Do Cleveland-area residents ever take advantage of your close geographic proximity to Canada?

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

Windsor radio station CKLW (always enjoyed listening to them on late nights)

CKLW was good when it was a Top 40 station. At some point in the 1980s, it switched over to jazz. According to Wikipedia, it is now a news/talk radio station.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

Tim Horton's

Not a fan. Stopped at one in Ashland, OH, off I-71, just one week ago. Had only 20 donuts at 4:00 p.m., and the overall selection of donuts was very limited compared to a Dunkins or other donut shops. Very expensive.

Maybe that was just that location.

I do remember visiting Tim Horton's in Canada over a decade ago and it was much better.

Tim Horton's is planning a massive entry into northeast Ohio, so we'll all get to see how Horton's stacks up against existing donut purveyors.

https://www.cleveland.com/entertainm...in_to_mov.html

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by WRnative

Not a fan. Stopped at one in Ashland, OH, off I-71, just one week ago. Had only 20 donuts at 4:00 p.m., and the overall selection of donuts was very limited compared to a Dunkins or other donut shops. Very expensive.

Maybe that was just that location.

I do remember visiting Tim Horton's in Canada over a decade ago and it was much better.

Tim Horton's is planning a massive entry into northeast Ohio, so we'll all get to see how Horton's stacks up against existing donut purveyors.

Tim Horton's in the US is absolutely one of the WORST fast food franchises ... except for the coffee which is great. On my last stop, I took one bite of the breakfast waffle sandwich and took it back for a refund. Even though I waited 20 minutes for a fresh one, it was cold. By the way, much of their product like the bagels and the muffins come in frozen.

On the other hand, the Canadian operations serve excellent food but the service is S-L-O-W with lines out the door. They have only so many employees per store - usually no more than the US stores - despite doing 5-10 the volume.

[eddie1261]

Despite being 60 miles as the crow flies, it is a relatively long drive to get to Canada. And now since the attacks on 9-11 you need a passport JUST to go over for the day, so I'm out. I'm not going to spend $150 just so I can go to Canada. It's the same Falls from the Buffalo side. To go west through Detroit, no thank you. Those animals in Detroit will shoot you from an overpass.

[eddie1261]

Originally Posted by WRnative

And from Pelee Island, there are ferries to the Canadian mainland....

Where do they put in on the Canadian side? Leamington?

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by eddie1261

Where do they put in on the Canadian side? Leamington?

Apparently "Leamington/Kingsville" according to the fare schedule here:

Fares for Owen Sound Waterway Transportation scenic cruises Line tours.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by eddie1261

Despite being 60 miles as the crow flies, it is a relatively long drive to get to Canada. And now since the attacks on 9-11 you need a passport JUST to go over for the day, so I'm out. I'm not going to spend $150 just so I can go to Canada. It's the same Falls from the Buffalo side. To go west through Detroit, no thank you. Those animals in Detroit will shoot you from an overpass.

For what it's worth, you can go to a few places with just a passport card. Canada is one of them. It's still a hassle, but it's "only" $65.

I don't think it's worth it because it is only accepted in a handful of countries and can't be used for air travel.

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

Windsor radio station CKLW (always enjoyed listening to them on late nights)

Stop it!! I grew up listening to CKLW's America's Top 40 (rock/R&B), which was once famously helmed by the late great Casey Kasem, a native Detroiter -- which was the stepping stone for Casey's amazing Hollywood career. CKLW came in crystal clear -- clearer than a number of Cleveland stations back then.

[North 42]

Originally Posted by ferraris

It's really not all that close. Approximate google maps driving times:

Niagara Falls - 3.25 hours
Windsor - 3.25
Toronto - 5.75 hours
Pelee Island - No ferry from the US side

When you consider how many other US attractions are within that distance, and throw in the nuisance of crossing the border, it's not that attractive other than for the novelty of being in a different country.

I will note that many Toledoans make the trip to Windsor on their 19th birthday to go drinking, but you're only looking at a 1.5 hour drive for that. For a good while Windsor had the closest casino for a lot of people, so things may have been different before the Michigan and Ohio casinos opened up.

Windsor to Toledo is only a one hour drive, unless there is a backup at the border, I used to make that trip fairly often when I was younger.