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Hello everyone,
Sorry for pestering you guys so much but this is all due to a mixed sense of excitement and fear with respect to the way my life will be turning out.
As I had stated in my previous thread-I am a 24 year old make from India coming for a one year program to Ottawa, Canada.
While applying, I had a choice between Vancouver,Toronto and Ottawa.Having been to Vancouver as a kid and seeing that everyone seems to choose Toronto, I went with Ottawa.
Now the fear I have is regarding how insignificant Ottawa appears in comparison to other major cities, which is funny as it is the Capital.
It is in the middle of nowhere-If I need to go to NYC, I got to go through Montreal or Toronto-There are virtually no buses or Trains which are direct and as a student I cannot afford two way flight expenses.
I have a Caucasian girlfriend who lives in Las Vegas and we had decided to spend new years and a few days in Chicago or NYC but this is not looking good due to budget and travelling constraints(I travel from here,she from there)
So we've decided to meet in Canada instead!
I have 2 choices-Toronto(It being the center point) and Ottawa(It will save me money if she comes and stays with me instead of us booking hotels).
She has never left the US(Heck, she's never left Vegas) so I was wondering if a US citizen requires any kind of prior Visa paperwork or passport to come to Canada and stay a few days?
We wish to have a great new years and I hope there are some awesome experiences in both these towns on the 31st just as good as the ball dropping @ times square-We enjoy crowds
As a US citizen (since she never left Vegas I assume she is), she doesn't need a visa. She does need to bring her passport and then stay in Canada for up to six months.
I guess for your situation, for her to come to Ottawa would be the most cost-efficient way. Hotels in Toronto isn't cheap.
Why Ottawa the capital is located at that awkward location is beyond my comprehension too. I would think Kingston (half way between Toronto and Montreal) would be a better place.
I am sorry......WHAT!
She HAS to stay for Six months and cannot go back ?
What kind of a rule is this....lol
What if I wanna travel to US....Is that even possible.....Student from India on a student visa to Canada wishes to visit the US....now that'd be a chore
No he means she would need a Visa if she planned on staying here for over 6 months. If she wants to visit all she needs is a passport or an enhanced driver's license.
Why Ottawa the capital is located at that awkward location is beyond my comprehension too. I would think Kingston (half way between Toronto and Montreal) would be a better place.
[SIZE=2]Oueen Victoria herself was asked to choose a capital for the province of Canada, which at that time consisted of the two colonies of Quebec and Ontario, and there’s a story that she simply stuck a hatpin into a map, between Toronto and Montreal. Another story has her choosing Ottawa because she had liked landscape paintings of the area. At the time Ottawa was no more than a small logging town in the backwoods and certainly the choice seemed arbitrary to many Canadians at the time, as Toronto, Montreal and Quebec had all been vying to be chosen, but there were sound reasons for it. The strongest one was precisely that Ottawa was not Toronto or Montreal or Quebec. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]
[/SIZE][SIZE=2]On the contrary, it was the only settlement of any size on the border between the two colonies and their respective mainly French and British populations, which made it a useful compromise that did not obviously favour either of them. Ottawa was also well away from the border with the United States of America, and the War of 1812 had shown how vulnerable the principal Canadian cities were to American attack. An American newspaper of the time sarcastically remarked that Ottawa was safe from attack because any invader would get lost in the woods trying to find it.[/SIZE]
If your girlfriend does come up to Canada and wants to return to the states make sure she brings all pertinent data that gave her permission to live in the USA. as for meeting up? Ottawa is a very nice town and has a lot to offer a visitorCity of Ottawa - Spotlight Events Calendar =
If the difference in bus fare to Montreal to get to NYC is going to bust your bank i'd say you cant afford to go to NYC.
[SIZE=2]Oueen Victoria herself was asked to choose a capital for the province of Canada, which at that time consisted of the two colonies of Quebec and Ontario, and there’s a story that she simply stuck a hatpin into a map, between Toronto and Montreal. Another story has her choosing Ottawa because she had liked landscape paintings of the area. At the time Ottawa was no more than a small logging town in the backwoods and certainly the choice seemed arbitrary to many Canadians at the time, as Toronto, Montreal and Quebec had all been vying to be chosen, but there were sound reasons for it. The strongest one was precisely that Ottawa was not Toronto or Montreal or Quebec. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2]On the contrary, it was the only settlement of any size on the border between the two colonies and their respective mainly French and British populations, which made it a useful compromise that did not obviously favour either of them. Ottawa was also well away from the border with the United States of America, and the War of 1812 had shown how vulnerable the principal Canadian cities were to American attack. An American newspaper of the time sarcastically remarked that Ottawa was safe from attack because any invader would get lost in the woods trying to find it.[/SIZE]
I find the "middle of nowhere" feeling particularly evident when you arrive in Ottawa from the south (Toronto and U.S.) via the 401/416 route. For someone unfamiliar with Ottawa or Canada, it's probably a shock to arrive at a fairly large city after close to an hour with hardly any visible towns or even farms.
It is a little bit different coming in from Montreal via the 417, where you have a little bit more of the usual scenery of farms and small towns that precedes a city. Although there is a good bit of woods as well just before you arrive in the city, thanks to the National Capital Commission's Greenbelt.
It should be noted that most of the Ottawa Valley was settled on an axis extending westward along the Ottawa River from Montreal, as opposed to having people move northwards from the Ontario St. Lawrence River Valley and southern Ontario.
To answer the original question directly, there really isn't any big New Year's celebration in Ottawa. There used to be one on Parliament Hill 10 or 20 years ago, but no more.
In Toronto, there is a decent New Year's celebration with a huge crowd on Nathan Phillips Square (city hall). It is nothing like New York on Dec. 31 (nothing in the world really is) but from what I have seen it looks pretty good, especially if you can't get to NYC.
Getting from Ottawa to Toronto is not a problem, as there are very frequent buses and also several daily trains.
If you do want to go to New York from Ottawa, it is not impossible and not really super expensive but it will be long. Probably 10 hours or more since you have to change buses in Montreal. Though perhaps not ideal the bus is still the most practical option (other than flying).
As a US citizen (since she never left Vegas I assume she is), she doesn't need a visa. She does need to bring her passport and then stay in Canada for up to six months.
I guess for your situation, for her to come to Ottawa would be the most cost-efficient way. Hotels in Toronto isn't cheap.
Why Ottawa the capital is located at that awkward location is beyond my comprehension too. I would think Kingston (half way between Toronto and Montreal) would be a better place.
Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the Capital because it would have been a lot harder for the Americans to invade and easily take the capitol.
I lived in Toronto for 25 years and I would just well spend New years in Ottawa. It's usually beautiful there at that time of the year. A real winter wonderland. Toronto on the other hand might be a dirty slushy mess or raining or just regular dirty Toronto winter.
I lived in Toronto for 25 years and I would just well spend New years in Ottawa. It's usually beautiful there at that time of the year. A real winter wonderland. Toronto on the other hand might be a dirty slushy mess or raining or just regular dirty Toronto winter.
Why is there any significant difference in winters between Toronto and Ottawa? I do hate the slushy mess you mentioned, but doesn't Ottawa get that as well?
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