Hello from Niagara Falls, Ontario: An Uplifting
Experience
It may sound strange, but it all started with the Miami Dolphins.
My husband is a huge fan of the fins, but we figured a trip to Miami
for his birthday in early December was not in the cards. So I started
to look around for other unique ideas how to celebrate his special
day and checked the Dolphins’ road games schedule and realized
that they were playing in Buffalo, barely two hours south of Toronto,
on December 10. Sure enough I bought the tickets online and figured
a nice birthday surprise was in the making.
Then I started thinking some more and given the fact that my husband
likes to gamble every once in a while I thought why not expand this
little getaway and spend a bit of time in Niagara Falls, Ontario,
to do some gambling. Of course my insane curiosity never sleeps
and I added a couple of extra days during which I would have a chance
to discover the city and all its various attractions in order to
develop an entire feature article series about the Niagara Falls
experience.
The Departure Hall at Toronto's Union Station
So I got in touch with the experts at Niagara
Falls Tourism who were extremely helpful and assisted me in
preparing a detailed itinerary for my explorations of Niagara Falls,
Ontario. We worked out a tightly packed program that would expose
me to a variety of diverse attractions that this city has to offer.
Finally, my adventure was ready to start. I had booked my Via Rail
train ticket to Niagara Falls online and my husband dropped me off
early this morning at Toronto’s venerable Union Station. I
exchanged my online booking confirmation for a paper ticket, and
shortly after 8 pm I was on my way to Track 13 where my comfortable
train to Niagara Falls was already waiting. At $21 for the ticket
it was also a very affordable and comfortable way of covering this
two hour journey. With just a slight delay I arrived shortly before
11 am in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and moments later I picked up my
nifty Budget Rental car. I had always found the Toyota Yaris very
cute, but I was not so sure if I could ever get used to the location
of the instrument panel in the center of the dashboard. In addition,
this micro-car did not have sufficient space in the trunk, so I
decided to drop off my luggage right away at my home away from home
for the next two days.
One of Niagara Falls' landmarks: the Skylon Tower
I found my way to the Best
Western Cairn Croft, a 165 room hotel located centrally on one
of Niagara Fall’s main strips: Lundy’s Lane. Along this
road there are more than two miles of hotels, restaurants, shopping
opportunities and various attractions. A friendly and humorous receptionist
welcomed me and directed me to my room on the third floor where
I got myself organized and relaxed a bit in one of the spacious
Tower Rooms.
The modern administration building at Niagara Helicopter
Just before I got too comfy I set off on my first real Niagara
Falls adventure: I was about to go on my first helicopter flight
in my entire life. The receptionist at the Cairn Croft drew me some
directions and off I was to my destination, Niagara
Helicopters, on Victoria Avenue at the northern end of town,
close to the Niagara Parkway. I saw an attractive and very modern
retail and administration complex, and in the background helicopters
were taking off and landing. I walked in and got greeted by some
of the team members at Niagara Helicopter. Lena, the Executive Assistant
to owner Ruedi Hafen; Shea, the Guest Services Manager, and René,
Operations Manager and one of the helicopter pilots, showed me around
and gave me an overview of the company.
Rene, Lena and Shae from Niagara Helicopters
They took me through the attractive gift shop to an area upstairs
that will be turned into a café and explained that the building
that houses the facility is very new and was completed in 2001.
Niagara Helicopter is very environmentally conscious and actually
purchases carbon offsets against the greenhouse gas emissions that
it creates. In addition, top modern boiler facilities, custom designed
for Niagara Helicopter, heat the helicopter pads and keep them free
from ice and snow.
Ruedi, moi and my pilot Rene
Just before I was about to step foot into one of these flying machines
myself the owner, Ruedi Hafen, came in the door so I had a few minutes
to spend with him as well. Ruedi is an architect by profession and
originally hails from Switzerland. Ruedi joined the company in 1981
and began to provide helicopter sightseeing services. In 1985 he
finally purchased the company from the former owners, started revamping
all the operations and has been responsible for the modernization
and expansion of Niagara
Helicopters which today is one of Niagara Falls’ premier
tourist attractions.
Rene, just before takeoff in this Bell 407 helicopter
Ruedi is one of those rare people who has truly managed to turn
his passion into his profession. Today, the company operates five
Bell 407 helicopters and has just placed an order for a sixth helicopter.
16 pilots take customers up into the air and pre-recorded in-flight
audio tours are offered in 12 languages. The staff at Niagara Helicopters
speak seven different languages. The company’s clientele attracts
countless customers from many different countries all over Europe
and Asia. For his entrepreneurial success and his community involvement,
particularly his participation in police searches and helicopter
rescue missions, Ruedi has won numerous awards over the years.
A close-up of the Bell 407
After getting a thorough introduction to the company and its owner,
it was now time for my very own first helicopter flying experience
in my life. My young pilot Rene, Ruedi’s right hand, took
me to the helipad, and we got comfortable in this flying machine
as the camera team snapped a couple of pictures of us. Then, with
my video camera rolling, I asked Rene to explain the various controls
to me. The entire helicopter is full of controls, even the roof
panel houses all sorts of switches. Rene explained that in a helicopter
the direction is controlled by a disk of rotors and in this Bell
407 helicopter, each blade can be individually controlled. These
highly sophisticated and customizable flying machines run in the
neighbourhood of $3 million, so they contain a lot of advanced technology.
Some of the hundreds of controls
Finally, all the explanations and safety checks were complete and
Rene took off with me. After performing a little dance with the
helicopter we lifted straight up and started to fly beside the Niagara
Gorge. I was really fortunate to have a picture perfect clear day
with blue skies; visibility stretched for miles. We made our way
towards the majestic falls along the prescribed route beside the
Niagara River. The cities of Niagara Falls, on both the Canadian
and American sides, came into full view and I was mesmerized by
the column of mist that was emanating from the Horseshoe Falls.
