Things to do in TO!

There are lots of great things to do in Toronto! Here are some of our favourites (in no particular order):

1) Kensington Market
-A fantastic multi-cultural market in the downtown, where you can buy spices and foods from all over the world (not to mention great second-hand clothes).

2) CN Tower
-You can pay the standard fee to go up to the top. Alternatively, the 360 Restaurant at the top of the tower is a revolving restaurant, where if you order an entree, your trip to the top is free. http://www.cntower.ca/en-CA/360-Restaurant/Overview.html When the weather is clear, you can see all the way to Rochester, NY and Niagara Falls.

3) St. Lawrence Market
-A fantastic old-fashioned indoor market. According to National Geographic, the number 1 food market in the world. Not open on Sunday or Monday. http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/.

4) Fort York
-Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 at the re-built Fort York (since it was burned by the Americans in 1813) http://www.fortyork.ca/.

5) Toronto Island
-An oasis of parkland in Toronto Harbour. The city runs ferries that depart from the foot of Bay St. http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/ferry-schedule.htm.

View of Toronto skyline from Toronto Island.

6) Eating
-One of the best things to do in Toronto is eat! Almost every kind of food you can think of can be found in Toronto, with many ethnic "villages" throughout the city. If you have a specific type of food in which you're interested, let us know and we'll give you a recommendation! A must-visit for out-of-country visitors is Poutini's on Queen St. http://www.poutini.com/.

7) The Beaches/Queen St. East
-Take the Queen streetcar (longest streetcar route in the world) to the character-filled Queen St. East, which is adjacent to extensive parkland and beach area.

8) Shopping
-For a "traditional" shopping experience (mostly chain stores): Eaton Centre, Bloor St between Bay and Yonge; for a less traditional experience (mostly privately-owned shops): Yonge St between Bloor and Dundas, Queen St. west of Dundas; for an over-the-top, authentic Toronto experience: Honest Ed's at Bathurst and Bloor).

9) The Village
-As the "gay" area in Toronto is known. A neat place to walk around and get a nice martini.

10) Outdoor art show
-Going on in Nathan Phillips Square from July 6-8, just in front of City Hall. Free admission, always fun to check out. http://www.torontooutdoorart.org/.

2011 Outdoor Art Show

Gifts & Registries

Some questions have started to roll in concerning gift registries or what we are requesting for gifts. We have generated 2 registries that you can access online (click find):

1) Sur La Table

http://www.surlatable.com/registry/giftRegistryHome.jsp

Search for VandenBoer

2) The Bay

http://www2.thebay.com/giftregistry/EN/default.html

Again, search for VandenBoer. Tturns out it's a unique name outside of Lambton Shores or specific spots in the Netherlands!

The Bay gives you the option to walk in to the store and access the registry there if you feel inclined to purchase a physical gift. Sur La Table is online only. We ask that everyone please stick to these registries or cash as gifts.

Hotel Info Update

Just a quick update on some organization issues. The Sutton Place hotel block has been completely booked and moved to the Park Hyatt where it seems more rooms than the original 10 block are available. It turns out that Sutton Place has been sold in order to become the next in Toronto's never ending construction of condos. For those relocating from Sutton Place to the Park Hyatt, here is a map:

http://g.co/maps/gec7a

and the website:

http://parktoronto.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?src=agn_dtc_prk_lclb_gplaces_torph

Rooms in the other hotels are still available and if you can get in to the Park Hyatt, the rates are a STEAL!! Book them as soon as you can!

Important details

The ceremony will be outside, unless there is rain. Hart House also does NOT have air conditioning. It could be quite hot in July, so please dress appropriately!

If you have any dietary restrictions, please send us an email at vandenboeryoungwedding@gmail.com. Hart House is very good with providing special meals for dietary restrictions and allergies. Of course, we will have vegetarian and vegan meals as well :)

Getting to Toronto from Denver

There are numerous direct flights every day between Denver and Toronto (operated by United and Air Canada), but they have become prohibitively expensive in the past year.

