How to See Toronto Tourist Sights for Free

The Toronto Public Library in its effort to promote arts and culture in the city has partnered with Sun Life Financial to create Museum + Arts Program ('MAP') back in 2007.  We only learned of this program last year, but have now taken advantage of it several times to get free admission to the Toronto Zoo, Royal Ontario Museum, Black Creek Pioneer Village, Gardiner Museum, Bata Shoe Museum and Textile Museum.  The saving can be great, getting for example a pass to the Toronto Zoo will save a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children) $90 dollars or $70 at the Ontario Science Centre.  

MAP Pass Front

What Toronto Sights are Available:

Available at Limited Locations (32 Branches - See Here for a List) 

• Toronto Zoo (Adult: $28.00 Senior: $23.00 Child: $18.00)
• Royal Ontario Museum (Adult $16.00 Senior/Student: $14.50 Child: $13) 
• Casa Loma (Adult $24.00 Senior/Teen: $18.00 Child: $14.00)

MAP Pass Casa Loma Back

• Black Creek Pioneer Village (Seasonal) (Adult $15.00 Senior/Student: $14.50 Child: $11.00)
• Ontario Science Centre (Adult $22.00 Senior/Student $16.00 Child: $13.00)
• Gardiner Museum (Adult $12.00 Senior $8.00 Students $6.00 Child: Free)

Admission prices are from May 1st, 2014 and subject to change.  See links to their respective sights.  

Available at All Library Branches:

• Art Gallery of Ontario
• Museum of Inuit Art
• Textile Museum of Canada
• City of Toronto Historic Museum
     a) Colborne Lodge in High Park
     b) Fort York National Historic Site
     c) Gibson House Museum
     d) Mackenzie House
     e) Montgomery's Inn
     f) Scarborough Museum
     g) Spadina Museum: Historic House & Gardens
     h) Todmorden Mills Heritage Site

The Cons and How to Get Them:

It sounds to good to be true that you can get access to all these locations for free.  The caveat is that you have to be up early on a Saturday morning and be in line for about 8:30 at an eligible library.  Passes for most attractions are limited to 3 per week and they go quickly.  In talking to librarians that some people line up as early as 6:00 am for the more coveted Zoo, ROM or Ontario Science Centre passes.  We have been in lines with 20 or 30 people at the Victoria Village Branch this Spring.  However, we have had the best luck in Winter when the line was short and we managed to get Zoo passes and we had great day. (See my old blog.)  The perk is getting up early on Saturday lends itself to getting your out of the house chores and shopping done before the crowds.  Also, the line moves rather quickly and we have never had to wait more than 10 minutes for our turn to see the librarian when it opens at 9:00 am.  Our experience is that the librarian announces what passes are no longer available and is helpful in suggesting alternatives.

Toronto Zoo - Panda

We also got passes for museums that we would never consider paying for and we had great visits to Gardiner Museum (ceramics, dishes, objets d'arts - they have piece called Monkey Symphony which is a must see) and the Bata Shoe Museum (history, fashion and customization of foot wear - it is interesting.)  The one flop and thankfully it cost us no money was the Textile Museum.  The latter takes about 30 minutes to see and has less than memorable collection in my opinion.      

Wooden Shoes - Bata Shoe Museum

Rules regarding Museum and Arts Passes:

• You must be Adult living in Toronto with a Valid Toronto Public Library Card.  (See here how to get a library card.)
• You can get one pass per week from the Toronto Public Library and the pass must be used within 3 months. If not used, the pass just expires.
• Passes are generally good for 2 adults and 2 children, see individual passes for details.
• When visiting a site you must show the MAP pass and date due receipt, your library card and ID upon request (at the venue's discretion.)  The pass holder must be present.
• Passes can not be sold or transferred. 
• For a complete list see Library's page here. 

What you Don't Get:

• Special Tours and Exhibits that have additional fees are not included such as the recent David Bowie exhibit at the AGO or the current Forbidden City at the ROM.  Additional fees apply for shows Ontario Science Centre Imax Theatre.
• Ripley's Aquarium of Canada and CN Tower is not part of this program, nor tickets to the Toronto Symphony, Theatrical Shows, Toronto Opera Company, or TIFF Lightbox.  
• It does not include parking or access to member's lounges; or features that come with annual family memberships.

