Niagara Falls - A Tale of Two Cities
Story by Paul Hughes, 2019
While I have always known that Niagara Falls formed part of the border between the United States and Canada, for some strange reason I thought it was just a tiny hamlet, with a few hotels and cafes catering to visitors to this natural wonder.
Maybe it is because the movies and images we see are usually just focused on the Falls. However it is a genuine tale of two cities - Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, pictured below on the right side of the river and Niagara Falls, New York, USA on the left; two places with the same name separated by a bridge over a river and sharing one of the world’s great natural beauties.
While I have always known that Niagara Falls formed part of the border between the United States and Canada, for some strange reason I thought it was just a tiny hamlet, with a few hotels and cafes catering to visitors to this natural wonder.
Maybe it is because the movies and images we see are usually just focused on the Falls. However it is a genuine tale of two cities - Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, pictured below on the right side of the river and Niagara Falls, New York, USA on the left; two places with the same name separated by a bridge over a river and sharing one of the world’s great natural beauties.
We were told the best viewing of the Falls was on the Canadian and that is absolutely correct, although it is also more about the “immediate” access to viewing spots because the USA side contains the top of all of the Falls, with trails leading right down to the rocky platform along the river bank between to the base of the three.
I was genuinely surprised to discover that behind attractions linked to The Falls there are thriving, active towns of more than 50,000 people on both sides of the river. We didn’t cross the border back to USA, but those on the Canadian side live in a bustling fun-packed tourist destination they dub “Little Vegas”.
While it has nowhere near the vibe of Vegas - after all, it has only two official casinos - it is largely a tourist town that doesn’t come to life until late morning each day, with many shops and attractions not opening before 10 or 11am. It also doesn’t shut down until somewhere between 2am and 3am.
During our drive from Toronto it was hard to determine where one city finished and the other started, because the 90-minute trip is along highways that are adjacent to Lake Ontario, so much of the journey was bordered by dozens of high rise apartments or luxury lake-front mansions and regular glimpses of the massive lake.
We discovered that Niagara Falls comprises three main parts:
I was genuinely surprised to discover that behind attractions linked to The Falls there are thriving, active towns of more than 50,000 people on both sides of the river. We didn’t cross the border back to USA, but those on the Canadian side live in a bustling fun-packed tourist destination they dub “Little Vegas”.
While it has nowhere near the vibe of Vegas - after all, it has only two official casinos - it is largely a tourist town that doesn’t come to life until late morning each day, with many shops and attractions not opening before 10 or 11am. It also doesn’t shut down until somewhere between 2am and 3am.
During our drive from Toronto it was hard to determine where one city finished and the other started, because the 90-minute trip is along highways that are adjacent to Lake Ontario, so much of the journey was bordered by dozens of high rise apartments or luxury lake-front mansions and regular glimpses of the massive lake.
We discovered that Niagara Falls comprises three main parts:
- The Tourist Strip around the Falls and the Niagara River comprises virtually only tourist-focused businesses and local residents. Hotels range from modern 50-storey high rises to original guest houses and motels that date from the early 1900s upwards. There are dozens of cafes, restaurants and bars wedged between the equal number of souvenir shops jammed full of tee shirts, cold-weather gear and trinkets, mainly all selling the same things
- Clifton Hill (above) on the edge of the Tourist Strip is about a 15-minute walk from the Horseshoe Falls and contains an amusement park; it reminded me of Luna Park with souvenir shops and restaurants stacked inside the gates, but no entrance fee! There was a dominant dinosaur-themed mini golf course, a giant wheel, wax museums, halls of horrors, pinball parlours - the list goes on and on. A balmy night, bright flashing lights, and sitting enjoying a pizza and drink while watching the bustling crowds made this a fun, relaxing night out.
- The local residents. While the “tourist area” comprises a narrow, triangular-shaped strip between Stanley Avenue and the Niagara River, about three kilometres long and perhaps 800 metres wide at the Clifton Hill end, the township has just over 50,000 residents, many who are retirees. The greater Niagara Falls municipality occupies an 1,800 square kilometre area wedged between Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, and comprises around 20 suburbs containing around 450,000 residents.
