Recently I vacationed in Toronto, Ontario Canada. My last trip to Toronto was a few years ago. On this trip I was deeply disappointed. It started with the intensely unfriendly immigration officer at the Canadian border. He made me feel guilty that I was about to spend about $3,000 in Canada.

First of all, let me say that I found Toronto to look a bit more dirty and shabby then when I was last in Toronto. The people of Toronto were far less friendly and often down right rude.

The prices in Toronto were ridiculously outrageous. Much higher than New York City and, in my opinion, unjustifiable. Here’s a sample:

I went to Casa Loma. This is a magnificent mansion atop a hill overlooking Toronto. It took three years to build and cost $3.5 million in 1911 dollars. The cost for admission is $16.00 per adult plus $8.00 for parking.

I also visited the Ontario Science Center. The place was showing it’s age. Maintenance is obviously not up to par as the place was dirty and tattered. I found the exhibitions boring and not very creative. Cost of admission is $17.00 per adult and $8.00 for parking. Definitely not worth it.

The Art Gallery of Ontario was another disappointment. When arriving at the admission desk I was informed that due to a massive reconstruction project, only 12 paintings and 9 sculptures were on display. Admission was $5.00. I declined to enter.

The famous CN Tower admission is $21.49 or $25.99 not including taxes. Since I have already been to the top of the world’s tallest building, the 101 Building in Taipei, Taiwan, I decided to pass on this rip off.

The Royal Ontario Museum admission is $18.00 until May 31st. June 3rd to September 2nd the price jumps to $20.00 for adult admission.

Dinner for two at a Greek diner in the suburbs was $50 for two people.

Overall my stay in Toronto was a disappointment. I will probably never return. In retrospect I would have enjoyed New York City more. And I know I would have received more value for my money.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 1st, 2007 at 7:52 pm and is filed under The Quork Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.