Niagara
Falls
June 30, 2002
All
those honeymooners were right. Niagara Falls is a great place to spend a
few days. And you don't have to leave your room to enjoy the sights. We got another expedia.com
deal, this time at the Radisson Falls Hotel on the Canadian side of Niagara. <--The
impressive view of Horseshoe Falls was taken out our window. And
they never turn the falls off, though I kept thinking: It's SO spectacular, it
can't be natural. My pictures unfortunately don't do justice to the scene,
in part because it
was hot and hazy, but mostly because it's simply difficult to convey the scale of the
Falls with a photo.
If
you do choose to leave your room, there's plenty to do. Ride the Maid of
the Mist into the rapids below Bridalveil and Horseshoe Falls. Take an
elevator to tunnels at the base of (and behind) Horseshoe Falls. Get
soaked from the spray on a catwalk at the foot of Bridalveil Falls. 
Visit
the botanical gardens if you like topiaries. Hike around Goat Island on
the American side and walk right up to the edge of both falls. After-dark,take
a walk along the river to see the falls lit with a changing array of colors;
it'll get you into a romantic mood.
We
spent a exceptionally pleasant day in Niagara-on-the-Lake,
about 25 minutes north of the Falls. This is one of the prettiest towns I've
ever seen. There are brilliantly colored plants and flowers everywhere,
and the well-maintained buildings are eye-catchingly attractive. The town
is home to the annual Shaw Festival, which runs throughout the summer -- three
theaters
with afternoon and evening performances of classical plays, some even by George
Bernard. We got there around 9 a.m. on a weekday morning and
purchased "rush" tickets for that afternoon's matinee (at a 20%
reduction). 
That left us time to check out the shops and art galleries,
wander down to the lake front through the side streets, and catch a bite at one
of the many appealing restaurants. The play, Caesar and Cleopatra,
was well-staged (and well-attended by the gray-hairs, making us feel quite
young.) Apparently this is not the place for the go-go crowd.
Whether you're newly-weds, or
forever honeymooners like us, Niagara Falls is a splendid place to be in love.
Home
All
those honeymooners were right. Niagara Falls is a great place to spend a
few days. And you don't have to leave your room to enjoy the sights. We got another expedia.com
deal, this time at the Radisson Falls Hotel on the Canadian side of Niagara. <--The
impressive view of Horseshoe Falls was taken out our window. And
they never turn the falls off, though I kept thinking: It's SO spectacular, it
can't be natural. My pictures unfortunately don't do justice to the scene,
in part because it
was hot and hazy, but mostly because it's simply difficult to convey the scale of the
Falls with a photo.
