Fall for Niagara Falls

Back in April 2009, we had a planned a trip to Niagara Falls over the 4-day Easter weekend. Plans changed and we ended up moving it to the August long weekend. I'm happy about that since we probably had nicer weather in August than we would have had in April, just a shot in the dark.

Friday was a half day at work and we drove the 6 hours to the Falls. It was a relatively easy drive, but one that contributed to our trafficky-noisy outlook on Toronto as we were driving right through. We got there around 8 at night, checked into our hotel (another Choicehotels.com jewel, the Days Inn), and went for a walk to orient ourselves. NOTE: To all those that go to the Falls, there are only about 2 places where you can walk all the way down. So if your hotel is inbetween those two places, there's quite a long walk. We suggest the route right beside the Skylon Tower. Since it was already dark, they had a light show pointed towards the water. Amazing colours that looked really neat because all the water was moving.

The funny thing was, after about half an hour of strolling by the water, fireworks started going off! We immediately thought it was the city of Niagara Falls welcoming us, but then realized that they have fireworks about 3 times a week. Lucky us that we got to see them since in Ottawa they only have fireworks once a year.

After a nice sleep in our hotel and a breakfast at the adjoining Perkins, we drove to MARINELAND!

I love, love, love parks like this. Of course, they are full of tourists, but it's just so much fun to see the animals (and from what I hear, they are not mal-treated). The first stop for us was the deer. I remember coming to Marineland with my parents as a kid and there is one picture of me floating around, looking scared because one of the deer nibbled on my finger and I was convinced they were going to gobble me up. Age has changed my view on these cute creatures, and I promptly bought an ice-cream cone filled with deer-feed. Those deer have learned to recognize these ice-cream cones and start to follow you when they see you holding one. I immediately had about 10 deer following me.

After the deer, we lined up for the marine-animal show. There were so many crying kids, and everyone was trying to sneak in front of everyone else. Word to the wise, it's best to sit on the edges anyways, since you'll get out quicker after the show. There's plenty of room for everyone.

There were seals, walrus', and dolphins. Lots of jumps and tricks and good ol' entertainment.

We also saw the killer whales doing some jumps in another section of the park. They had to warn us to stay a few feet from the edge of the pool as one of the whales was being agressive. People just thought the announcer was joking....until the whale acually lunged at someone. Then they started to listen.

We were exhausted after a full day on our feet, so we found a nice place for dinner, and fell asleep around 9pm.

The next day, after another hardy breakfast at Perkins, we made our way to Journey Behind the Falls (JBTF). JBTF is an underground attraction where you can walk through caves behind the falls. You can look out of those caves and see the huge amount of water falling everyday. It's loud, it vibrates, it's amazing. It's also pretty wet, so make sure you put on your free poncho hood! Depending on where you are in the caves, you could be right behind the falls, or just off to the side.

Next up was Clifton Hill, the main touristy part of Niagara Falls. Mini-golf, FX Theatres, The Skylon Tower, The Skywheel.....all things you should do. Yes, you can mini-golf anywhere, but can you mini-golf among dinosaurs anywhere? No, I don't think so.

There was a Ripley's Believe It Or Not and a Movieland Wax Museum. At the Wax Museum, I was lucky enough to meet celebrities such as Clark Gable, Tom Hanks, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Simpsons. When I met Homer, I was telling him about the deer we saw, and he was like "Doh? A Deer?" and I replied "A female deer". True story.

Our last night in Niagara Falls, we decided to have a nice dinner. There was a place across the street from the Days Inn called Vinny's that had some great music. We dressed up a bit, got a table, some food, and some pitchers of beer. Guess who showed up! James Brown. Ok, it wasn't James Brown (JB), but he sang JB songs, sounded like JB, and looked like JB. We spent a good 3 hours there listening to this guy sing, and when he took a break, the main band was excellent too. A great final night.

We went back to work needing a vacation since we were tired from our vacation, but that's just one of those things you have to deal with. If you want to do these short trips, expect to be tired after you get back!