The tourist area also had quite a few attractions, such as the “old” and the “new” casino, the IMAX theatre, Queen Victoria Park (above) and many other wonderful parks and monuments, including the statue and park dedicated to Nicola Tesla, who contributed much to the development of Alternating Current (AC). He designed the first hydro-electric power plant in Niagara Falls, which has been recognised as being a victory over Thomas Edison’s Direct Current (DC).
We took an open Double Decker Tours bus trip around the tourist area, which was a worthwhile way of getting around. Although it had only five stops, they included the key Falls attractions, including access to the three falls, the Whirlpool and zipline, and the entertainment area in Clifton Hill. The zipline looked impressive, but I was disappointed it crossed the main Whirlpool area, making it challenging to take any photos of the Whirlpool in its natural state. The buses are old English buses that had been cut down and, while in good condition for their age, they are what they are and the running commentary gave us a good overview of where we were.
We also took the ride some 236 metres, or 776 feet, up the outside of the Skylon Tower to the Observation Deck, which gave us some great views of the Falls and surrounding areas (below). While not as good as the helicopter ride, it was certainly worth the visit.
We took an open Double Decker Tours bus trip around the tourist area, which was a worthwhile way of getting around. Although it had only five stops, they included the key Falls attractions, including access to the three falls, the Whirlpool and zipline, and the entertainment area in Clifton Hill. The zipline looked impressive, but I was disappointed it crossed the main Whirlpool area, making it challenging to take any photos of the Whirlpool in its natural state. The buses are old English buses that had been cut down and, while in good condition for their age, they are what they are and the running commentary gave us a good overview of where we were.
We also took the ride some 236 metres, or 776 feet, up the outside of the Skylon Tower to the Observation Deck, which gave us some great views of the Falls and surrounding areas (below). While not as good as the helicopter ride, it was certainly worth the visit.
We struggled to find any “everyday” businesses in the tourist strip, with the few shops that sold groceries charging up to C$7 a litre for milk, plus taxes! However, there were plenty of bargains to be had in the bars and restaurants, especially as we were there just after the school holidays.
We also discovered a great bakery that sold delicious freshly-baked breads and pastries as well as some excellent fresh cooked meats, including some tasty hams tat were great on a buttered bun. It is called the Metro Bakery and is in Drummond Road, about a 15-minute walk from the falls. Apart from the food being absolutely mouth-watering, the prices were excellent and welcomed by some budget-conscious travellers. While we were there we also stumbled across a small hairdresser near the corner of Drummond and Dunn streets; after two months of travelling Vi was keen to have her hair done and was delighted by both the cut and the cost, which was about a quarter of the prices we were quoted in Europe and New York!
We also took the trip the Outlet shopping centre, but there were few bargains compared to many other places we shopped.
All-in-all we found downtown Niagara Falls to be expensive, but the experience of visiting the Falls at different times over several days made it worthwhile.
Footnote: Every morning it seemed like it had been raining, as the roads and buildings were wet, even hundreds of metres away from the Falls. It is simply the spray from the crashing water being thrown hundreds of metres in the air, then drifting across the township, depending on the direction of the breeze. It’s no wonder everything was green and lush.
We also discovered a great bakery that sold delicious freshly-baked breads and pastries as well as some excellent fresh cooked meats, including some tasty hams tat were great on a buttered bun. It is called the Metro Bakery and is in Drummond Road, about a 15-minute walk from the falls. Apart from the food being absolutely mouth-watering, the prices were excellent and welcomed by some budget-conscious travellers. While we were there we also stumbled across a small hairdresser near the corner of Drummond and Dunn streets; after two months of travelling Vi was keen to have her hair done and was delighted by both the cut and the cost, which was about a quarter of the prices we were quoted in Europe and New York!
We also took the trip the Outlet shopping centre, but there were few bargains compared to many other places we shopped.
All-in-all we found downtown Niagara Falls to be expensive, but the experience of visiting the Falls at different times over several days made it worthwhile.
Footnote: Every morning it seemed like it had been raining, as the roads and buildings were wet, even hundreds of metres away from the Falls. It is simply the spray from the crashing water being thrown hundreds of metres in the air, then drifting across the township, depending on the direction of the breeze. It’s no wonder everything was green and lush.