Countries With the Most Billionaires

Despite global economic uncertainties, the euro zone debt crisis, and fears of a hard landing in China, the mega-rich the one percent of the one percent have had a great year.

The 8 Best Fall Festivals for Families

Now that we've all gone apple picking you might be wondering, what left is there to do beyond trick or treating? I'm here to tell you! Festival season is far from over and it's always a thrifty route that's well worth looking into. Check out 8 of the best fall festivals (in the world!) for the whole family:

1. Keene Pumpkin Festival - New Hampshire, Oct. 20

Vancouver City

Introduction
Even the ample rain doesn't dampen the good times. There aren't many cities in the world that offer Vancouver's combination of big-city lifestyle and outdoor fun in such cheek-by-jowl proximity. Ski in the morning, sail in the afternoon and still make it back to town in time for a cocktail or three.

Vancouver is still a city of new immigrants - wander the streets and you'll hear a dozen different languages. The city also attracts young professionals and artists from the eastern provinces who come here to enjoy its recreation and laid-back sophistication.

Vancouver lies in the southwestern corner of British Columbia, the southwesternmost province in Canada. It's on the Pacific coast, backed by the Coast Mountains and fronting Vancouver Island across Georgia Strait. The city is 40km (25mi) north of the US border, 73km (45mi) north of Victoria (the capital of British Columbia) and 189km (117mi) north of Seattle. Downtown and the major neighborhoods are on a small peninsula, surrounded by English Bay on the west and the Burrard Inlet on the east. To the north of Burrard Inlet lie West and North Vancouver and the Coast Mountains. Bays, inlets and river branches, as well as the Pacific coastline, are major features of the city. The downtown peninsula is separated from the southern section of the city by the narrow inlet of False Creek. The centre of downtown is Pacific Centre, a three-block complex of offices, restaurants, shops and theaters at the corner of Robson and Howe Sts. Robson and Georgia Sts (two blocks north) are the two principal northwest-southeast streets. Both run into Stanley Park, the city's largest park, which occupies the tip of the peninsula. Chinatown, the West End and other major neighborhoods are within walking distance of downtown.

Destination Facts
Time zone: GMT -8
Area: 107
Coordinates: 49.2742996216 latitude and -122.963066101 longitude
Population: 2100000
Languages: English and French are the country's two official languages, though the province of New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual area in the country. You will, however, notice both languages on maps, tourist brochures and product labels.The French spoken in the province of Qu é bec has a rich local vocabulary, its own idioms and sayings and a range of accents. If you speak standard French, Qu é becers will have no problem understanding you. Also note that within the province of Qu é bec, French is legally the only official language and, outside of tourist areas, English is not widely spoken.
Currency: Canadian Dollar (C$)
Daylight Saving: From second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November
Area codes: 604

Getting around There
Vancouver International Airport is the West Coast's main hub for airlines from across Canada, the US and international locales. The main intercity bus terminal is at Pacific Central Station, and trains trundle in from across Canada and the USA northwest at Pacific Central Station. You can drive from the USA and other parts of Canada to Vancouver; the major highways are the I-5 (joining with Hwy 99) from the USA, and the Trans-Canada Hwy (Hwy 1) joining with Hwy 99 from the east.

It's a breeze getting around Vancouver, with SkyTrain, Canada Line, bus and SeaBus public transportation options available. All of these services are overseen by Translink.

Weather
Vancouver has one of the mildest climates in the country. It rarely snows in the city, and when it does, for maybe a week or two over winter, it tends to melt quickly or get washed away by the rain. Conversely, it seldom gets oppressively hot. What Vancouver is guaranteed to get - by the bucketload - is wet. The surrounding mountains, which on a clear day look close enough to touch, disappear completely when the clouds settle in and the rain pours down, which can be for days on end.

Places of Interest
There aren't many cities in the world that offer Vancouver's combination of big-city lifestyle and outdoor fun in such cheek-by-jowl proximity. Ski in the morning, sail in the afternoon and still make it back to town in time for a cocktail or three. Vancouver is still a city of new immigrants - wander the streets and you'll hear a dozen different languages. The city also attracts young professionals and artists from the eastern provinces who come here to enjoy its recreation and laid-back sophistication.

