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I am renting a cottage in PEI in August for a week. Gas prices are a concern since I am drive from Toronto.

The historic low (1992?) was .61 cents. At the lowest point your 20 was worth $32 Cdn, and so $11 for a beer and 2 dogs at an Expos game is about right. I liked getting the smoked meat sandwhich at an expos game. Sad to see them gone.

Gas has been cheaper in the US for decades, no matter what the exchange rate. I found some things less expensive in the US (clothes) and some things more expensive (restaurant meals).

James

We're driving to St. John (seeing relatives) then taking the CAT ferry to Digby(?) NS. That's a few bucks right there! Then we're spending a single night in Charlottetown before heading back thru NB to spent a couple of nights at Fundy Nat'l Park. The last two nights we'll be camping at Acadia in Maine. Pray for good weather for the last full week of July! I warned my wife that it'll be too much driving, but she wants to see it all.

I am driving over a thousand miles to PEI, staying a week at a cottage and doing it all over again.

Ideally I would have liked to see the cabot trail in Cape Breton and/or Fundy in NB, but realistically don't see it happeneing this trip. I will be driving through NB, but not stopping for anything but essentials. I am the only driver and 500 miles in a day is about all I can endure.

I actually thought about coming through Maine/Vermont on the way back but when I chart mileage it doesn't work out.

Our friends in Europe must shake their heads, but we drive long distances here in North America. I know people who drive from Toronto to Florida every year, though its too long for me. My mother in law drove from LA to Toronto and back(despite our advice).

James

In general, I avoid fast food and the big chains and I've found US restaurants on par if not cheaper pricewise than Canadian the Canadian equivalent and the portions in the US are invariably larger. In Canada you'll find 12oz or 16oz steaks but in the US 20 - 24oz is not unusual and there is one place I went into, the steaks are between 32-36oz and if you can eat it all, your meal is free. The quality of the food is excellent although it may not be served with as much finesse as we are used to in Canada. I remember one night asking for an aperitif after dinner, something like a Cointreau or Grand Marnier and expected to get something in the range of 3/4oz to 1 1/4oz served in a snifter. The girl returned with what had to have been 2 1/2 perhaps 3ozs of the liquer in a highball glass on the rocks and she politely inquired, "Will that be all right?" It certainly was after I fished the ice out of the glass.

I suspect you've been eating in places near the border and yes a lot of those can be more expensive but once youare more than fifty miles south of the border, it's a lot cheaper. I think the restaurants near the border are more expensive because they are taking advantage of the day trippers who cross the border to shop. The prices in the grocery markets are cheaperas well as giving a broader selection.

You may be sad to see the Expos gone but I wasn't because I didn't give a damn after the 94 strike. However, the smoked meat is still here and the stuff they used to serve at the stadium was pure crap next to what you can get at any greasy spoon in Montreal.

Dawg ]:)

I was comparing Toronto places to places I go to on business trips (Portland, Chicago, Birmingham recently). Usually I get locals to recommend places. And the prices aren't outrageously higher than Canada, but fairly consistently higher even with the closeness of the dollar.

Yes the smoked meat at the stadium was not the best Montreal has to offer, I go to Dunn's every once in a while. But compared to the food available at the Rogers Centre/Sky dome, it was nice to have the choice.

The last time I grocery shopped in the US it was during a trip to Cedar Pointe near Sandusky Ohio about 5 years ago Some items like milk were cheaper for sure. Others, not necessarily cheaper.

James

smoked meat Dunn's isn't all that great or at least not anymore. You've got to try Schwartz's up on the Main and if the line up is too long go across the street to The Main, which is more comfortable. On the West Island, as you drive into town get on the 20 and in Ile Perrot there's Pete's Smoked Meat, which is also pretty good.

BTW, a lot of people ask for a "lean" which tends to be overly dry. You should try asking for a "medium" which is moister but not quite as juicy as a "fat or regular" which will have juice running all over your face and down onto your clothes. Schwartz's is internationally famous and Donald and Keither Sutherland as well as William Shatner are renowned for having fifty or a hundred sandwiches at a time flown out to them in Hollywood. Several other actors who have shot movies in Montreal also do it as well, amongst them Travolta and Cruise.

Unlike you, I find American restaurants are slightly cheaper than Canadian, Especially in the Boston region as well as many other places like Chicago, Houston and DFW. I found Buffalo hellishly expensive, especially in comparison to Rochester and Syracuse which aren't that far way and I don't even like thinking about Niagara Falls either the Canadian or US side. If I lived their I would be constantly on the road to TO, looking for places to eat. Anyplace has to be better than that whether we are talking the prices or the cuisine. Beef in Chicago has always been good almost on a par with Calgary and the prices weren't bad either.

Dawg ]:)

You are comparing prices to those in Montreal, right?

Montreal is the most expensive place I have ever eaten in North America. Yes we have expensive restaurants in Vancouver, but they are very high end.

In Montreal, anything that's not fast food costs an arm and a leg. But I give FULL credit to the QUALITY of food, in Montreal. Food is generally very well prepared with a lot of personal pride behind it. I've watched the waiters inspect a dish before serving it and send it back for not meeting their expected standards.

I am back for a few days in the end of May, early June, I will definitely be doing the regular stops at Les Halles, Weinstein and Gavino?s and another tiny little French place tucked away in old montreal (can't remember the name, wouldn't forget the food, Scotch OR the prices!)

I really get into the street action on Crescent Street but will be staying in the Sheraton and hanging out around Bonsecours Market in old Montreal for this one.