The weekend prior, my girls and I embarked on a 12 hour bus ride from Manhattan to Toronto -- needless to say, it wasn't the easiest task. The basics of our trip consisted of travel, food, stay, and it goes without saying, fun! Traveling solely with my companions was a first for me, as I've only done trips involving some sort of parental or guardian supervision. However, with the tips and tricks we managed to pick up along the way, as well as the memories we made, this trip became an unforgettable experience.
We spent a total of 24ish hours in transit -- 12 hours up, 12 hours down
Our bus was supposed to leave from Port Authority at 7:30 but we didn't actually get to leave until 8:45. On top of that, we were scrambling to help a girl on board find her missing passport (Thankfully, we found it before leaving!). The rides themselves weren't too terrible, other than the fact that I'm 5"8 and barely had any leg room. However, I made sure to utilize the few rest stops we made with some very much needed stretching.
Uber was a god-sent gift
I don't think we could have done nearly as much as we did without the sake of Uber. Funny enough, the majority of my expenses were through Uber. The amazing thing too is, Ubers are cheaper in Toronto than they are in the U.S.!
Tim Hortons was quite literally on every block
From the four days my girls and I stayed in Canada for, we had probably seen--no exaggeration--twenty different Tim Hortons restaurants during our day-to-day travels. Sadly however, I don't think it compared nearly as well as our own Dunkin Donuts.
The CN Tower really does give you a breath-taking view
147 stories off the ground, my girls and I were absolutely mesmerized at how vast the city of Toronto was. The cars below looked like ants in comparison to everything else. I, although being somewhat afraid of heights, found myself in total awe at the sight of the infrastructure below and the endless sky above.
The jellyfish exhibit is by far the best exhibit at Ripley's Aquarium
I've never been one to visit aquariums all too much, but Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto made me regret that fact. The fish exhibits were spectacular, as well as the moving walkways through the fish tank tunnels. The best exhibit however had to be the one with the jellyfishes, because you got to see up close and personal all sorts of different species.
It isn't a gal's trip without a lasting memory -- @NewTribeTattoo provided us with exactly that
The four of us got brand new piercings to commemorate the trip. I got my second holes done by Daryl, or @_hates_usernames, aka the same guy who pierced Shawn Mendes' helix!
Surprisingly, Niagara Falls isn't as exciting as it's hyped up to be
All my life, I've heard that it's a necessity to go see the falls when you go to Canada. To me however, they were somewhat of a let down. Yes, the falls were vast and the energy from the people was pleasant, but the overall area lacked the excitement I was hoping for.
The best way to describe Toronto is, a cleaner and friendlier version of New York!
The population is lower, the streets are cleaner, and the people are far less ruder (unless you count that one old lady who cussed me out for not moving out of her way but). Coming back to the dump that is New York made me appreciate the cleanliness of Toronto a little bit more, and I can only hope my trip back to Toronto will come sooner than later.
