CCT: Niagara Falls
We said our goodbyes to my brother in Reston and started up toward Pennsylvania and New York. We decided to stay on the Canadian side of the border, for some reason I can’t remember now; possibly for cheaper hotel rates. Although I didn’t get any pictures of the town of Niagara Falls, Canada, believe me when I say it’s kind of an ugly little tourist town, but with some redeeming features.
The streets can be very steep, so wear some decent walking shoes. There are lots of eating establishments and entertainment venues for the traveler looking to lighten their wallets of some of their heavy dollars. Definitely worth a look around if you’re in town. We ate at a restaurant owned by Kelsey Grammer, and the food wasn’t bad, if a bit expensive (nearly $20 a person for sandwiches and a drink). We didn’t flinch at the cost, however; it’s a tourist town, that sort of thing is to be expected.
We had a mixed view from our hotel room, as you can see from the pictures in the gallery. We could see lots of lights and towers, but right below us was the dingy, dirty parking lot for the hotel. It was very well lit.
The Falls themselves are a great treat if you’ve never seen anything like them before. Watching the thousands (I’m just making this up, it could be millions or hundreds) of gallons of water pouring over the falls every second made me feel like this was an artery of the Earth, pumping blood for a giant of such magnitude that dwarfed my insignificant viewpoint. The flat ocean just doesn’t convey the same amount of power and weight that tons of water falling does. I suppose that feeling is a small part of what people on the ocean in rough weather, or people facing a tsunami, might feel.
We got the tickets to go behind the Falls, and that was a 4 on the excite-o-meter. It was a cool perspective, but it was very limited (and slippery). The real excitement was riding the Maid of the Mist. No, pervert, it’s a boat. Actually, there are several boats named Maid of the Mist with a Roman numeral following to tell them apart. If you take one of these boats, you’ll realize where they get the “Mist” part of their names.
First, you don a cheap plastic poncho. Then you take the several minute ride to the Falls, all the while hearing the roar of the water getting louder and louder. At your closest point to the Falls, the noise is deafening, and the spray is constant (and cold, depending on the weather.) Definitely an interesting and unique experience, and I highly recommend it.
See my gallery for photos and possibly more insight.