Toronto or Vancouver??

laddy

Myself and a few friends are heading over to Canada for the summer on working visas. (Early June to late August) We're a bit undecided about where to go in Canada.
We are thinking of going to Toronto and staying in the university of toronto dorms for the summer. Anyone know what these are like?
Is it easy to get jobs in toronto?
What are the pubs/clubs like?

What's Vancouver like?
Is it easy to get jobs?
What are the pubs/clubs like?

Where would you choose if you were going to Canada for the summer?

Previous experiences more than welcome!

lost_for_words

I'm out in Vancouver at the moment on a year visa and judging by what the Canadians say and other Irish people that have left Toronto, Vancouver is miles ahead. All I can give you is an opinion on what I've experienced seeing as I haven't been to Toronto myself (or if you are Canadian pronounced Tronno).

You should find accomodation easily enough UBC is massive and they let out their places over the summer and it's really easily accessable by bus to downtown. The summer here is meant to be warm but not too hot you have countless beaches to choose from not to mention Stanley Park. If you are into sports you can rent canoes,bikes, almost anything really the list of outdoor stuff is endless. The vibe is very laid back and not as fast paced as Toronto, as far as I know we have much less nightlife in Vancouver than Toronto but still a much better selection than at home. concert tickets are generally cheaper too which is nice

Job wise the employment is out this way definitely. If you want to do manual labour you'll make money because the 2010 winter olympic preparations means lots of construction. Other than that you can easily pick up some temp work for the summer there are loads of agencies that deal with this. It all depends on what you want to do. Check out vancouver.craigslist.org it solves everything I swear!

Leon11

been to Toronto twice for the last three summers, easy enough to get jobs, any of the summer attractions will always hire staff etc, going back this summer again to work there though mainly because i know a lot of ppl through a rugby club there, finished college next year so gna take a year off n move out west to vancouver/calgary

p.s downtown most of the clubs seem to be very dressy/pretentious from my experience, still a lot of good clubs to choose from but prob 5 times as many bad ones, bars are def the way over there

laddy

Thanks for the replies so far.
We're sort of 50/50 on where to go, few want to go to toronto and few want to go to vancouver. Might even spend half the summer in toronto and half in vancouver. Might go to toronto first and then head to vancouver for the second half and hope to pick up some labouring work if there's a load of building goin on for the summer olympics!

We had considered going to Vancouver and then travelling down into the states for 2/4 weeks and stopping off at a few cities on the way back to Toronto to fly home.
Any recommendations for some good cities in the northern states??

Also, any good cities to stop off at on the way from toronto to vancouver or even close to them that we should visit while we're there?

Thanks

lost_for_words

laddy wrote:

Thanks for the replies so far.
We're sort of 50/50 on where to go, few want to go to toronto and few want to go to vancouver. Might even spend half the summer in toronto and half in vancouver. Might go to toronto first and then head to vancouver for the second half and hope to pick up some labouring work if there's a load of building goin on for the summer olympics!

We had considered going to Vancouver and then travelling down into the states for 2/4 weeks and stopping off at a few cities on the way back to Toronto to fly home.
Any recommendations for some good cities in the northern states??

Also, any good cities to stop off at on the way from toronto to vancouver or even close to them that we should visit while we're there?

Thanks

If you're thinking of splitting your time factor in how much it costs to cross the country...cos it's lots, especially in the summer time which is obviously peak tourist time. Cities are more clustered together on the East Coast so you can get to Ottawa, Montreal etc and if adventurous down to NYC and east coast cities in the States. Out West yiou definitely have a city vibe but with an outdoors feel to it, you can travel to Banff/Calgary Lake Louise and maybe get Winnipeg on the way over as well. Anywhere around Banff is seriuosly spectacular views and there would be a lot going on in the summer.

If you were on the west coast you have very easy access to Seattle and you could travel south to San Fran and LA but there again it wouldn't be cheap. Honesly there is endless stuff to do in both Toronto and Vancouver but I chose Vancouver personally because I didn't want to be caught up in a rat race environment.

Take a quick look at the tourist site for British Columbia it'll give you an idea on what to do in the Province as a whole http://www.britishcolumbia.com/ and http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/default.htm.

This will help no matter which you decide http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g153339-s604/Canada:Important.Phrases.html

breadmonkey

I didn't read anything but I'll say a few things:

1) Toronto is class but if you go, DO NOT stay in the University of Toronto dorms, they're sh!te.

2) There is no chance in hell that you will be able to split it 50/50. You will be broke.

lost_for_words

breadmonkey wrote:

I didn't read anything but I'll say a few things:

1) Toronto is class but if you go, DO NOT stay in the University of Toronto dorms, they're sh!te.

2) There is no chance in hell that you will be able to split it 50/50. You will be broke.

Have to agree with breadmonkey on point 2 it really isn't realistic unless you are super rich to try and cross the country.

laddy

breadmonkey: What wrongs with the university of toronto? We were thinkin that it'd be good because there'd be loads of other students and young people stayin there in the same boat as us and that we'd get to know people easier than if we were stayin in a house. Only problem we saw with it was that they say "no noise after 11" but we were thinkin ah **** it, they won't enforce it. Anyone know different? Also it's in the centre of toronto!
Anyone else stayed there? Obviously don't want to stay there if it's ****e!

