Niagara Falls Revisited

SHREWSBURY, Massachusetts. Time to report on our 2006 Thanksgiving trip to Buffalo and the Niagara Falls! There was more planning involved in this trip (when compared with my earlier sojourn to this location). We were in a bind with our travel arrangements, as there seemed to be so many options. We could fly. Or take a tour bus. Or travel by train. Or, we could drive (of course), and this is what most people in the US would do. But a nearly 10-hour drive each way was not very appealing, and we settled on giving our travel business to Delta Airlines (despite their fiasco with our Switzerland trip). Expedia (www.Expedia.com) gave us a good deal that combined airfare with a hotel room and a rented car at Buffalo, and we latched onto it. The plan was to fly from Boston to Buffalo (via the dreaded John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport in New York City), pick up the rental car at Buffalo airport, and drive to the Best Western hotel. The car would be useful in getting to and from Niagara Falls, and also in getting around Buffalo (if the chance arose).

Thursday, 23rd November, 2006. The drama began at the beginning (like it generally does), with inclement weather all along the north-eastern coast of the US. We drove in driving rain (the rain was driving with us, apparently) to Boston's Logan airport. The simple matter of finding a long-term parking spot for our car turned into a mini-adventure, as we quickly found ourselves back outside the airport and heading for the heart of Boston! After a few randomly chosen turns and a hefty monetary toll, we got back on track and parked near terminal A. The flight was delayed by an hour (surprise!) and the New York weather was to blame (or so they said). Security check was easy, and we got down to the chore of waiting for our delayed flight to take off. Delta had our phone number, and could have called to let us know about the delay. No such call materialized, and we were relegated to aimless wanderings in the airport building. The flight took off, with an additional hour tacked on to the already-adjusted departure time. The weather did look bad: the small plane (4 seats to the row) was tossed around constantly by turbulence. We landed in JFK, hoping that the delicate balance between stomach and mind would continue until we reached Buffalo.

More surprises. The Buffalo flight was delayed by an hour and a half! Welcome back to JFK! But at last, we were strapped into our seats (another 4-seats-per-row plane), the inevitable delay stretched itself, and we were on our way. A short flight, we were told. Just 54 minutes. As we chatted with our fellow travelers, we were soon greeted by the pilot. More weather issues. There was a thick fog at Buffalo, and we were going to land in Rochester instead. Five minutes later, another change in plans. Rochester was not looking so good either. Syracuse it will be. The plane was filled with chatter about how far it was from Syracuse to Buffalo, and how we could cover that part of our trip. We duly landed in Syracuse, and were given the bad news: no hotels. No buses. No bus drivers. After all, it was Thanksgiving night! So we could either get off the plane and walk to Buffalo (just kidding, but we would essentially be on our own), or go with the plane to Cincinnati, Ohio and arrive at Buffalo the next day (whenever they could get us there).

Neither option was very appealing, and we sat in the plane while Delta tried to haul a bus driver away from his family. They succeeded (though we all felt sorry for the driver), and we made the 2-hour drive to Buffalo. The fog was indeed thick. I had only heard of pea-soup fog, but this was as pea-soupy as it could get. Visibility was down to nearly zero, and the driver must be given a medal for his heroic effort. We were glad to catch the car rental company at 12:50 AM, minutes before they closed for the night, and wound our way to the hotel in our Chevy Equinox gas-guzzler. We rejected the offer of a wake-up call, and hit the sack immediately.

Friday, 24th November. We awoke just in time for the excellent complimentary breakfast spread, and wolfed down some toast, eggs and the like. The fog had not lifted, but conditions looked much better in the daylight. As we prepared for the half-hour drive to Niagara Falls, we prayed that the fog would lift. And it did. We were on our way, taking I-90 in the wrong direction, driving for about half an hour towards Boston! After flipping the car around, we saw all the correct road signs, and it was smooth sailing to the end.

