On 2014-07-14 5:13 PM, Gus! wrote:
> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I walked through the Niagara Falls casino once. A group wanted to go
>> and spend some time there. One of the women in the group came with me
>> for a walk. We had to go through the casino. I don't think that I have
>> ever seen a more depressed looking bunch of people that those at the
>> slots.
>
>
> I had this same experience. Why go to the Falls and go to a casino?? At
> the time, my sister was into gambling and went.
>
> I hear you have to have a passport to get to the cheesy Canadian side
> now. When I was there about 10 years ago, the American side was not
> built up much.

The American side still isn't built up much. There really isn't much to
see from the American side. Look at a map or go to Google Maps or
Google Earth. The entire set of cataracts are visible from the Canadian
side. From the American side you catch only a glimpse from the sides.

The cheesy part of the Canadian side exists for the benefit of American
tourists because they eat that stuff up. Having been a resident of the
area I can tell you that the locals don't go there. Since my job had me
working around the falls a lot and because I do a lot of bicycling in
the area I can tell you that the cheesy tourist crap is just a couple
blocks, but that there is a lot of other stuff that is a lot nicer and a
lot more interesting.

FWIW, I wish I had had my camera last week when out kayak club paddle
was in the Niagara River around Navy Island, about 2 miles upstream
from the falls. There is a world of difference between the American
side and the Canadian side. The Canadian side has a parkway that runs
all the way from Fort Erie to Niagara Falls. There are parks, gardens,
trees, nice houses. The American side is an industrial zone.

> And it has the cool thing where you go down the elevator
> and can walk under the falls. I really liked doing that. And there is
> a state park where where you watch the whirlpools downstream, which
> kinda freaked me out. I'm afraid of heights and the whirlpools just
> kept forming over and over, over the cliff. With tons and tons of water
> just going past, and the rapids.

You should try kayaking through that. I did it for the first time last
year, and I was surprised at how large those whirlpools are, and how
they move around. It was pretty scary. There is a hell of a current.
It took us almost three hours to paddle from Niagara on the Lake to
Queenston. It took less than an hour to get back.

>
> Anyone been there lately? I want to take my former wife... Someday,
> if not this year.

Can't help you with the ex wife problem, but I am over there are least
one a month. My all time favourite bicyling trail is from Niagara Falls
to Niagara on the Lake. I try to do it once a month.