Transit history: taking a ride at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum

Depending on your age, you probably remember different types of streetcars and subway trains in Toronto. Remember when the Red Rocket was actually the Red Rocket? I do.

Visiting the Halton County Radial Railway and Museum is like taking a ride down memory lane. Select retired streetcars, railcars, rapid transit, locomotives, and freight and passenger trains make their home at this location just northwest of Milton (north of Campbellville) on Guelph Line.  

Stylish fall travel fashion and gear

This has been a year of travel for me, both by plane and by car. My luggage is getting banged up and my comfortable slip-on Sketchers are worn and falling apart (soon I'll have my pinkie toes poking out of the holes!). I'm starting to look around for new items to replenish my travel gear for the coming Fall and next year.

From a crinkle dress, perfect for on its own with black tights or over a pair of skinny jeans, to comfortable soft leather shoes for a long flight, to a fancy journal to record special moments of the journey - these Fall finds have caught my eye.

Patagonia crinkle dress, $89
ALDO fringed shawl, $15
Retro Pen Set: chapters.indigo.ca, $9.95
Klipsch IMAGE  Enhanced Base Noise Isolating Earphones (Amazon.ca)., $98
Diamond Floral Trinket Notebook - Black: chapters.indigo.ca|..., $17
Dr Martens | Womens 1914 grey 14 eye leather boot (Soft Moc), $190
Petite Pocket Posh Word Roundup 1 & 2: by The Puzzle Society: (Amazon.ca)..., $7.56
Missoni MM501 Sunglasses at Sunglass Hut, $193 
Ecco Lite shoes $140
Heys Blue Morpho Fashion Spinner Luggage $429
Roots Emilia bag-alberta $338
Big it Up - Floppies $45

#FF @Karenzabawa - Karen Zabawa

Karen Zabawa's Snapshot Travel Blog focuses mostly on all things Mississauga

Karen Zabawa is a Mississauga resident who is passionate about travel, writing and photography. She often writes about events and places in Mississauga on her Snapshot Journeys Travel blog, as well as on her travel information website Snapshotjourneys.com. Her favourite spots in Mississauga include Port Credit (my favourite too!) and Saddington Park.

What I like about Karen is that she records her experiences not only through words but also photos - many photos! She blogs about events, festivals, places to go and see. Her other blog is about one of Mississauga's loveliest gardens - Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens. You can find more beautiful photos taken by Karen on this blog.

I'd venture to say that she is one of Mississauga's best bloggers!

Follow Karen on Twitter: @KarenZabawa

Travel Photo: St Paul's Cathedral, London

St. Paul's Cathedral,  London

It's one of the most famous landmarks in London, U.K. St Paul's Cathedral, designed by famous architect Sir Christopher Wren, was built in the 17th century, replacing an earlier church building destroyed by the Great Fire of London of 1666.

During my visit at St Paul's Cathedral, I walked the 528 step up to the top of the dome. It's a cardio workout that taxes the legs as well. My recommendation is to do the walk up to the dome at the end of your visit in London as your leg muscles will hurt afterwards (unless you are superfit and the step machine is favourite at the gym).

The facade of St Paul's creates a beautiful contrast against a blue sky on a summer's day. This photo was taken July 2008.

Review: Kettle Creek Inn, Port Stanley

The Blackened Pickerel - delicious food, elegantly presented. Love the edible crimson flower - nice touch!

 Fine dining has a place in Port Stanley and it's at the Kettle Creek Inn. Originally built as a summer home in 1849, the building is not only an inn but also THE spot to dine when visiting this small town on Lake Erie.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, this part of Southwestern Ontario has all the right ingredients to become a new food tourism destination in Ontario. The Kettle Creek Inn restaurant is currently one of the few dining establishments in the region that is stepping up to the bar that has been set high by other food-lover destinations such as Prince Edward County or Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Five reasons why your next road trip should be along Lake Erie's north shore

A storm brewing at Port Bruce

Think you've seen all that Ontario has to offer? Hate the crazy traffic on the 400-series highways that drives you nuts when you try to escape the urban sprawl of Toronto and neighbouring cities?

For a change of pace, you may want to take a drive on country roads along the north shore of Lake Erie. This area is not congested with tourists on weekends, particularly early in the morning.  At most, you need to fear the occasional deer that may pop up to fly across the road.

There's no easy way to provide directions. This is a case of knowing where you are positioned and going constantly west... with the occasional turn onto a road south or north to further keep going west.

Why explore the areas of Norfolk, Elgin and Essex counties? Here are five reasons:

Travel Photo: Hamilton's Waterfront

Hamilton's waterfront includes both greenery and industrial views.

The Hamilton, Ontario waterfront area includes marinas, trails and parks that offer views of both green spaces (trees along the Willow Cove area near Dundurn Castle) and the industrial areas of the steel mills.

