May 17, 2016 - Long Weekend Staycations Within 2 Hours of the City
(Featured image via BlogTO) Mother Nature hasn't been overly consistent these past couple weeks. Between the pellets of snow last weekend to alternating sunshine and thunderstorms, it's been hard to plan our daily outfits and activities, let alone the long weekend's. Luckily though, it seems like the weather is finally settling down and harmonizing itself, and this weekend is supposed to be sunny and hot (we might even hit a high of 26 on Monday)!
As a proper welcome to the much-awaited spring weather, we've compiled a short list of long-weekend staycation trips, within a couple hours from the city, that you can take with your family, friends, or significant others (or, if preferred, by yourself)!
Healing Salt Cave Niagara Falls, ON
Yes, it's ironic that on our first warm, sunny weekend, we're suggesting you hide yourself away in a cave, but the Healing Salt Caves in Niagara Falls will leave you feeling so refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the summer! We see it as a sort of spring cleaning for your body - the salt caves have infinite health benefits for respiratory, cardiovascular, and dermatological conditions. And really, considering you'll start seeing results and have an easier time breathing after only 20 minutes, you'll still have the rest of the long weekend to spend exploring Niagara Falls (and maybe take a wine tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake) .
Pillar and Post Niagara-on-the-Lake
Speaking of Niagara-on-the-Lake, if you do choose to visit one of their many vineyards, we will obviously not advocate drinking and driving back to Niagara Falls, so why not stay at Pillar and Post, an eclectic and incredibly aesthetically appealing inn. The decor is reminiscent of a very fashionable grandmother, and the skylight in the main lobby would be especially scintillating on a sunny weekend like this one. The inn also offers spa treatments and other [indoor and outdoor] activities!
Classroom Suites Picton, Ontario (Prince Edward County)
The long weekend is the perfect time to visit Prince Edward County. Located a little bit over two hours from the city (sorry, our title lied!), you'll need the full three days to really enjoy everything Picton has to offer. The classroom suites are located about 15 minutes from the Sandbanks Provincial Park, so you can spend the day relaxing on the beach, or get active with a hike through the park. Bursting with vineyards (and the occasional brewery), what better way to spend the first weekend of 20-something degree weather with a wine tasting. For a more laid-back afternoon, wander around the Picton area and stop by and support small businesses like the Ungallery or the Black River Cheese Company (to go with all that wine).
Power Yoga Canada Muskoka
Consistently appearing on Best Trip lists, and with over 100,000 seasonal homeowners each year, Muskoka is the epitome of summer-getaways in Ontario. If you want to really immerse yourself in nature this weekend, get your zen on with Power Yoga Canada . Not only is a retreat a great opportunity to finally spend some much needed outdoors time (after our never-ending run of winter and miserable weather), it will send you back to work on Tuesday feeling relaxed and ready to face that pile of work you left on your desk when you bolted out the door on Friday!
May 3, 2016 - Electric vs. Gas Cars
After the unveiling of the Tesla Model 3, the flood of pre-orders both shocked Elon Musk and gave the automotive industry an early insight into the future of electric cars. That is, the potential that electric cars may become much more mainstream in the near future than they ever have been in the past. Despite having been in production for nearly two decades, the Toyota Prius hasn't received anywhere near the attention that the Tesla Model 3 has been getting before it's even begun production. With the prediction that electric cars will become mainstream in the next few years, it might be worth considering switching from a gas vehicle to an electric one. The biggest selling feature of electric and hybrid cars is their lower impact they have on the environment, but "better options" are known for costing significantly more than their "less good" counterparts (healthy vs fast food, solar power vs electric energy).
We decided to do an in-depth comparison of two similar cars to determine whether it makes more sense to go electric or stick with your gas car.
FUEL ECONOMY - Obviously there is no cost of gas with electric cars, though there is the cost of the battery, which needs to be replaced, on average, every 10 or so years. Batteries for electric cars have 8 year manufacture warranties. The cost of a new one is about 1/3 of the cost of the car (approximately $11,666, in the case of the Model 3), but prices are expected to drop significantly by 2020. A mid-sized gas car would cost the driver just over $2,000 in gas per year, if it's driven a distance of 20,000km annually.