Comments? Thoughts? Suggestions?  Have a favorite tourist attraction in Toronto? Please comment below.

Who Needs 'Next Issue' if you have the Toronto Public Library

Recently I learned that the Toronto Public Library offers a free on-line service via 'Zinio' that gives you access to 300+ magazines.  This includes numerous popular titles that dominate most news stands and with that variety of choice their is bound to be something you like.  There is also another service and I recently saw a demonstration of it at the Eaton Centre called Next Issue. It worked seamlessly on an IPAD when it was shown to me and so does the Zinio App.

Next Issue Advertisement

For Next Issue you can get a 30 day trial for free and thereafter it costs $9.99 for the basic option and more based on certain titles.  But, why pay for it!  When you can get access to all these magazines for free via the Toronto Public Library and you already paying for this service via your property taxes.

Popular Titles Available via the Library:

Other Popular Titles Include:

- Cosmopolitan
- Esquire
- Billboard
- Martha Stewart Living
- Maxim
- Elle

- Vogue
- Marie Claire
- Bloomberg Business
- Newsweek
- Readers Digest
- ESPN
- Sportsnet Magazine
- Runner's World
- Astronomy

There are more than 300 titles available (but this includes some magazines in French and Spanish) and this includes many niche magazines on hobbies, crafts, cooking, lifestyle, children and teen oriented, etc.

How to join:

1) Obtain a Library Card via visiting your local Toronto Public Library branch with a piece of current ID. See here for more details.

2) Get to a computer and login via web browser to the Toronto Public Library website.  Your login is your library card # and your PIN was setup when you got your library card.  Normally it is the last 4 digits of your phone number.

3) On the main home page of the TPL website click on 'Downloads & eBooks' and then click on under Zinio eMagazines the Access Online button.

Screen Grab - Toronto Public Library - Download & Ebooks

4) You will now see a list of magazines and titles.  If it your fiist time than it will direct via a link to create a Zinio account.  Unclick the option if you do not want to receive offers and emails from Zinio.

Screen Grab - Toronto Public Library - Check-Out Screen

5) Explore the magazine titles via the on-line Library.  Select 'Checkout Now' to receive that magazine issue below the Magazine's Picture.  You can search for titles using the 'Title Search' on the left or use drop-down box on the right to explore by genre.  Further if you click on the magazine many titles have back issues available from the last year and you can further check those out if you want.


6) Install the free 'Zinio' app from the Google Play Store or Apple Store or follow the instructions for other devices.  You can directly read via Zinio website if you have a PC.  Sign in to the app with the login and password you earlier created via the Library's website.  You will see magazines for sale, but if you click on open magazine on the top bar you will see a list of magazines that you have 'checked out' from the Library's website and they should be downloading automatically if you connected to WiFi.

7) Once the magazine is downloaded, just click on it in Zinio and you should be able to read to your heart's content.

8) If you want to get more magazines at a later date, just login into the library and check them out.  For ease of access I recommend storing your login/password in your browser for TPL and Zinio to save time as you are not providing credit card information.

Pros:

You are able to enjoy magazines for free, and you are still paying for them via your property taxes which support the library.  You have access to 300+ titles that cover a wide range of topics and hobbies.

Going digital with your magazines also eliminates more clutter in your house from physical magazines and you never have to deal with those subscription inserts again.  Further the magazines are stored on your Device and you can delete them when you are done or just leave them there indefinitely.  You can literally walk around with dozens of magazines in your back pocket.  Also, once you have download the magazines to your device you do not have to worry about being connected to the Internet.  Thus, you can read on the subway, airplane, etc.

Cons:

You don't get access to the Roger's family of magazines which include Maclean's, Chatelaine, Flare, Today's Parent, MoneySense, and Canadian Business Weeklky.  Also, it adds one step of virtually checking out a magazine via the Toronto Public Library website; which takes about 15 seconds.  Other magazine services you automatically download magazines as new issues are published.

