Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls was not on my Top 10 list of places to visit this year, but when a friend you haven't seen in over 30 years, and who lives on the other side of the globe, says he'll be in Niagara Falls for two days and would love to catch up, priorities shift. It also helped the trip was a few days after Yoran, our exchange student, left leaving me feeling nostalgic for my year abroad. Yoran doesn't realize how easy he has it to stay in touch -- between social media and free ways to text and send emails, there barriers are eliminated for keeping in touch.

Don and I drove to Niagara Falls. It was our first international trip since COVID. A hoop has been added since then -- we have to download the ArriveCAN app and declare in advance which border we plan to cross at, and specify the time. I reality, you can enter this information while you are in line at the border (spoiler alert). It does help if you enter the information beforehand, including pictures of your passport and COVID vaccine card. I will add it feels like an extra burden for people who do not have smart phones, though they do say you can go to the website to enter the information, which means it is still a burden to someone like Don's mom or aunt who did not have a smart phone, a computer, or even an email address. Feeling that was not my battle, and being a rule follower, I pressed forward and did as told.

We crossed the border in about 15 minutes. Absolutely no hurdles. The information was magically linked to my passport. We drove past the AAA stadium in Buffalo, NY where the Buffalo Bisons play (last year they played in Trenton). While it is undeniably a gorgeous stadium, it is RIGHT on the highway. 

From the border we drove to our hotel, the Sterling Inn and Spa. As it is likely the fanciest hotel I will ever stay in, I'm sharing pictures.

A treat, yet also a frustration, was that (due to the restaurant still being closed due to COVID) breakfast was included in the room. It was a frustration because we planned to meet up with Andrew and his daughter, Emma, in the restaurant to talk about the day. Instead, we met after breakfast and sat in chairs in the hallway.

As we arrived the night before Andrew and Emma, Don and I walked around Niagara Falls. The big attraction is, of course, the falls. Each night at 10 they have a 5-minute fireworks show. I was able to put my camera on a fence post and take a bunch of pictures while enjoying the show.

After a lot of walking around, we went back to the hotel.

The next day we met up with Andrew and Emma, and made vague plans to meet up again later in the day. Vague plans don't work that well when you are both wandering around without cell data.

After a lot of walking, Don and I had lunch, and used the restaurant's WiFi to text Andrew (who it turns out was dining at the restaurant next to ours, but not using their WiFi). We suggested meeting in Niagara Falls, NY at 7:30 to cross back into Canada. He went to the hotel (with WiFi) and sent us a message to say he was available to get together now that Emma was with her friends. By then we were touring the Niagara Parks Power Station.

The Niagara Parks Power Station was pretty neat. We upgraded for the guided tour because I knew I would get very little out of the tour without a guide. The power plant was in use for over 100 years (1905-2006). When they opened the agreement was they would rent the land for a small fee and provided electricity, but when they left everything was to stay -- especially all of the equipment. Last year it was turned into a museum, and on July 1, 2022 the 2,200 foot tunnel built 180 feet underground was opened to the public (I think this was the biggest selling point).

Here are some pictures:

FIVE men would fit in this elevator
 to go to the floors below. Claustrophobic
just thinking about it. 

Views from the end of the tunnel

One of the telephones used to communicate on the noisy floor.

From there we walked to the United States. Having been warned by Laura that you must have your passport and sign up on ArriveCAN to let Canada know you plan to return, we had what we needed.

The walk across the Peace Bridge was lovely. Crossing into the United States was easy. Perhaps the best part of being in the States was that our data plan worked and we could text Ashley to see how her new job was going (yes, we left our 20 year old home in charge of the pets and the house while we played). We also reached out to Andrew, who was also in Niagara Falls, NY. I don't know how we missed each other! We said we were by the Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls, NY, so he crossed back into Canada to wait for us by the Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls, Ontario (not realizing there was one in New York). We walked around a little long, studying the view of the falls from this side of the river. The biggest difference was in the United States there was a fence protecting people from falling in -- a safety
precaution lacking on the Canadian side. Somehow I missed the fence in the picture, so I'll add the other big difference was the view -- the Canadian side is much more built up than the American side. 

The trip back was not hard, but the wait was much longer. Seemed most people did not realize you needed to download the ArriveCAN before talking to immigration officials. Instead they would enter the room and argue why they did not need to do this, and hold up the line for everyone else. It took us 45 minutes to wait in a line less than 20 groups deep, and 30 seconds to explain we are coming to Canada because our car is at the hotel in Niagara Falls. 

On the other side of the border was Andrew waiting for us at Hard Rock Cafe. As a nod to our teen selves, we ate at Hard Rock. While the restaurant seemed empty, we had a 20-minute wait for a table due to labor shortages. This led to a lively discussion about life in Australia vs. life in the United States vs. the limited knowledge of what we know about Canada.

We saw the fireworks again, and showed Andrew the falls at night. In the morning we had another quick visit before he headed to the Toronto airport, and we started the long drive to Columbus, Ohio to visit family and friends.

It was a good trip. After being so hot in New Jersey, it was a treat to wear jeans and long sleeves again.