Another weekend excursion successfully accomplished!

Why not NY?

One day, back in January 2009, J and I were sitting in the car on the way to work, stuck in traffic. It was getting to that part of winter where the holidays were over and it was a looooong stretch until the Easter long weekend. We were talking about places we'd love to go and J mentioned that he always wanted to go back to New York City. J had gone there with his friends a few years ago and didn't quite get the sight-seeing experience one would expect.....maybe that was due to the attempt to hit every Irish bar in NYC?? Folks, just for the record, there are a lot of Irish bars in NYC.

After he mentioned going back to NYC, I instantly said "Why not! You have a long weekend in February," (family day....which I don't get) "Why don't I take a vacation day and we'll make a trip to New York?" That night, we were on the travel rewards website paying for plane tickets with our points. In three weeks we were going to New York. Over Valentine's Day weekend, nonetheless. We booked the cheapest hotel room on the ChoiceHotels.ca website (you get Aeroplan Points for staying at these hotels!), and found some tickets for the Liberty/Ellis ferry. We also booked tickets for a tour of NBC Studios.

Fast forward 3 weeks and we were touching down at La Guardia, catching our hotel shuttle, and arriving at the Econolodge in Times Square. It was about 1 block from Times Square, but it was clean, quaint......and small!

There was roughly a foot around the bed in the bedroom, and the bathroom had one of those half-bathtubs. It was very tiny, but we didn't care. We'd only be sleeping there anyways!

That night we went out to Times Square to see all the brightly lit billboards at night. We walked around a bit and then had some drinks at TGIFridays.

Perhaps we had 1 drink too many because were walking back to the hotel drunk.....with the intention of getting up at 7 am to get to the Empire State building as early as possible.

And we got up at 7 am!!! Yeah, so we had some mild headaches, but we were in NEW YORK CITY! All those times we had seen it in movies and we were actually here!! It was surreal. We made our way south towards the Empire State Building and were there so early that there were no lineups. We had figured that it would be super busy because of the Sleepless in Seattle effect (meeting at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day), but alas, we are the only romantics that get up at 7 am on a Saturday. We did, however, see the ropes that would have housed all the line-ups and would totally recommend to anyone thinking of going to get there early.

The view was amazing! You could see all of Manhattan.

After taking the highspeed elevator back down 86 floors (it's so high your ears pop), we made our way towards Rockerfellar Centre (RC). We made it to RC in time to see Cupid skating around the Rockerfellar skating rink. He had a bow and arrows and I kept expecting him to 'shoot' someone to make them fall in love, but it never happened.

We checked in for our tour of the NBC Studios. It was Saturday and we figured that we wouldn't get to see the Saturday Night Live studios because they'd be in use....but we were wrong! We got to see the news studio and the SNL Studio, we even saw Alex Baldwin because he was hosting that week. It was so amazing. The studio is actually really small, but since they use a telescopic lens it looks huge. J and I made an agreement to stay up to watch SNL since we could say "We were there!!!"

After the awesome studio tour, we made our way to Central Park. On the way there, we passed by 5th avenue. Lots of stores that we were scared to go into, like Louis Vuitton and Prada. There were more security guards than shoppers....but I guess that's ok since they get $20000 for a purse.

We had a lunch of street-meat. We each got a hotdog and a pretzel and sat on a bench outside of Central Park. Yum! After our satisfying lunch we strolled around the park, seeing the carousel, the skating rink, and the park that had all the chessboards. Central Park is huge! I think we may have seen about 1/10 of it and we were there for a few hours. I wish we could have seen the John Lennon memorial, but it was in the middle to northern part of the park, so out of our reach.