Having parked the car, we switched to foot power, and ambled along towards the falls. The weather was holding up admirably, slightly chilly, but kept at bay by our warm clothing. The sight of the Niagara river rapids was exhilarating, and we followed it to the water's edge. The view was spectacular as always, with the huge torrent of water pounding down into a cauldron a short distance below. It was disappointing to learn that the Maid of the Mist boat ride was not operating at this time of year. However, we used the observation deck and its coin-operated binoculars to get an up-close view of the American Falls and the Canadian side of the river. The bigger Horseshoe Falls were still well-hidden from this position.

After acquiring some souvenirs at the Maid of the Mist Store (fridge magnets, etc.), we trekked back up along the river to cross over to Goat Island. Having missed the Maid of the Mist, we did not want to lose out on the Cave of the Winds. We had seen the pictures of tiny people clad in yellow ponchos, getting really up and close with the great falls. Apparently, the poncho trip was also out for the winter, but we could still get pretty close to the falls. A short elevator ride brought us to the base of the river, and we faced the most complete rainbow we had ever seen! It was almost an entire circle, and we realized that there was going to be no pot of gold at the end of this one. The rainbow is apparently a constant at Niagara Falls as long as there is sunlight.

While we were looking at the rainbow (and trying to take pictures of it), the Falls was at work trying to drench us. Not much work, actually, as it took all of two seconds. Nobody seemed to mind, though, as we all looked up to see the water barreling down from above us. There were also a lot of people watching from the top, right between two sheets of water (the American falls and the Bridal Veil falls). We later went back up the elevator and reached the observation area. More water. More rainbow. More pictures.

We picked up a few snacks during a brief pit-stop at the Cave of the Winds Gift Shop. Here, we shelled out a dollar to have a penny flattened and imprinted with a Niagara Falls motif. The coin finally looked like a ball of Chapathi dough that has been rolled only in one direction. Energized by the snacks, we trekked to the Horseshoe Falls: the more spectacular water body at Niagara. The view from the Canadian side would have been many times better, and we will have to see it some day. We saw a yellow bug-like car move up the tower of a revolving restaurant on the Canadian side. It was probably the elevator that took patrons to the top. Wonder how it felt, climbing up to such a great height on the outside of the tower... On the way to this falls was a memorial to Nikola Tesla, the inventor of the AC induction motor. What did he have to do with Niagara Falls?

It was now time to hunt for some food. We were in the mood for Indian cuisine, and decided to walk back to one such eatery near our car. There were several side-attractions on the way, including a wax museum, a haunted house of horrors and a hot-air balloon ride. We ran into the Taste of India well before we reached our car, and we dove in for a very good buffet lunch. One of the features on the menu was a Pachranga pickle that was simply amazing.

The Taste of India had a good deal going: if you eat at their restaurant, you get free all-day parking right across from the Falls. Must keep this in mind for the next trip! We headed back towards the falls, and discovered that the hot-air balloon rides were also halted for the season. We added this to our future-attractions list, and entered the gift shop attached to the wax museum. The exhibits were tasteful and informative, and gave a good account of the history of the town. Included were scenes from the lives of the local Indian population in past years; technical details about the various engineering projects undertaken at the falls; daredevil stunts about crazy people going over the falls in wooden barrels and iron balls (one fool strapped himself to an anvil before sealing himself in a barrel. They found the barrel downstream with only his right arm inside!); a giant arc-lamp that was used to light up the falls; a display of the vehicle license plates from all 50 states; and the chair in which Abraham Lincoln got a hair-cut when he visited Niagara.

The sun was beginning to set by now, and we decided to watch the American falls under lights. We passed the Hard Rock cafe, with a model car crashing out from its roof. Chili saplings had been planted by the sidewalk, the bunches of red-and-yellow fruits providing for a "hot" walk in the cold. The falls were stunning under lights, with the water changing colors like a chameleon. There was red, blue, green. violet and plain white too. We could see the giant floodlights on the Canadian side, bathing the water in various hues. The revolving restaurant across the river was also lit up. A giant wheel, also in Canada, was revolving slowly; the riders must have gotten quite an eyeful of the Falls at night.

