotten When Darkness Comes since it integrates role playing and works with Zombies!! also.
Quote from: SSH on Mon 04/06/2007 10:27:51
And don't forget the lube :=
Pff, lube? We ain't no fancy-Dan city boys.
OK, after exhaustive research I think I've found our best deal for the AGS Bus. My apologies for the length of time this took, but proximity is a big issue for me since I don't have a car and live in a small town.
I looked into 7 seater mini-vans and the big 12 seater passenger vans. They surprisingly cost within about a hundred dollars of each other for an eight day rental, so I opted for the larger vehicle (everyone will have luggage anyway).
The cost I was quoted breaks down like this (all prices in Canadian Dollars):
$799.95 for the rental
$199.92 for automobile insurance (I might be able to get a better deal with my own insurer)
$999.87
Divided eight ways that's $125 each. This converts to $116.68 US dollars, or 58.45 UK pounds.
Oh, there might be tax on that -I'll get back to you on that count (max 15%).
I sort of figured on having to spend money on gas anyway, so don't worry about this. If we do any significant side trips we'll just split the extra gas bill.
We will have a few extra seats in the bus, so if anyone else is interested it will bring the cost down for everybody ;) .
Another note: the rental would only be $6.99 (EDIT: That's $699.99) if it were only 7 days, which we might be able to swing if I just head down in the evening on Friday July 21 and have everyone dropped off at the airport by Friday July 28 in the afternoon (I think the drop off was planned then anyway, but the pick-up is pushed later).
Discuss.
Sounds good.
Now just to clear this up, BaRoN, would you prefer US or Canadian $? I'm guessing you don't want UKP!!
Thanks for doing this.
Matt
Quote from: BaRoN on Mon 25/06/2007 20:10:42
Another note: the rental would only be $6.99 if it were only 7 days, which we might be able to swing if I just head down in the evening on Friday July 21 and have everyone dropped off at the airport by Friday July 28 in the afternoon (I think the drop off was planned then anyway, but the pick-up is pushed later).
Discuss.
Wait... it is the 20th to the 27th, right? Otherwise, we could all just hang out in Toronto on the first day until everyone arrives and do some sight-seeing, have dinner out and such, then rent the bus sometime after midnight if they are open then and get to the cabin in the wee hours. But that may not work as I assume we have to be around at a decent time on the 20th for the keys from the owners.
One more word to my fellow Mitteners: I aim to sponsor viewings of both Serenity and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. BE WARNED!! :D
I thought it best to notify people that due to unforseen circumstances, I may have to cancel my participation. Things are still up in the air and I won't know what's happening until next week (hopefully). Things are dependent on what news I get and when final payments need to be in.
While I'm hoping everthing works out, I think it would be wise if budgets were recalculated with one less person as a worst-case scenario ... which I truely hope doesn't come to pass.
Sorry -it IS Friday July 20 to Friday July 27.
The (potential) loss of one person is unfortunate, but by deferring all pick ups into the evening I think we can swing the $699.99 price, which evens it out. Hopefully things work out for you Renegade Implementor.
Would everyone be cool with an evening pick-up? This would mostly affect the Yorkdale pick-up (pushing it to approximately 6pm-ish) and possibly the airport one. If I don't hear anything in two days I'm going to make the reservation.
Quote from: BaRoN on Tue 26/06/2007 14:44:44
Would everyone be cool with an evening pick-up? This would mostly affect the Yorkdale pick-up (pushing it to approximately 6pm-ish) and possibly the airport one. If I don't hear anything in two days I'm going to make the reservation.
Well in that case we ought to get to Pearson on our own accord, then when everyone arrives, stash our stuff in a locker and go into town for a bit, and wait for the price to drop. Or...we could always kill time at Pearsonian Starbucks or Wolfgang Puck's :D
*semi-necessary double post*
I am changing my arrival information a bit, and need a local's perspective on the Toronto transit situation. I will be arriving at 11pm on the 19th and staying the night at a hostel right across from the University. Checking out at 11am the 20th, I am wondering if I should take the bus or subway to Pearson, or the subway to Yorkdale to wait for pickup.