Events
Just about any month you visit Vancouver there will be a festival of some sort taking place. The city kicks off the year with an icy dip in English Bay called the Polar Bear Swim, a New Year's Day event since 1920. The city's thriving Chinatown is the center of February's Chinese New Year celebrations, which feature dancing dragons, parades and the constant crackle of firecrackers. June heats up with the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. July starts with Canada Day Celebrations on the 1st and mid-July's Vancouver Folk Music Festival is three days of concerts and workshops with some of North America's best musicians. There's also Dancing on the Edge, Theatre Under the Stars, Vancouver International Comedy Festival and the highly regarded Vancouver Chamber Music Festival. From mid-August through Labor Day, the Pacific National Exhibition offers a little bit of everything - parades, livestock shows, concerts, sporting events and carnival rides. Gay Pride Day happens the first Sunday in August. The Vancouver International Fringe Festival, held from early to mid-September, is a mix of drama, musicals, comedy and dance from around the world. Vancouver International Film Festival gets it all happening for the celluloid community. October hosts the Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival, and the uniquely Vancouver tradition of the Christmas Carolship Parade brings.

Montreal City

Introduction
Eurochic beauty, a flaneur's delight and a bilingual culturefest. Montreal's charm lies in its old-world atmosphere rather than its star attractions. Nonetheless, this city of immigrants has managed to carve out a place for itself as Quebec's economic and cultural centre. That it's friendly and easy to get around helps.

Destination Facts
Time zone: GMT -5
Area: 449
Coordinates: 45.541015625 latitude and -73.6535339355 longitude
Population: 3400000
Area codes: 514

Getting There
Montreal has a notoriously arctic winter (December-March) that makes it great as a base for winter sports, but with the sort of spiteful temperatures that would probably frighten a polar bear. Thankfully, Montreal gets around the problem with its 'Underground City', a unique climate-controlled labyrinth of 2000 shops and 29km (18mi) of corridors. This makes the city an alluring year-round tourist drawcard - a winter wonderland during the cold season and warm, long, lazy nights in the summer. Late May to early September is peak tourist time and sees a seamless procession of festivals, including the legendary Jazz Festival and the Grand Prix, take over the town.

Getting there and away
Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (PET), also known as Montr é al Trudeau Airport, is about 21km (13mi) west of downtown and is the centre of domestic, US and overseas flights. PET Airport (coded as YUL) has good connections to the city by either car, bus or metro (subway). The Qu é b é cois Bus Company runs A é robus shuttles from PET Airport to downtown. At Station A é robus, a smaller shuttle will pick you up and drop you anywhere in central downtown, free of charge. Driving to downtown Montreal from PET Airport will take roughly 20 or 30 minutes, although rush hour can extend your travelling time.

Getting around
Montreal has a very extensive and extremely practical subway-bus network. The western sectors of the city are reachable by suburban trains from the Bonaventure and Vend é me stations. Although quite heavy, automobile traffic flows reasonably well. Try not to drive in Old Montreal, where the streets are narrow and often congested. Tourist offices and bicycle-rental facilities can provide excellent maps of cycle paths and routes. If you are tempted to try an organised bus tour, various options are available, one of which allows you to visit the city and to get on and off where you like.

Weather
Although Montreal does enjoy four seasons, winter and summer are the most prominent. Spring is very short, and the first hints of autumn begin in mid-August. Winter starts in October and lasts until early May. The average January temperature is -18° C (-4° F).

Places of Interest
Montreal's charm lies in its old-world atmosphere rather than its star attractions. Nonetheless, this city of immigrants has managed to carve out a place for itself as Quebec's economic and cultural centre. That it's friendly and easy to get around helps.

Toronto City

Introduction
Get to know Toronto and its slow-growing pleasures. Although the famous Niagara Falls are nearby, Toronto isn't a city with a checklist full of attractions. But its summer festivals, the spicy corners of its markets, the beachfront boardwalks and the music pouring out of its neighborhood eateries will slowly and surely seduce you.

This is Canada's business capital and largest city: a clean, safe and vibrant metropolis where real estate prices are high and blood pressure levels are low. The center of Anglo-Canadian culture and media, it's also one of the great ethnic melting pots of the world.

