ERIE
Erie was not only freezing cold (-1 F); with no snow on the ground, it was also dreary. I thought there was always snow in Erie in middle of winter. Fortunately, it snowed a little the following day, but not enough to take the kids sleigh riding. At least it made the scenery pretty, and added ambiance to the long, relaxing weekend. All we did was hang out by the fire with family and friends, and play games. We went out to dinner only once, to try out the new "Japanese Steak House." The food was good, reasonable (chicken and steak hibachi: $18), but there was something wrong with the heat. It was so cold that customers who were not sitting near the hibachi grill had to keep their jackets and hats on. But the kids' reaction to the entertaining hibachi chef was worth it. Japanese Steak House & Lounge, 970 Millcreek Mall, Erie, PA; tel.: 814-868-7999.

ERIE TO TORONTO
Although Toronto is only 200 miles from Erie there is no easy, inexpensive way to get there. If you fly you have to connect through one of the airlines' hub cities (unless of course you've got a private jet). But my name is Johnny Jet, not Johnny Rockefeller, so I looked for the quickest, most economical way. There is no train, and renting a car one way is not cheap. A bus was the cheapest alternative ($32), but with a lengthy layover and change in Buffalo would add 1 to 3 hours to the trip. Fortunately, a friend in Toronto was willing to pick me up halfway, so I took the Greyhound to Buffalo ($13). The quick 2-hour trip included a stop in Fredonia, NY to pick up some passengers. (A nonstop bus is also available at an earlier time; it saves another 15 minutes.) I would not recommend the bus to everyone, because every time I go Greyhound there's at least one sketchy person on board. TIP: The best and safest place to sit to avoid "crazies" is up front, near the driver. Of course, when I boarded the bus the only open seat was way in the back -- the second to last row. Everyone back there was twice my size, and they were talking about how they had just gotten out of jail. No lie! To avoid making any unintentionally provoking facial expressions I quickly donned earphones, sunglasses and a baseball cap (it makes me look tougher), and kept to myself. But the ex-cons turned out to be cool � and they were Yankee fans! Link to Greyhound website; 800-231-2222.