A Tale of Two Niagaras

Tony getting soaked at 'Cave of
the Winds'

Tony and I on the 'Maid of the Mist'

Two years ago I was in Niagara Falls, staying on the Canadian side and wondering about the mysterious town of Niagara, NY, that lay across the river.  Well this time we are staying in that mysterious town, and it's quite a contrast to the Las Vegas-style glitz and glamour over the river in Canada.  It's trying hard, little Niagara, NY, but it's quite sad really. Many of the buildings are empty and derelict, there aren't half as many things to do, AND the view of both falls is nothing like as good as you get on the Canadian side.  This said however, it also means the queues for attractions here are not as horrendous as Canada.  We got straight onto the Maid of the Mist boat without a long queue, but over the river on the Canadian side you could see a very long line of blue-raincoated figures waiting for their turn to board the boat. We got way wetter and had more fun in the 'Cave of the Winds' walk than I did in the 'Walk behind the falls' walk over in Canada.  There are more untamed green spaces over here on the US side, including Goat Island and the delightful '3 Sisters' islands, which poke right out into the maelstrom of current and foam near the edge of the Horseshoe Falls, with nary a safety railing or fence between you and the water.  And boy, our hotel room afforded one perfect view of the fireworks show!

View of our hotel from Goat island

Our Hotel, the Giacomo, was bought five years ago for $1 plus back taxes, as a derelict former office building.  It's a magnificent thing that they've now restored, and just wonderful to stay in for an architect such as Tony!  But around us most of the other buildings are derelict, which is such a shame. They really need to figure out a way to rejuvenate this area to compete with Canada.

We walked over the Rainbow Bridge into Canada last night, just so Tony could get a look at the illuminated night view of both the American and Horseshoe falls (yes, the view from Canada of the falls IS 500% better than on the US side). It was very strange to be back - to see the Motel I stayed in 2 years ago, to see everything the same as before.  We had a passport check on both sides of the bridge, but basically it was very easy to switch between the two countries.  I got 2 'Hard Rock Cafe' magnets, one from Niagara,Canada and one from Niagara, USA, in one night - quite an achievement!

Fireworks above the Falls

Anyway, tomorrow we must leave this little Niagara and travel way down to Washington DC by Amtrak.  Our first Amtrak trip was getting up here, and it was an extremely long way (9 hours), but I guess it beats driving.  We saw lots of interesting sights from the train, including lovely little towns, lots of interesting buildings, old derelict places and rivers and lakes.  The train seat was more comfy than a plane seat, but sitting for that length of time without exercising you just feel all lethargic.  Might have to do some jogging in the aisles!

To view pictures from our stay in Niagara, click here.