Best products from r/toronto

So to briefly summarize, there are 2 main types of portable kayaks: Inflatables and foldables (frame on skin).

Inflatables are generally easier and faster to set up, more comfy for chilling in, and cheaper as well. Examples of good ones (that will last you) would be like:

http://www.mec.ca/product/5030-178/innova-swing-i-inflatable-kayak/?q=innova
or
http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Elements-AE1012-R-AdvancedFrame-Inflatable/dp/B000J2Q0C6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418616170&sr=8-1&keywords=advanced+frame&pebp=1418616177119

The downsides will be performance in terms of speed and tracking.

Think of folders like tents, you build the frame, and then put a sleeve over it (how traditionally kayaks were made). They are most similar to a hardshell, but are more expensive and take longer to set up. Feathercraft is a Canadian company that make some really nice ones http://shop.feathercraft.com/ and Foltbot get good reviews too http://folbot.com/line-up/

The boat I have is actually a bit of both, a hybrid, I picked it up when it was on sale once on amazon: http://www.amazon.ca/ADVANCED-ELEMENTS-AE1040-Y-Advanced-Airfusion/dp/B003WEWARM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418616524&sr=8-2&keywords=advanced+elements
I really like it, uses poles to build a basic structure, but then has airchambers on the side, and the stern and bow. Set up is about 15-20 mins, but it paddles pretty fast and handles great (similar to a hardshell)

Another cool one is this kickstarter success story: http://www.orukayak.com/ . I really liked the look of it, but was a bit too expensive for myself personally (shipping it up here was gonna be a lot)

I found it was really helpful to look all these up on youtube, where people show you the assembly procedures, gives you a sense of how much effort it will take to get from land onto water.

Things to also consider that you'll also need:
-Paddle that breaks apart (I have a 4 piece that stows away into my carry bag nicely)
-You MUST wear a lifejack/PFD
-Legally you must also have boat essentials like rope with a float, a flashlight, whistle etc (Canadian tire sells these kits for $10, look for the orange bucket)

Also some launch point suggestions:

Humber: Go up to Old Mill station, go down the stairs near the bridge, past the parking lot to find that launch pad.

Getting to the island: Take the bus out to cherry beach, launch there, and paddle across the channel to the east side of the island. The island is AMAZING to paddle once you're in the canals.

Ontario Place: (really fun to explore since its been closed down) near the east end of the parking lot near the bike/running path, there is a concrete dock all along the other side. You can also launch near Coronation Park (near the Ex) paddle around the harbour, and if you're feeling ambitious, go out to the island from the west side (it can get wavey, but is very cool to have the planes coming right over you when you're out there)

Hope that helps everyone, feel free to ask more questions, or DM me!

Also, if buying a power bank, keep it under 26,800 mah, that's the maximum size you can bring onto an airplane without "prior approval". Technically you can bring a larger one, but you need to get permission from an airline which is a hassle.

With a 10,000 mah power bank you can charge an iPhone or Galaxy smartphone about 3 or 4 times, a Nintendo switch about 2 times, so it's plenty of juice for a day or two. The larger 26,800 mah power banks are good if you plan on travelling extended periods without power, charging a tablet, or even a laptop. If charging a laptop, then in that case you'll need a $100+ USB-C PD Power Bank.

The Anker PowerCore II is very good - while it only has 1 output, it has the latest generation of charging chip so it can quickly charge a lot of devices. Build quality is fantastic. The RavPower USB-C Power Bank is also good, works well with a Nintendo Switch, and is about $10 cheaper, build quality is very good but not as slick as the Anker unit. Size wise, the Anker is chunkier but more compact, meanwhile the RavPower is thinner but longer/wider. Total mass of both units is ultimately the same, it really depends on how you like the shape of your battery :) Both are reputable brands, especially Anker, so they won't fry your phone or blow up in your hand.

I hope this helps!

Unpopular opinion here but Earth Hour is not only misleading, it actually gives people a false concept of sustainability.

This American urban planner pulled some of the latest research and found that someone who lives in a super "green" suburban house and drives to it in a hybrid car still produces more carbon emissions than someone who lives in an old house downtown but doesn't drive as much because they can walk or use transit.

Our built environment (i.e. whether you have to drive for every daily task or not) is a real driver of sustainability, not light bulbs or appliances. Plus light bulbs are improving anyways as LED bulbs are becoming more popular and they use very little energy so turning them off for hour almost accomplishes nothing.

Earth Hour essentially tells people it is okay if you live in a McMansion in the deepest of suburban sprawl and burn fuel to drive to pick up even a carton of orange juice - as long as you just turn off a few bulbs once a year. It makes people feel good and ignore the true causes of their carbon footprint. This isn't a call to live like a hippie. It's a call for better urban planning with less sprawl, more transit, and more walkable, mixed-use neighbourhoods.

