Tomorro we shall be going to Niagara falls, with the aim of seeing the falls at night, and to see some of the locations of the 1953 film Niagara as posted here : Niagara with Marilyn Monroe, 1953.
UPDATE : Some more pictures and Niagara falls facts here :
http://lancastria.net/blog/?p=2199
Niagara Falls (French: les Chutes du Niagara) are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York, 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.
Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of water fall over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.
The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 1800s.
From the U.S. side, the American Falls can be viewed from walkways along Prospect Point Park, which also features the Prospect Point Observation Tower and a boat dock for the Maid of the Mist. Goat Island offers more views of the falls and is accessible by foot and automobile traffic by bridge above the American Falls. From Goat Island, the Cave of the Winds is accessible by elevator and leads hikers to a point beneath Bridal Veil Falls. Also on Goat Island are the Three Sisters Islands, the Power Portal where a huge statue of Nikola Tesla can be seen, and a walking path which enables views of the rapids, the Niagara River, the gorge, and all of the Falls. Most of these attractions lie within the Niagara Falls State Park.
The Niagara Scenic Trolley offers guided trips along the American Falls and around Goat Island. Panoramic and aerial views of the falls can also be viewed from the Flight of Angels helium balloon ride, or by helicopter. The Niagara Gorge Discovery Center showcases the natural and local history of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Gorge.
On the Canadian side, Queen Victoria Park features manicured gardens, platforms offering spectacular views of both the American and Horseshoe Falls, and underground walkways leading into observation rooms which yield the illusion of being within the falling waters. The observation deck of the nearby Skylon Tower offers the highest overhead view of the Falls, and in the opposite direction gives views as far as distant Toronto. Along with the Minolta Tower (formerly the Seagrams Tower, currently the Konica Minolta Tower), it is one of two towers in Canada with a view of the Falls.
Along the Niagara River, the Niagara River Recreational Trail runs the 35 miles (56 km) from Fort Erie to Fort George, and includes many historical sites from the War of 1812.
The Whirlpool Aero Car, built in 1916 from a design by Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres y Quevedo, is a cable car which takes passengers over the whirlpool on the Canadian side. The Journey Behind the Falls – accessible by elevators from the street level entrance – consists of an observation platform and series of tunnels near the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side.
There are two casinos on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara. The former is situated in the Fallsview Tourist Area, alongside many of the area’s hotels, whilst the latter is adjacent to Clifton Hill, a major tourist promenade.
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July 11th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
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October 1st, 2009 at 10:31 am
The thundering roar at the base of Niagara Falls is awesome indeed. On an average summer day, about 40 million gallons of water spill over the half-mile–wide Canadian portion of the cataract each minute.
After falling over a cliff taller than a 16-story building, water pummels the rocks below, incessantly eroding the base of the cliff and triggering rockfalls.
Before the 20th century, when engineers weakened the Niagara River by diverting some of its flow to produce hydroelectric power, the falls marched upstream an average of more than a meter per year.
Niagara Falls is one of the last links in an impressive chain: Water flows from Lake Superior and Lake Michigan to Lake Huron, onward to Lake Erie, then down the Niagara River and over the falls to Lake Ontario and thence to the sea. Today the falls seem unstoppable, but scientists have learned that there was a time after the most recent ice age when Niagara Falls was a mere trickle and the Great Lakes were a little less great.
During the ice age, which began about 100,000 years ago, a kilometers-thick ice sheet smothered the region. And Niagara Falls — or the ice-covered cliff that would become the falls —was located several kilometers downstream of its current site.
Sometime around 13,000 years ago, the ice retreated northward, leaving meltwater to accumulate in gouges that were left behind.
With the first flush of meltwater, lake levels rose and the falls raged. Studies show that as ice retreated and climate dried, however, the falls slowed to a trickle for several millennia, starting about 10,000 years ago.
Scientists once thought that the falls slowed because the overflow from Lake Erie was rerouted to a different spillway when the landscape tilted and shifted as it was relieved of its icy burden.
But now they are learning that some of the rivers connecting one lake to another simply disappeared during a long dry spell that started about 12,500 years ago.
Read more here :
http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/2009/09/15/niagara-falls-was-once-just-a-trickle.html
October 8th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Facts about Niagara falls :
* Niagara Falls were formed as a result of glaciers receding at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes, which together created a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean.
* Although the Niagara Waterfalls are not exceptionally high, they are very wide. Their length of brink is 1060 feet while their height is 176 feet. Niagara Falls are one of the most powerful waterfalls in North America.
* Niagara Falls are located on the international border that separates the Canadian province of Ontario and the American state of New York.
* Niagara Falls includes two major sections which are divided by the Goat Island. These two sections are the Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side and the American Falls on the United States side. One smaller section of the waterfall called the Bridal Veil Falls is also located on the American side and is separated from the main falls by the Luna Island.
* One of the oldest and best known tourist attractions at the Niagara Falls is the boat cruise called Maid of the Mist boat cruise, which is named after an ancient Ongiara Indian mythical character.
* The Niagara Falls had long been identified as a potential source of power. One of the very first attempts to utilize the Niagara Falls as a source of energy was in 1759. In 1759, Daniel Joncaire built a small canal above the waterfalls to power his sawmill.
* Augustus and Peter Porter later purchased this place along with the entire American falls in 1805 from the New York state government. Augustus and Peter Porter enlarged the original canal in order to provide hydraulic to power their gristmill and tannery.
* In 1853, the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Mining Company was chartered, which eventually constructed the canals that were to be used for electricity generation. In the year 1881, under the leadership of Jacob Schoellkopf, power was generated using the Niagara waters. The power was sufficient to illuminate both the Falls as well as the nearby Niagara Falls village.
