London and Southwestern Ontario
The University of Western Ontario
London, Canada, a city of about
350,000 inhabitants is located in southwestern Ontario, exactly half-way
between Toronto and Detroit -- the distance being 200km in either direction.
In London's centre two branches of the Thames join to become the Thames
River -- in contrast to the River Thames in England --, which
sends it waters into Lake St. Clair on the Detroit river about half-way
between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. A city map is available at http://www.city.london.on.ca/mapphoto/tourism.htm.
London is at about
43
degrees north and 81 degrees west, that is, only slightly north of
Rome in Italy. Sommers tend to be quite
warm;
winters are moderately cold. You should not expect to be skiing or to find
igloos in southwestern Ontario in July; instead, temperatures above 30
Celsius, 86 F, are quite normal. The daily weather report is available
from
http://weather.ec.gc.ca/forecast/yxy.html.
London is the home of many branches of industry,
the
University of Western Ontario, a community
college and many arts institutions. Located in the centre of southwestern
Ontario, London is a good starting point for excursions into the Niagara
peninsula.
London was founded in 1793. Various aspects of the history of the forest
city -- as London is known -- are explained at
www.city.london.on.ca/cityhall/corpservices/cityclerks/historypage.htm
and at
www.crosswinds.net/london-ca/~history.
London's centre is at the crossing of
Dundas
and Richmond streets. From there it is only a few steps to Victoria
Park, to the Grand Theatre, to City Hall, the old Court House, the Art
Gallery, the forks of the Thames. Most busses will stop at this corner.
Items that might be of interest include:
-
The Covent Garden Market -- the new building was opened in 1999.
-
The London Regional Art and Historical Museum -- featuring paintings of
mostly Canadian artists. Look for pictures by Londoners Paul Peel and Greg
Curnoe. It also has a small shop selling art including native art.
-
The Innuit Gallery -- a
shop selling Indian and Innuit art.
-
The Grand Theatre.
-
Eldon House -- one of the oldest houses of London, representative of upper
class living in the forest city.
-
Fanshawe Pioneer Village -- an
outdoor museum of typical buildings of the pioneer times in Canada.
-
Lake Fanshawe -- an artificial lake created to regulate the Thames, with
park and swimming facilities.
-
Story Book
Gardens -- an entertainment park for children.
-
Western Fair Grounds.
-
McIntosh Gallery
-- art gallery of The University of Western Ontario.
-
Guy Lombardo Museum.
-
London Museum of Archaeology --
a museum presenting the history of of the local woodland Indians including
an outdoors excavation site with some re-constructed buildings.
Further information can be obtained from the following links: http://city.london.on.ca/links/lndnlink.htm,http://www.city.london.on.ca/_private/visiting/visiting.htm,
and
http://www.city.london.on.ca/tourism/attract.htm.
Maps are available at some of these sites as well as at http://london.page1.org/routes.html.
Some pictures can be found at
http://www.londonedc.com/Living/Images.htm.
A list of restaurants in the city is available using the following link:
http://www.city.london.on.ca/tourism/restaurants.htm
A list of hotels and bed-and-breakfast places in the city is available
using the following link:
http://www.city.london.on.ca/tourism/accomd.htm
Getting to London by plane
Currently London (airport)
has direct plane connections to several Canadian cities including Toronto,
Ottawa and Montreal. Additional connections within Canada are likely to
become available in the next few months. The Canadian connections are mainly
served by
AIR ONTARIO and
CANADIAN;
both are at present subsidiaries of
AIR
CANADA. In addition, London has air connecetions to Detroit and Pittsburgh
by
North West and US
AIRWAYS or their partner airlines.
If you plan to arrive from outside Canada via another Canadian airport
than London, you should check your luggage through to London; however,
you will have to pick up your luggage at the first Canadian airport at
which you arrive to take it through customs. Typically, when leaving the
customs area you will find a booth at which to drop off your checked luggage
again. If you are new to the airport ask the customs officer at the exit
for directions regarding connecting flights.
The fare for flights into London is usually not much above that for
flying into Toronto and then taking ground transportation to London. The
limousine trip from Toronto airport to downtown London takes about 2 hours;
the flight is about 30 minutes.
