Welcome To Casa Loma? Yeah Right!
Written: Jul 24 '02 (Updated Jul 24 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: friendly, cheap
Cons: I AM NOT A HISTORICAL PERSON, parking, crowded, not good for kids
The Bottom Line: Don't go here if you are not a historical person!
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| jetbluefan1's Full Review: Casa Loma |
I just finished eating baklava (Greek desert), and I am pumped to write about my experience at Casa Loma.
I am not a history person! Therefore, you will be getting a view of Casa Loma from a non-historical type of person. If you are a historical type of person, you might enjoy it more than I did. You may not rate it as low as I did, but now you partially understand why I did rate it how it is. Here is the other part of the partial answer!
Location Casa Loma is a castle located in Toronto, Canada. Northern Toronto to be exact. Near downtown too! Not too far away from the CN Tower, but not too close either. Not to mention, Toronto Pearson International Airport is about 20 minutes away. To get there, you have to go through a congested street, and a traffic filled highway. Eatons Shopping Center is about a ten minute drive.
Parking, Or A Nighmare On Elm Street (not the street that Casa Loma is on!). Parking is $4 an hour. Once you get your ticket saying the time you entered the lot, you will look for a parking spot. There is a row of spots in the entrance, then there is a very small garage with two levels. Since all spots were taken, I became annoyed. Then, I saw an orange cone in a parking spot. It was there, because there was not a small yellow stump that shows you where to stop your car during parking. Well, I was desperate. Yes, I got out of my car and moved the cone aside. I feel sorry for all of you who did not find a parking spot Suckers!. Just kidding! I guess the reason for the small lot is because you are burning an hour waiting for an available spot, not to mention $4! Good business plan.
Admission Not to worry! Admission for adults is $10 CND, $6.50 CND for seniors and youth, and $6 CND for children 12 and under. After you pay the ticket agent, you will have to give the receipt to another worker who will rip it partially, so you do not get in for free from your last visit, or if someone gave you their receipt. However, the workers that rip your receipt, don’t even look to see that you paid for all people! Therefore, you might be able to get away by paying for less people.
About Casa Loma Casa Loma was the home of Sir Henry Pellatt. Sir Henry Pellatt was a financier, military man, and an industrialist for Toronto. He was married to Lady Mary Pellatt. The castle cost $3,500,000, in 1911 (when it was built).
When going through Casa Loma today, you will notice the actual furniture that the Pellatts themselves sat on. First, you will grab a unique cell phone type of device that tells you information about the room that you are standing in. There is a room number which you type into the keypad on the phone. That is when the information will start, and you will be able to learn about Casa Loma. The phones only work on the castle campus. Of course, it is funny to see everyone walking around with their big black cell phones on their ears!
You will walk through four different levels including a basement. On the levels, you will find dining rooms, living rooms, a library, loitering rooms, guest rooms, restrooms (used by the Pellatts, and public), and the bedrooms. Each room has a different story behind it, not to mention fancy furniture. We aren’t talking about your everyday furniture here! Long couches, unique colors, small but fancy chairs, and king sized beds with beautiful canopies on the top. Some of the rooms have tight secret stair cases. When I say tight, I mean that it is like a one-way road. In other words, it is hard to have someone pass you, or come down the stairs, and go the other direction.
It does take a very long time to get through the castle since it is extremely crowded. The rooms are always crowded, but the main hallways are the most crowded.
The Basement has a very bad odor, and an expensive restaurant. Therefore, the odor drifts into the restaurant. The restaurant has items such as salad, bagels, pizza, hot dogs, and sandwiches. There are also sides of cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, ketchup, mustard, onions, and carrots. There are also fruit salads, and a large selection of beverages including Snapple!
The gift shop is located right next to the restaurant, and behind the pay-phones. The shop has items such as T-shirts, magnets, key chains, film, cameras, and other small items. The items are quite cheap, as film is only $10 CND for 36 pictures. Also, a smile from the cashier is always available.
The Gardens are located in the back of the stone castle. When going out the back doors, you will see a large fountain with running water. Around it, you will see different plants including annuals, perennials (not to mention roses), trees, and bushes. Within the gardens are paths of different flowers and bushes, not to mention statues. The hours of the gardens are 9:30am to 4:00pm. It is open from May through October, and is free with admission. Sometimes, there are barbecues in the garden, with a small price to pay.
Casa Loma is a place that will probably be most appreciated by adults, and senior citizens. If you are definitely not a history person, you probably will not appreciate Casa Loma. If you have kids, you might want to keep them at home, or at the hotel. They will probably wine that it is very boring, and will beg to go home. They will also probably get tired from walking through the whole castle. Not to mention the bad odor in the basement, and the crowd.
Pros Casa Loma has unique architecture, and furniture. The staff is always friendly, and the price to get in is good. The gardens are also enjoyable!
Cons As I said, I am not a historical person. That is a part of the low rating. The staff can sometimes be off-topic, and not focus. Parking is also a very large hassle, so you might want to park on a side-road. Also, the restaurant is very expensive for low quality food.
For more information, visit: http://www.casaloma.org/main/MainDyn.asp
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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