Wild At Heart
Friends of mine know that I like to do the occasional day trips and enjoy finding new experiences. This past Friday, I found myself taking a trip to an area of NY that I hadn’t been to in over a decade. That is Niagara Falls , NY , the less publicized brother to its Canadian counterpart. The whole trip from Detroit covers almost 250 miles and takes approx 4 ½ hours of drive time depending on the border. I enjoy both sides of the border and being an American; it does have some appeal for going to another country. As a result, the US side always gets a little bit of a bum rap.
Since the last time I was there, the Native American museum has closed as well as the Rainbow Mall, the Conservatory (which I loved) and a few other things downtown. Also, the Aquarium, which is a bit bigger than the one that used to be at Bell Isle, looks the same from when I was there as a kid. The do have an expanded outlet mall, a new Hard Rock Café, A TGI Fridays and the beautiful Seneca Niagara Casino where I spent the later half of my day.
When I got to town I drove around Goat Island to start off but with the southernmost parking lot full (got there around 1PM), I drove off the island to the Seneca Niagara parking garage (less than 2 miles away and good for a brisk walk). Goat Island is a small island separating Horseshoe Falls with Bridal Veil Falls . It is uninhabited but is also a popular stop for tourists offering some great breathtaking views of the falls.
I walked from the Casino and did stop briefly at the Daredevil Museum which is about 2 blocks away. OK it is not much but if you are looking for something to waste a few minutes, it does offer some tourist info and souvenirs. There is some local info about a famous area gangster with some artifacts as well as articles, pictures and memorabilia about Niagara ’s infamous over-the-falls antics as seen in the pictures below. The museum is free of charge which should help your pocketbooks. Give about 15 minutes.
After leaving the Daredevil Museum , I walked over the northern bridge to Goat Island , so named by farmer John Stedman, an early pioneer and miller, who kept a herd of goats on the island. Upon returning to the island after the terrible winter of 1780, Stedman found all but one of the goats had died; thus giving the island its name. It is also the oldest State park in the US.
The southern tip has the Falls and the famous Cave Of the Winds tour which after the Maid Of The Mist is my personal favorite attraction at Niagara Falls . When I got there, they had a 45 minute wait but I got talking with some fellow tourists from Philadelphia , PA and another group from Idaho to pass the time. I put on my rain gear and bath slippers provided and took the elevator down to the foot of the Falls. From the pictures below, you can see the walkways which provide lots of photo opportunities. The uppermost platform is where you really need the rain gear as the water comes at you like a hurricane which most people, esp kids, really enjoy experiencing. You also get a nice view of the Canadian side and the river. This costs around $11 and you get to keep the shoes which my dad confiscated for use in the shower.
In this area you also have an overlook of the Falls as well as a restaurant overlooking them. There is also a statue (as seen below) of Tesla (that is the inventor/electrical engineer and not the band) who work was helpful in setting up the power generators at the Falls for powering Upstate NY. A great place to get you inner “Big Bang Theory” geek on.
I walked back over on the lower bridge which also crosses the great picnic area Green Island to the park with the Observation deck. I’m not a huge fan of the deck but a lot of people really enjoy the view. I think I have just been going to Niagara Falls for so long, I’m more used to the various views and the deck isn’t as special for me. It is part of the Niagara package tour as well as the Whirlpool Falls overlook.
You can also visit the tourist center and take a trolley ride around the area. With the Niagara side getting a bit more commercial over the years (the adding of M&M World, Rain Forrest Café, etc), the NY side is a bit more relaxed with the ability to hang at Whirlpool Park or Goat Island and I appreciate that now that I am older. Ideally, people will spend a couple of days on both sides or with your passport; you can walk over the Rainbow Bridge to Canada which can be nice. It does give a nice view of the river when you cross by foot.
After the visitor center, I walked through the park and walked through some touristy gift shops before heading back to the Niagara Casino. At 2PM, I had set aside reservations for the Thunder Falls Buffet which had a prime rib/crab legs buffet for a reasonable $24.00. While the carved turkey was OK, the roast beef and prime rib was very good as well as the crab legs which were kept very well stocked. I especially enjoyed the New Zealand mussels and South Western Grilled salmon. They also have 2 soups, a salad bar, wood over baked pizza and a number of other food and dessert items. Overall, this is a very good buffet which is better than Greektown and almost as good as Motorcity and as good as MGM.
They also have a number of fine dining establishments for the steak and Asian food lovers as well as a café and burger joint (the food looked good there as I passed by). They have a few gift shops including a Yankee Candle and a Swarovski crystal store. I didn’t stay the night but they do offer a number of special deals for lovers, golfers and boaters.
The gaming room is very nice. It reminds me a lot of the Casino in Orillia , ON in set up with a nice subdued atmosphere for slots, blackjack and roulette. The have a concert stage in the middle of the room which has local bands playing occasionally. The night I was there had a blues style band playing but it wasn’t too loud to distract you unless you wanted it to. They also have some nice stained glass murals which I really think adds to the ambiance. I don’t gamble but the main room has a nice set up where you won’t be tripping over other people and the noise is muted more than some other casinos I have been in. For me that is a big plus when I do gamble because all that noise you sometimes get can be annoying and that wasn’t the case here.
After dinner, I took in a show at the Bear’s Den (inside the Seneca Niagara Casino). The Association was playing that night in a somewhat small room. It is a perfect room to take in artists like Johnny Winter but the 400 seat area seems a bit small for most bands. It does make a very intimate performance though and the sound was excellent this night. For the pictures below and my camera (they don’t allow photos otherwise), the lighting plays havoc but I know my audience is somewhat forgiving of that. But hey, you are there for the experience and their really isn’t a bad seat in this venue. It’s best to sit directly in front of the stage for bigger name acts but any artist that moves around a lot, this is a good venue and you don’t need binoculars.
Afterwards, the Association did sign autographs and I talked to a few regulars that said other artists have also stayed behind to autograph. When you only have 400 people, it does make that type of interaction more manageable for the band to deal with and get the to bed at a decent hour.
If you are looking for weekend trips to get away or for a special occasion, a trip to the US side of Niagara Falls could be relaxing and something different (if you don’t have a passport, you can see the Falls by traveling through Ohio which about a 6 hours trip that way). I think that everyone should experience the Falls in there life (as well as the Everglades, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone national Park). I really enjoyed my trip which was very relaxing and enjoyable thanks to the perfect weather.
I also thank the Seneca Casino for hooking me with a photo pass for the show. Upcoming shows for September include comedians like Norm Macdonald as well as Soul Asylum, the Zombies, Liza Minnelli, Starship, Average White Band and the Native American Music Awards in early October. Go to http://senecaniagaracasino.com/ for more info on the casino and http://www.niagara-usa.com/ for tourist info on the Falls themselves. You'll be glad you did.
