Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is 8 hours and some change from Boston so my coworker, who is trying to see as much of the US as possible before his visa expires, suggested we take a trip before it gets too cold. In preparation, we listened to a Niagara Falls episode of This American Life on the drive. Since Jeff and I are on a mission to introduce said coworker to all things great about America, arrival in Buffalo, NY demanded BBQ.



I found this place on yelp. Suzy Q's is everything a BBQ joint should be: delicious, with paper menus that come in a bucket and a proprietor who chats you up for about 10 min on your way out the door. I had 3 different animals at once!



We walked over to the falls that night. There was AC/DC playing in the background and a surprising amount of Indian restaurants/food trucks, and colored lights shining on the waterfall. It kind of felt like Six Flags, except that ride would definitely kill you, instead of only maybe kill you like that time my harness opened 1/3 of the way on an upside down roller coaster. I was screaming for real that time, but I digress...



The buildings across the way are in Canada. There are only a few vantage points where you can see the waterfalls from the U.S. This one does not do it justice. You have to either get on a boat or walk to Canada.

This boat. Full of Smurfs.









I took zero chances with my hairdo, thankyouverymuch.

From the Canada side:



American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls:



Horseshoe Falls:



It's funny in retrospect how much I had built up Niagara Falls as being romantic. On the radio program I learned that until the 1960s or so, Niagara Falls used to be the honeymoon capital of the US because of its proximity to major rail hubs. The two-tank honeymoon: one tank of gas to get there and one tank to get back. Between the masses of plastic-wrapped tourists on the boat and the concrete footpaths through the gift shop leading down to the falls and elevators to the base of the falls and complimentary ponchos, it was hard to feel the romance, if you know what I mean. There wasn't really a place to sit and reflect on the falls at all: on the American side you can only see water going over the ledge and from the Canadian side there is a fence and a wide sidewalk. It's easy to see how one could lament the loss of a spot for peaceful introspection at the sight of something grand, but considering the number of tourists who also want to see and feel the same as you do, that peace is necessarily replaced with turnstiles, gates, and (most lamentably) AC/DC.