The times for the Yorkdale pickup are different depending on where you look in this thread, and I'm wondering if it is even necessary depending on from where Ivy intends to be extracted or if Renegade can come (hope you can dude!). My Google countdown tells me I leave in 20 days, so I would like a conclusive roundup of times and travel info whenever possible.
Quintaros arrives at 14:16
Britishes arrive at 14:50
What time was your flight arriving Radiant?
How about those who are driving? Are we all meeting at the airport and making an exodus to Bayfield? any approximate times for getting to Toronto?
Quote from: Disco on Fri 29/06/2007 20:54:25
What time was your flight arriving Radiant?
By the looks of it, between 8 and 8:30 PM, in Toronto.
Alright, a resummary of current information.
LATEST BUS SCHEDULE:
Rent the bus at 4pm Friday July 20th. (for cheaper rental purposes)
Arrive Yorkdale Mall (Toronto) approximately 6pm (depending on traffic)
Swing by Pearson Int'l by about 8pm and lingering/driving around until 9pm (or whenever we have Radiant)
Leave directly for Bayfield and arrive somewhere around 1am on the Saturday.
* * * * * * * *
Leave Bayfield between 8am-10am on Friday July 27th (depending on people's flight schedules)
Arrive at Pearson International between 12 noon and 2pm.
Get bus back to rental place before 4pm, thus achieving cheaper rental costs. :)
LATEST PASSENGER LIST: LATEST EXPLICIT OR IMPLIED PICK-UP PLACE
BaRoN ...................................................... Orangeville
Ivy ............................................................ Yorkdale
Kevbot (new addition) .............................. Yorkdale
Disco ......................................................... Yorkdale
Renegade Implementor (pending) ............ Yorkdale
AGA ........................................................... Pearson
Pumaman .................................................. Pearson
MattGlobe .................................................. Pearson
Quintaros .................................................. Pearson
Radiant ..................................................... Pearson
LATEST COST ANALYSIS **All figures in Canadian Dollars unless otherwise stated
$699.95 for the rental
$199.92 for automobile insurance (I might be able to get a better deal with my own insurer)
$899.87
$899.87/9 = $100 $899.87/10 = $90 (depending on whether Renegade Implementor can make it or not).
I'm still going to quote the $125 as the per-person cost since this is the worst case scenario (i.e. there's tax on top of the rental cost). This breaks down to approximately $116.68 US Dollars or 58.45 Pounds Sterling. Preferred payment method is the actual silver, but if this proves impractical due to weight restrictions on international flights then Canadian dollars would be the most convenient.
DISCUSSION:
The revised schedule that enables us to save $100 dollars on rental fees won't affect our arrival time in Bayfield because of Radiant's late arrival time (8:30pm). The only people really put out are the people arriving at Pearson between 2-3pm, since they have to wait around at the airport for 5 hours. While I wouldn't recommend settling in at the airport bar because it is expensive, there are all kinds of seedy establishments on Airport Road which would be a short $10 cab ride away. The Yorkdale pick-up is the most deferred, but there are simply all kinds of things to see and do in Toronto. Immediate access to the subway system means you are relatively mobile, so take advantage of it! I'd suggest Disco and Renagade Implementor get Ivy and Kevbot to give them a tour or take one themselves. Unfortunately with travel times being what they are at rush hour the same option isn't really practical for those stranded at the airport.
Unless...... I'm not averse to stopping by the airport on my way into town to pick you guys up (approx. 5pm) and take you to Yorkdale (not exactly representative of Toronto, but at least it's not the airport). Then we'll just grab Radiant on the way out of town.
I believe that is everything. Please bring any errors or omissions to my attention.
Quote from: BaRoN on Sun 01/07/2007 16:10:46
I believe that is everything. Please bring any errors or omissions to my attention.
Who is Kevbot? *EDIT* oops, nevermind :P
As for the Yorkdale/Pearson divide, I will wait to see if Renegade is coming or when Ivy and Kevbot plans to come around, otherwise I would like to be there for the early arrivals at the airport. How easy/hard is it to get to Pearson on the subway?
