A taste of the Big Apple

New York City had been on my list of places to visit for some time now, so when it was finally booked and my last stop before returning home, I couldn't wait for it to arrive! What I wasn't prepared for though was the weather - we just happened to be there for the hottest week of the summer where high temperatures and New York's humidity equalled quite a sticky situation.

Besides the weather I thoroughly enjoyed the trip with Malado and her sister for five days (which wasn't long enough). Here are my top 10 from my trip to the Big Apple.

1) Bike riding through and around Central Park

2) Time Square at night

3) Spending the day with my family who I met for the first time and enjoying an American BBQ

4) Shopping - all the best brands!

5) Magnolia Bakery and other locations from some of my favourite TV series'

6) Rooftop bars in the Meatpacking District

7) View of the Statue of Liberty on the ferry to Statton Island

8) View of Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge

9) Going to a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx

10) Grand Central Station... just like the movies!

I'm going to Toronto...

An eight hour flight and five hour time difference took we across the Atlantic Ocean to Toronto, Canada. I spent the next five days with an amazing friend I met four years ago while travelling on a bus tour around Europe. Malado greeted me at the airport and we made our way to her condo in downtown Toronto - I love condos!!

Quality time with my girl on top of her condo

Over the five days Malado showed me around her city, we hung out with her friends and family, enjoyed the nightlife and celebrated my 25th birthday together.

Some of the top things to do in Toronto are:

1) CN Tower - take a lift up the CN Tower, Toronto's tallest building, to get a 360 degree view of Toronto. Malado treated me to lunch at the 360 restaurant on the very top of the tower where we enjoyed a three course set menu.

CN Tower

Toronto from above

Birthday lunch at 360 restaurant overlooking Toronto

2) Niagara Falls - take a road trip to Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake for the day. Buy a ticket for Maid of the Mist and take a boat to America's falls and Canada's falls where you end up soaked from the mist of the falls. Niagara is also home to Toronto's nearest casino. On the way home stop past Niagara on the Lake for more beautiful scenery.

Picturesque Niagara

Soaked on the Maid of the Mist tour

Niagara Falls - America (left) & Canada (right)

Niagara on the Lake

3) Centre Island - Take a 10 minute ferry across Lake Ontario to Centre Island for the day. Enjoy a Canadian lunch and hire some bikes to explore the island.

Centre Island

Hamburger and sweet potato chips!

Bike riding at Centre Island

4) Try some Canadian beer - Steam Whistle Brewery is in the heart of Toronto.

Steam Whistle Brewery

Enjoying a sample of Steam Whistle

5) Other cool things to see and explore are Dundas Square (a mini Times Square), The Real Sports Bar & Grill (one of North America's largest), Toronto's underground city which is populated during winter, Tim Hortons coffee, a meal at Swiss Chalet and Toronto's nightlife.

Dundas Square

Toronto from a rooftop bar

Coffee time!