Aerial view of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls
We flew over the Falls and had a good look at them from every imagineable
angle, and I thoroughly enjoyed the aerial view of this thundering
cascade of water. All the architectural highlights of Niagara Falls,
the casinos, the entertainment areas and the hydro power plants
were in full view. A helicopter flight allows you to stand relatively
still and hover above a destination to get a really good indepth
look at the landscape below. From a certain angle I even caught
a rainbow stretching out from the mist of the giant waterfalls.
The Horseshoe Falls with a rainbow
On our way back I got a good look over the residential areas of
Niagara Falls and the famous Whirlpool further downstream in the
Niagara River. The view extended towards the Niagara Escarpment
and far across Lake Ontario. I could even see Toronto’s CN
Tower! Safely Rene brought our bladed flying machine back and we
touched down on the heated helipad. Ruedi was waiting with a framed
photo of my helicopter adventure which would allow me to remember
these exciting moments for a long time.
The Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory
As my schedule was rather packed, I had to say goodbye to Rene,
Ruedi and the team at Niagara
Helicopters and race off to cover my next Niagara Falls attraction,
which also had to do with flying. Except this time we were not dealing
with man-made machines, but with delicate and colourful winged creatures
- butterflies. I drove ten minutes up the road on the Niagara Parkway
to the Niagara
Parks Butterfly Conservatory, which is located on the grounds
of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens & the School of Horticulture.
Greetings from an oversized metal butterfly
A modern glass-enclosed pavilion opened in 1996 holds a gift shop
and a climate controlled tropical biotope that holds more than 2000
butterflies. On this cold winter day, a little reprieve inside a
warm and colourful sanctuary like this was just what the doctor
ordered. A 7-minute video provides an introduction to the butterflies
and plants housed in the Conservatory.
Feeding time
After taking off my jacket I walked inside the conservatory and
was immediately enchanted by the fluttering brightly coloured creatures
that were coming at me from all angles. Some of the roughly 45 butterfly
species on display include the brownish Magnificent Owl, the Blue
Morpho (featuring an almost neon blue wing surface), the orange
and black Queen, the yellow and black Zebra Longwing, and the intricately
patterned red, orange and black Red Lacewing.
A brilliantly coloured Blue Morpho
180 metres of walkways snake through the conservatory, surrounded
by an impressive tropical forest. Butterflies flutter all over the
place, sit on the glass windows, on the walls and on several feeding
stations that feature colourful plates with oranges on them. In
fascination I watched some of the butterflies eat, who actually
do not use a chewing mouth, but rather a structure that is reminiscent
of a sucking straw which allows them to ingest nectar, pollen and
fruit juices.
Various butterfly species at a feeding station
After having spent almost an hour in this tropical retreat I was
ready to venture outside again and started driving back into town
on the Niagara Parkway which was peaceful and quiet on this sunny
yet cold winter day. I stopped at the Whirlpool Aero Car, a cable
car that was built in 1913 by a Spanish engineer and that has been
a fixture among the popular tourist sites in Niagara Falls, Ontario
since 1916. During winter the entire complex is closed, but from
about mid-March to mid-November the cable car offers a perfect aerial
view the treacherous Whirlpool Rapids about 150 feet (more than
40 m) below. The view towards the American side of the Niagara River
and towards the Robert Moses Generating Station in Lewiston, NY,
is outstanding.
View over the Whirlpool
Well, I had not eaten since I had left Toronto early this morning,
so by now I was dearly in need of a late lunch. I drove back into
town and decided to park in the Fallsview Casino Resort, a $1 billion
entertainment, hotel and gaming complex that was opened in 2004.
Parking during the week is free and offers one of the most convenient
ways to access the great falls. I walked upstairs onto the main
floor which features the Galleria shopping concourse and a variety
of dining options.
The Globe, emblem of "The Famous" diner
I stopped off at “The
Famous”, which is a 24-hour upscale diner that features
fresh foods in a casual ambiance. The decorating theme at The Famous
is inspired by Art Deco, and a huge globe suspended from the ceiling
represents the major attraction in this stylish eatery. The menu
features a variety of all-day breakfasts, omelettes, fruits and
salads, soups, hamburgers, hot and cold sandwiches, various meat
and fish entrees and desserts.
My BLT hit the spot
Frank Scordino, one of the co-owners, joined me for a bit to give
me more information about his dining establishment. Together with
Robert Sniderman (son of Toronto’s famous Sam Sniderman of
“Sam The Recordman” fame) he owns the Senator, one of
Toronto’s most well-known fine dining establishments. His
business partner Robert, an avid world traveller, picked up the
globe during one of his international excursions and made it the
visual anchor point of their Niagara Falls establishment.
My delicious dessert
When I asked him about what makes “The Famous” unique,
Frank said that everything is freshly made on site, “nothing
is bought in a box”. Even the famous cream pies and cakes
are all made on site, and celebrities such as Regis Philbin and
Wayne Newton have all stopped in here during their trips to Niagara
Falls, Ontario. My stomach was really happy when my lunch arrived
and I enjoyed my hearty potato leek soup as well as “The Famous”
Club House sandwich with its freshly roasted chicken breast, accompanied
by bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo. To top it all off I had a slice
of apple pie with a scoop of ice cream which hit the spot after
a long day of excitement.
View of the Falls from a panorama window at the Fallsview Casino
Resort
But my
adventures weren’t over yet: I was yet to experience the
Niagara Falls Festival of Lights, highlighted by a personal tour
of the Illumination Tower which creates the nightly light effects
on the waterfalls, followed by a my first real magic show.
My first exposure to Niagara Falls had definitely been an uplifting
experience…