Say Radiant, I could give you a lift.
Still asking myself... How Mittens should someone need to be in order to show up and say 'Hi'?
(AKA 'get drunk around the fire while staring at ppl fighting canadian mutant mosquitoes - so huge that they need to get on there knees to suck blood out of your frontal region'.)
May have end of July out of contracts.
L'UniqueDan, I hope you bring bring some sort of iron plated protection for your..... frontal region.
The subway situation, according to an officially published TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) map:
(http://www.vanwijst.com/games/Published/subway_map.PNG)
Fortunately there are three busses running directly from subway stations, with the one leaving from Kipling probably the fastest since it goes straight up highway 427.
(http://www.toronto.ca/ttc/images/airport_service_map.jpg)
The last time I tried it by bus they charged me extra for crossing municipal boundaries, so make sure you have some change in your pocket before attempting it.
Baron: Thanks for organising the bus, that all sounds good! Those of us who have phones that will work in Canada, it might be worth exchanging numbers in case we have any trouble meeting up?
Also, would this 5 hour window at the airport be our only opportunity to visit Toronto, or are we planning a day trip during the week?
Bayfield is far too boring a place to spend an entire week. You can't come to Ontario and not see Toronto, so I expect a day trip must be in order. We should do it all in one fell swoop: Niagara Falls, Toronto.... well, that's it, actually. That's all we've got. But they're both just within driving range and relatively close to each other.
Anything else you'd want to see in Ontario would either either be impractically far away or a comfortable half-day/spur-of-the-moment-type trip (London, or Stratford, or.... Goderich).
Quote from: BaRoN on Sun 01/07/2007 16:10:46
take you to Yorkdale (not exactly representative of Toronto, but at least it's not the airport). Then we'll just grab Radiant on the way out of town.
Quote from: jet on Sun 01/07/2007 19:46:59
Say Radiant, I could give you a lift.
I'm fine with either. Sorry for arriving so late; the alternative was a plane trip that left really early morning the day Mittens ends.
Niagara Falls? That's a bit of a hike. But a day trip or even two to Toronto sounds awesome. I'll offer as much of my 'tour guide' expertise as I can...and maybe I'll make up some funfacts about the city. Kevbot knows the city better than I do and I'm sure there will be other locals to look out for us. This is shaping up to be an awesome trip!
Oh, and for those of you scratching your head about Kevbot, he's my bodygua-- I mean significant other. :)
Things have finally resolved themselves and I'm glad to say that I'll be going to Mittens after all. For those those of us at Yorkdale, having a gathering place would be nice.
If Disco is planning screening Star Trek, I'd like the possibility to counter with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen for anyone who hasn't seen this film.
<joking>Oh, and could someone explain to me why London would such a great place for a half-day trip. Granted, it's a somewhat decent place to live but I certainly wouldn't want to visit.</joking> ;D
One other question -- will we need to bring sleeping bags or does the cabin come with bedding stuffs?
Bedding and towels will be provided by the cottage owners.
@ QUINTAROS: Will our ETA of midnight in Bayfield affect taking possession of the cottage?
@ RENEGADE IMPLEMENTOR: Good news! There's a really big book store (called Indigo, I think) at Yorkdale, and it's across the way from the extremely obvious Rain Forest Cafe. We should set a time to meet in this in-between space, and everyone should wear blue cups in their lapels so that we will recognize each other.
@ IVY: Affirmative and 10-4 on that, but every foreigner that's ever visited me has pestered me about it, so I kinda assumed....
@ THE CITY OF LONDON: Pull up your socks, you big loser! We're taking our business to Seaforth!
I am calling dibs on the hammock, with Darren as my witness.
You would-be hammockers should have looked at the website and spoken up sooner, huh? :D sucks to be you.
*Double stamped*
Quote from: Disco on Sun 08/07/2007 07:23:34
I am calling dibs on the hammock, with Darren as my witness.
