Where do
you recommend we stay for our visit to Niagara Falls?
Choose a
hotel that faces the Falls. Although hotels with Falls views are more
expensive than ones
that don’t face the Falls, why go all this
way to NOT have a view??? Marriott, Hilton, Embassy
Suites,
Renaissance, Ramada, and Radisson each have large hotels that offer Falls
view. I like the
Sheraton (5875 Falls Ave) on the Canadian side.
The Sheraton is a 22-story hotel, and the rooms
facing the Falls
have Juliet balconies, and many rooms have a gas fireplace. My guests stay
there
when they go to Niagara because they want the total Falls
experience. The only thing I don’t like
about this hotel is that
there aren’t enough elevators to service the hotel
properly.
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My
girlfriend wants to go to Niagara Falls, but I don’t understand why. All I
know about Niagara
Falls is from the Three Stooges. What’s so
great about water?
“Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch.”
My husband loves that bit and he drives me crazy
with it. I have
no idea what he’s talking about. We live in Buffalo, NY, BTW, but I’m
answering
the Niagara questions because I love the Falls and we
live real close. Living up here means we
understand nature’s
power, we know why the Great Lakes are GREAT, and we accept that once
in awhile nature will test us with 20 inches of snow in one day or
make us live in 20 degrees below
zero for a few days. We learn to
deal with nature on her terms. The Falls are beautiful in a way
you can’t understand until you see them. They’re not man-made,
they’re not there for any human
reason – they’re there because
nature put them there. That’s why the Falls are worth a
visit.
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I
hear that the Canadian side is better than the American side. What does
that mean?
You get a better view from Canada, that’s what that
means. The Niagara River divides the US
(New York State) and
Canada (Province of Ontario). The river is winding, not straight, and the
Falls part is in a bend in the river and they face away from the
US. If you stand on the US side of
the Niagara River, you can see
some of the waterfalls but it’s at an angle. The falls face Canada,
so on the Canadian side you can see them from top to bottom in all
their glory. And you get to
ride the Maid of the Mist, the boat
that takes you right up inside the Horseshoe Falls. You’ll get
drenched on the ride, but they give you a groovy plastic poncho to
protect yourself. If you want to
stay in the US, you can still
have get the best view possible by using the Prospect Point
Observation Tower, right next to the Bridal Veil Falls where you’re
so close you’ll get splashed
by Niagara water. There’s also a
184-ft. glass elevator that takes you to the bottom of the
Niagara
Gorge.
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How
can there be more than one waterfall?
There would be one huge
waterfall except for the islands right at the lip of the waterfall line
that
diverts the water around them. From the ground it looks like
three separate falls. The dividing line
between the US and Canada
goes right down the middle of the river but the islands don’t split the
water half-and-half. On the US side of the river, there are two
falls: a large “American Falls” and a
little one next to it
called “Bridal Veil Falls.” On the Canadian side of the river there’s the
“Horseshoe Falls”, and this is the one that everyone ooohs and
ahhhs over. The waterfall line is
not straight across the river,
it’s jagged like when you nibble a piece of bread and leave irregular
edges. The waterfall line on the Canadian side curves into a U-shape
and looks
spectacular.
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Do
I need a passport to get to Canada to see the falls? I don’t have one. I’m
an American if that
makes a difference.
US citizens don’t
need a passport, but you need a photo ID – a driver’s license will do. If
you’re
in the USA on a visa, you need to get a "temporary
resident visa" from the
Canadian consulate in Buffalo, New York before
you cross the border (call 716-858 9591 Fax:
716-852-2477). You
can’t get this visa at the border, you have to get it in Buffalo. But you
should really get a passport! Application is easy, it costs about
$85, it’s good for 10 years and
will let you travel
anywhere.
You can stay in the US and see the Falls if you use the
Prospect Point Observation Tower right
next to the Bridal Veil
Falls, where you’re so close you’ll get splashed by Niagara water. There’s
also a 184-ft. glass elevator that takes you to the bottom of the
Niagara Gorge. However, you
won’t get a very good view of the
Horseshoe Falls, the big U-shaped fall on the Canadian side,
because it doesn’t face the
US.
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Is it hard to
get into Canada?
If you’re asking about car traffic, I can tell you
that if you time your crossing to non-rush-hours
you’ll have no
delay. Avoid the hours between 9 – 11 AM and 3 – 5 PM. The Rainbow Bridge
is
the main access between Niagara Falls, Ontario and the US. The
Whirlpool Bridge also connects
Niagara Falls, Ontario to the US
but it’s an option only if you have the NEXUS border crossing
system. You can get radio updates about the traffic within about 10
miles of Niagara Falls by
tuning to 105.1 FM. Or you can call the
Rainbow info line at 285-6322, ext 1500.
Have your photo ID at
hand.
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Once you’ve seen the waterfall,
is there anything else to do? I have three children, ages 9 –
15.
You’re in luck! Niagara is a great place for families to
vacation together. Besides seeing the Falls,
there are lots of
options for fun. Between the river and Bridge Street you’ll find rides,
souvenir
shops, restaurants, and for the adults -- casinos.
Walking around this area is fun at night because it’
s all lit up
like a G-rated Las Vegas. The Great Canadian Midway is a huge arcade full
of rides
and games where you win tickets to redeem for prizes.
There’s a Hard Rock Café and a Hershey’
s Shop (yummy chocolate),
Ripley’s Believe it or Not, and a miniature golf course with a dinosaur
theme. There’s The Falls Tower where you’ll get an aerial
panorama of the city and the Falls. The
Skylon Tower is the
tallest building in the city and has a restaurant that revolves to give
you a
panorama view that can’t be beat. A mile away is Marineland
(7657 Portage Road), a groovy
aquarium that’s open between May
and Oct. To show your kids some American history, go to
Fort
Niagara in nearby Youngstown, NY – it’s a 300 year old fort preserved as
it was in the
1700s.
For free, at night, the Falls are
illuminated by groovy colored lights, and in summer there’s
fireworks. It sounds corny, but it’s really not – it’s worth seeing.
I love
them.
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Is
Niagara Falls a national park? Can we bring our RV? Are there cabins we
can stay in, like at
the Grand Canyon?
There is a Niagara
Falls Park but it’s a state park, not a national one, and you can’t camp
there.
Niagara Park the oldest state park in the US (yay for
NY!). It opened on July 15, 1885.
Admission is free and includes
self-guided walking tours of Goat Island, Three Sisters Island and
the American Falls. The state parks in the Niagara region where you
can camp are: Evangola
State Park in Irving, Four Mile Creek
State Park east of Youngstown, and Golden Hill State Park
in
Barker. I hear there are also plenty of campgrounds and provincial parks
on the Canadian side
of the falls, but I don’t know
them.
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Do
I need to use Canadian money? What’s the exchange rate?
You can use
either Canadian or US money. Prices will always be quoted in both
denominations.
Don’t try to do the math and convert US dollars
into Canadian dollars – just pay US. Tell the
cashier if you’re
going to pay in US or Canadian dollars before your purchase is rung up.
Regardless of how you pay, your change will be given in Canadian
coins. Just collect the change
and at the end of your stay leave
it for the chambermaid in your hotel as a tip. But make sure the
coins add up to at least $5 a day! That’s the going rate for tipping
a chambermaid.
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