Was looking through airlines and found flights from toronto to vancouver with harmony air for €162 each way inc. taxes. Do people really think it'd be a stupid idea to go to both cities? Maybe spend 5 weeks in toronto and 5 weeks in vancouver? Would it be worth our while? We're plannin on bringin over about €2000 each anyway so that'd cover the fights easily and keep us going till we sort out jobs. Suppose it just depends on what type of jobs we get and how much we earn to live off!

Any more opinions or stories about work and travel in toronto or vancouver or even anywhere else in Canada?

Thanks so far for the replies!

Charlie

I was in both Vancouver and Toronto. Vancouver for the whole summer and Toronto for a holiday. I honestly believe that on summers away, as long as you have a good group of mates, you'll have a good time wherever you go.

However, imho Vancouver seems like a better city to spend a summer in. The weather is just perfect and the travelling you can do in British Columbia is spectacular. I stayed on the campus of UBC and it was absolutely class. Real good student vibe and gourgeous area but inly 30 mins to downtown on a bus. Also, the nightlife in Vancouver is plentiful with it being very much similar to here in that you'll go out mid week for all the student promo nights.

About splitting your time between the two cities, if you are bringing 2 grand with you it does make it a possibility but the main problem that you'll encounter is that you'll fin it very hard to get accommodation for 5 weeks. Its hard enough to get it for the short period that is the summer, so 5 weeks (ruling out hotels) would be very difficult. My advice would be to spend 10 weeks in Vancouver, put aside about a grand of that 2000 and then live it up in Toronto for your last weeks, taking in Niagara falls and maybe even a night or two in NYC. Also, spitting the summer in half between the two cities could make get a job pretty difficult. You'd probably have to end up working for the ****ty labour agencies for little to nowt and believe me, you don't want to end up doing that.

If you have any questions about Vancouver, just post em up.

breadmonkey

laddy wrote:

breadmonkey: What wrongs with the university of toronto? We were thinkin that it'd be good because there'd be loads of other students and young people stayin there in the same boat as us and that we'd get to know people easier than if we were stayin in a house. Only problem we saw with it was that they say "no noise after 11" but we were thinkin ah **** it, they won't enforce it. Anyone know different? Also it's in the centre of toronto!
Anyone else stayed there? Obviously don't want to stay there if it's ****e!

Things that I think make UT a bad place to stay:
1) It's expensive
2) The breakfast they serve is muck
3) The buildings you stay in are just corridors with rooms off them. The rooms themselves have no common area for drinking/banter etc. There is one communal area with cooking facilities, fridge and tv but you have to share this with everyone on your floor. This means that it's very hard to cook for yourself because the kitchen is always in use. It's also pretty bent having to label your food for the whole summer. What you really want is an apartment type place with it's own cooking facilities and communal area.
4) UT is 'central' but not as central as you might think. There aren't as many shops/supermarkets/places to eat as other places you could stay.

Anyway, when I went to Toronto I stayed in Ryerson University. Look at this map Ryerson is in the top right corner. UT isn't even on this map
. I'll give some pros and cons for this place.

Pros:
1) It's in the epicentre of downtown Toronto. You can walk to pretty much anywhere you might need to go and everything you need is within a 2 minute walk. I think there were about 4 or 5 24 hour shops/supermarkets with a 30 second walk. Loads of pubs and places to eat etc nearby.
2) Accomodation is pretty good. You get a room to yourself and a big communal area with kitchen crap etc.

Cons:
1) Some staff are bent.
2) It's expensive (~UT)
3) It won't be nearly as full as UT.(you will still meet people easily).

If you go, make sure you request a 5 man room in the corner of the building. This is important for two reason:
the building itself is L shaped and a lot of the rooms are quite dark but if you get a corner room its a) brighter and b)enormous.

Toronto is a really savage place. I haven't been to Vancouver but from what I've heard, it's a really cool place too. I don't know how relevant this is but the summer I went ('05), Vancouver was basically full of all the jocks from south dublin. I'm not saying that that's the case these days, just that it's a possibility.

God I can't wait to go travelling again! I said this to a poster before, but if you decide to go to Toronto, I want you to get a photo with Zanta The Man and post it up here! For me, not getting a photo with Zanta is one of my biggest regrets, lol. (not me in the photo obv!)


LEGEND!

breadmonkey

charlie mchugh wrote:

I honestly believe that on summers away, as long as you have a good group of mates, you'll have a good time wherever you go.

QFT!

Innervision

Myself & a few of the girls are going to Toronto, and have pretty much decided on the Tartu college residences (€682 each for 3 months, can hardly call that expensive!).

Wobs

I stayed in UT dorms one summer and they were fine. Ye you had to share cooking and washing facilities but the residences are no way full so you can go to different floor to find a free cooker. You can also rent a fridge for your room. Its a good place to meet Canadians who know good spots to go to.

