U.S. State Department tells Americans to stay out of Toronto?

I thought this was a joke. A travel alert in Canada?

The G20 summit is big news around here because, well, it is taking place in Canada. Those who live in and around Toronto are not at all pleased with the upcoming gathering because of what it will do to an already stressed out traffic situation and something about a $1 Billion security tab. Fortunately we had no plans of traveling to Toronto, and now of course with an official Travel Advisory issued for Americans traveling in CANADA, we'll for sure keep our distance. Apparently, walking around downtown Toronto with a Chicago Bears shirt might not be a good idea during the last weekend in June.

From the Globe and Mail

Thursday, June 17, 2010 2:10 PM

Americans warned to stay away from Toronto during G20

The US State Department has issued a travel alert warning people about the potential disruption of the G20 summit in Toronto.

"The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Toronto, Canada to the potential for large-scale demonstrations in downtown Toronto before and during the G-20 Summit scheduled for June 26-27, 2010. This Travel Alert expires on June 28, 2010," said the alert released today.

"Previous G-20 summits have drawn large numbers of protesters and activists, and a number of groups have announced plans to demonstrate throughout downtown Toronto. Protesters are expected to gather in Toronto in the days leading up to the Summit and access to parts of the downtown area will be restricted due to security requirements. Even demonstrations that are meant to be peaceful can become violent and unpredictable. You should avoid them if at all possible. Be alert and aware of your surroundings and pay attention to what the local news media has to say."

The State department warns U.S. citizens to avoid downtown Toronto during the summit, which is pretty good advice, actually.