You would-be hammockers should have looked at the website and spoken up sooner, huh? :D sucks to be you.
*Double stamped*
Sleeping for 10 hours with a curved back . Body weight focusd on one vertebra. Having rope marks on your arms and legs for the rest of the day. Go knock yourself out,... seriously.
I'd like to ask thee 3 questions 3.
1: Is Trailer Park Boys a correct representation of Canadian culture?
2: Will there be a town nearby with a decent convenient store?
3: Any canadian do's and dont's?
Do Canadians really say "ey?" at the end of every sentence?
Because I'll be severely disappointed if Strange Brew (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086373/) has been lying to me all these years. >:(
1: Is Trailer Park Boys a correct representation of Canadian culture?
No, only the R-version.
2: Will there be a town nearby with a decent convenient store?
The shack is located between Victoria and Saint-John's. While Saint-John's is more near, the grocery stores are more the kind of Victoria. I think they builted a supermarket lately.
(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w128/danthedanuniquely/Mountie1.png)
3: Any canadian do's and dont's?
Never brutalize a beaver in front of a crowd. Don't feed the mounties, (just don't). When you'll met Donald Sutherland on the street, congratulate him for his last movie. And think of a
food offering for the Terry Fox statue.
And never forgot that Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays are French days only. But I heard that judges are less prompt now to give death penality with tourists.
:P
Quote from: LimpingFish on Mon 09/07/2007 01:30:57
Do Canadians really say "ey?" at the end of every sentence?
No, we say "eh?". But we only use it to determine if the listener understands or agrees with us. That makes sense, eh?
I'm sorry to do this, but I'm going to have to bail at the last minute. Brittens affected me more financially than I thought it would, and I'm afraid my wallet can't handle another trip. So, anyway. Maybe next year. :(
I'm sorry to hear that. How many games of yours would I have to buy to get you there?
And what about "If MattGobles going, then I'm going." ;)
And I'm wondering how much of an inconvenience would it cause if I needed to fly out Thursday afternoon? Would we be able to go into town around the airport where I would leave you all and the rest of you would do some shopping or something?
Totally double-posting so that I can make sure the tickets I bought will work out.
-----------------------------------------------
Friday July 20th
| Baltimore (BWI)---> | Cleveland (CLE) |
| Depart 6:45 am---> | Arrive 7:59 am |
| Cleveland (CLE)---> | Toronto (YYZ) |
| Depart 11:35 am---> | Arrive 12:42 pm |
-----------------------------------------------
And I'll just hang around the airport trying to pick up Mitteneers and Canadian women until around 4 or so, right?
And then my return flight, a day earlier remember, and I hope it doesn't become quite the hassle...
-----------------------------------------------
Thursday July 26th
| Toronto (YYZ)-----> | Cleveland (CLE) |
| Depart 3:00 pm---> | Arrive 4:08 pm |
| Cleveland (CLE)---> | Baltimore (BWI) |
| Depart 4:45 pm---> | Arrive 6:04 pm |
-----------------------------------------------
I'm coming back early, for I have a family trip up to upstate New York to see Cal Ripken Jr. get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I asked if I could just "meet them there" but no, I have to sit through the 6 hour drive practically all the way back from what would be like an hour drive from Mittens Home Base.
As I PMed Scummbuddy, the pick-up will be no problem but the early airport run is problematic for one person. The reason being such a large van will be a bit of a gas guzzler, which makes it hard to financially justify the 500km round trip from Bayfield to the airport and back (there's also a surcharge if we do more than 1400 km in the week....). We could solve this by either planning a Toronto day-trip for the Thursday (in which case we'd all be going anyway), or else finding a smaller vehicle for his return trip (i.e. folks coming with their own private cars).
Who's in for a Thoronto Thursday?
Sounds good to me. The only issue would be if we had all our luggage with us; obviously it would be a bit crowded, but we also wouldn't want anything to get stolen.
It sucks that i can't attend Mittens this year. I am only about 2 hours from Toronto from Buffalo. If the Mittens crew does go to Niagara Falls, i could show up. Hope everybody has a good time at Mittens, and take alot of pictures.