The only public transportation from London airport is provided by Checker
Limousine. The limousines are normally waiting ouside the arrival area.
The trip to downtown London costs currently about 25 $ (Canadian). The
fee is not determined by a metre, but looked up in a map, and thus independent
of travel delays.
If you arrive directly from outside Canada at London airport, customs
and immigration is handled there.
There is a limousine service from
Toronto
and Detroit airports to London handled by the company
Robert
Q. The limousine will normally pick you up and drop you off at specific
locations like its depot. For an additional fee you can buy home pick-up
and home drop-off. You can make advance reservations with them or just
walk to their desks at the airports. Advance reservations are recommended.
Getting to London by Train
London is on the routes which connect Toronto/New York and Detroit/Chicago.
The trains are run by
VIA RAIL and
AMTRAK.
Trains feeding into this system would, for instance, come from Ottawa,
Montreal or Buffalo.
Getting to London by Bus
There are several bus companies with connections to London, in particular
also
Greyhound. In addition to local
connections, these companies offer connections to all major cities in Canada
and the US.
Getting to London by Car
Canadian tourism organizations distribute maps for free; similarly the
CAA
and AAA, the Canadian and American automobile
associations, distribute maps and tourbooks for free to their members and
members of similar associations, like the German ADAC. To get free service
there one needs one's membership card.
The major highways by which London is reached include highways 401 (Toronto,
Windsor, Detroit), 402 (London, Sarnia), 7 (Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo,
London), 2 (Toronto, Hamilton, London).
Car Rental
For car rental one needs a credit card in almost all cases. Car rental
without one is practically impossible. For visitors from outside North
America there may be special rates when the car is booked from the home
location.
Getting to London by Ferry
If you plan to drive to London from the USA you may choose to take the
ferry
from Sandusky, Ohio, to Leamington or Kingsville, Ontario, across Lake
Erie rather than driving around Lake Erie. In that case a stop-over on
Pelee
Island and a visit to the winery on the island may be of interest.
If you like to walk you can spend hours exploring the parks along the branches
of the Thames and in downtown. It is about a 30 minuutes walk from downtown
to the university campus.
Alternatively you can take a
bus
of the LTC, the London Transport Commission. Several busses go directly
and frequently into the university campus. Specifically, busses 6 (Richmond)
and 2 (Dundas) connect the campus to downtown.
The bus fare is currently $ 2.25. One enters the bus at the driver's
door and deposits the fare into a box. The driver will not have change
and will not sell tickets. If you need to change to another bus you ask
the driver for a transfer when you get on the first bus; you'll
hand the transfer to the driver of the next bus; if required this driver
can be asked for another transfer. Transfers are only valid for a certain
period of time and cannot be used for return trips or trip interruptions.
There are also bus tickets which can be bought at certain stores. They
are significantly cheaper. They are sold in multiples of 5 at $ 7.00 for
five tickets. You would deposit the ticket into the fare box. The procedure
for changing busses is the same as above. A list of stores selling bus
tickets is available at
http://www.city.london.on.ca/Transportation/vendors.htm.
The University of Western Ontario, together
with its affiliated colleges --
Brescia
College,Huron College and
Kings
College -- has about 25,000 full-time students. Its faculties range
from theology to engineering, from law to dentistry, from music to media
studies.
If you are approaching London from the north (say highway 7) you should
follow Richmond Street and turn right at the university gates.
If you are approaching London from the south (say highways 401 or 402)
you should go north on Wellington Road to its very end, turn left and then
right to follow Richmond Street and then turn left at the university gates.
By bus from downtown, you take either line 2 or 6 to the university.
To get to Middlesex college follow these instructions:
Walking from downtown, you'd follow the paths along the Thames and then
upon reaching the campus cross the bridge over the Thames and walk up the
hill on a small path through a wood. This walk takes between 30 and 45
minutes.
The conference residence is Delaware Hall, located on the campus of the
University of Western Ontario.
If you arrive at London International Airport, you can simply take a taxi
to the Delaware Hall, the University of Western Ontario (UWO).
The cost is about 20 Canadian dollar (Can).
