THINGS TO DO IN NIAGARA THAT I HAVEN'T TRIED YET

The New Year is quickly approaching and I was thinking about making some new resolutions that wouldn't be too difficult to keep.  I thought I'd apply an 'adventure' theme to it and come up with a list of things to do in Niagara that I haven't yet tried.  Being a Niagara Tour guide gives me the passion and opportunity to do a lot of exploring down by the Falls but as new attractions pop up, I have found myself getting behind.  I figure with a full year to weight the success of my resolutions, I have plenty of time to knock these off.

1. Grow my nails long enough to get a window front gig in Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum on Clifton Hill.

Back in the 70's my sister and I had a few paper routes between us.  The most famous person on my paper route turned out to be Rob Nicholson, the Canadian Attorney General and Minister of Justice.  He was just a student then and I really didn't know him all that well.  My sister, however, delivered papers to Sandy Allen, the tallest woman in the world .  She lived in an apt. building on Simcoe Street that could accommodate her height.  At 7'7", she was quite an ominous figure at the door when we went to collect.  Then we'd see her at Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum down on Clifton Hill.  I used to think she had a great job, standing there greeting the tourists.  I don't really know how much she enjoyed it but I hope she did. Sandy passed away in her early fifties in 2008.  She was a really nice lady!



Joining the Polar Bear Dippers and jumping into Lake Erie in January was one of last year's resolutions!
Way too much fun!!


2.  Participate in the Niagara Falls International Marathon.

The marathon starts out in Buffalo and crossing the peace bridge before heading down the Niagara Parkway to the finish line.  I'm not quite that zealous but there's a 5 kilometre 'walking option' that sounds just fine to me.  This doesn't take place until October so I have plenty of time to brush up on my walking skills.

3.  Go on the Drop Zone ride at Marineland.

I remember the first time I went on the roller coaster at Marineland.  I was TERRIFIED but I did it!  I hardly peed my pants at all!  There are a lot of things to do in Niagara that might give you the rush of going over the Falls in a barrel without actually taking that plunge.  The Drop Zone seems to be a step in the right direction.

4.  Search for Poisonous glow-in-the-dark mushrooms down in the Niagara Glen

Back in the 90's I had a part time job at the Italian Cafe on Robinson St.  For two hours every evening it was where the action was for the post 60 Italian male types in the surrounding neighbourhood.  Never a dull moment!  I remember the buzz when one of them brought in a phallic shaped red pepper.  Even more titillating was the time when Pellegrino found a bunch of glow in the dark poisonous mushrooms.  The cafe had one small washroom and every time someone arrived at the cafe, he was rushed back into the washroom to join the rest of the gang.  Soon, the washroom became as crowded as a subway in China.  No one could bear to not be present to see their compadre's reactions.  Even I allowed myself to be lured into the dark washroom with, already brimming with about 15 Italian men.  That was barely safer than eating the mushrooms, in retrospect.

5.  Jumping off the Weightman Bridge in Chippawa

I've always been scared to take part in this rite of passage for all Niagara teenagers.  It used to be one of the most popular things to do in Niagara for the teen set.  I'm probably one of the few that never did it, even once.  I did watch with envy as my youngest daughter took the plunge into the swift waters below!  I may not get around to this one as they've made it illegal, just as I finally got up my nerve. 

6.  Watch someone go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. 

Of course, this resolution will take some co-operation.  I feel good about it, though.  Interest in barrel riding over the Falls waned back in the 90's when bungee jumping became all the rage.  I feel good about this one, though.  A lot of  unaccomplished crack pots will probably be scrambling to do something 'headline' grabbing before 2012. 

If you are planning an 'adventure' visit to Niagara Falls this year and would like a qualified and entertaining Niagara Tour Guide to help you get the most of your vacation, please follow this link for more information.

Niagara Tourism In Winter: It Could Be Worse!

