Hiya guys! I'm in Toronto now, such a beautiful city, and will be spending 7 days here with lots and lots to do. After my last blog post, Emily and I went to dinner at a theme restaurant in Times Square called Bubba Gump Shrimp - lots and lots of Forrest Gump paraphernalia and themed shrimp dishes. I had a smoothie called Jenny's Favourite, and it was delicious!! Strawberries and vanilla and lusciousness. There was also a sign by the table saying 'Run Forrest Run' or 'Stop Forrest Stop', indicating whether or not you wanted a drink refill, and a ping pong bat for a menu! Brilliant!

After dinner we made our way to the Empire State Building - the queues were non-existent thankfully and we had pre-booked so we were allowed straight up, and were actually able to get to the side this time. It was just as spectacular as I remembered 4 years ago, although my legs were wobbling so badly and my heart was in my throat - I never knew I had a problem with heights! There was one funny moment where Emily pointed out a row of white lights and a row of red lights and said 'Are they cars there?' and I said 'They can't be - they aren't moving and they're all the same colour!' And then I realised they were in a traffic jam....

The next day we decided to walk all the way from the top of Central Park to Times Square - such a beautiful walk and we just chatted the whole way. We then met up with one of Emily's friends and walked down 5th Avenue looking at all the shops. Visited the big Apple Store and Fao Schwarz, where there's a big piano on the floor from the movie 'Big' that you can play with your feet! I had met another girl called Emily in my dorm room and she asked me later if I wanted to go for dinner so we went to Applebee's in Times Square - good food, good service and good atmosphere. I was absolutely shattered after the long day so had a good night's sleep!

Emily was due to leave the following morning so we had a picnic at the hostel (it was raining outside) and I wandered around for a lot of the day. I picked up my ticket to see Stomp, saw Washington Square Park and Grand Central Station, and it felt really nice to have some time to myself. On Sunday I went kayaking on the Hudson - completely free - and it was so much fun! I'm still pretty good at canoeing, it was a gorgeous day and you can see New Jersey on the other side. So peaceful. Met a girl called Sarah there and we hung out in the day, walking around Times Square and 5th Avenue after a failed Midtown tour which was quite frankly rubbish. She decided to buy a ticket to see Stomp with me that night and it was absolutely amazing!!! Funny, amazing percussion and lots of audience participation - I recommend it wholeheartedly! After that we had some drinks at the hostel and went to bed.

The next day I did the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island - I actually cried at both because I was listening to an audio tour and all the personal testimonies were so heartbreaking but also inspirational. I took the megabus overnight that night and was really nervous because the bus stop was in a derelict part of the city, and it was just me walking there. Luckily I met two girls from Manchester going on the same bus, and the bus was really comfy - free wi-fi, lots of room. So I got to Toronto feeling very happy and relaxed. Away from the chaos and bustle of New York, I realised that cities like that are great for a few days, and I saw a lot, but I was glad to leave and to be in a more serene, beautiful part of the world. The hostel here is much nicer too, nicer people and a nice location. Not as crowded and not as humid either!! Check back with you soon in a few days, missing you all!!!!