Query: Hotel Confirmations

[laura at utcsstat.UUCP]

You can spend your money in Canada in most, but not all places. A fair number
of places will not give you the current exchange rate either, and are making
a profit in taking American money -- I suggest you get Canadian funds.

Visa is good here, but if you are making a purchase over x$, where x is 
usually around 50, (but can vary from place to place) they will make a phone
call to see that you have the funds. The thing to remember is that the
US visa phone number is not the same as the Canadian one, so if they
phone the Canadian one it will erroneously report that you dont have any
money at all. Not every Canadian shop-keeper knows this, so make sure they
phone the right number.

Anything else you should remember?  let me see...

The bars are not open all night long. They close at 1 o'clock weekdays
and at 11 o'clock on Sundays. (I may be a little off on this, but I
think I am right. They are definitely not open at 2 am, so if I am
off they close *EARLIER*).

You cant buy beer or wine in the local 7/11s, Beckers and whatnot.
You have to get beer from the beer store (Brewer's Retailers) and
liquor (including wine) from the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario)
There are liquor stores downtown, but no beer stores in easy walking
distance. I do not know whether this is for a reason, but empirically it
is so. Therefore, the liquor stores have been allowed to sell beer, but
there is not a lot of selection. Canadian beer is different from
American beer. If you dont like it, you can now get Budwiser and Miller
beer from the beer stores, but you may have to go to the 'burbs to get
it; I dont know whether the liquor stores are selling those brands.

Sorry to go on at such length about booze to those who dont drink, but
every time I have had a visitor from the US they have been astounded at
our Liquor laws. If you want to discuss them, move out of net.usenix
and into net.misc or net.politics.

Last usenix in Toronto, some American is reputed to have thought that
he could ski here. Its summer here now; the temperature is about 80
degrees F.

We dont all speak French. If you want to practise your French here,
good luck.                 

We have very strict gun laws. If you are driving here and have a gun in
your car, leave it at home.

Laura Creighton
utzoo!utcsstat!laura

(with apologies to Americans who have been here before and already know
this)