I'll be in Toronto in September on business from about the 6th through the 21st, with a break coming home the 9th and 10th. Any cool car guy stuff to see and do in that time? I'm most interested in vintage British and racing stuff, so I definitely have the big British Car Show on the 18th on the list. Didn't see anything particularly interesting to me on the Mosport calendar over that time period...
Anything else? Car museums/collections to see? Shows, swap meets, etc.?
Thanks!
You could visit Legendary Motor Car just west of Toronto in Halton. http://www.legendarymotorcar.com/site/
There's an autox on the 18th just west of the city in brampton http://www.hadamotorsport.com/?page_id=3
BEMC is hosting their Indian Summer Trophy races at mosport sept 17 and 18th. That would include both british and racing stuff.
You can also come visit me at work. I'll let you sit in a firetruck. I can't really think of anything else.
Great suggestions, thanks! I saw BEMC on the schedule but had no idea what is was.
I'm also grateful for suggestions for good places to eat in the downtown area. I like almost any kind of food, but I'm a real fan of good Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Italian and German foods.
Is living in Toronto as awesome as I think it would be? I've only been once but I thought it was a freaking great city. Diverse population, lots of fun things to do, and crazy JDM imports that you can buy and drive. I seriously think about moving there. Am I wrong?
Toronto has the advantages of most big cities. No city is car friendly any more and Toronto certainly falls in that category.
If you like commuting for two hours each way or living in an expensive people locker (condo) then Toronto should be fine. Having the lake right there is kinda nice if you can find any use for it other than cold air delivery system in winter.
As an immigrant myself, and having lives in several other countries, Canada in general is an OK place to blend in.
I live 75km west of toronto, in a much smaller city. I do find it's fun to work there though. Traffic sucks, but there's lots to see and it is a very diverse place. I'm lucky enough to miss the traffic and spend about 50min driving each way to and from work. Once at work, traffic is not a problem as people tend to get out of the way of firetrucks.
Also, Basil Exposition, you are going to be there for the Toronto International Film Festival. If you are into that kind of thing, there are lots of movie screenings and celebs.
I can't reccomend any places to eat, but you shouldn't have any trouble finding dozens of restaurants that you mentioned. If there's a type of cuisine, Toronto has it.
I don't know Toronto all THAT well myself (most of my experience in the city dates from my university days, which involved different sorts of experiences than I might find today, and hopefully I am once again welcome at the Royal York hotel), but I know it's got a big, big Chinatown. Good Chinese food should not be a challenge.
mw wrote: .You can also come visit me at work. I'll let you sit in a firetruck.
Say what?? 
To heck with him... I wanna sit in the firetruck!
Oh yeah, great Chinatown, Little India... if you like to eat there are a lot of fabulous places that won't cost an arm and a leg. BEMC is marvelous. There a vast array of vintage goodness that shows up, some are even legends.
I am getting VERY tired of SoFla. Toronto is starting to sound interesting. Can a Yank settle there? I have fond memories of a place called The Brass Rail Pub.
^^ Wow, Brass Rail.
I live about 20 mins. outside Toronto. Great city, lots of good car stuff, but only for a few months of the year, the rest of the time we're up to our ass in snow and cold weather. It's total car destruction. Mind you driving in the snow is fun in my IS300 but I'd rather it was warm and sunny year round.
I'd take Florida any day, 'cept you Americans scare me with your guns and such...
On a racing trip to Mosport we discovered The Brass Rail. I was very impressed by several things. Very friendly, even though we might as well have been from the dark side of the moon. (Sun tanned racers from Miami and Boca Raton), Canadian Molson beer is different from the American version, and we were served moose meat stew by one of the customers. He went home to get it. Very very good. Good, memorable, times.
johnnytorque is correct. I live about 60mins from Toronto. Around these parts cars get eaten alive in the winter due to road salt.
...and to the rest of Canada, Toronto is in the tropical part of the country that doesn't get much snow 
I've been here for almost 10 months and quite frankly don't think I'll ever leave. It's a fantastic city and Canada is a great place to live. It isn't just an accident that it usually places in the top three for places to live.
Commuting can be bad, if you can use transit do so. I'm lucky, my commute is less than a 30 minute drive.
It's more expensive than Fort Collins CO, or similar towns in the US (mid size) but it's one of the largest cities in NA. You can buy a decent house for $450K, less if you look around (I'm in the West Bloor neighborhood and paid far less than that for a detached bungalow). Can you do that in New York, Chicago, LA, or Boston? If you compare it to other cities it's size, it's pretty affordable.
Coming here from the US was simple for me. I got a job offer and applied for a NAFTA work visa. If your profession is on the list, it's dead easy. I'm now in the process of applying for my landed card (similar to a green card).
The weather is great. I love the winter, as I am an avid X-country skier. Toronto motorsports park is 90 minutes away. You can do a lapping day there (9am till dusk) for $150 bucks. A steal. Food and nightlife is also great.
I still want to have a meet up for a beer with the GRM GTA folks. MW, put me on the list for a ride in the firetruck.
If I were going to live in Toronto I'd live near downtown and rent a garage at the very end of whichever TTC line gets me farthest out of the city. Great town but years of retarded & corrupt city planners haven't done its traffic flow many favours. That said I've seen way worse too.
BTW I'm in the area (sort of) until the end of September so count me in for a meetup too.
Jeff wrote:I've been here for almost 10 months and quite frankly don't think I'll ever leave. It's a fantastic city and Canada is a great place to live. It isn't just an accident that it usually places in the top three for places to live.
I still want to have a meet up for a beer with the GRM GTA folks. MW, put me on the list for a ride in the firetruck.
I love Toronto, but I don't think I could handle living in the commuter cities. If I lived there I'd be as close to the downtown as possible, and only own toy cars. No need for a DD with the transit service available.
Jeff -- TMP is fun, but don't forget to look east. Shannonville is a bigger and more technical track, and days are approximately the same price. You are within driving distance of Calabogie Motorsports Park, too -- my favourite track in Ontario. If you ever come this way I'll have a beer with you. Kingston (my home town) is fantastic -- on the water, a vibrant downtown, and lots of great food at reasonable prices.
I am with Zoo - If you think Toronto is great then outside is better. I lived in Kingston 7 years. 35 minutes to Shannonville, probably 1.5 hrs to Calabogie. 2 1/2 to T.O. You can enjoy the nice parts of Toronto without the bad ones.
If you make it to bemc mosport weekend then come see me on the 3rd tier of the paddock, I'll be caring for a fvee and FMazda!
Legendary Motorcar should be high on your list. Just came from there. WOW!
I take for granted living so close to T.O., not sure I could ever live anywhere else. Great tracks close by, AutoX's almost every weekend, Kart tracks, indoor and outdoor close by. If only the snow would go away...
I am a skier, but still. 
I'd be in for meetup. Should do it at Formula Kartways in Brampton.
I could do Brampton. What about everyone else? Some time in September?
Sounds good to me.