Being a tour guide in Niagara during the winter months lacks the sort of 'fly by the seat of your pants' frenzy that it generates in the busy months.  Winter Festival of Lights Tours and Private Tours are great fun and certainly break up the monotony of the slower Niagara tourism season.  For someone who is used to talking non-stop for months in a row, the pace can be quite an adjustment.  One day you have 40 attentive adults intent of hearing everything you have to share with them about Niagara Falls.  The next day you can't even persuade your teenager to pick up his towel off the bathroom floor.  But hey, I have no reason to complain. 

UPDATE: Niagara Ghost Walks now runs through the winter

My father often reminded us to be grateful, especially at the dinner table.  "Eat all your food", he would say.  Then he would remind us, "There are starving people over in France, you know".   I had time to reflect on that concept this week.  While researching for an article I was writing on Bukisa,  Some Of The Most Dangerous Countries To Visit,  I was struck with a sense of gratitude and appreciation for how fortunate I was to be a Niagara Tour Guide as opposed to........let's say............a Somalian tour guide.  Undoubtedly their phones aren't ringing off the hook.  The Somalian Cruise Ship industry is a hard sell as well, no doubt due to the exorbitant fees they are demanding.  ATM's are non existent so tourists are encouraged to carry plenty of cash.  I spent quite some time on google, searching for a link to a Somalian tour company or private tour guide that I could 'talk shop' with.  Finally, I concluded that it was a waste of bandwidth and I'd move it over to my 'bucket list'.

I'M A "STINKER BRINKER"...WHAT ABOUT YOU?

It's amazing how one can fool themselves into thinking that it's not winter yet just because there is no snow on the ground.  Conversely, it's just as easy to trick yourself into thinking that winter is here when actually it is still autumn.  Today I was guilty of the latter. 

Yesssiree!  From the moment that I found myself nagging my teenage son to shovel the driveway to the moment where he tried to bribe me into getting him fast food if he did it, I knew that Old Man Winter was upon us.  While waiting at the Arby's Take Out window for what seemed like forever, I began to reflect on what winter means around here and what I have to look forward to.  Then it dawned on me that the Rink At The Brink should be ready.  Last year I bought a season's pass with visions of actually learning how to skate once and for all.  Five or six years ago, I bravely put on skates for the first time since childhood.  I felt empowered and adventurous.  Those pretty white skates really made my feet look petite and elegant.  They looked surprisingly good.  Without the blade, a skate is no different than a awkwardly tight foot and ankle girdle. 

HOW TO SURVIVE NEW YEAR'S EVE IN NIAGARA FALLS



Murray Hill, Niagara Falls
New Year's Eve 2009

I have probably spent no less than 7 of the past ten New Year's Eves 'ringing it in' down by Niagara Falls.  It is the ideal 'ready made' New Year's Eve Party and apparently many others agree because Queen Victoria Park and the nearby streets are jammed with revellers. It is a family event with well known bands and fireworks going off at 9:00 a.m. and 12:00.  Although Niagara Falls sees its share of tourists during the summer months, I have never seen the area as busy as on December 31st.  Even inclement weather doesn't seem to scare off the party goers.  A crowd of this size converging into a relatively small areas has special considerations and over the years I have learned some of the tricks, tips and pitfalls of surviving New Year's Eve in Niagara Falls.

1. If you bring children, be prepared to carry them, piggyback them, or put them on your shoulders at some point in the night.  Or make sure that you have lots of goodies available to coax them into walking.
2. Your children will see other children with various types of glo-sticks and will wine and nag you to buy them one.  They are over priced and you are going to resent doing this!!  Get down to the dollar store sometime in the week before and pick up some glo-sticks for a buck a piece.  Or better yet, do what we did one year;  stock up  on glo-sticks and let the children cash in on the whole glo-stick hungry mob by using the cute factor to make a 300% profit on their own glo-sticks.

Niagara Wine Tasting For Dummies

Don't let the title 'leave a bad taste in your mouth'.  I am in no way implying that Niagara Wine Tasting is for dummies.  Rather,  that dummies  to the world of Wine Tasting (ie: me)  can intermingle with wine tasting snobs quite adequately with a few pointers.

Now this is how it's done!