It was starting to get a little cold by now, but we wanted to stay for the fireworks. They put this display up only on Fridays and Sundays (according to one brochure), and the State Park officials confirmed the same. Having a few hours to kill, we loitered to the Haunted House of Horrors. As soon as we approached, a skeleton in the window jumped to life and started playing a piano! We entered, nevertheless, and coughed up $5 each to see what the house contained. There were several gut-wrenching displays in almost total darkness, each with a weird animated routine accompanied by flashing lights and scary noises. Skeletons rising from coffins. Frankenstein revolving on a disc. Even Hannibal Lecter. Thankfully, we were in and out of there in about 2 minutes.

Still more time to kill. There was a family fun center across the street, which we duly visited. Baseball batting cages. Arcade games. Snack bar. Music. Gift store. We ransacked the gift store, and managed to leave without buying any more trinkets. A couple more hours were spent dallying in the visitor center, before it was time for the fireworks. Though a short display, the fireworks were awesome. When it ended, there was the feeling of a day well-spent, with only the matter of dinner remaining on our minds.

Here is a tip for the future Niagara traveler. If you stay in Buffalo, you can get food delivered from almost any of the restaurants in town! Somebody had the bright idea to start a taxi service for food delivery. The booklet in our hotel room listed all the participating restaurants, including their menus. Only one number to call: that of the taxi service! It was past 10:00 PM, and we were desperate. A short call later, we were awaiting steaming hot Indian food from Moti Mahal, which duly arrived in less than an hour.

Saturday, 25th November. We decided that a second trip into Niagara Falls township was not warranted, as we had essentially covered all the points of interest. The aquarium was relegated to a future trip. Instead, we planned a short trip to the Buffalo zoo, only 15 minutes away from our hotel. What started as a quick stop ended about three hours later! We were pleasantly surprised by the array of fauna in the zoo, and saw several exotic species for the first time. These included reindeer, mouflons, guanacos, llamas, polar bears, a red panda, spotted hyenas, a Japanese macaque family, baboons, a serval, bison, wallabies, tamarins and a meerkat, Other "usual suspects" were also in abundance: elephants, giraffes, a rhino, sea lions, playful otters, peafowl, grizzly and kodiak bears, lions, tigers, zebras, antelope and gorillas. We got a red panda hand puppet and a small rhino stuffed toy from the Zootique before heading "home".

A Greek lunch at the Olympic Restaurant, right across the street from the hotel. I tried to parade my "deep" knowledge of Greek cuisine, but the waitress had no clue about what I was saying. We ended up with some good stuffed grape-leaves, spinach and cheese pie, a Greek salad and a slice of carrot cake. Stuffed (like the grape-leaves), we turned in and watched a movie on the laptop. "Pyar ke Side Effects." Not a bad movie to kill time; had its comic moments.

We now discovered that the food taxi service had a website, so we ordered online this time. The laptop was put to good use during this trip: despite the spotty wireless internet service, we managed to check e-mail, plot driving directions, and order food! Tandoori's, another Indian eatery. This time, the food arrived with a long-stemmed rose! An early bedtime was on the cards, but I kept checking live cricket scores on the flaky internet connection. A few hours later, it was time to return to Boston.

Sunday, 26th November. We checked out of the hotel in the wee hours of the day, and gobbled one last complimentary breakfast. The ride to the airport was painless (since the hotel was just five minutes away). We dumped the rental car and hurried across to the terminal. More drama (what else is new?) We checked in at the automatic kiosk, and found that there was no gate information on the boarding cards. A quick scan of the nearby television screen indicated that our flight was not even listed! However, this was quickly resolved, and we landed at Boston later in the day (after the inevitable delay at JFK). A relatively short drive back home, and it was time to "relax" before returning to work on Monday!