Used to go up a lot with friends when I was in my 30s, but haven't been since they tightened the regulations to cross the border after September 11.

It's a fantastic international city. The saying was it that it was New York if the Swiss ran it. You can find cultures from all over the world with the food, traditions and lifestyle. Fantastic public transport, so you can dump the car and get around by subway, trolley and buses.

The drive is not bad if you just think of it in three segments: Pittsburgh to Erie, Erie to Buffalo, and Buffalo to Toronto.