Toronto · Sept 3–7

Lasmanis family · Labor Day weekend 2026

Five days. One Tesla.
Three kids.

Nutley to Toronto the slow way, a lake house up north, then Watkins Glen and The Office on the way home. Timed to the hour, with links that open the right page.

1,200miles round trip
~23 hbehind the wheel
2border crossings
~$1.5kest. total spend
Out Thu–Fri, 480 mi
Back Sun–Mon, 540 mi
Hotel night
00

Before we leave

Book tonight. Checkboxes save on each phone, so you and Māra each tick your own list.

Bookings

Martins · tonight

Martins packs

Documents & car

Māra packs

People & snacks

01

Nutley → Grand Island

Thursday
03
The long one
I-80 → I-380 → I-81 → I-90
390 mi · ~6 h + stops
Everything packed and by the door
Load the car
Kids' bags within reach, not in the trunk.
Passport count: five. Documents. Bathrooms.
Wheels rollingDrive
Nav to the hotel and let the car plan charging. Superchargers at Stroudsburg, Scranton, Binghamton, Syracuse, Batavia.
Scranton: charge + bathrooms, 15 min
The Office stops are Monday. Not today.
Dinner, Syracuse
Destiny USA is right off I-81/I-90. Anything the kids want.
Holiday Inn Express Grand IslandSleep
2761 Long Rd, Grand Island NY 14072. Plug in. Quick swim if the pool's still open.
Directions Superchargers
!
Showers and possible thunderstorms on the route Thursday afternoon. Budget 20 extra minutes, nothing more.
02

Toronto, on foot

Border in the morning, park once at Union Station, walk everything, then north at five. Blue Jays are away, so downtown parking is easy.

Friday
04
Hockey, tower, market
Meet 17 Eastbourne Ave at 5 PM
90 mi to Toronto · 4 mi on foot
Breakfast at the hotel
Cross at Lewiston–QueenstonBorder
Check CBSA wait times before leaving. Passports out for all five, kids awake for the officer.
Park: Green P, 40 York St (Union Station)
No advance booking needed or possible: Green P is scan-in with the app, C$26 day max, 500+ spaces, and there's no Jays game. If you want a guaranteed spot anyway, SpotHero prebooks nearby garages for C$15–35. Everything until 2 PM is a walk from here.
Hockey Hall of FameTicket
30 Yonge St, Brookfield Place. Two hours. The Stanley Cup photo is the one queue worth standing in.
Lunch at St. Lawrence Market
Five minutes east. Peameal bacon sandwich at Carousel Bakery is the classic.
Walk west along Front St to the CN Tower, 20 min
CN TowerTicket
Timed entry. Glass floor is included and the 5- and 6-year-old will lose their minds. Done by 2:00.
Option A: Harbourfront walk + ice creamOptional
Ten minutes south of the tower. Back to the car by 3:30.
Option B: the CNE at Exhibition PlaceOptional
Rides, midway, farm animals, deep-fried everything. Last weekend of the year. Drive 10 min west, 90 minutes on site, leave by 3:45. Tickets. Costs more and the kids will not want to leave.
Drive north on University / Avenue RdDrive
Arrive 17 Eastbourne Ave, Forest Hill
Feed everyone, bathrooms, snacks and water into the car.
Leave for the lake houseTraffic
Hwy 400 north on Labor Day Friday at 5 PM: plan on 3 h+ for a 2 h drive. Supercharge in Barrie to 100%.
Hotel → Union Union → Eastbourne
!
If the 5 PM meet can move to 4 PM, do it. Every 30 minutes earlier on the 400 is real time saved. If it can't, pick Option A, not B.
03

Lake house

Fri night – Sun
05
No schedule
~2 h north of Toronto, Hwy 400
Address: still needed
Arrive late, plug in the car
Ask the host for an outdoor outlet. Two nights on 120 V adds roughly 80–100 km, enough to reach Barrie comfortably Sunday. A dryer outlet (NEMA 14-30/14-50) is better if you have the adapter.
Lake. Kids. Sleep.
Pack the car after lunch, not at 2:30
Departure is 2:30–3 PM. Kids fed, bathrooms done, car at 60%+.
Superchargers, Ontario
04

Lake house → Rochester

The 407 skips Toronto entirely. Check the border at Grimsby and pick the bridge then, not before.

Sunday
06
Back over the border
400 → 407 → QEW → I-90
~290 mi · 5.5–6 h with border
Leave the lake houseDrive
Barrie Supercharger if needed, 10–15 min
Take the 407 ETR west (toll)
No transponder needed, billed to the plate by mail. Worth every dollar today.
Grimsby: dinner + check the border
US CBP wait times. If Lewiston–Queenston shows 90+ min, take the Peace Bridge; same distance to Rochester.
Cross into the USBorder
Passports + status docs for all five. Declare food. No fruit surprises.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Rochester-WebsterSleep
860 Holt Rd, Webster NY 14580. Plug in overnight.
Directions from Barrie 407 ETR
05

Watkins Glen, Scranton, home

Labor Day. The gorge first while parking still exists, a shortened Office loop, home for dinner.