After Central park, we made our way back towards the hotel to take some pictures of Times Square during the day, and then get changed for dinner. We had no reservations, and didn't feel like being in some stuffy restaurant where they serve grey poupon. So we started walking away from Times Square down 9th avenue, and found a nice little diner called the Galaxy Diner. Simple food, like burgers and salads, but they were playing all the best love songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s!!! It was so cheesy, but so comfortable and relaxed! We even sang to each other when Your Song by Elton John came on. We didn't sing loud though....we didn't want to get kicked out!

Later that night, with the TV tuned to the show before SNL, we managed to stay awake until Alex Baldwin gave his opening monologue. Then we fell asleep. Almost 8 hours of walking....we needed the rest.

Sunday morning came and we started off our day by buying tickets to Mary Poppins. Then we figured out the subway system and got to Battery Park. There is a great tourist information centre in Times Square (look for the big 'i'). They were very helpful and gave us detailed directions. Props to them.

After we got to battery park (the park featured in the movie Cloverfield, by the way), we found the ferry station. We went through a round of security and got on the boat. Less than an hour later, we were on Liberty Island. Another 2 rounds of security and we were in the pedestal of Lady Liberty. Can you believe there was more security to see the Statue of Liberty than to fly to New York?

We caught the ferry back to the mainland and wove our way through the financial district, seeing the Wall Street Bull, and where the Twin Towers used to stand. Chilling to think about what happened and what it must have been like, but the photo of what they are planning on building looks amazing. We are both looking forward to going back to see how it turns out.

We walked north. And walked....and walked....and made it to the Brooklyn Bridge! We were starstruck to see the bridge that we've heard so much about.

We attempted to walk all the way across...but after almost 2 full days of walking, we turned around at the half way point and decided to make it back to our hotel. We picked up some NY style pizza and chowed down in our hotel before taking a small nap to ensure our alertness during that night's performance of Mary Poppins.

The show was fabulous! The theatre was so old looking, it had so much character. It's amazing to think of how many shows that go on every night in NY. I wish we could have seen them all! We'll just have to go back.

It was a quick trip (just like Toronto!), but we felt like we got a good feel for the city. At certain points, walking along with the crowd in Times Square, I had to pull J to the side because I needed a breather. It really pulls you along. We both loved the energy of the city and hope to come back sometime soon....to "New York...concrete jungle where dreams are made from..."

Rocking in Torockto (Toronto)

Ok, lame post title, but it was awesome.

I don't usually associate the word "awesome" with Toronto. I normally associate the words "Traffic", "Smog", "Noise", and "Crazy Leafs Fans". This time, I experienced none of those things.

I have to remember that I'm normally driving through Toronto and never really have time to experience it. This time we took ViaRail, didn't have to worry about who was going to drive, and let this be a sort of mini-honeymoon.

Friday morning we drove to the Ottawa train station and got in line to get seats on the train. The cheapest seats means more waiting in line, but we got two seats next to each other so I was able to sleep with my head on J's shoulder and not some random stranger. Within 5 hours we were in Toronto....or rather, we were stopped for 15 minutes just outside Union Station in Toronto. Annoying as it was ("Just let me out and I'll WALK into the station!"), it must be pretty busy in there, so we forgive you ViaRail. Everything was so smooth that it makes up for the wait.

We walked across the street to the Fairmont Royal York and checked into our room. Wow. What a hotel! It's right out of the flapper era. There are gorgeous chandeliers inside and the whole building looks like an old chateau. Don't get me wrong. The place wasn't old like falling-apart-old. It was so nice and classy that we felt underdressed! The staff was really friendly (didn't judge us on our rumpled train outfits) and our room was great!

After freshening up into our theatre gear, we were on our way to meet Kelly and some other friends for dinner at Jack Astor's. Compared to the Jack Astor's in Ottawa, this place was boppin'. Luckily, lots of people cleared out because there was a Blue Jays verses Red Sox baseball game. After dinner we went to the Royal Alexandria Theatre and saw Rock of Ages.