When the bars and clubs close for a chinese and ask for pots of COLD TEA!!!!

jjbrien

laddy wrote:

breadmonkey: What wrongs with the university of toronto? We were thinkin that it'd be good because there'd be loads of other students and young people stayin there in the same boat as us and that we'd get to know people easier than if we were stayin in a house. Only problem we saw with it was that they say "no noise after 11" but we were thinkin ah **** it, they won't enforce it. Anyone know different? Also it's in the centre of toronto!
Anyone else stayed there? Obviously don't want to stay there if it's ****e!

Was looking through airlines and found flights from toronto to vancouver with harmony air for €162 each way inc. taxes. Do people really think it'd be a stupid idea to go to both cities? Maybe spend 5 weeks in toronto and 5 weeks in vancouver? Would it be worth our while? We're plannin on bringin over about €2000 each anyway so that'd cover the fights easily and keep us going till we sort out jobs. Suppose it just depends on what type of jobs we get and how much we earn to live off!

Any more opinions or stories about work and travel in toronto or vancouver or even anywhere else in Canada?

Thanks so far for the replies!

i have stayed in both the UoT and Ryerson accomindations and can agree with the other posters here. The UoT residences were old and in the summer here very hot as they only had a celing fan and no aircon. Ok I did have alot of fun there and met loads of people. But if you can stay in Ryerson there new very close to the eaton center and you will meet loads of people there. I met soem fellow Irish people there and we rented a car and whent a a few road trips. i aslo found some flatmates there who we shared a flat with for the year I was in canada. If you want to make friend then the dorms are the way to go. Ryerson at least have aircon which makes a big diffrence in the canadian summer.

Toroto is a fantastic place to work and live in. I might go back next summer. Have not been to Vancover myself but it very good. The jobs are not as much in Vancover but you should not find it hard to get work.

Innervision

Wobs wrote:

I stayed in UT dorms one summer and they were fine. Ye you had to share cooking and washing facilities but the residences are no way full so you can go to different floor to find a free cooker. You can also rent a fridge for your room. Its a good place to meet Canadians who know good spots to go to.

When the bars and clubs close for a chinese and ask for pots of COLD TEA!!!!

What was the name of the one you stayed in? The UT site mentions a few

Wobs

It was a few years back, can't remember the name, but it was just off Spadina Ave, I think on Classic Ave right opposite the sports centre. Our room also had air con, a must in the toronto summer.

fade2che

I was in Toronto for a summer 3 years ago and stayed on Campus Co Op on Huron Street. It was grand and cheap as me and my girfriend shared a room.

Jobs were easy enough to get even if the money was not great at all, like we didnt ever make mimimum wage here in Ireland.

Took a trip to Montreal and Quebec city and both places were class. I liked Toronto but if I had to do it again I would go to Vancouver or Montreal.

Also its my experience that they like rules or more importantly they like you to obey the rules. Its not like here where we treat a lot of rules as guidelines. I got hassel from cops a number of times for cycling on footpaths and minor things like that. Fines are a serious pain in the ass when your working for feic all.

What ever you decide, enjoy !

Wobs

It was a few years back, can't remember the name, but it was just off Spadina Ave, I think on Classic Ave right opposite the sports centre. Our room also had air con, a must in the toronto summer.

Wobs

Was just on the UoT website pretty sure it was Westmorre Hall from looking at the map.

Innervision

Wobs wrote:

Was just on the UoT website pretty sure it was Westmorre Hall from looking at the map.

Can't find that one on the U of T website...you mentioned the weather, people keep telling me different things, but is it nice & warm in Toronto in summer?! I love the sun, I'm praying for some

jjbrien

Innervision wrote:

Can't find that one on the U of T website...you mentioned the weather, people keep telling me different things, but is it nice & warm in Toronto in summer?! I love the sun, I'm praying for some

by our standard Toronto is very hot and very humind. It takes a bit of getting used to at first but once you have got used to it then its great. If you can go out to the Islands on a sunny day its nice out there.

beanyb

I'd recommend Ryerson as a place to stay too. It's far more central that UT and is WAY nicer.

Whitney Hall is the main place that Irish students stay in UT. Everyone I know that stayed there had a great time, but the place was a bit of a dive. No a/c either, so it could get ridiculously hot at time. I stayed in Graduate House which is the post grad accommodation. It was sweet because we had our own kitchen and bathroom and all that, but there was hardly any atmosphere in the place. But it did have a/c...

If you're looking for work, the harbourfront is the way to go. Most people I know got work around there - in the restaurants, shops and on the boats. It's very touristy so they need loads of extra staff just for the summer.

You'll end up going every week... but try and stay away from Cheeky Wednesdays.

no-it-all

just a note on the weather,im going over soon and from what im reading you cant swim in the lakes!is there and swimming/beach area at all or will i leave the speedo's at home?

littlejp

I was out on Tronno Islands last week and there was plenty of people swimming. Two main beaches out there. One nudie and one not-so-nudie. Didn't have my togs so didn't swim but it would be nice. It's been close to 30 degrees here the last few days. Very humid aswell.

Roddy23

You can't swim out in the lakes, but you can swim up by the Island.

When we stayed in toronto we were in St.Michael's Campus, off Bay and Mary street, and there were a load of Irish there too.