A big thanks to all of you that gave advice, opinions etc. prior to my Toronto trip, all of which were appreciated. A the time of writing this I have submitted two of three SC reviews.
I also visited the Spas and had a good time there.
Overall, I enjoyed my time there. I think the relationship you have with them is a bit frosty at the moment but I wasn't feeling or sensing animosity with their neighbours while there. Really nice people.
As an aside, if you haven't been I urge to to visit the Niagara Falls, which you can also do from the US side of course.
Thanks again guys
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You have to be in Canada to see the horseshoe falls. The other, US Niagara Falls are lame by comparison.
Canadian folk are not happy with the United States right now and I can't say that I blame them either.
Canada has better strip clubs than the United States by a very wide margin. Everything is cheaper, the women are hotter, the mileage is better. Canadian Women have better attitudes and they don't have all the gay rules designed to make strip clubs suck like we have in the good ol' USA.
I would go up there more often but the attitude you get from the border cops is straight hostility. They are frustrated with how things are in Canada and choose to take their anger out on American citizens.
I am not saying the US is blameless in all of this, we aren't. Canada has a lot of internal problems right now and Trumpstein and the US is a convenient scapegoat by Canadian politicians to deflect the blame away from things like a stagnant economy, ridiculous housing market, and runaway immigration.
CBSA will actively go out of their way to make your life miserable and let you know you Americans aren't welcome in Canada. Its really a lose / lose situation. Americans like to spend money in their clubs and support their tourism economy; after all we are right fucking below them, and Canada has no land border with any other country on the fucking planet. Conversely, we Americans lose out on Canadian strip clubs which are 9 times out of 10 a superior option than the bullshit Americans have to put up with at home.
@Someguyontheinternet Canada is less half-assed about preventing bigotry-motivated violence. Maybe they paid a data broker for a list of people with homophobic social media posts, to red-flag them.
@ilbbaicnl While I have no doubt the Canadian government has a wealth of data on people who roll up to their border most notably due to their inclusion in the 5 eyes spying program.
I don't drive to Canada to commit homophobic acts of violence. Actually quite to the contrary when I am the guest in another country I very scrupulously obey all laws. They always let me in but the process is the punishment.
@Someguyontheinternet - I hear you on visiting more often if the border were less of an issue.
My last visit was after 18mos from the previous one, so no trouble at the border. However, prior to that, I went twice in one year, driving both times. The second time, a surly female border agent quizzed me hard. Why was I up there, what did I tend to do, do I know anybody, and who am I going to see?
It was tense for a minute or two, before she finally let me pass. I later learned that driving in by car, especially being solo, can invite more scrutiny than arriving by plane. More opportunity for smuggling, with less control of my departure. At least with a return plane ticket, overstays are less likely.
Since then, I have limited my driving trips to one/summer, pre-book a hotel, have a good reason why I'm there (i.e, attending an event, going to a festival, etc), and leave exactly when I say I will.
Don't know if one border crossing is easier than another? I got shaken down at the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel crossing. This last easier visit was via the Ambassador Bridge. I also had good luck coming through a smaller border entry near Burlington VT.
I agree with you about all things being better PL-wise in the Great White North. I'm currently looking for ways to smooth my entry for more frequent visits. Knowing somebody who lives there would help. Learning about more events to attend, as well.
@Rod84 Border patrol wouldn't be doing their job if they weren't screening travelers. Their job is keep out people who come to commit crimes, overstay their visa, work illegally, smuggle drugs, weapons and other contraband, or are otherwise going to cause problems in the country.
But what irks me is you are just subjected to the whims and attitudes of whatever agent you happen to encounter that day. I have traveled to Canada extensively and most the time crossing the border is fairly easy and the officers are firm, but professional.
Every now and than you get that guy (or gal) who decides to turn it into a fucking ordeal. Expect to get detained, interrogated, searched, and harassed before they go "OK, your good. Have a nice trip!". FFS I have traveled to countries that are hostile to the United States and as long as your aren't doing anything illegal crossing the border is no big deal.
I just don't get it. If going up there was a breeze I would spend way more time and money there. Canada's economy is in the shitter right now and the last thing they need to be doing is rubbing all the people who go up there the wrong way as their tourism industry is wholly dependent on United States citizens.
@Rod84 Most of the guns that Canadian police take off criminals come from the US. I think there are ways LE can generally find out the last licensed gun dealer that sold a gun. I'd guess, if your vehicle is registered in a state they see lots of crime guns coming from, you're more likely to get the hairy eyeball.
CA side of falls is much better than US side
| 💃' you can also look at waterfalls across } the U.S. with mixed areas & states of where to see them. A vacation trip @ the mountains & desert hot spots here @ the U.S would be nice, really its just finding your state that works best for you. Prep your vehicle well, do lots of pics/vids & be safe! Stargazing is fun, I like the Aurora lights & Meteor Showers, you can see a lot of that @ Canada, Alaska & the Northern U.S. but I guess you can see mixed degrees anywhere. I also like Florida & I hear the strippers is generous with $$$ extras there ~ Cheers~~~
Damn sounds like it really fell off up there.
I cross the Rainbow Bridge several times a month and never face any attitude either way. Occasionally the Canadians will make me go into a building and wait a few minutes while they do an online search to see whether I've been a bad boy lately in Canada - this stems from a DWI in NY 20 years ago. Coming back, the US agent will ask more questions, sometimes even a nosy "what else did you do while you were there?", and the line is always longer going that way, but nothing that feels like harassment. While in Canada I do not detect any hostility toward Americans, only toward Trump - and toward their own politicians.
But then I do enjoy "old White man privilege".
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