Monday
07
Gorge, then Dunder Mifflin
I-390 → NY-14 → I-86 → I-81 → I-80
250 mi · 1.75 + 2.75 + 2 h
Breakfast at the hotel
Early on purpose. Labor Day at the Glen: the main lot is full by 10.
Leave RochesterDrive
I-390 south, then NY-14 down the west shore of Seneca Lake. 1 h 45.
Watkins Glen State Park, Gorge TrailNew
Main entrance, 1009 N Franklin St. $10 per car. Walk up the gorge: 1.5 mi, 19 waterfalls, 832 stone steps, you walk behind Cavern Cascade. Kids 5/6/10 do this fine at their pace; the 5-year-old may need a shoulder for the last stretch. Allow 2 h. Sneakers, not sandals: the steps are wet.
Shuttle back down from the Upper entrance
$5 per person, runs every 20–30 min through Labor Day. Saves the kids' legs and 45 minutes.
Quick lunch in Watkins Glen village
Anything on N Franklin St. 45 min max, then go.
Leave for ScrantonDrive
NY-14 → I-86 east → I-81 south. 2 h 45. Supercharge in Horseheads or Binghamton if under 40%.
Scranton, The Office loop, short version
Penn Paper "Welcome to Scranton" sign at 215 Vine St → Electric City sign, Courthouse Square → Cooper's Seafood House for a photo and ice cream, 701 N Washington Ave. 60 minutes total. Poor Richard's and Alfredo's only if everyone is still smiling.
Leave ScrantonDrive
I-380 → I-80 east. Labor Day evening traffic into NJ is real; expect 2 h 15.
HomeDone
Order dinner from the car.
Rochester → Watkins Glen Watkins Glen → ScrantonPark infoScranton → HomeOffice fan map
06

Budget, roughly

Estimates for 2 adults + kids 5, 6, 10. Canadian prices shown in C$ and converted at ~0.73. Taxes included where I know them. Expect ±15%.

Fixed

Booked or ticketed

  • Thu · Holiday Inn Express Grand Island, incl. tax$190
  • Sun · Holiday Inn Express Rochester-Webster, incl. tax$170
  • Hockey Hall of Fame · 2 × C$29.95 + 3 × C$19.95 + HSTC$135 · $100
  • CN Tower · 2 adult, 2 youth, 1 child (5) + HSTC$190 · $140
  • Parking · Green P 40 York, day maxC$26 · $19
  • 407 ETR · Vaughan → Burlington, camera-billedC$45 · $33
  • Watkins Glen · parking $10 + shuttle 5 × $5$35
  • Charging · ~330 kWh, 2 nights free at hotels$110
  • Fixed subtotal≈ $795

Variable

Food & optional

  • Thu dinner, Syracuse$70
  • Fri · St. Lawrence Market lunchC$70 · $50
  • Fri · dinner on the 400 / at the lakeC$80 · $60
  • Sat–Sun · lake house groceries (your share)C$150 · $110
  • Sun · dinner in GrimsbyC$80 · $60
  • Mon · lunch in Watkins Glen + Cooper's ice cream$90
  • Snacks, coffee, ice cream, five days$80
  • HHOF shop (a jersey will be requested)C$80 · $60
  • Optional · CNE, 5 tickets + midwayC$220 · $160
  • Variable subtotal≈ $580 · $740 with CNE
$
Total ≈ $1,375, or ≈ $1,535 with the CNE. Cards work everywhere; bring C$40 cash for midway games and tips. IHG points on both nights, so book those direct.
07

The boring, important bits

Border

  • Passports for all five. EU passports by land: no eTA needed. Rules
  • US re-entry: green cards or visa + I-94 for everyone. Originals.
  • Into Canada (CBSA) · Into the US (CBP)
  • Lewiston–Queenston first, Peace Bridge fallback, never Rainbow Bridge.
  • Money: cards work everywhere in Ontario. No cash needed except CNE midway games.

Addresses

  • Thu: Holiday Inn Express Grand Island, 2761 Long Rd, Grand Island NY 14072
  • Parking: Green P, 40 York St, Toronto
  • Hockey Hall of Fame: 30 Yonge St
  • St. Lawrence Market: 93 Front St E
  • CN Tower: 290 Bremner Blvd
  • CNE: Exhibition Place, 100 Princes' Blvd
  • Meet: 17 Eastbourne Ave, Toronto M5P 2E8, 5 PM
  • Sun: HIE & Suites Rochester-Webster, 860 Holt Rd, Webster NY 14580
  • Mon: Watkins Glen State Park, 1009 N Franklin St, Watkins Glen NY 14891
  • IHG central: 1-888-465-4329

Tesla

  • Superchargers on every leg; US account bills normally in Canada.
  • Both hotels have Level 2 chargers. Plug in every night.
  • Mobile connector for the lake house.
  • 407 ETR bills out-of-province plates by mail; if no bill arrives in 60 days, nothing to do.
?
Still open: lake house address and host phone (needed for the map and for Māra), and whether the 5 PM meet can move earlier. Everything else is decided.