Shawn
This will be the first Mittens since it's inception that I won't be able to attend. It fills me with sadness :(
Quote from: BaRoN on Sat 14/07/2007 02:57:06
As I PMed Scummbuddy, the pick-up will be no problem but the early airport run is problematic for one person. The reason being such a large van will be a bit of a gas guzzler, which makes it hard to financially justify the 500km round trip from Bayfield to the airport and back (there's also a surcharge if we do more than 1400 km in the week....). We could solve this by either planning a Toronto day-trip for the Thursday (in which case we'd all be going anyway), or else finding a smaller vehicle for his return trip (i.e. folks coming with their own private cars).
Who's in for a Thoronto Thursday?
Glad Scummbuddy is going and all, but how much is this extra running around going to be? Seems like every few posts plans have changed and sidetrips have been planned/suggested and I'm not quite certain what is happening anymore. Can we get an all-inclusive update from our host?
Also, would leaving a day early mean we are still paying for that night? what about Toronto accomodations for that many people? ???
I'm not sure I really feel like the host anymore. I mean I don't live in Ontario and so I did encourage other residents to make suggestions.
If the consensus is that people really want to see Toronto, I can go with the flow but it definitely is not high on my list of to-dos. We've rented a beautiful cabin in the woods and I think we should chill out and enjoy it.
I guess my biggest issue is that my sense of fairplay is a little put off if everyone's plans have to be changed because 1 person made travel arrangements that didn't follow the planned schedule.
Also I don't want a Toronto day trip on Thursday to end with the locals going home Thursday night and BaRoN dropping all the traveller's off at the airport to crash there for 16hours until the fly out the next day. If someone living in Toronto can provide a place for everyone to crash, I'm a lot more open to the idea.
Anyway...let's hear some more opinions.
I would like to see Toronto, but preferably as a day trip during the week and not a rush job at the end with everyone's luggage to worry about.
I agree with Quintaros, if someone can put us up in Toronto I'd be a lot more open to doing it at the end. I don't want to lose the money for our last day in the cabin and on top of that have to spend more on a hotel room.
Well, potentially we could just do a day trip into Toronto on Thursday and then come back to the cabin for the night, then return to the airport on Friday (since there seems to be a plan to do that one day, anyway). That'd be a lot of travelling in a short period of time, though ... how long do we think it would take to get from Toronto to the cabin and vice-versa?
Anyway, we can always discuss this once we are actually at Mittens, unless it's something we really need to arrange in advance?
QuoteI'm sorry to do this, but I'm going to have to bail at the last minute. Brittens affected me more financially than I thought it would, and I'm afraid my wallet can't handle another trip. So, anyway. Maybe next year.
Awww ... sorry to hear that, Dave :( We'll make some sort of effigy of you, and prop it up on a chair doing a two-fingered salute.
Also, BaRoN, could you PM us your mobile phone number in case we can't find you at the airport. Do we need to arrange the specifics of where you're going to pick us up, or is it your plan to park somewhere and come and find us?
Quote from: Quintaros on Sat 14/07/2007 19:06:07
...
We've rented a beautiful cabin in the woods and I think we should chill out and enjoy it.
...
I second that. We
never plan anything on a mittens.
Toronto isn't close from where we camp. Detroit is just as far by the looks of it.
I'm sure that with a fire pit and childrens playground there is enough entertainment for 1 week. And if we do get bored, we can summon the dead by playing the tape recorder in the basement (or play Zombies!!!).
Due to kilometer restrictions on the van, may I propose that we see Toronto either the first day or the last day after we have spent our final night? The possibililty that some people may have to take public transportation has already been discussed in this thread, and being that everyone has or will pay $24.50 CAN for their share of the cabin that night, I think it is only fair that Scummbuddy get a ride to Stratford for the bus to Toronto on that day, I have already checked and it is $32 CAN for a single for both routes on the 26th.