If you arrive at Toronto Pearson International Airport, the most
convenient way to get London is to take the airport limousine called
Robert Q Airbus. The Robert Q counter is located on the first floor,
called Ground Transportation. The current price is: One way ticket
$42 (Can), return ticket $68 (Can). The Airbus stops at London Robert Q
station. Taking a taxi from there to the University of Western Ontario
is about $10 (Can).
If you come to London by Train, you can take taxi from the VIA station
to the UWO. The cost is about $10 (Can). It's also very convenient to
take bus from the VIA station: walk about 200 meter from VIA station
to Richmond street and take the Bus: Route #6. It directly goes to UWO
Campus. The bus ticket is $2.25 (Can). No change.
If you drive to London via Highway #401, there are several ways to get
into London. If you come from the East, you may exit at Highbury Ave.
(turn to right, North direction). When hit Oxford street, turn to left
(West direction), and then to right (North direction) on Richmond street.
Finally, you'll see the South Gate of the UWO on the University Dr. and
turn to left. Go straightforward and pass one light, then turn to right
at the second light. Then drive about 30 meters and the Delaware Hall
building is located on the right side.
If you approach London on Highway #401 from west, you may exit from
Wellington road (turn to left, North direction), when hit York street
turn to left (West direction). Then turn to right (North direction)
on Richmond street. Then follow the same route described above.
Please read this note first
http://pyu1.apmaths.uwo.ca/~pyu/pub/DCDIS2001/Note.html
The form (in .pdf format) for the reservation is available here
http://pyu1.apmaths.uwo.ca/~pyu/pub/DCDIS2001/housingf.pdf".
More Information about the campus, housing, food service, etc.
can be found here
http://pyu1.apmaths.uwo.ca/~pyu/pub/DCDIS2001/housing.htm.
Information is available at
http://www.uwo.ca/parking/visitors.html.
A map of the university campus can be found at
http://www.uwo.ca/maps.
Southwestern Ontario -- the Niagara peninsula -- is the area bounded by
Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, Lake Erie, the Detroit River and Lake
Huron. The major cities on this peninsula include Toronto, London, Kitchener/Waterloo,
Hamilton, Guelph, Windsor, Sarnia.
For tourism information regarding Ontario visit
http://www.gov.on.ca/MBS/english/travel/
For national parks in Ontario visit
http://parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/parks/ont_np_e.htm
The places that might be of interest for conference visitors include:
-
McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg --
a museum specializing on the Group of Seven, a famous group of Canadian
painters.
-
Niagara Falls -- one can
go there from London by public transportation or by car. A visit of Niagara
Falls including the return trip from and to London takes a full
day.
-
Rock Glen Conservation Area near Arkona -- a river valey with a small waterfall
at the bottom of which one finds various fossils.
-
Longwoods Road
Conservation Area -- a reconstructed Indian village.
-
Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.
-
Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.
-
Petrolia and Oil Springs -- 19th
century oil production systems in a museum and partly still in use.
-
Uncle Tom's Cabin
in Dresden (!) -- the place of the famous novel.
-
Point
Pelee -- a peninsula reaching into Lake Erie with trails showing the
natural plants and animals of southwestern Ontario.
-
Rondeau Park -- a peninsula
reaching into Lake Erie with old forests and many different kinds of birds.
-
Winery Tour --
some very good wines, mostly white wines, are grown in southwestern Ontario.
The tour of wineries -- preferably with someone else driving -- would take
you on a trip of wine tasting.
-
The Ontario Science Centre in Toronto
is a unique museum of science. You explore concepts by experimenting.
-
The Black Creek Pioneer Village
in Toronto shows a pioneer town as it used to be.
-
In St. Jacobs one finds a museum
explaining the Mennonite culture and history and a maple syrup museum.
-
The West Montrose bridge
is one of the few remaining covered bridges in Canada.
-
In Goderich one can see a
historical prison.
-
The Woodland
Cultural Centre in Brantford -- displaying the history and culture
of the First Nations of the Eastern woodland area.
-
The Casino Windsor in
Windsor -- located in Downtown Windsor, overlooking the Detroit River
and Detroit Skyline.
This list is far from being complete and will be expanded over the next
few months. Some facts about Ontario can be found at http://www.gov.on.ca/MBS/english/look/geo/