"Anything is possible when you fly with Virgin America and not Ryanair. I’m on a plane.”

[fluffworld]

I'm blogging at 34,000 feet. Internet access on planes may just be my new favourite thing EVER. I'm currently flying over Kansas with Virgin America and I have both a decent signal and a plug under my seat to charge my laptop. I love living in the future.

The Great WhistleStop Tours of the USA and Canada (now with Special Guests Lucy HK and coffee_lifeform has sadly come to close, after debachuery and far too much margarita drinking in New York City, Niagara, Toronto and Montreal. Here are some (probably slightly demented) tips for people thinking of making a trip from Niagara to Montreal.

• Niagara on the Canadian side has a lovely older section near the train station. Stay there and not on Clifton Hill which refers to itself as the Street of Fun but is more accurately like Vegas for kids.
• Maid of the Mists is worth doing (as it's really cheap) when you get on the boat gather in your sleeves or spray will go up them and you will spend the rest of the day damp.
• The whole blue poncho Maid of The Mist boat thing is far more fun if you see it as some sort of Smurf civil war and exodus.
  
• One day and night in Niagara is easily enough. It bills itself as the honeymoon capital and has the nickname "Viagara Falls" but with hordes of tourists and kids and tourists acting like kids, it's about as romantic as hanging out in a shopping centre creche.
• Canadians can not organise a) entry to visitor attractions - expect to queue.
• Canadians also can not queue, expect to defend from skippers, people who start a whole NEW queue and people who shove to the front and then ask, "oh, is there are line?"
• Canadians (well, the Ontarions and the Quebecois in the cities I went to, to be fair) also do not apologise for banging into you or bashing you with their bag etc. Their customer service is some of the surliest and rudest I have ever experienced. I am not sure how they got the rep for being polite.
• That said, individual Canadians are generally helpful, pleasant and funny, once they start seeing you as a person and not as a a) a *shudder* customer or b) worth 2 points in an obstacle race.
• Toronto's CN Tower is very tall and well worth the trip. But, as Canadians can not organise queues or visitor entry, allow 4 hours for a 30 min visit. They will tell you the line is smaller after 6, this is a filthy lie. Go before 11am if you can.
• In Toronto, eat on Baldwin St if you are in the Entertainment District - the food is cheaper, the places are lovely and the vibe is excellent.
  
• Likewise, Avenue Duluth in Montreal is brilliant and cheap for eats. I can recommend Arepas at 4050 - a Venezualan place that has made me determined to get to that country in the next two years.
• Have mates in both cities. If you can't manage this, get a good guide book. 
• Carry a map at all times.
• Order margaritas frequently.
• And have fun. :D