PLACES I REMEMBER - 2

“Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.” (Psalm 42:7 New King James Version)

In my first “Places I Remember” posting, I wrote about Prince Edward Island, Canada. For my second, I want to write about another Canadian location: Niagara Falls, Ontario. Ironically, Mary Ann and I spent one Canadian Thanksgiving Day in Prince Edward Island, and we spent part of another in Niagara Falls, Ontario! I’ve been to Niagara Falls several times. I know some may think it’s pricey and overrated, but I really love it.

Of course, Niagara Falls is partly in New York and partly in Ontario. You CAN go to Niagara Falls without crossing the border, but the best scenery is on the Canadian side. I know a lot of Americans may feel kind of miffed about that, but here’s the deal: the PRETTIEST side of Niagara Falls is the American side and in order to SEE and enjoy the American side, you really need to BE on the Canadian side! (As I wrote about P.E.I., keep in mind that you’ll need a current passport to travel back and forth between the U.S. and Canada.) There are really several falls there at the Niagara river...the American Falls, and adjacent to the American Falls, the Bridal Veil falls...and just a short distance away, the spectacular Horseshoe Falls.

We’ve stayed at the Horseshoe Falls Motor Inn on the Canadian side which was a pretty reasonable place. There are all sorts of restaurants there. You’ll get a chuckle that Applebee’s in Canada spells it as “neighbourhood” on their sign. My kids wanted to buy the no trans fat Oreo cookies at a convenience store in Canada...and YES they taste like cardboard! I’m so glad for good old U.S.A. Oreos! And, incidentally, if you worry about all the caffeine in Mountain Dew, you’ll love it in Canada, where Mountain Dew contains NO caffeine!

There’s so much to see and do at Niagara Falls. I could just walk by the Horseshoe Falls for hours and not get bored! No kidding! The Canadian government has a very interesting visitor centre near the falls, too. There’s the SHORTEST railroad in the WORLD at Niagara Falls, Canada. You ride it down a hill from where most of the hotels and restaurants are down to the falls area. I guess it’s not much more than a tenth of a mile down the hill, and later UP the hill when you return! Mary Ann and I went with our daughter Amy on the Maid of the Mist boat ride on another trip to Niagara Falls. (Yeah, Jon and Rachel are kind of jealous that we DIDN’T go on the Maid of the Midst ride our our Niagara Falls trip with them, but that’s the way it goes...) Of course, there’s not just ONE Maid of the Midst boat, there are several of them...some flying Canadian flags and some flying American flags. On the episode of “The Office” where Jim and Pam get married, you may recall they got married on the Maid of the Midst by the ship’s captain. They give you rain ponchos to wear during the ride and you need them! You go very close to the Horseshoe Falls and you can get soaked! The boat ride is a lot of fun. Just a short drive from the immediate Horseshoe Falls area in Ontario are a lot of places to stop and visit.

One is the Floral Clock located at 14004 Niagara Parkway, Queenston, Ontario; (behind the Sir Adam Beck Power Plant and near the Lewiston-Queenston International Bridge). The large timepiece is covered with up to 16,000 carpet bedding plants. The floral design is changed twice each year. It may sound boring, but it’s kind of a cool place to visit. We also stopped at “The Whirlpool Aero Car”. As one tourist guide says: This red-and-yellow cable-car contraption whisks you on a 1,097m (3,600-ft.) jaunt between two points in Canada. High above the Niagara Whirlpool, you'll enjoy excellent views of the surrounding landscape.” We didn’t actually go ON it, we just looked at the whirlpool and at the cable-car, but it was a fun place to stop. There’s also MarineLand, the Skylon tower and dozens of other attractions. You won’t be bored!

Some people HATE the drive from Boston to Niagara Falls as most of it is the New York Thruway which has been called “A Very Boring Road”. I don’t think it’s all that bad. Now, it tends to be HEAVILY patrolled by NY State Police, so avoid being a lead foot! I love history, so I enjoy the part of the Thruway which parallels the Erie Canal. There are also very nice service areas along the Thruway. For those who complain about the price of the MassPike, the Thruway is comparatively more expensive, but you get across New York in a few hours

On the trip with Amy, we stopped at Niagara Falls on the way to taking her to college in Springfield, Missouri for Sophomore year. (The Canadian customs guy kind of gave us a hard time about all of Amy’s stuff in the car!) That leads me to a tip: if you’re traveling to Michigan or to much of the midwest, driving across the southernmost part of Ontario can be a pleasant trip. THAT part of Ontario is actually as far SOUTH as is Massachusetts! You cross over at Niagara Falls and can drive several hours right to Port Huron, Michigan. There are lots of farms and lots of pretty scenery across Ontario...well, once you get past the industrial city of Hamilton! Mary Ann and I have driven that route a couple of times.

Yes, I really love Niagara Falls...it’s one of the interesting “Places I Remember”!