As a tour guide I have been privy to a regular diet of wine tastings.  Truth told,  I still really don't get it.  So for risk of being labelled a witless wino or an imbibing imbecile, I have mastered the technique of wine snobbery.  Maybe 'mastery' is a bit of an embellishment but I'm still working on it.  Bluffing one's way through wine is an ongoing learning experience. 

Here is a short list of what I have learned from my Niagara wine tours:

1. When they say 'humour your wine' they are not suggesting that you make 'Jim Carrey' faces into your glass.
2. A bunch of guys didn't sit around a boardroom in France brainstorming snooty names for various wines.  Au contraire!  All the wines are named for the grapes they are made with.  I know, I know....I was beyond stunned too when I finally figured this out!

NIAGARA FALLS: I Remember When...........

If one thing's for certain, there sure have been a lot of changes down at The Falls since I was born.  My early year visits to Niagara Falls itself were relegated to the backseat of a car, surrounded my older relatives.  At the age of 8, as luck would have it we moved close enough to the falls to hear it's droning thunder.  A few years later I finally had the nerve to sneak down to the Falls and begin exploring by myself.  As a teen, our entire social lives hinged on the weekend 'action' on Clifton Hill and other tourist pockets.  As an adult I began to tour guide.  I love every minute of it!  When I pass by and talk about many of the sites, I secretly can't help but 'go back' to a time when THINGS WERE JUST DIFFERENT...That's all. 

I remember a time when.....................

The Skylon Tower- The entire upper floor was converted into a rollerskating rink.  It was the place to be!  I loved everything about it except for the rollerskating part.  I was horrible and being as short as I am, I often felt like I was dodging bullets as the cool kids whizzed past close enough to create the breeze necessary to re-feather my bangs.  They also had an indoor amusement park of sorts on the bottom floor.  The rink didn't last too long, as someone probably thought better about marketing solely to teenagers.  Now, every time I take my tour groups there I secretly want to start belting out "My Sharona" while swaying from side to side to mimic rollerskating. For more information on the Skylon Tower check out my article The Skylon Tower.

(From the Niagara Falls Public Library)
Maple Leaf Village on the site of the present Casino Niagara

Casino Niagara-What the tourists see is the first of our two casinos.  I still see Maple Leaf Village.  When 'The Village' as we called it, opened in Niagara Falls it revolutionized the whole teenage experience! The  outside of The Village was an amusement park with the largest ferris wheel in North America as the highlight.  Inside were arcades and concession shops and t-shirt shops (as silk screening was the new rage back then).  I thought it would be cool to get a few friends together to call ourselves 'The Maple Leaf Village Gang'.  We weren't a gang but I figured if people thought you were, they wouldn't mess with us.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE 'SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS' IN NIAGARA FALLS

Kristi and George
Our partners in crime

My sister and her beau just arrived home from a 5-star Carribean Cruise.  That reminded me how much I needed a vacation.  It also reminded me that I was not in a position to take a vacation at the moment.

The obligatory shot in front of the casino

WAIT!  Not so fast!  The great thing about living in the Niagara area is that you can be a Niagara Tourist anytime you need to recharge.  So-that is exactly what I did.  First I found an deal on a hotel room at the Niagara Fallsview Casino.  Well, actually I found a free room which doesn't happen everyday.  Then I found four free concert tickets to the Spirit of Christmas at the Avalon Ballroom in the Fallsview Casino. What I couldn't find was a free restaurant for the four of us so we decided to bring our own food to the hotel room and eat before the dinner.  In some circles that might sound 'downright cheap'.  In our circle, we refer to this as 'downright cheap'.  Everyone showed up at the room at 7:00 and the feast got underway.  The menu consisted of a roast and au jus in the crockpot, Kaiser rolls, lots of toppings for the roast and buns, potato salad and of course banana cake.  We liked the 'in room' dining as we could talk as loud as we wanted, had the best 'fallsview' seats in the house and drink and food refills were free free free!  I think the casino discourages this practice because they make sure that they put a bathroom scale in every hotel room. 

The show 'The Spirit of Christmas' was a musical review and it really did put us girls into the mood for Christmas.  The very scantily dressed chorus line put the men into the mood as well, however not the Christmas mood that we were feeling.