Hey all, by the time this post goes live I will be well on my way to Toronto, Ontario, Canada for an extended weekend. I am truly excited about this little excursion and have heard wonderful things about the city.
So why would I go to Toronto in the middle of winter?
Good question, I can explain.
A little over a year ago one of my best friends moved there. He married a girl that was originally from there so after they got hitched they hightailed it to Toronto. He found a job as an IT guy and she works in the medical field.
I, as well as my friend, had been planning on going up to see them for quite some time but life got in the way. Conflicting schedules with work and school slowed down the planning process and essentially we kind of dragged our feet on making a real commitment to go.
Well up comes this past fall and my buddy informs us that his wife was pregnant and that they were expecting in the spring.
This was great news that they were starting a family, but my friend and I also knew that we definitely didn’t want to go visit them with a newborn. So we picked a date and decided to go!
Unfortunately school started for me on Thursday and class doesn’t get out until 9:30 pm at night so we are going to set sail at 5 am. It should take us about 10-11 hours and that will put us up there around the time our friend gets off work.
We were able to borrow a car since neither of ours are trustworthy for this long of a drive. Unfortunately, the car we borrowed doesn’t get the best gas mileage, it gets about 19 mpg. So this is gonna cost us a bit but it is better than renting a car and paying for gas.
On the bright side we have a free place to stay. Our friend also works in the food and beverage industry and we have been assured that food and drink will be cheap and plenty.
For the trip up there I figured I will throw a banana and a couple of granola bars in my bag and that should tide me over. So besides gas money, I am hoping I will be able to get out of this extended weekend on the cheap. For entertainment on the drive I have burned a bunch of stand up comedy and audio books. I’ve got Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, and James Adomian to name a few. If you like comedy I suggest you check these guys out.
I am going to do my best to stay frugal but no way am I going to miss out on any cool opportunities so we shall see.
I’ll report on my spending next week.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Ian
The 30ss
Hope you have a great weekend Ian! I’ve always wanted to go to Toronto, but yet to have been there.
John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted..Frugal Friday: Blog Posts That Ruled This Week, 100 Posts Edition
Thanks John!
Have a great trip! I haven’t been back out that way since my family moved when I was ten.
CF recently posted..$100 Giveaway: Try a no-spending weekend
Thanks, the trip got cut short though. Kind of a bummer.
Hope you are having a great time. I live in the GTA so it’s not that much of a big deal to me I guess but there is lots to do in Toronto. Have fun!! Enjoy. Mr.CBB
Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted..The Saturday Weekend Review #3 January – Are You Really A Mom?
Thanks Mr. CBB! Unfortunately the trip was cut short. Long story short, my friends mother bought him a gift so we agreed to take it there with us, got pulled out when crossing the border and my friend I was traveling with was denied access. Bummer, ended up going to Greek Town in Detroit and that was neat but did put a damper on the whole thing.
30SS recently posted..Road Trip to Toronto!
I hope you enjoy your trip! The weather in Toronto has been pretty “driving-friendly” so far this weekend, so I hope it continues!
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Thanks Alex, didn’t get farther than the border. At least it wasn’t treacherous driving conditions and we were able to make it to Detroit to enjoy an evening. Oh well, it could be worse I suppose. There’s always next time.
30SS recently posted..Road Trip to Toronto!