I have a Top 5 list of things to do in the USA (this time around). Right up there is a trip to Niagara Falls. As is always the case when you live somewhere, you put things off, maintaining that you have enough time to do it later. Well, time is ticking. I finally came to realise that if we didn't go to Niagara Falls soon we would miss it, or simply freeze over if we went in winter. I found a 2-day bus trip that would take us to the Falls via the Thousand Islands so I booked it! Alas, we had left it too late to go on the Maids of the Mist boat that takes you right up close to the falls :(
We met up with the bus bright and early on Wednesday morning, in Chinatown. The demographic of the group was - old, cranky, foreign. Red flag. Timon and I kept a high level of enthusiasm because, hey, we're fulfilling a life goal! Our first stop was a McDonalds in Pennsylvania where I sampled the legendary McRib (nothing special). The tour guide spoke in English and Chinese to accommodate most of the group (but not the Spanish speakers who were very grouchy about this). We were treated to an on-board movie - Jackie Chan in The Spy Next Door. The second film - Jackie Chan in The Karate Kid. I'm going to go out on a dangerous limb and say the latter was not the worst thing I've ever seen. There are some huge departures from the original but that made it easier to watch - I could forget it was a remake.
We arrived for the Thousand Island's boat trip as the sun was beginning to set. T and I sat up on the top deck to get the best view. So did everyone else. This would have been fine if everyone listened to the boat lady and remained sitting for safety and so that everyone could see. But they didn't, they completely ignored her or sat down when told only to stand up 2 minutes later. So in between the snippets of info there was lots of yelling. We bailed and found a quieter spot to sit in the hope that we could distance ourselves from mega-obnoxious tourists. The boat lady took us all for a ride when she told us to look deep into the water to see a special formation. We couldn't see anything! Turns out it was the international border between the USA and Canada! Jokes on us (although when you have 40 intense photo-hungry tourists leaning over the edge perhaps it's not the best of jokes). We saw some mansions that Americans call castles and lots of beautiful scenery. All the islands (1700) are privately owned and go for millions of dollars. You cannot access them safely in winter because the lake freezes over. Weird setup.
We finally arrived at our dinner destination around 8pm. The tour packet indicated that we were free to eat with the tour or find alternatives. There were zero alternatives to the dodgy Chinese buffet place the tour company had arranged. It was spew times ten. The restaurant had the most depressing food and decor (we're talking cubes of jelly for dessert) and I was mildly disgruntled at this point. After a heinous dinner we drove to Niagara Falls to catch a glimpse by night. It was worth ALL the pain of the day - we gazed over the American Falls which thundered over the edge, taking my breath away. The casinos (!) in Canada shone bright lights over the water, illuminating the power and beauty of the formation. LOVED IT!
The hotel was surprisingly nice and T and I relished what little time we had away from the group. In the morning it was back on the bus early, with the promise of breakfast at the Falls. Unfortunately the cafe was closed when we arrived. We split from the group and walked over the raging river to the main, most famous part of Niagara - the Horseshoe Falls. It was almost impossible to see them through the mist and spray that drenched us from head to foot. They have a more severe look than the rounded waves of the American Falls and they are equally terrifying. We took a mountain of photos which you can see here.
The next treat was a film in the Legends of Adventure Theater. It was an IMAX film (non-3D) about the myths and dangerous feats performed at the Falls. I can honestly say I've never seen people take flash photos of a cinema screen before, while a film is running. After they were asked not to. IDIOTS. Sadly, when we got back to the bus the lunch place was also closed so we starved until we arrived at the stupid Corning Glass Museum at 1.30pm. T and I sat out of the museum and glass blowing show in favour of eating and drinking oodles of wine at the restaurant. A good decision.
We arrived home around 8pm. By my count, that's 2 hours of sightseeing and approximately 20 hours on the bus. And 2 Jackie Chan movies (the 3rd was The A-Team). On Wednesday we were so excited to get out of the city and see something new. By Thursday I could not have been happier to be back.
It's becoming way too clear how hard it will be to leave this city.
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