As stated before, we have restrictions on how far we can go without surcharges, and ~15 people (not sure what it is at the moment) have already put money toward that final night way in advance, and that amount of people displaced in Toronto for a night might be hard to put up, with some possibility of paying for another night, something at least I know I can't do.
First of all, I just want to say that I had no idea that the airport was 500 kilimeters/310 miles away. That would be waaaay too much to ask of people to do two days in a row. I don't mind paying for the night I won't be there at the cabin, and I am totally more inclined to do public transportation in the form of a bus ride to the airport, especially if the cost is down as low as you say. I may take 6 hours of a ride, but I'll live.
Could you explain the bus costs from the cabin to the airport more, and perhaps a probable duration time?
I certainly was afraid of the cost of a cab ride to the airport which would probably be more than the trip costs combined.
And why is our cabin soo far away from an airport!! ;D
1) We would almost certainly have to return to Bayfield after a Toronto daytrip, since it would be prohibitively expensive to stay in the city and prohibitively uncomfortable to sleep fifteen people in the van. ;) Big cities aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I think an optional daytrip for one day out of seven would probably be worthwhile for those of you who are prone to non-culture shock. I agree that this -and other side trips - can be decided at Mittens.
2) I can't be bothered to determine exact distances, but my impression of driving times is that it would be roughly 2.5 -3hr drive to the Bayfield cabin from Toronto airport. The reason the cabin is so far away from an airport is because the only real airport in SW Ontario is in Toronto, and most decent (and affordable) cottage land is at least 200km from the city. So we actually did rather well, I think.
3) THE PICK UP PLAN: I was going to stick a blue cup on the side of the van and drive from terminal to terminal until someone hopped in.... I guess I should compile a list of who is arriving at which terminal and set some concrete pick-up times. Every terminal has an arrivals deck where taxi-cabs and boyfriends jostle with each other and the omni-present traffic cops, so that would be the place you'll catch me. If you're hitching a ride with the AGS Bus please PM me your flight #, arrival time and terminal number (if you are a group just one PM is fine).
4) The bus/train from Stratford is a good idea for Scummbuddy -problem solved!
5) PMing cell ("mobile") number presently....
Got your phone number, thanks.
In terms of pickup, since Radiant isn't arriving until 8pm, I guess the easiest thing is for the rest of us at the airport to wait around / do some of our own sightseeing, and then for you to pick us up at about 9pm?
By the way, flight details for me, AGA and mattgoble are:
Air Transat TS423, London Gatwick to Toronto, arriving 14:50.
It doesn't seem to say which terminal we arrive at -- would it be easiest for you to pick a terminal and then we can go there and wait for you at the appropriate time?
Just checked the Greater Toronto Airport Authority website. They mention nothing of flight TS423 right now, but it seems that every last Air Transat flight besides arrives at terminal 3.
Am I right in assuming that there will be some sort of internet access at this cabin?
And since we'll be hosted by our Canadian friends, shall I assume we'll be subjected to watching the wonderful cartoon "Clone High". If not I'll bring my DVDs to subject to all.
I'll be bringing my Venture Bros DVDs, to bring some of our American culture to Canada.
Quote from: Grundislav on Mon 16/07/2007 03:12:50
I'll be bringing my Venture Bros DVDs, to bring some of our American culture to Canada.
Huh? You guys have culture now? ;)
Hm, there's some Dutch "culture" that I'm sure I wouldn't get past the customs office. However, I can bring some DVDs.
Suggestion: Maybe we should all exchange phone numbers?
(In greece I couldn't call but I could text message)
You Europeans do know that you need a quad or tri-band phone for it to work at all in North America? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_frequency_bands
It would only be a one off "Where are you?!????" or "Where am I?!?!!!!" conversation anyway -just plug your credit card into an airport payphone and take the $4 hit.
Quote from: SSH on Mon 16/07/2007 11:41:43
You Europeans do know that you need a quad or tri-band phone for it to work at all in North America? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_frequency_bands
I think pretty much every phone made in the last 5 years is tri-band. Mine certainly is, and it's a 4-year-old Nokia.