Further, there are still many magazines not offered via the Toronto Public Library or Next Issue.  So, you may have to continue to subscribe to your favorite magazine.  

Getting the Most out of this Service:

I have tried to read magazines on both my wife and I's Galaxy III and IV phones and it is not as easy as flipping through a real magazine.  It is just the size of the screen and having to zoom in and out ; or using the 'reading mode' feature.  On my desktop monitor it is a breeze and I have tried it on someone else's 10" inch tablet and that seemed just right.  I'm actually considering buying a tablet to take full advantage of this service.  After doing the math in my head; if you spend about $25 a month on magazines a new 10' inch Galaxy Tab III tablet at $325 + tax; would have a payback period of 15 months and you would have all the other features of the tablet.

What I can see my wife and I doing is 'checking out' a virtual stack of magazines the next time we fly or take a long road trip and have ample reading material without the weight.  If you are an avid magazine reader I'd just setup a reminder to add magazines on a bi-weekly basis in your electronic calendar and take the few minutes to check them out.

In Conclusion:

I strongly recommend checking out this free service from the Toronto Public Library and try this service before using Next Issue.  Who knows, you may never subscribe to a magazine again.

Comments? Thoughts? Suggestions?  Have a magazine to recommend?  Please add it below.

The Hoopla about Hoopla (Free Old Movies, TV Shows, and Music)

The Toronto Public Library announced on Monday that they have now joined Hoopla.  So, last night I signed up and it was easy and took about 5 minutes.  What you need is a current Toronto Public Library card, which are free and you are paying for library anyway via your property taxes. You can see a youtube video on what the service is here.  If you don't live in Toronto than you still might have access via your regional library, at quick glance I was able to learn that Hamilton, Kitchener, Vaughan, Guelph, Aurora also offer this service.

Hoopla Title Screen

My Review:

Hoopla a is free and you have to access to Movies, Music, and TV Shows.   Overall, my opinion is the service is just okay, and it could be a lot better with more content.  It is easy to use and it is hard to argue with free. If this service cost $10 a month than I would be truly disappointed.  For further detail I examined each category of content and give my opinion.  Taste is subjective and you may find gold where I find meh.

Movies are Meh.

Well the first thing I did was to scan through the movies and I was not that impressed. This service does not replace Netflix, but if you want to see some classic movies such as Metropolis, The African Queen, Spartacus, Double Indemnity, Serpico, Harvey, All Quiet on the Western Front, etc.  

Hoopla Movie Starting Page

You could also find some great more 90's movies such as Man on the Moon, The Big Lebowski, Big Night, Mallrats, 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', and Out of Sight.  There is an easy search function and it is disappointing that most searches turned up nothing.  For example searching some of my favorite actors turned up little to nothing (ie Kevin Spacey, Samuel L. Jackson, Harrison Ford, and Robert De Niro.)  Same thing for directors Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Clint Eastwood, and John McTiernan.

What I did find funny is the number of just plain funny, but stupid moves you can watch such as Half Baked, Stop or My Mom Will Shoot, Ali G - In Da House, Necessary Roughness, Howard the Duck, CB4, Johnny English, McHale's Navy, etc.  If you want to have a dumb laugh it is certainly possible.

An Impressive Music Selection:

The music selection is impressive and I was to able to find the discography's of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Nirvana, Madonna, Ramones, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, etc.  They also have new albums such as Arcarde Fire - Reflektor, Nothing was the Same - Drake, Beck - Morning Phase, Lorde - Pure Heroin, Childish Gambino - Because the Internet, Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP2, Lady Gaga - Art Pop, etc.  They may not have a large selection of movies, but it appears they have a lot of movie soundtracks and Broadway musicals.  If you had an urge to listen to an album or just wanted to listen to something before you buy it; you can borrow an album for 7 days.

Hoopla Music Starting Page

The highlight for me is the Comedy albums, things you likely listen to just once and maybe again after countless years.  They have albums from Louis C.K., Jim Gaffigan, Joe Rogan, Danny Glover, Amy Schumer, Steve Martin, David Cross, Bill Hicks, etc.  There is easy 200+ albums and these could make a road trip a lot more enjoyable.  I plan to see if I can use Bluetooth to broadcast the audio next time in my car.


