We began the day with a series of bridges, gantries, tolls and suchlike, because our plan was to visit Niagara Falls, and we felt the best viewing place was over the border in Canada.
It’s not actually that far and with passports, EESTA forms, proof of our return flights home and anything else an Immigration Officer might request to see, we negotiated our way through it all.
Just when we thought we’d made it, there was yet another set of signs and choices to be made. Not to mention a grumpy Canadian Immigration Officer who wanted to know the answers to several questions including why we were here, why we visit the USA so often, when we were going home and had we any firearms or alcohol with us?
At last. We were in Canada.
We weren’t interested in all the hokum and tacky stuff downtown, like Ripley’s Believe it or Not and Louis Tussauds Waxworks – we just wanted to see the falls. So, parking the car in a convenient if pricey place just across the road from the water, we got out our cameras and off we went. The American Falls were looking lovely.
Right on cue, the Maid of the Mist chugged past and we all agreed, we really didn’t want to get wet. We’d view the falls from terra firma, thank you.
A little further along the pathway, the Horseshoe Falls came into view. There were quite a few people here already, though at least on this Monday morning we could easily find space to take our pictures.
We went a little further along the pathway, getting a bit closer to the falls, though by now were all reaching the conclusion that we’d more or less seen what we had come to see, however breathtakingly spectacular it is.
We were all very pleased we’d decided to stay dry!
Though, even here, we were getting a bit damp! Perhaps it was time to return to the car?
Just before we do, we’ll take a quick look at the nightmare hotel where we stayed on our last visit here – the white tower in the centre of the photo. Though I was blogging in August 2006, I didn’t make any mention of our visit to Niagara, nor did I mention the scary fire alarm when we were on the 31st floor of that tower. It is, however, one of my most read reviews on Trip Advisor!
We jumped in the car and headed back to the bridge.
The traffic was moving s-l-o-w-l-y, as the immigration process was taking time. At one point, those in the front of the car were in the USA and my mobile art studio was still in Canada!
Over by the Maid of the Mist jetty and viewing platform, we could see that there could well be some interesting views from the American side. Should we go and see?
Well, this was taking such an age, perhaps it’d be better to simply press on and see something else on our wishlist? First though, we had to run the gauntlet of the snarky US immigration guy, determined as he was to belittle us before allowing us a grudging re-entry.
We took refuge in a fast food restaurant and ate lunch with a fascinating show going on outside, as a woman look a liking to a pile of carpet remnants on the pavement. Reinforcements were soon on hand and others decided they’d like a piece of the carpet, too.
We needed to move to a more worthwhile location and thankfully, one such place was within a couple of miles. Frank Lloyd Wright had designed and built this house for Darwin Martin and his family and before we’d even set foot on the site we were happy!
It’s said to be the finest example of his Prairie designs and the more we saw, the more we loved it. The planting was exquisite, the details stunning – as in any FLW structure, every tiny detail had been considered and perfectly resolved.
Sadly, no photographs inside the house so the pictures on the website will have to do!
Rather than return to the hotel and go out to supper later, this evening we decided to drop by the Anchor Bar for some original Buffalo Wings on the way back.
The menu was extensive but of course, we ordered buffalo wings – and Anchor home fries, and some boneless chicken wings for me, who doesn’t particularly like gnawing on skin and bones!
The trouble is, the portions are so huge that even when we’d finished, we’d hardly left our mark on those plates.
Oh heck!