So, what's the bed situation like again? I know the place has sleeping room for 20 people but does that mean 10 double beds or just "there is enough floor space for people." Sorry if it was covered somewhere in this 13 page thread.
If no bed I need to get out there and buy an air mattress!
Also, can we give you the money over paypal now or are we bringing the money and paying for the place right then or or or?
Alright…one more update on attendees. Removing Dave Gilbert and adding Kevbot, Scummbuddy and Pesty. That gives 16 attendees and a total cost of $3100. Split 16 ways the cost is $193.75. Here is a summary of how much each attendee still owes in CND dollars.
1. Quintaros : $193.75
2. Grundislav: $135.25
3. Mr. Colossal: $132.91
4. MattGoble: $137.88
5. Disco: $135.03
6. AGA: $134.51
7. Pumaman: $134.51
8. Radiant: fully paid…in fact I owe him 84 cents
9. BaRoN: $134.75
10. Ivy $134.80
11. Renegade Implementator $133.75
12. Jet $89.25
13. Jess $193.75
14. Kevbot $193.75
15. Scummbuddy $193.75
16. Pesty $193.75
(Dave Gilbert I'll send you a PM regarding a refund for your deposit later this week. And while I'm doing that I may have to purchase some games from you as well.)
Quote from: BaRoN on Thu 05/07/2007 01:35:59
@ QUINTAROS: Will our ETA of midnight in Bayfield affect taking possession of the cottage?
No…there is a key box that we can access at any time.
Quote from: Scummbuddy on Sun 15/07/2007 23:37:35
Am I right in assuming that there will be some sort of internet access at this cabin?
And since we'll be hosted by our Canadian friends, shall I assume we'll be subjected to watching the wonderful cartoon "Clone High". If not I'll bring my DVDs to subject to all.
I would make the opposite assumption about internet access. If you really need access, I suggest you do a websearch now to find an internet café somewhere in nearby Bayfield.
I hadn't planned on exposing everyone to Clone High as a representation of Canadian culture. Definitely a funny show though.
I should note that the cottage has a VCR not a DVD player. Unless someone brings a player or can connect a laptop to the television there isn't much point in bringing DVDs.
If someone can do this please post.For my part, I'd like to show "Terry" a movie about Canadian hero Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope.
Quote from: MrColossal on Mon 16/07/2007 15:17:35
So, what's the bed situation like again? I know the place has sleeping room for 20 people but does that mean 10 double beds or just "there is enough floor space for people."
There are beds available for 20 adults…but that doesn't mean 20 single beds. Some people are going to have to shack up. We'll work it out as fairly as possible once we see the exact situation but no one will need to sleep on the floor.
One other note…I've said a couple of times that towels are provided but re-reading some communications with the cottage owner, I should clarify that these are washroom towels for showering and that they would prefer we brought our own towels for swimming, hot-tubbing etc.
I have Clone High on DVD, if someone wants to bring their laptop.
Edit: Also, Kevbot and I will plan on being at the Indigo store at Yorkdale mall after 4pm. BaRoN, what time do you think the AGS bus will be arriving there?
Quote from: Quintaros on Mon 16/07/2007 16:35:06
3. Mr. Colossal: $132.91
13. Jess $193.75
It's "Colossal"! One L two S's and one L!
Also, paypal the money to you?
Quote
There are beds available for 20 adults…but that doesn't mean 20 single beds. Some people are going to have to shack up. We'll work it out as fairly as possible once we see the exact situation but no one will need to sleep on the floor.
Dibs on sleeping with Jess!
Damn!
Anyways, I'll bring a DVD player, no problem. And I wouldn't mind paying you over PayPal either, as to keep down the amount of money I'll need to convert for this fun trip.
By the way, I'm already planning on hosting one, if not two, arts and crafts day happy fun times. You'll love one of them, I promise.
MrColossal, sorry about the spelling error.
Scummbuddy, thanks for volunteering your DVD player.
I'd prefer not to use PayPal for any further money transfer due to transaction charges. Please, just bring enough cash with you to settle up during the event.