 

Television Full of Meh.

Again I was disappointed that you can't find TV series like you can on Netflix. For example you can't go back and watch old episodes of South Park, The Simpsons, Mad Men, Cosmos (the original one with Carl Sagan), Law & Order, etc.  What you do get is a lot of National Geographic Shows, Ken Burns Documentaries, 80's Cartoons for the kids, PBS Masterpiece Theatre shows and travel shows.  Depending what you want to watch you probably have more luck watching on demand shows from the various TV networks. If you are looking for educational/infortainment videos, PBS has its Nova TV show on demand fore free at its website or David Suzuki's Nature of Things on CBC.  

Hoopla Television Starting Page

What you get:

• The ability to borrow on-line up to 5 items per calender month.
• You can borrow television and movies for 3 days, music for 7 days.
• No worries about late fees or returns, as they are automatic.
• The ability to access what you borrowed from both smartphone, tablet, laptop and computer.  You just need to have an Internet connection (with sufficient speed for video).  You can download the 'Hoopla' app for free from Google Store or Itunes store.
• If you are using it from Chrome/Firefox you will need to install free the Widevine Videoplayer App and if you use Safari it should just work.
• An easy way to sort what 'Most Popular' or 'New' to see what other people are watching and the latest additions.

What you don't get:

• The ability to download and borrow an item.  You can't for example borrow a movie and then watch it on a plane or subway, you have to have a working Internet connection.
• Audiobooks - The Toronto Public Library is not signed up for Hoopla's audiobooks, but you can get borrow audiobooks from them via their Overdrive service.  
• It appears this service does not support Blackberry or Windows based phones or tables.  

What I don't know:

• If you have an Internet connection, can you enjoy content from outside of the country?

Comments? Thoughts? or Suggestions?  Did you find something that is must see on Hoopla?

Who Knew - Free Access to Consumer Reports via the Library

Lord knows I'm not a big fan of physically entering any one of Toronto's public libraries.  I spent two months studying for professional exams years ago and saw some atrocious behaviour by my fellow plebeians.  It takes a real special someone to take the newspaper on a pole into the men's room.  My issue of the moment is that my cell phone contract is up and I'm going to break free from my cursed 3 year old Blackberry Torch. I'm all confused about Samsung vs. IPhone... what about Motorola, HTC, or Eriksson.   I suffered long with my phone that has problems accessing countless webpages (HTML 5), apps in limited supply and reminds me of dialing rotary phone just waiting for a weather update.   Just like being a Maple Leafs fan, I'm being punished for being a "Homer" with my Blackberry.

So, what I learned is ConsumerReports.org has 102 reviews of smart phones and actual methodology to evaluating them.  In the reviews you can see both the pros and cons.  A little easier to follow then all noise if you look you simply Google "What Smartphone should I get."  You can save the $40 annual fee by simply logging into the Toronto Public Library and using the search command.  You are already paying for the library via property taxes and they pay a fee to Consumer Reports.  So no need to feel guilty.  This probably likewise works in most regional library systems. 

The homepage of Consumer Reports:

Top half of a Smartphone review:

Some other fun things I learned today is that the busiest day for Smartphone sales (outside of product launches) is January 2nd of every year.  Apparently, we have too much fun the day before.  Actually, 1/3 of all smart phones in the United States are lost/damaged between the hours of 9pm and 2am at the local watering holes and clubs.   But, I still love you beer. 

Anyways, why do I love Consumer Reports is simply half the businesses you visit a salesman is pushing you to making a purchase and of course get the extended warranty.  You have to get the one with the most bells and whistles.  Of course you will never use most of the features. The other half of businesses  you could set off flares and get nobody's attention and when you do find a salesperson they read the signage with you. 

Consumer Reports has worked for us before when we bought our car and kitchen appliances.  It helped with the nagging doubts in the back of one's head when you spend a lot of money. Silence!  Just wanted to share what I learned.  It is nice when spending money that you have an independent third party that does this professionally, rather than strangers comments from Topeka.    Now to go torture a salesperson at a Bell Mobile store.