Sam the Record Man is an unique retail record store in downtown Toronto. Rumours of its
imminent death over Christmas turn out to be premature, as the founder's heirs rallied to buy Sams out of bankruptcy.
The chess tables outside Sams are still there, but the Yonge Street strip is in transition, much the same as Times Square in NYC. International brands, GAP, HMV, Guess and Hard Rock Cafe are transforming the look and feel of this retail neighbourhood. (Note that Canadians put u in neighbor.)
Americans visiting Toronto really notice the money. Greenbacks go much further that our coloured money. I think Canadian currency really took a turn for the worse, when our paper dollar was replaced by a coin dubbed the Loonie because it had the bird on the first minting. The loon is not on all the coins now, but the handle stuck and now our Canadian dollar, as a currency, is almost
officially known as a "loonie" ... how looney is that! Is it any wonder 1 US Dollar (USD) = 1.61230 Canadian Dollar (CAD) today. American tourists gotta love that!
Excess taxation is a Canadian tradition, so our retail purchases have a 7% GST, Goods and Services Tax, on top of an 8% PST, Provincial Sales Tax. The good news for our American friends is that these taxes are only applied to residents, and our tourist guests can get a full refund. Party on!