Visiting U. of Toronto
This page contains information relevant to researchers visiting the systems
group at the University of Toronto. For more information, please send
e-mail:
Directions to the Department
- From the airport. Take a cab. Make sure you can pay with a credit
card before getting into the taxi, since some cabs don't accept cards. It
should take you anywhere between 30 minutes (light traffic) to 1 hour
(heavy traffic) and it should cost around $40-50. Ask the driver to take you
to College and St. George in downtown Toronto.
- From the train station/From downtown. You have two options: (1)
take the subway and get off a Queens Park station, walk west on College
Street until you reach St. George Street; (2) take a cab and ask the driver
to take you to College and St. George.
- Driving into Toronto. Gardiner Expressway takes you
into downtown Toronto. Take the York St. exit, drive
north until you reach College. Take a left and drive west on College until
you reach St. George (you can't make a left directly onto College; instead, pass College and immediately you'll see a sign for making a U-Turn. Do that U-turn, and make a right on College). Pass St. George and make a right at the next set of
lights (on Huron St.). There is an underground garage about 30 meters down
on Huron Street. Park there and pay the fare: $14 per day (ouch!!). Take
the elevator up to Bahen Center.
We are in the Bahen Center for Information Technology at 40 St. George
Street. My office is BA5226. Click here for my complete
contact information.
Hotel
Most of our visitors stay on Bloor Street either at Holiday Inn or
Continental Hotel. It is a 10 minute walk from Bloor St. to the
department. Try to walk and never drive. It's just not worth it.
At the hotel, if you'd like a quick bite, walk west on Bloor Street. After
you pass Spadina, you'll run into a very lively area with tons of little
restaurants. Here, there is also a supermarket (Dominion) which is open 24 hours.
FAQ
- Do I need a car? The answer is no. We strongly
encourage visitors not to drive. Traffic in Toronto is heavy, drivers are
rude, parking is hard to get and expensive. Also, the public
transportation is very good.
- Do I need Canadian $'s? Where can I get them? Almost all stores
accept US$, although their exchange rates are not the best ones you can get. You
can exchange money at the airport or at banks (most are open 9am to
4pm). My advice is to use US$ for small purchases and use your credit cards
otherwise (including cab rides, restaurants, etc...).
- How's the weather like? IMHO, the weather in Toronto is similar
to the weather in all major East Coast US cities, like NYC, Boston, or
Pittsburgh. Click here
for the forecast.
- How far is the department from the airport? Driving, it's
anywhere between 30 mins to one hour (it is not unusual to even take
two-three hours). Plan for one hour to get to/from the airport. If you fly
into the US, remember that you'll clear US customs at the Toronto's
airport. I wouldn't plan for leaving the department later than 2.5 hours
before flying time, preferably 3 hours.
Links
Both these links have very good info, IMHO. Take a look.