It's a pity I can't upload photos to my server from here, because Toronto has a gorgeous skyline. Really beautiful city, and my hotel is right on the water by the CN Tower. I ate some great sushi last night at a pretty authentic restaurant (we were almost the only Gaijin in the place). That leads me to something else I really like about Toronto, it's incredibly multicultural. I had no idea.
I had heard that Canada had, at least until the recent past, a very open and benevolent immigration policy, and now I can see the results of that- good restaurants and a laid-back, open feel to the place. I could get used to this.
Of course there are few pleasures that don't have to be paid for in one way or another, and so my pennance for the happiness of being here is that I've been sitting trapped in a convention center all day, surrounded by sociopaths.
Ah well, it's not all that bad... I want to say a special hello to Shanti and Deborah- I'm glad I finally got a chance to see a little bit of Canada.
Posted by case at July 13, 2004 12:05 AMNo worries- I still don't know all that much about US immigration policy, other than that internationals I know complain about it all the time.
I was surprised by all the Canadian paperwork we had to fill out, in order to bring our equipment over from Denmark. We have to ship a lot of stuff usually, but even the US doesn't give us that much of a hard time. Our poor events manager was getting grey hairs by the time she got through all the import forms. But it was worth it- it's been a really good trip.
Posted by: case at July 14, 2004 06:31 PMOh, the paperwork has to do with 9/11 I expect; not only for our own sakes, but the US put a LOT of pressure on us because supposedly some bad people have gone to the US through Canada (which naturally makes it *our* fault LOL).
I confess I am not sure about the immigration regs. I know they have adjusted some of the papers and so forth, and I think a lot of people who thought they were all done had to go back and do some more bureaucratic stuff to get new/different cards. I think I heard they are a little more picky on "political refugee" status and probably the bank account requirement rose (there are certain ways of getting in if you have a nice quarter-million in the bank--cheaper than Bermuda!)...
Sorry, not as well-informed as I should be.
Posted by: Deborah at July 13, 2004 07:31 PMHey Deborah- the sociopaths are pretty localized, so they're, you know, tolerable.
Hey is it true that the Canadian government really tightened up immigration restrictions in the last couple of years? I had heard the country was basically wide open, but the last few people I've talked to say that's started to change. And there was a surprising amount of paperwork we had to put in order before they let us fly in.
--yeah, Toronto is cool, but I can't wait to get on that plane to SF!
Posted by: case at July 13, 2004 03:05 PMOoh, nifty real estate there for your hotel :)
I have spent only a very brief time in TO, but aside from being terribly full of itself, it was fun ;)
That whole multi-culti thing: somewhere along the line, someone decided we should be, rather than the US-style "melting pot" which was to amalgamate and include all, a "mosaic" which would let each different culture become part of the whole, while maintaining its separateness and cultural identity. This has mixed results; great restaurants are a fabulous and desirable byproduct, but sometimes some of the more, er, conservative Anglo-type Canadians get bent out of shape at the perceived indifference of some of those little tiles to the whole big picture: e.g., the non-English-speaking cab driver or what have you.
I'm glad you're enjoying yourself in my country, though, in spite of the sociopaths.
Your countdown to San Fran keeps getting shorter! w00t!
Posted by: Deborah at July 13, 2004 06:49 AM