Moving to Niagara on the lake
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Moving to Niagara on the lake
Anyone living in the area can comment on the good and bad about the place? Wife loves it so we've just started searching MLS.
#2
Instructor
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 189
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We moved there on April 1. The biggest change for me was you have to drive everywhere. What seems like North is actually South - East seems like West. Cellular with Rogers is sketchy. I may try Bell because right now I'm getting lots of, "I'm having trouble with the connection" - Siri. The GPS arrows are always a few minutes behind and i'm making a lot of U-turns. I'm so used to the square grid of Toronto with the lake to the South. It's windy! Do you kite-surf? Plus, I had to buy a BBQ (good) and yard equipment, (bad). I moved from a high-rise on Prince Arthur Avenue into a two-bedroom, two-car garage (need 5 spaces, but still looking for more car storage) and in Toronto I could walk to the bank, to Tim's to Shoppers & a half dozen pubs. Now it's drive everywhere but the good news is you can do it at 5PM and there's no traffic. Vika took a new job managing the Swarovski store in Fallsview Casino and developers were about to start a 30-story development right beside me downtown so i wanted to move out of the city as well. Buffalo airport is now same distance as Toronto. Get a transponder for the 407 - from Billy Bishop to Hamilton last Monday took me 3.5 hours at 4:30PM. Luckily most the time I work from home.
Wine country is a different mind set. Everyone of the ? maybe 200 wineries seems to have it's own gourmet restaurant - it's going to take us forever to get to them all. Parking change? Forget about it! you park every where for free. Auguste Lecourte (Auguste Automobile Service) looks after the 944 track car - he's only 10 minutes away in St. Catherines. Vince at Thorold Imports looks after the BMW.The guys at EuroVision look after the 4x4 and will probably do the trailer work when needed.
If you want a good agent in the area call Tom Powell, 905-401-2455 - he worked extremely well with us and knows the area - just be very specific about what you're looking for. We were just renting and he still had a half dozen places for us to look at on the two or three trips to the area. I offered him a couple hundred extra to cover extra gas costs and he politely refused, smiled and said no worries, I'm covered.
I'm at the track (CTMP) this weekend but let me know if you want a number to call me if you need more intel and feel free to drop by for a pint. We're in St. David's in a new, built-right-on-top-of-each-other development. Cheers,
Phil Downe
Founder, Yorkville Exotic Car Show
Save the Date!
[img]blob:https://rennlist.com/090d5f37-c20a-4b1b-99e9-2cd719f79891[/img]
Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17, 2018
For more information please visit:
http://www.YorkvilleExotics.com
86 944 Track Toy (3.0 NA, LSD)
04 BMW 645ci
03 Toyota 4-Runner Ltd.
30 Chrysler M66 Royal Sedan
Wine country is a different mind set. Everyone of the ? maybe 200 wineries seems to have it's own gourmet restaurant - it's going to take us forever to get to them all. Parking change? Forget about it! you park every where for free. Auguste Lecourte (Auguste Automobile Service) looks after the 944 track car - he's only 10 minutes away in St. Catherines. Vince at Thorold Imports looks after the BMW.The guys at EuroVision look after the 4x4 and will probably do the trailer work when needed.
If you want a good agent in the area call Tom Powell, 905-401-2455 - he worked extremely well with us and knows the area - just be very specific about what you're looking for. We were just renting and he still had a half dozen places for us to look at on the two or three trips to the area. I offered him a couple hundred extra to cover extra gas costs and he politely refused, smiled and said no worries, I'm covered.
I'm at the track (CTMP) this weekend but let me know if you want a number to call me if you need more intel and feel free to drop by for a pint. We're in St. David's in a new, built-right-on-top-of-each-other development. Cheers,
Phil Downe
Founder, Yorkville Exotic Car Show
Save the Date!
[img]blob:https://rennlist.com/090d5f37-c20a-4b1b-99e9-2cd719f79891[/img]
Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17, 2018
For more information please visit:
http://www.YorkvilleExotics.com
86 944 Track Toy (3.0 NA, LSD)
04 BMW 645ci
03 Toyota 4-Runner Ltd.
30 Chrysler M66 Royal Sedan
#3
Team Owner
Phil NOTL to CTMP is going to be one hell of a haul.
I love the area though and am considering it for retirement but I have the the same challenges you are facing, its nice to walk to the pub.
I love the area though and am considering it for retirement but I have the the same challenges you are facing, its nice to walk to the pub.
Last edited by theiceman; 06-01-2018 at 11:00 AM.
#5
beautiful area, great roads, good distance away from the GTA... how can it get better?!
Auguste is the Porsche guy to see down there
Auguste is the Porsche guy to see down there
#6
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thanks all, moving from a 6 car garage/workshop plus an attached garage so will need to build workshop. Pondering 592 sq/ft max legal slab vs full foundations and 900sqft 3 car. Garage is issue. Wife not so sure it is. Corner lot would make access easy.
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#9
Rennlist Member
Amazing place to live. I have lived in both NOTL and St. Catharines and love the area! The only real downfall to NOTL is the weekend and summer traffic.
#11
Instructor
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 189
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Guess What? Vika got another promotion and we moved out to Markham, north of the 407ETR and East of the 404.
We miss NOTL, but what can you do? Maybe move back there for retirement.
Cheers,
Phil Downe
Founder & Chairman
Yorkville Exotic Car Show
Save the Date!
Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16, 2019
For more information please visit:
http://www.YorkvilleExotics.com
Garage:
30 Chrysler M66 Royal Sedan
86 944 Track Toy (3.0 NA, LSD)
02 996 C4S
03 Toyota 4-Runner Ltd.
04 BMW 645ci
We miss NOTL, but what can you do? Maybe move back there for retirement.
Cheers,
Phil Downe
Founder & Chairman
Yorkville Exotic Car Show
Save the Date!
Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16, 2019
For more information please visit:
http://www.YorkvilleExotics.com
Garage:
30 Chrysler M66 Royal Sedan
86 944 Track Toy (3.0 NA, LSD)
02 996 C4S
03 Toyota 4-Runner Ltd.
04 BMW 645ci
#13
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Couldn’t find anything in NOTL in budget so we’ve ended up at other end of Toronto. A couple of acres to squeeze everything in on the lake in Hay Bay heading towards Kingston. Still gets me to the airport in under 3 hours, hopefully. What’s the Porsche crowd like east of Toronto for coffee and cars, is Porsche North Toronto my best nearest dealer?
#14
Instructor
Welcome to the east side! I'm down Picton way. Not much happening in the way of C&C's out here, it's a vintage muscle car crowd for the most part but things are changing slowly. UCR does a Prince Edward County cruise every summer.
As far as service, there's Competition Motors in Belleville, Madeley Automotive in Kingston, and I have a little shop near Picton. Your correct that closest dealer would be PCNT.
As far as service, there's Competition Motors in Belleville, Madeley Automotive in Kingston, and I have a little shop near Picton. Your correct that closest dealer would be PCNT.
#15
Team Owner
Couldn’t find anything in NOTL in budget so we’ve ended up at other end of Toronto. A couple of acres to squeeze everything in on the lake in Hay Bay heading towards Kingston. Still gets me to the airport in under 3 hours, hopefully. What’s the Porsche crowd like east of Toronto for coffee and cars, is Porsche North Toronto my best nearest dealer?