I like to go to the Kingston area. Get off the 401 at Belleville and take 62 to 33 (Loyalist Parkway). Go past Lake on the Mountain and take the Glenora ferry and continue along 33 into Kingston. Have ice cream at White Mountain and have a beer at the Kingston Brew Pub.

Of course there's always Niagara Falls. I usually go in the winter when the crowds are low and the Festival of Lights is on. Grab a cheap ticket from Costco for the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark. Had an awesome afternoon tea at the Queen Charlotte Tea Room, but if that's not your cup of tea they have lots of other British comfort foods too. Jamie Kennedy has a restaurant in Niagara called Windows if that's more your style. Mostly a lot of bad chain restaurants otherwise. And of course the casino, if that's your thing.

If you haven't seen them before, it's worth the drive to see the Cheltenham Badlands.

Go on a tour of Lake Muskoka on a steamship out of Gravenhurst.

Do you have any particular interests? If you like planes, try the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum near Hamilton, home of one of only two functional Lancaster bombers.

This is really too far to do as a day trip, but I've also been to the Diefenbunker near Ottawa and that was pretty neat.

Try some of these suggestions too:

• Wheels - Top 10 One-Day Road Trips from Toronto
  
  
• 10 Reasons to Ditch Toronto for a Day
  
  If you have time, swing by the Ontario Tourism travel centre at the south part (street level) of Atrium on Bay. They have loads of brochures that will give you more ideas. And usually coupons too.
  
  My parents have a copy of Top 115 Unusual Things to See in Ontario and it had some neat suggestions. The library has 97 copies.
  
  Edit to add: I could probably come up with a dozen more if you want more...

Check out the book Haunted Toronto - so far the best compilation of supposedly haunted places in Toronto that I've come across. There are a bunch of well known places, like Old City Hall, Queen's Park, Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, Royal York hotel etc but tons of unexpected places as well. You can probably find a cheap copy @ BMV or Seeker's.

And then there's this as well.

I love hearing about this kind of stuff, and have heard tons of cool stories from co-workers, friends of friends etc, so it never hurts to randomly ask people for their ghost stories, whether they're made up or exaggerated most people have a freaky encounter or two to share.

I no longer live in Toronto, but for anyone trying to get a HD antenna, make sure you invest in a power boosted one.

This is the one I have. I recommend it, great value.

Anyone living in the states, check this map and it will tell you want channels you should be able to get.

For Canadians, here is a 3rd party map

Yeah, I would hope this is obvious to most people but I guess it is good for those that don't know. Definitely recommend getting a better antenna from somewhere besides Bestbuy. If you want a cheap antenna, dollarama was selling some RCA ones for $3 but if you are going to spend over $20 look for something like this:

https://www.amazon.ca/Terk-Amplified-High-Definition-Antenna-Reception/dp/B0007MXZB2

(Model sometimes goes on sale for less than $50 from The Source).

Traffic calming and safety can be counterintuitive. There's a great chapter in Tom Vanderbilt's book Traffic that compares injury rates in a section of a street that has a high degree of separation between roadway and sidewalks (distance, barriers) and another section where the separation is minimal. Confusingly enough, it turned out that the sections that had higher separation/protection actually had more fatalities. It's not always as simple as it seems and sometimes what we think are good ideas can actually backfire.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, by the way. An absolutely fascinating look into something we don't think that much about (at least in-depth!)

I couldn't remember who told me about Anker power banks so it might've even been you, ami; Anker is the company I had recommended to me in the last several days. And I was right about the 'big fellow' I was looking at being a 26800PD, like yours:

https://www.amazon.ca/Anker-PowerCore-Portable-Double-Speed-Recharging/dp/B01JIWQPMW/

There's also a shipper model with a specific speed-boost charger made for the 26800PD:

https://www.amazon.ca/Anker-PowerCore-Delivery-Charger-Portable/dp/B01MZ61PRW/

and I could get both, and have a backup extra 26800PD battery pack and cable. That would be my preference, to order those two above. The only thing that I currently need to use that would be charged by a USB power point would be my LG G6, which is not usually a heavy-drain device. Still, I'm liking a great deal about what I'm hearing about Anker, and I'm probably going to go with that. In a lengthy blackout, my brother could borrow one for his netbook and both our phones use a USB power point charger.

Assuming you're using foam plugs, you should try musician's earplugs, they tend to have a better fit and block out more noise more-evenly. I got this pair off Amazon for $15, but there are others with various prices and decibel reductions. They last a long time too, as long as you keep them clean. I use hydrogen peroxide to clean mine since it's cheap and my plugs are silicone-on-plastic.

Wow - I've had bad luck with rabbit ears. I've tried half a dozen different indoor antennas and now use an ClearStream Eclipse. I've tried various amplified and unamplified flat antennas, and also a Terk indoor antenna that got great reviews.

