Day 3 - Niagara Falls (16 October ‘23)

simonmtalbot

Oct 17, 20234 min read

Updated: Oct 28, 2023

An alarm waking you up at 6.15am while you're supposed to be on holiday is not exactly ideal, but today was Niagara Falls day and we had a train to catch. For a major tourist destination there were hardly any trains to choose from that went to Niagara Falls, but we took the New York train which stopped off at Niagara Falls station (on the Canadian side).

I didn't realise until I was figuring out this trip (with a little help from Jane McDonald), that you can visit Niagara Falls on the Canadian side of the border or the USA side of the border (the Niagara river splits the two countries). The Canadian side is considered to be better as it is across the river from the falls so you can see them.

We got off the train and rather than jumping in a cab or on a bus, we thought we would walk the 35 minutes along the river edge to Niagara Falls. As we arrived we could see the first of the three falls that make up Niagara Falls. 'American Falls' is the first one and then next to it was the much smaller 'Bridal Veil Falls'. A bit further along you then get to 'Horseshoe Falls' which is the headline act.

'Rainbow bridge' runs across the river which connects the two countries. On either side there is border control.

Having passed the bridge and the first two falls we decided to stop off at a little cafe with seats that overlooked the falls for a drink. We had a bit of time until our trip up to the falls on the boat and so it was good to sit back and enjoy the scenery. We then found ourselves surrounded by a large group of South Korean tourists (think Saga holidays) who were all taking it in turns to pose in front of the waterfall right next to our table! Very cute (to begin with...). We decided to chance our luck on getting an earlier boat and it was absolutely fine. One of the benefits of travelling at this time of year is that it is all a bit quieter - we sailed through what would have been a very long queuing system. Niagara Falls is of course open to visitors all year round but many of the attractions close at the end of October for the winter - including the boat that takes you right up to the falls.

We got to the boat and were issued with a bright red poncho - more substantial than they look, and were asked to get on board. We headed up to the top deck and positioned ourselves on a rail ready for what was to come. We expected to get wet (ponchos etc), but what was really weird, was the feeling when you were right up close to the falls. It was very loud and you could feel the power of the water. That combined with being in a cloud of spray, gave us both a weird sense of flighty haziness, which is really hard to explain. Coming out of it felt like returning to earth... no it is not because we sampled the ever present Canadian cannabis, but I reckon there are some similarities.

After we left the boat with wet heads, dry bodies and wet legs, we walked along the rivers edge to where the water goes over the falls. The volume of water is really hard to get your head around.

We then wandered up to the Skylon Tower - which overlooks Niagara. We were keen to get a sense of the falls and the river in context and the tower offered that from a height. The Skylon Tower experience was like stepping back in time to the 60s/70s. I am not sure whether it is deliberately retro themed, or if it has just been stuck for 50 years, but it was pretty fun nonetheless. We took the elevator to the top and did a couple of laps to take in the view.

Niagara Falls, the town, looks a bit like Blackpool in the winter season. Lots of fairgrounds, restaurants, amusements, hotels etc, but it looked a bit lifeless and forlorn. I imagine it is pumping in the summer.

We decided to stop on the main street to have a bit of late lunch - we shared a pulled pork burger, unlimited fries, unlimited soda (served in a glass jug) and for dessert I had a thick banana milkshake. A teaser of the food to come across the border.

Feeling a bit knackered, we opted for the bus back to the train station and then settled in to the two hour train journey back to Toronto. On our return, we did a quick pit stop at the supermarket and headed back to the apartment. Tomorrow is our final day in Toronto and have a lot of ground to cover!