Another option is to take another airline and connect, which can sometimes be cheaper.

The cheapest option (by far) is to fly to an American city and drive across the border. Direct flights to Detroit tend to be inexpensive, and it is a 4-hr drive from Detroit to Toronto. As a bonus, there is excellent Mexican food in Detroit just beside the bridge to Canada. Another option is Buffalo. Although I'm not aware of any direct flights, the drive is much shorter (~90 min) and you can see Niagara Falls on the way.

Hotels for Everyone!

Ok, we realize that many of you are coming from other parts of Ontario or Canada or, heck, some other country! You all need a place to stay and the floor in our apartment is not going to have nearly enough space for everyone's sleeping bags, let alone air mattresses. Let's be real, my place is tiny, you guys need someplace to stay and we've booked blocks of hotel rooms as close to the venue as possible for all of you!! Don't believe me? Check out how close they are!(*Editor's Note: The Sutton Place has been relocated to the Park Hyatt for the same rates!)

Seriously, this is the cheapest cab ride to the best party in Toronto on July 7!

There are 4 hotels (Holiday Inn, Howard Johnson Yorkville, Park Hyatt, and Metropolitan) that we have booked rooms in and they all need to be booked by:

JUNE 7, 2012

If you don't book by this date, the rooms will no longer be available at significantly discounted prices. There is a 53 000 person Microsoft conference in Toronto that weekend, so finding your own hotel room will be very difficult if you miss this deadline!

Without belaboring the points further, here is the relevant information to book your room at each hotel. If you want more information send an email to our wedding email address.

• Holiday Inn Toronto Bloor-Yorkville
• 10 rooms
• Nights of July 6 and 7 available (discounted rates can be extended an extra 2 days before and after this too!)
• 280 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S 1V8
• Telephone: (416) 968-0010
• Event Name: Young/VandenBoer Wedding Party
• Booking Code: YVW
• Rate for Queen or Two Doubles: $170/night

• Park Hyatt Toronto
• 10 rooms
• Nights of July 6 and 7 available
• 955 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2A2
• Telephone: (416) 324-1468
• Event Name: Young VandenBoer Wedding
• Group Code: Contact Biljana Brunning directly at: 
  • https://resweb.passkey.com/go/YVWedding
• Rate for: 
• Queen or Two Doubles: $190/night
• Deluxe w/ King: $220/night
• Suite w/ King: $266/night

• Howard Johnson Hotel Yorkville
• 9 rooms
• Night of July 7 available
• 89 Avenue Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 2G3
• Telephone: (416) 964-1220
• Event Name: VandenBoer Young
• Confirmation Number: 55074731
• Rate for Queen or Two Doubles: $180/night

• Metropolitan Hotel Toronto
• 10 rooms
• Night of July 7 available
• 108 Chestnut Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1R3
• Telephone: (416) 599-0555 OR (800) 668-6600
• Event Name: Trevor VandenBoer & Cora Young Wedding Room Block
• Group Code: 180708
• Rate for Queen or Two Doubles: $259/night

Where is Hart House?

Hart House is located on campus at the University of Toronto (see the map attached to the Location below). You can check out the venue by clicking on the following link and taking a tour:

http://harthouse.utoronto.ca/meeting-event-services

Welcome to Cora and Trevor's Wedding Blog!

Hi Everyone and Welcome to our wedding blog! We're hoping to make the organization of this event fun and easy for everyone. In the future you can expect to find most of the information you are looking for in the posts that will follow. If not, then you will have the contact information to get in touch with us to get your questions/concerns answered! We look forward to celebrating with you all in July!

Preliminary Information:

Contact Information
Please send all questions/requests to the email we are using to organize the event. This helps us keep everything in one place and easy to find any time of day!

vandenboeryoungwedding@gmail.com