Funny thing is that in clubs and party's nobody ever realized I'm wearing ear protection. I wear these.

https://www.amazon.ca/Etymotic-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-Universal-Protection/dp/B015IQ6HI4/ref=sr_1_2?crid=DY68SAS5ONHL&keywords=musician+ear+plugs&qid=1556241415&s=gateway&sprefix=musiscian+%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-2

or these;

https://www.amazon.ca/Etymotic-Research-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-Standard/dp/B0044DEESS/ref=sr_1_27?crid=DY68SAS5ONHL&keywords=musician+ear+plugs&qid=1556241529&s=gateway&sprefix=musiscian+%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-27

I wear different ones for guns and other high volume situations though. Long and Mcquade has some other decent earplugs but for the life of me I can't remember the brand. Musicians earplugs make it quite easy to still hear music and have conversations with people.

The Yi dash cam is the cheapest I'd go. Any cheaper and the video quality will be too poor to read license plates and the. quality will be poor.

You should also consider a Viofo a119 for a step up.

However, if you need to be absolutley sure your camera will capture license plates (a really important thing) day OR night, you're looking to spend over $200. Plus you get things like recording while parking and easier video retrieval.

But for basic recording the two I mentioned are perfect. Just don't forget to say the license plate in case of a hit and run so that your camera will record you saying it.

Kinda late but I also highly recommend this book as well:

https://www.amazon.ca/Vimy-Pierre-Berton/dp/0385658427

I had a similar dilemna when I had my truck. But luckily they actually have these little push-plow brushes with foam rubber. WAY better than a brush/broom.

The 2-foot version of the New York Noose chain has an excellent balance between weight and security. IMO, it's much more convenient to carry around and use compared to the regular New York chains: http://www.amazon.ca/Kryptonite-Bicycle-Evolution-2-Foot-4-Inch/dp/B001SMSUNI/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1416468750&sr=1-1&keywords=new+york+noose

The noose style enables the user to lock up the bike with half the length of a normal chain: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/permalink/mo1WRS6N63KIEUU/B001SMSUNI/ref=cm_ciu_images_pl_link

If any one wants a great, short read, Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall bottomed out and ended up in Toronto's tent city in its heyday back in 2002 and decided to document his experience. A great, horrible, enthralling read.
https://www.amazon.ca/Down-This-Splendour-Big-City-Shantytown/dp/0679312285

I would opt for something like this.

While it isn't the most attractive antenna, it does get really great reception. I have been through several panals and loops which have all required a far amount of adjustment which isn't ideal.

There sure are!

I did a quick search in amazon and found this. I'm sure others will have recommendations as well.

https://www.amazon.ca/Hopkins-18833-Subzero-Heavy-Duty-Scraper/dp/B001DKQZCS

https://www.amazon.ca/VIOFO-A119-Camera-Logger-Latest/dp/B01M28B92C

This is sub $150 and a great camera.

Firstly, if you were in the intersection as her light turned green (and you had to be as you were t-boned) she is 100% to blame. The reason is simple and often forgot: Just because the light turns green does not mean you have the right to hit the gas. You are obligated to ensure that the intersection has been cleared.

Vis a vi, if you are turning left and the light turns red, and you are already in the intersection you are obligated to turn and the other cars are obligated to wait until you clear the intersection.

The real issue here is people don't understand how to drive.

Second thing, get a dashcam. I have this one, https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01M28B92C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, and cannot say a single bad thing about it.

I got this one https://www.amazon.ca/RCA-Digital-Amplifier-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B004HB2X4Y

One came with my antenna, but I already had this and it was much better

I'd recommend Pierre Berton's Vimy for a detailed yet engaging account of what the battle was like for the people involved, and what the victory meant for Canada as a nation.

Down to This: Squalor and Splendour in a Big-City Shantytown

https://www.amazon.ca/Down-This-Splendour-Big-City-Shantytown/dp/0679312285?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duc12-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0679312285

For what it's worth, I first got a monoprice antenna and picked up nothing but City TV and CBC.

I then got the unamplified version of this thing and pick up pretty much all the networks listed on the right.

Admittedly... I face south. But just saying the antenna does make a huge difference cause I still faced south with the terrible monoprice antenna too.

Get an antenna and one of these - ATSC tuner - and you'll be good to go. https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-HomeWorx-Converter-Recording-HW-150PVR/dp/B00I2ZBD1U?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_2

Is this the book you're referring to? "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)" by Tom Vanderbilt. Sounds really interesting.

I think it's easy to dispell that spirits exist if you've never had a supernatural experience. Some people are more "in tune" with these things, allowing them to perhaps see/hear/feel things that others can't. If you check out Haunted Toronto by John Robert Colombo there are stories about the Keg & other supposed Toronto hauntings.

Why did you post a link on the US Amazon? Here's the Canadian one:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B00JJ5ILJ4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488309200&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=ANT702Z&dpPl=1&dpID=315IicUplSL&ref=plSrch

does it matter which way im facing?
im facing north and i live in thornhill

EDIT:
is this the same of this one