One thing I don't like about Ottawa is that we get the short end of the stick when it comes to hit musicals. We'll get maybe one or two per year, but the majority of them just stay in Toronto. Now, Rock of Ages just opened, so I guess it has to gain popularity before they think of touring, but I am predicting that it will get really popular, really fast. Yes, it's a love story like most other musicals, but the original part is that the music is set to rock songs of the 80's. If you are about 28+ years old and you go see this musical, you will know all the songs. However, it is definitely worth seeing even if you are younger!! It was fabulous to be able to sing along to, and the energy on stage was so intense that I have no clue how they do it 8 times a week (until October!). All I can really say is that this was one of my all-time favourite musicals. The music, the cast, the jokes....You have to see it!! Just don't bring your kids...

After a pair of pints at the hotel lounge, we fell asleep in our plush king-size bed. We slept like babies.

Saturday morning we got up and went to the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF). My husband, J, is a huge hockey fan. He saw all the games at Scotiabank Place during the 2009 World Junior Championship, and routinely makes me watch a game or two a week during the NHL season. I suggested going to the HHOF when I found out it was just around the corner from the Fairmont. J agreed right away.
We saw lots of hockey memorabilia, and loads of stuff on the Great One, Wayne Gretzky. We got to touch the Stanley Cup (a replica of course) and the lucky loonie that was embedded in the ice during the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. J was in hockey-heaven and I got mega points for going with him! Sweeeet.

Next up, we made our way across town to Medeival Times. We've gone to the Medeival Times in Kissimmee, Florida, and it was a great time! So naturally, we had to see if it was the same story-line here in Canada. The atmosphere was great, the jousting was exciting, and the meal was tasty.

After the show, J and I said goodbye to Kelly and headed back to our hotel, exhausted. By the way, it takes about an hour to walk from the Fairmont to Medeival Times....and we took some detours so we we got quite a bit of exercise.

The next day, we had a nice breakfast in one of the restaurants under the Fairmont and then packed up our things and headed to the train station. It's amazing how much it looks like Grand Central Station in New York City.

You know, as much as we want to travel to every country in the world, we really need to take the time to see the cities in our own country. I had been to Toronto with my parents when I was younger, but I don't think I realized then how nice it was. This time, we weren't dealing with traffic and noise, we were dealing with the culture. It was only a weekend, but we had a great time. I have a renewed appreciation for the capital of Ontario, and we will definitely be back.

Is this thing on??

Hi! My name is Helen Niles....and I love to travel.

I decided to start a blog on travelling because although I haven't been to far-off places like Asia or Australia (though they may be closer to some of you out there), I hope to one day.

My friend Kelly has a great outdoorsy/crafty blog (www.done-well.blogspot.com). After reading the things that Kelly was writing about, it made me think that it would be cool to share my thoughts and experiences when it comes to travelling. So here I go...

Travelling: Being away from home....going somewhere....packing a suitcase....being in an airport....

All these things get my blood pumping. Although I have a bit of a fear of flying, I LOVE being in airports. Everyone is coming from one city and going to another, everyone is on their own path somewhere. Airports are just as exciting when you're coming back from a trip, as you feel like you haven't been home in ages....even if it was only a weekend excursion. I guess the only bad thing about airports is the random strip search, but I'm sure there's a silver lining to it somewhere :)

I've been to various places in Canada, the US and Europe. My two favourite places are the Czech Republic, as I am Czech (Nazdravi!!), and the Maritimes. My husband, J, is from New Brunswick and we go there to visit his family. Both of these places set my heart at ease.....and I can never wait to go back. Luckily, because my family is from Europe and his family is from NB, we'll never have an excuse not to go.

J and I are taking our honeymoon in September. We are so frikkin' excited! 3 weeks away from home! We are flying to Rome and staying there for 4 days. Then it's off to Pompei for 2 days, Florence for 3, and Venice for 2. We fly to Prague and stay there for 7 days, then it's off to Munich for Oktoberfest!! Our last big trip was in 2008, so this has been a long time coming.

Well, I have to start packing as we're headed to Toronto this weekend. Expect an update as to how awesome Medieval Times is....