Oh, do you have the full postal address of the cottage, that we could put on our luggage just in case the airline screws up and loses it?
77142 Orchard Line
Bayfield, Ontario
N0M 1G0
So, phone numbers. PM them to me and I'll PM them to everybody Thursday.
I'm still trying to get 'in the zone' for Mittens, but work is manic at present.
Sorry to hear Dave is not going to be able to make it - could someone just kidnap him anyway?
So, in terms of costs:
$130 CAN for the Lodge
$125 CAN for the Van
And then about $50 CAN / day roughly for food, drink, entertainment??
Anything else I need to know?
That's pretty much exactly what I've converted, Matt - $600.
Quote from: Pumaman on Sun 15/07/2007 11:30:37
In terms of pickup, since Radiant isn't arriving until 8pm, I guess the easiest thing is for the rest of us at the airport to wait around / do some of our own sightseeing, and then for you to pick us up at about 9pm?
BaRoN, could you clarify this please so that we know when to be in the airport. What sort of time are you planning to pick us up?
Keep sending me mobile numbers. I've only got 4 phone numbers so far.
I'm thinking -just throwing this out there -that you might be squandering an opportunity to see a bit of Toronto by sitting around the airport all evening. So my proposal is this: I swing by Terminal 3 at approx. 5pm on Friday July 20th, pick up anyone who wants to see the town, and then head in to Yorkdale to meet up with the local Torontonians and the early arrivals. It's no extra hassle, since the airport is on my way into town anyway. We'd then conceivably have an hour or two to maybe do some quick sight-seeing or eat dinner, and then head back to the airport (on the way to Bayfield anyway) to pick up Radiant and anyone else who might still be lingering there. So there will be two airport stops: one at 5pm ish and one at 8pm ish.
Oh, and so far the only terminal I've seen people arriving at is terminal 3. I think Quintaros & Radiant will be at different terminals since they are coming from Canada & the States: let me know guys! I think there's a shuttle between terminals, but it's just extra hassle and (I seem to remember) expense.
Quote from: BaRoN on Thu 19/07/2007 00:42:38
Oh, and so far the only terminal I've seen people arriving at is terminal 3. I think Quintaros & Radiant will be at different terminals since they are coming from Canada & the States: let me know guys!
I'll be arriving at Terminal 3 as well.
All right, so the AGS bus is coming to Yorkdale at around 5:30pm?
Quote from: AGA on Tue 17/07/2007 23:36:49
That's pretty much exactly what I've converted, Matt - $600.
Thanks AGA, got the money sorted. Just need to do the washing and start packing!!
Let's be honest about the traffic situation on a summer Friday afternoon: Let's say 6:30 for sure at Yorkdale.
So: 5pm - arrivals deck at Terminal 3 (i.e. the front doors)
6:30pm - Yorkdale Mall -let's meet just outside the Rainforest Cafe.
8:30pm - arrivals deck at..... a terminal to find Radiant.
12:00 (roughly) arrive in Bayfield.
I'll be driving a white rental van with "BRISTOL" painted on the side (I think in orange) and I will try to affix a blue cup with AGS on it somewhere to the passenger side.
And Mittens '07 is off to a great start with 2 cancelled planes in a row! Maybe Godzilla will strike our car on the road tomorrow! STAY TUNED?
I'm totally psyched for this trip. Can't wait to see you all there. I need this vacation and I hope we all have a blast!
Wish you all we're here. Our cabin has a now fully stocked fridge (for 21 and over) and has plenty of mysteries to solve, like what is so cool behind that locked door? And why does CJ keep getting strange bruises when AGA is around?
The legal drinking age in Canada is 19, BY THE WAY ;)
(woo spring break! pulls up shirt)
phat!! is there a jacuzzi?!
Is there a jacuzzi? There were already people in it when we arrived. (because Eric, Jess, Pesty, and Grundislav got here first.)
Science is friggim fun!!!!
I want to see the blue cup van.
I want to see Hot Tub pics!! :)