An electric car like the Nissan Leaf can drive about 150-200 km on one charge (and some charging units can get your car up to an 80% charge in 20-30 minutes), whereas the Nissan Maxima's 18 gallon fuel tank can get you close to 500 miles (or 800km).
COST - An electric car can cost anywhere from 23,000 to over $100k, obviously depending on its make. The 2016 Nissan Leaf would cost you $32,698+ whereas the 2016 Nissan Maxima starts at 35,900.The Tesla Model 3 sedan will be manufactured to be sold at a base price of $35,000. If you're looking to go cheaper, a bare-minimum electric car would cost you $22,295 for a 2015 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, whereas a lower priced gas car, like a Fiat, would only cost you about $15,000. Another downside to electric cars, if you're looking to save some money, is the fact that because they are much newer than gas cars, it's much harder to find an older, used model at a lower price. If you're a young, first-time car buyer trying to save some money, an electric car might not be your most economically-conscious option.
SAFETY - Due to a few electric car fires, people have been hesitant to make the switch, thinking gas cars are safer. What we fail to report on however, are the nearly 200,000 gas car fires each year that occur in the U.S alone. Though there isn't enough data to conclude that electric cars are safer than gas ones, the chance of an electric car fire is actually significantly lower than that of a gas car fire.
ENVIRONMENT - A mid-sized gas car emits approximately 18,603 kg of greenhouse gases over 5 years, whereas an electric car only emits about 1,930 kg from the production of electricity to power the car.
BONUS - You can actually receive a tax credit of up to $13,000 when you lease or buy an electric car.
To sum up, both vehicles have their pros and cons, and the decision between the two depends primarily on your use for the car. Electric cars produce significantly fewer greenhouse gases, have thus far proven to be safer than gas cars (in terms of fires), and are accompanied by a tax rebate. Gas cars, on the other hand, are more cost-effective, and are much more efficient for long trips.
Mar 15, 2016 - Spring Clean Your Car
Spring is welcomed with chirping birds, longer, sunnier days, and freshly blooming flowers - don't overshadow the beauty of the season by surfacing your dirty, salt stained car from the throes of winter. Most people use spring as an excuse to reinvent themselves, to organize their life, and to focus on new goals and endeavours. Typically goals fall along the lines of cleaning out your closet, starting a new fitness routine to get in shape for summer, or planning some kind of new experience like travelling or signing up for a new class. We don't often think about the "spring cleaning" our cars require. Cars take a beating over the winter, from the engine running twice as hard, to the salt stains and mounds of snow we drive through, so some TLC for your car will help it run more efficiently for all those road trips you'll be taking this summer, and will save you in maintenance costs in the long run.
EXTERIOR
Change tires. It goes without saying that winter tires are for the winter and summer tires are for the summer, but often drivers put off changing their tires or just don't bother changing them at all. After all, if winter tires can handle driving on ice and snow all winter, they can surely handle driving in the summer. Unfortunately, this mentality will ultimately cost you more, as winter tires aren't meant to be driven in the extreme heat of summer. The humidity can melt the rubber and cause your snow tires to be damaged and unusable in the future.
Wash & Wax your car to get rid of all the dirty snow and salt stains, making sure to get right inside the wheel walls. While you're washing, make sure to look carefully for any stone chips that need to be touched up. You may not want to spend the money to fix up any marks on your car, but ignoring stone chips can lead to rusting, which will become much more expensive to repair in the future. It's important to deal with chips as soon as you notice them.
INTERIOR
Clean Inside
After months of dragging dirty boots in and out of your car, and most likely spilling coffee or hot chocolate in the console once or twice, the inside of your car probably looks as dirty as the roads you were driving on. To clean the mats, first vacuum off any stones and loose dirt, then use a hose or pressure washer to scrub away the stains. To get salt stains off pedals and any leather parts, mix 2 parts water with 1 part vinegar and wipe them down with a cloth.
Spring Tune Up
If time isn't on your side, why not opt to have a professional wash, wax, and clean your car, and have them service it while they're at it? As we mentioned, running a car in below freezing weather all winter can take a toll on the engine. It isn't necessary to tune up your car at the beginning of spring, but it's always a good idea to do everything at once for the sake of having peace of mind that your vehicle is as clean and efficient on the inside as it is on the outside.
