New Year’s Eve in Toronto

What better way to bring in the New Year than to travel to a destination that you don’t call home? Spend the money you would for a hotel event in your nearby city on a plane ticket instead. Of course, your options must be open and don’t wait last minute to book those flights! Flights for the holidays should always be purchased way in advance. If you seem them for low, snag them right away! They won’t be low for long.

I brought in 2016 with a group of friends in Toronto, Canada.  It’s about an hour and a half flight or nine hour drive from DC.  I chose to fly there the evening of New Year’s Eve, while three of my close friends decided to go on a road trip a few days before. There are two airports located in Toronto, Pearson (YYZ) and Billy Bishop (YTZ). You want to fly into Billy Bishop if you’re staying in the downtown Toronto area! It is located on a little island where you can see the Toronto skyline when you land. From the airport you can either take a ferry or walk through the tunnel to get to the city or bus station to take you in the heart of downtown.

Things to Do

• New Year’s Eve
  • Orchid Nightclub
  • Various Bar Crawls (warning: long lines and large crowds)
• CN Tower
  • Top level for great view of the city
  • Edgewalk for the adrenaline junkies
• Ice skating at the rink downtown
• Attend a basketball game at Air Canada Centre
• Events held at Gladstone Hotel
  • Drake vs Everybody dance party

Food

The food in Toronto is pretty standard. The only stand-out dish that you MUST get anytime you visit Canada is poutine! The combination of fries, gravy, and cheese curds is just pure perfection. You can find poutine almost anywhere in Toronto…even the fast food joints. Many places put their own spin on it and offer a variety of additional toppings.

Costs

• One way flight from IAD to YTZ = $126.59
• 3 night stay at Don Valley Suites = $100.00
• VIP at Orchid Nightclub (incl. 2 bottles of liquor & 1 bottle of champagne) = $90.00
• CN Tower Edgewalk = $160.00
• Gas for the way home = $50.00