The falls did not disappoint. On a spectacular fall Sunday morning we took in the famous falls from the US/NY side which has a lovely state park (the country’s oldest). The Canadian side has the big garish stuff — high rise hotels, casino, theme park, Ferris wheel.
We drove across the Rainbow Bridge, ehich has stunning views. Then at the park we walked along a gorge-side trail (paved and accessible) to the American falls and then across a pedestrian bridge to Horseshoe Falls. Glad we arrived early (9 am). Still easy to park ($15 on a Sunday; the park is free) but lots of tourists, especially of East Asian descent (and lots of East Asian restaurants on the Canadian side.)
Another highlight: Mississauga Fort and path along the lake in Niagara-on-the -Lake. Gorgeous views at sunset, with the silhouette of Toronto skyline off in the distance, across Lake Ontario. Refreshingly free of other people/tourist and overpriced parking. We did walk along Queen Street, the main tourist drag, which was packed w/ people windowshopping, eating ice cream and visiting bakeries. We ate at one of the two famous pubs, the Olde angel inn, circa 1789, which was atmospheric but very loud. It’s English. “Probably the best pub in the world” boasts the historic looking plaque by the entrance. (The other town pub, the Irish Harp, gets good reviews from our Ithaca pals!) Good pub grub (shepard’s pie and fish and chips.)
The town is charming with old buildings, lovely public gardens and the Shaw Festival but more developed since our last visit, maybe 15-20 years ago.
GPS took us on pretty rural backroads (apparently to avoid traffic on bigger roads) where we noticed lots of houses flying Canadian flags which we guessed was a reaction to our President’s ridiculous threats.
