Originally Posted by Fitzer (Post 9870536)

Remember that BC has big time Vancouver, with associated expense, but is also the launch pad to Fernie, Nelson, Banff and Jasper - the latter of which you can connect with on a rather nice train ride via Kamloops. If you can drive the icefields parkway, do it with a passenger to avoid swerving off the road staring at a mountain top.

As I recall from the rest of our pre-PR 'where to live' visit, we found Calgary to be a docile grid layout, akin to Milton Keynes with immense oil money. Stampede is worth seeing for a day - tops. Your cowboy hat will itch after 24 hours, and you will never look at a cow in the same way again.

Toronto is immense and sprawling - says me, a fully paid up Londoner - but it has a few nice eateries and a museum or two. Ottawa has the museums, governmental feel and couple of good restaurants, but bring a board game to entertain yourself after 8pm unless you want to be a total tourist down by the market area. Loud is the sound of your wallet emptying for dear beer.

We eventually plucked for downtown Montreal and find it to be a blend of Chicago, Paris and northern New England. The old town of Quebec is nice, but within an hour or two you can be in wine country, ski-resort land or popping over the border to Vermont for cheaper clothes.

Not been out East to the coast but heard the words 'quaint' and 'odd' used by locals here in equal measure.

Good luck and enjoy (have totally forgot your question, hope this helps).

Originally Posted by Former Lancastrian (Post 9870582)

Nice to see another thinking there is nothing between Calgary & Toronto