Capital of the province of Ontario, Toronto sits in the heart of the Great Lakes region of southeastern Canada, on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The city is 350km (220mi) southwest of Ottawa, 500km (310mi) southwest of Montr é al, 560km (350mi) west of New York City and 335km (210mi) northeast of Detroit. The downtown area is clasped on almost all sides by a hotchpotch of bohemian, ethnic and historic neighborhoods, with the remaining southern edge crisply defined by Lake Ontario, one of North America's Great Lakes. Yonge St, the main north-south artery, stretches about 18km (11mi) north from Lake Ontario through the central downtown area and beyond the city's northern boundary. Bloor, Queen and College Sts are the main east-west streets. At the lakeshore (south) end of Yonge St is the semi-developed Harbourfront area. Two blocks west is the CN Tower and the SkyDome, Toronto's vast sports arena. North of the arena, Chinatown starts along Dundas St, just west of Yonge. Just north of that is the bustling university area and Yorkville, and to the west, Little Italy and The Annex. To the east of downtown lies Cabbagetown, an increasingly gentrified neighborhood that retains some Irish immigrant character. The Toronto Islands sit not far offshore in Lake Ontario.

Getting There
Toronto is served by two airports: Pearson International Airport and the Toronto City Centre Airport. Pearson is by far the busiest airport in Canada. The smaller Toronto City Centre Airport is used by regional and charter airlines. Numerous Ontario buses and Canada-US Greyhound buses leave from the Metro Toronto Coach Terminal at the corner of Bay and Dundas Sts. The US Amtrak train company also runs services between the US and Canada. If you're driving, Toronto is served by expressways from all directions. Expect congestion.

Getting around
Despite its size, Toronto is a very walkable city and its grid layout makes it relatively simple to navigate. It has a good subway, bus and streetcar system, operating under the umbrella of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Traffic congestion and expensive parking makes driving a better bet for out-of-town excursions. Toronto's taxis are reliable, and in summer sweaty pedicabbies trawl the theater and Yorkville districts. Ferries will take you to the Toronto Islands, and GO Trains leave from Union Station for points throughout the Toronto suburbs.

Destination facts
Time zone: GMT -5
Area: 632
Coordinates: 43.7207679749 latitude and -79.4126358032 longitude
Population: 5110000
Languages: English and French are the country's two official languages, though the province of New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual area in the country. You will, however, notice both languages on maps, tourist brochures and product labels.The French spoken in the province of Qu é bec has a rich local vocabulary, its own idioms and sayings and a range of accents. If you speak standard French, Qu é becers will have no problem understanding you. Also note that within the province of Qu é bec, French is legally the only official language and, outside of tourist areas, English is not widely spoken.
Currency: Canadian Dollar (C$)
Daylight Saving: From secondSunday in March to first Sunday in November
Area codes: There are a number of different area codes, each integrated into the phone number. Downtown phone numbers take the 416 (and sometimes 647) area code, while telephone numbers within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) typically have the 905 area code.

Weather
Compared to the rest of Canada, Toronto has a relatively mild weather pattern. Summer temperatures average 20-23 ° C (68-73 ° F) and can get up to 30 ° C (86 ° F). Autumn and spring tend toward clear, warm sunny days and winter, though the temperature can plummet quickly, is on average a manageable -6 ° C (21 ° F). Big snowstorms happen two or three times per winter.

Events
All of Toronto's main festivals and events take place between May and October, when there's little chance of snow and plenty of light by which to see them. Summertime festivals begin with mid-June's Caravan, a nine-day cultural exchange between the city's ethnic groups. The annual Pride Week culminates in an outrageous out-of-the-closet parade on Church St. The excellent Downtown Jazz Festival attracts local and international players in June and early July. With scarcely a beat lost, Toronto's music scene segues neatly into the Toronto Bluesfest, enlivening the Harbourfront in early July. Also in July, flags drop at the Molson Grand Prix. In August, Caribana, an ever-growing Caribbean festival, celebrates with a weekend of reggae, steel drum and calypso music and dance. Its finale, and main attraction, is a huge Rio-esque parade. Come September, the internationally renowned Toronto International Film Festival has cinema buffs swooning in the aisles. And for the bookish at heart, the Harbourfront International Festival of Authors, in late September and early October, is the largest literary event of its kind anywhere.