My time in Buffalo began with an eight hour journey from New York City, during which Kevin took the wheel and I took charge of keeping him entertained with conversation, fuelled by a disturbingly colourful Kit-Kat purchased in a half abandoned petrol station in the middle of nowhere. I thus started my visit to Kevin and James’ place as I meant to go on: putting the world to rights while nattering the hours away with Kev.
Once in Buffalo, we realised that I’d pretty much seen and done everything there is to see and do in the city during my first visit, so my time there turned out to be a rather relaxed affair. I went for walks, visited the school where James works as a teacher, and bought an obscene amount of the world’s best chocolate-coated honeycomb at a pretty little shop in the city centre.
One of the highlights of the trip was a day out at Six Flags Darien Lake, a theme park which I dragged James to while Kevin was at work. I initially just wanted to bag as many new coaster credits as I could, but it turned out to be a wonderful chance to spend time with James without Kevin around. I love Kevin dearly, but I also know we can get quite intensely engrossed in our conversation once the two of us get chatting.
But chat we did, and right until the end, when Kevin dropped me off outside my hotel as I prepared to spend the last few days of my holiday in Toronto. Kevin and I had visited for a day trip in the past, but this time I had the chance to explore a little further, and I must admit that liked what I found.
From its graffiti-filled alleys to the delicious street food in its markets, Toronto offered a lot more than I could ever imagine. Whether exploring the university campus by day or waltzing along the waterfront by night, I discovered that the city reminded me of a more European version of New York City, combining the best of both continents in one vibrant and chaotic package.
I fell slightly in love with Toronto those last few days, even if it tried to kill me. You see, I spent the last evening having a lovely soak in my hotel’s bath, but the bathtub was deep and the floor, slippy as hell. You can imagine the scene…
