[arch-events] Archcon: places to sleep and to eat?
hi, 1) Who has figured out where to sleep yet? If everything goes according to plan, I'll be hanging around in Toronto for about 10-14 days. According to http://www.archlinux.ca/archcon2010/?page_id=43, a dorm room at the campus is a good bet. The archcon wiki page says you can share rooms, but all the dorms are meant for single occupancy and hence have only 1 bed, according to their webpage. So I was gonna ask if anyone wanted to share a room with me for the duration of the conference (4 days incl. weekend), or possible longer, but seems that's not even possible, unless you take a suite for multiple persons. it's $69 for 2 bedrooms and $79 for 3 bedrooms, per night. personally, i like "bed & breakfast" formulas, in my region this usually means you live in the house of some person and have often quite a good service for a good price, and a breakfast of course. but if i google for "toronto bed and breakfast" i mostly hit fancy establishments with the associated prices ($70 and more) located in the financial district of toronto (not where the conf is) Although I did find one in "silverstone drive" (short walk from the conf) (the name of the owner is Barbara Rundle, haven't found an email address, only a phone no.) and I'm also gonna check what I can get out of http://www.torontobandb.com/ Also, where will we eat? Are there any accomodations at the conf? Are there nice snack bars and such in the area around the conf? (google maps only returns some in the financial distruct) Supposing you don't use a B&B formula, where do you get breakfast? Dieter
Hi Dieter, I have asked Ricardo to join this mailing list and respond to your queries, as he is most familiar with that immediate area of Toronto. I personally will be rooming with Dan and Jason for the period of the conference, and staying with friends in another area of the city for the rest of my trip. Bed and breakfasts are a terrific way to visit small town Canada, but if you want a cheap place to stay in large cities like Toronto, you're better off searching for a hostel. I'm pretty sure there are well-regarded ones in the city, though I can't specifically recommend one. As far as meals go, the conference will supply lunch and two "pastry breaks" on each of the two conference days. In addition, I believe there are some good pubs in the conference area, and it is a college campus, so there will be studenty places to eat as well. Ricardo can definitely give us more info on these topics. My guess is that conference attendees will form into groups and decide where to go on each day/night. That's what usually happens at conferences. In downtown Toronto (not near the conference, but don't miss a trip down there), I can specifically recommend: * Linux Cafe at Bloor and Christie. Because you have to visit a place with Linux in the name. ;-) * Mel's Montreal Delicatessen on Bloor. It's just good food, and not expensive. * Madison Avenue Pub. One of the world's best bars. It's got *character*. Dusty On 26 June 2010 04:39, Dieter Plaetinck <dieter@plaetinck.be> wrote:
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On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:19:44 -0600 Dusty Phillips <dusty@archlinux.ca> wrote:
cool. in a 3 person campus suite?
and staying with friends in another area of the city for the rest of my trip.
mind if i ask where? (roughly), maybe i can keep it in mind for picking my place to stay, to make it a bit easier to meet up.
* Linux Cafe at Bloor and Christie. Because you have to visit a place with Linux in the name. ;-)
Is this http://www.linuxcaffe.ca/ ? because that one is already listed @ http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Archcon_extra_activities Dieter
On 27 June 2010 14:22, Dieter Plaetinck <dieter@plaetinck.be> wrote:
Yes.
Probably the majority of my time will be spent on York University Campus in North York. Don't try to find anywhere to stay around there, it's near Jane and Finch, the most dangerous area of town, and there is absolutely NOTHING to do in the region. It was an awful place to be a student. ;) I may also spend a night or two in Thornhill (a district north of Toronto), and another night or two downtown at the intersection of College and Yonge. If I'm not at Tai Chi or working, I'll probably come downtown anyway, so I recommend you stay in that area for any time you are in the city but not near the conference. Downtown is where all the things to do are, and anything that isn't down there will have relatively easy transit. Have a look at this place: http://www.canadianalodging.com/index.php I have never stayed there, but I've heard positive things about it, in the context of hostels.
Yup, that's it. It's really nothing special, their menu is more pastries than meals (and changes every day), but the clientèle is pretty esoteric, and management would be delighted to see you. Dusty
On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:11:07 -0600 Dusty Phillips <dusty@archlinux.ca> wrote:
hmm. this place is pretty close to the conf area, and hence also Silverstone Drive (the place where I am considering to stay) :/
With downtown, you mean the York/Yonge/financial district area? On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:14:19 -0400 "R. Alvez" <ralvez@ittwo.ca> wrote:
alone I seem to have underestimated a bit the magnitude of Toronto. From conf area to downtown is about 25-30 km, so it will be better if try to avoid going back forth every day. I think I'll do the Silverstone drive B&B around the conf, and for the non-conf days I'll find something else downtown, Dieter
Nah, it's a fair distance. Neighborhoods in Toronto tend to change quickly.
With downtown, you mean the York/Yonge/financial district area?
Downtown generally refers to the area between Bloor street and the lakeshore, with the major concentration being between the Yonge and University/spadina subway lines. (Subway lines are all named after the streets they go below). It kind of extends beyond that, but that would be the core. area.
I think it'd be about an hour by city transit between the downtown area and the Humber area, so I agree that this is a good plan. Dusty
On Sat 26 Jun 2010 12:39 +0200, Dieter Plaetinck wrote:
There are some places to eat in the college. Fast food, café, cafeteria. Sometimes you can even taste what the culinary students have prepared. There are two malls relatively near: Westwood Mall = ghetto Woodbine Centre = nicer It's a bit of an awkward area, near the Airport and all. It wouldn't be so bad if you drive. I'd recommend staying downtown because it's closer to everything. You'll get to experience Toronto with greater convenience if that's what you're after. You might be able to find a bed at Hosteller's International, or Backpacker's Hostel. I think they are around $30/night http://www.hostellingtoronto.com/2/home.hostel http://www.globalbackpackers.com/ You don't get a private room, but Hostels can be fun sometimes eh? I added some items to your wiki page for ya. http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Archcon_extra_activities Cheers.
Okay, so for my 2nd week (21-28 july), I have (almost) arranged a bed and breakfast close to the conf campus. For my first week (14-21 july) I'm still not sure. Thanks for the hostel proposals. I've never been at a hostel and i'm somewhat hesitant to do so. While they seem nice (you get to meet people, they organise activities, you get food) 2 things scare me: 1) risk of theft. Somewhat alleviated i guess because most hostels have lockers. 2) loud/antisocial/.. room mates that keep you awake. I'm especially sensitive to this, more then average people :/ I heard some bad stories about issue #2 in a hostel in Belgium, would this be a general problem or is it somehow possible that different hostels really have different (in terms of maturity) audiences?
On Tue 29 Jun 2010 23:34 +0200, Dieter Plaetinck wrote:
I'd say hostels are a game of chance. Sometimes it's awesome, sometimes it's not so awesome. You could probably change rooms if people are cramping your style. I wouldn't want to stay in a hostel for too long either though.
Alright. Getting there B-) The Canadian Inn looked like the most fun hostel, Globalbackpackers came close, but the Canadian Inn organizes social events every evening, so that seemed the most interesting to me. (Hi-toronto's website is way too corporate and painful to give any good impression) only downside is that they had no spare bed for my first night (July 14), so I think I'm gonna find a cheap hotel/B&B for that. Dieter
participants (3)
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Dieter Plaetinck
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Dusty Phillips
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Loui Chang