For photographers, this spot is ideal in the summertime for sailboat photography. Many can be found during this period - some of which are extremely fast if there's a good wind. Blink and they will be gone.

Photo taken: October 9, 2010.

#FF @OntWaterfalls - Ontario Waterfalls

@OntWaterfalls Facebook page is also worthy of a "Like" 

Harold Stiver has created a source for nature lovers and photographers who seek information on Ontario waterfalls. 

Via his Facebook page and twitter account @OntWaterfalls he shares information on the 600 waterfalls in Ontario, as well as photography tips, tour news and how to reach the various locations.

You can get more information, including Harold’s ratings for each location, by visiting the Ontario Waterfalls page on his website. Each waterfall is rated and includes a gorgeous photo taken by Harold.

His tweets and website is truly inspiring!

Flavours of the Biosphere - Niagara Escarpment's locally grown food video series

Flavours of the Biosphere website has a video series featuring the best recipes with locally grown foods. 

Our friends at the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Fund have launched a fantastic website - Flavours of the Biosphere, featuring an online video series with hosts Chef John Cirillo and Anthony Reagan, former Rogers Television Toronto Daytime host and radio personality. 

According to the site:

Each Flavours of the Biosphere webisode features locally-inspired dishes using fresh produce from the land and waters of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve and the Ontario Greenbelt. The series also highlights stories from the Escarpment, told by the people who live and work in the region. 

We expect to see many great recipes posted in the coming months. Here's one of the videos found on the site to whet your appetite:

Review: Inn on the Harbour in Port Stanley, Ontario

Inn on the Harbour is situated on Port Stanley's waterfront

When day tripping around Southwestern Ontario, there's no need to skimp on comfort, particularly during the hot days of summer. Our recent trip to Port Stanley and beyond required a stop over night to rest our weary bones from all the exploring we were doing.

We stayed at the Inn on the Harbour in Port Stanley, located just off the main drag of "downtown" Port Stanley with a view of the harbour. The Inn is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, offering tourists a beautiful spot, to stay overnight (check out the discount certificate online and details as to the special two-night deal).

The love affair with food trucks to continue: Food Truck Eats Part 2

Food Truck Eats Part 2 -  the line-up looks fantastic. Mouthwatering choices...

We won’t be able to make it to Food Truck Eats Part 2, and are very disappointed that we can’t sample some of the delicious foods that will most likely be offered by the exciting line-up of participating food trucks, restaurants and vendors.

Happening on August 20th 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Distillery District (55 Mill Street, Toronto), Food Truck Eats Part 2 is bound to be a jam-packed event - from the number of participants to the people lining up. Come early with a game-plan as to which trucks and vendors you want to try out. Best bet is to have a group of friends go with you and stand in line as soon as possible to get samples for you to share.

Check out our post from Food Truck Eats Part 1 for tips on how to get the best out of the experience, and how to deal with the huge line-ups of hungry people!  

Follow on Twitter: #FoodTruckEats
Facebook: Facebook.com/ontariofoodtrucks

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Travel Photo: Blue house in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic has some very interesting areas from an architectural point of view. While many homes require extensive renovations to crumbling facades, peeling paint and broken windows, there are sections such as the street in this photo where the houses are kept in top shape.

During a one day walk-around in Santo Domingo in January 2009, I found this brilliantly sea blue house in one of the small streets in the downtown area. Its vibrant colour made it stand out among other nicely-kept up homes in this street.

If travelling in the Dominican Republic off-resort, Santo Domingo is one key city that is worth at least a day's visit for a full day of walking about and getting a taste of history and urban life.

Photos of Rattray Marsh in Mississauga

A soft light at Rattray Marsh early in the morning makes for a romantic atmosphere

Mississauga has some beautiful parks and natural areas - none is as lovely as Rattray Marsh, located by Lake Ontario.

Frank and I recently took an early morning walk at Rattray Marsh with cameras in hand. Battling mosquitoes and hanging spiders, we managed to take several photos. Here are a few that I took. More can be found in my Rattray Marsh set on Flickr.

Ten things to do in Mississauga, Ontario

Celebration Square - only one of the many places to check out in Mississauga

Mississauga is not known as a tourist-oriented city. Perhaps this is because there is no dedicated tourism organization that promotes the city.

While there is a group partnered with Toronto Tourism that has a website about things to do in Mississauga, it doesn't do the city any justice when it comes to promotion - I won't even name it because it makes Mississauga look so lame (which it isn't!)

As a long-time resident of the city (25-plus years), I've seen the city grow from a hodge-podge of suburbia and farmers' fields to a vibrant urban city with many beautiful green spaces. What makes Mississauga unique is the way it has grown around the many towns such as Clarkson, Port Credit, Meadowvale, and Streetsville that united together in 1976 to become the city we know.

I've explored many areas of the city over the years, and here is my brief (not complete) list of 10 things to do here: