There were only three of us for Canada Day this year since Katie flew to Scotland for her summer abroad program the night before. It was the first time that our family wasn't going to be together for a holiday and Emma was feeling a bit sad about it so I knew ahead of time that I had to find something fun for the three of us to do on the day. When we received an email from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival announcing their 1st Annual Canada Day Family Weekend, I jumped at the chance to book tickets.
Katie, Emma and I attended a performance of Potted Potter at the Panasonic Theatre in Toronto last evening that was one of the funniest things that I have seen in the theatre in a long time. Arriving in Toronto direct from London's West End, Potted Potter is an unauthorized parody of the Harry Potter series written and performed by British actors Dan Clarkson & Jeff Turner.
On July 12th the Canadian premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 was held at the Scotiabank Theatre in the heart of the entertainment district in downtown Toronto. On a typical day this theatre is located at the corner of Richmond and John Streets however, as a tribute to the Harry Potter phenomenon, Toronto City Council renamed the streets Harry Potter Boulevard and Hogwarts Way for the day. Although we weren't able to obtain tickets for the screening, I agreed to take my daughter to the city on the train and accompany her and a friend to wait in the crowds outside the theatre.
The charming town of Stratford, Ontario is located on the banks of the Avon River about a 2 hour drive west of Toronto (but only a 1.5 hour drive west of our home in Oakville). My husband and I have been visiting the Stratford Shakespeare Festival at least once each summer since 1993. We started visiting with kids in 2001 and now a trip to Stratford is a summer tradition that everyone in the family looks forward to. Some of our trips to Stratford have been overnight stays which afforded us more time to take in everything that the town and surrounding area has to offer while most have simply been day trips to attend a matinee performance. This year we were able to make our first trip to Stratford as a Father's Day celebration with our family of four and my husband's parents to attend a critically acclaimed production of Camelot.
We didn't go away for the long weekend - the ostensible reason being that Katie has exams starting this coming week and she was going to need to study all weekend. Instead we planned a day out in the city starting off with some culture and finishing with one of Toronto's tallest and most popular tourist attractions.
On April 5th, 2011 the Harry Potter Exhibition opened at Discovery Times Square (www.discoverytsx.com) in New York City on its final North American stop (mere days AFTER we had visited NYC for spring break). Discovery Times Square which bills itself as "more than a museum" is New York's first large-scale exhibition center. It is a vast space which once housed the New York Times printing presses and is located on W. 44th between Broadway and 8th.
It was clear and sunny but COLD in NYC today - turns out that the only warm day of our holiday was spent sitting in the airport with our flight delayed. We had no plans for the day other than attending a matinee performance of Mamma Mia so we decided to walk downtown and do some shopping along the way. We made the obligatory stop at F.A.O. Schwartz to see what extravagant toys they were stocking. The girls were most impressed with the Barbie Foosball table available to be purchased for a modest $24,999!!! Obviously the gift for a 6 year old girl who already has everything!
Just as predicted, the weather in New York City today left a lot to be desired. Temperatures hovered just above freezing and we encountered rain, snow, sleet and hail over the course of the day. We had already planned to spend the afternoon at the theatre so we only needed an indoor diversion for the morning.
Welcome to Gone with the Family! I'm Lisa and I'm on a mission to show my kids the world - one trip at a time! This site is about the adventures that we have had along the way - 16 years and counting. We hope to inspire you to
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