* It is a fact that the original Niagara Falls were near the sites of present-day Queenston, Ontario, and Lewiston, New York. However owing to the erosion of their crest, the waterfalls have retreated several miles southward.
* Several people have attempted to conquer the Niagara Falls. In October 1829, Sam Patch, jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and also survived the jump. This incident has continues into a long tradition of daredevils, some of whom successfully conquered the falls, while some even lost their lives in the attempt.
* The number of tourists visiting the Niagara Falls in 2008 is expected to total 20 million. In addition to this, the annual rate is expected to top 28 million tourists per year by the year 2009.
October 31st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Every two seconds, one million gallons of water plummet over Niagara Falls – and every month, on average, a similar number of tourists turn up to see the spectacle. The popularity of this scenic wonder has encouraged the building of some undecorous hotels and garish places to eat and drink. Yet the natural spectacle transcends the messy handiwork of man. And because many of the visitors are only at Niagara for the day, the hours after dawn and before sunset are relatively tranquil – apart from the constant roaring of the Falls.
WHERE ARE THEY?
Along the Niagara River, between Lakes Erie and Ontario. The water from four of the Great Lakes is funnelled into the fifth at the point where the Canadian province of Ontario squeezes against New York State. The frontier between the US and Canada runs north-south here, with Canada to the west, which some visitors find geographically confusing. You might also be muddled by the high number of places called Niagara. You can visit the US town of Niagara, upstream on the Niagara River; the Canadian town of Niagara-on-the-Lake; and two airports named Niagara on the US side alone: Niagara Falls International and Buffalo-Niagara International. But most visitors will spend their time at one or both of the towns named Niagara Falls on each side of Niagara Falls.
The nearest cities to the Falls are Buffalo in the US (23 miles) and Hamilton in Canada (40 miles). The most populous cities in both countries are relatively close; New York is 446 miles away by road, and Toronto is just 83 miles.
WHAT ARE THEY?
Niagara Falls comprise three adjacent waterfalls on the Niagara river at the point where it widens to 1,060 feet and plummets 167 feet. From the Canadian side – which gives the best view – they are, respectively, the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and the Canadian Falls. Ninety per cent of the water flows over the Canadian Falls, also known as the Horseshoe Falls.
Collectively, the Falls may look spectacular – but the flow of water is between one-quarter and one-half of what would naturally occur. Most of the water is diverted to a pair of hydro-electric plants, one of which may have precipitated Thursday’s blackout in the US. The authorities control the amount of water over the Falls, and tailor it to the number of visitors. The maximum flow of half a million gallons per second occurs between 8am and 10pm from April to mid-September, from mid-September to 31 October, the hours are 8am-8pm. At other times, a mere quarter-million gallons flow over the Falls, the minimum prescribed by a 1950 treaty.
HOW WERE THEY CREATED?
Geologically speaking, the Falls at Niagara are veritable new-borns; they are only about 12,000 years old. But the components that led to their formation go back hundreds of millions of years. The Niagara region is made up of layers of rock that were formed from sediment deposited in the sea that once covered what is now the Great Lakes region – known as the Michigan Sea. At the time, this lay within the tropics. As softer rock eroded away, what remained was an outer edge of dolomite. This mineral, named after a French scientist, Deodat de Dolomieu, is limestone rich in magnesium, which makes it relatively robust. Part of this vast circle has now become the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, an often-spectacular ridge that arcs around the western part of New York State into the province of Ontario.
The course of the Niagara river was formed by glaciation during the last ice age. (It is not strictly a river; technically, it is a strait between two large bodies of water, Lakes Erie and Ontario). The water of the newly formed Falls began slowly to cut into the cliff over which it poured. In the past 12,000 years the Falls have retreated seven miles south towards Lake Erie, creating the Niagara Gorge downstream of the Falls. Nature and tourism are not always in harmony; one reason for the diversion of the majority of the water is to reduce erosion in a bid to maintain the continued attraction of the Falls.
WHO FOUND THEM?
The retreating Falls mean that archaeological evidence is patchy, but it believed that the first settlers may have arrived in the Niagara region as early as 8,000 years ago – at which stage the Falls would have been several miles downstream from the present point. There is some evidence that a tribe of Native Americans known as the Onguiaahra arrived from what is now the province of Ontario around AD1300; the name “Niagara” is thought to derive from this tribe.
The first European explorers arrived early in the 17th century, shortly before conflict broke out between rival tribes of Native Americans. The Seneca, part of the Iroquois nation, prevailed. Publicity about the Falls began after a visit by a priest named Louis Hennepin in December 1678. He was born in the town of Ath in what is now Belgium, and moved to Calais to become a priest. In 1675 he was dispatched as a missionary among the Iroquois in eastern Canada, along with a French military expedition. In the winter of 1678-79, he visited Niagara on a journey deep into what is now the Midwest (there is a Hennepin County in Minnesota), and his subsequent account created great interest.
Eventually Niagara became the self-styled “Honeymoon Capital of the World”; with the biggest population centres of the US and Canada close by, Niagara was the obvious place for newlyweds. Cheap flights to the Caribbean have reduced the local market, which helps to explain why the American town of Niagara Falls has hit hard times. But numerous Japanese couples are helping to bolster visitor numbers.
CAN I TAKE THE PLUNGE?
No. First, while some people have survived either accidental or, more often, deliberate transits of the Falls, the odds are against you. The days when people would set off towards the brink in Heath Robinson-esque contraptions such as reinforced barrels or heavy-duty kayaks have long past. In the unlikely event that you were to remain alive after being hurled over the edge into water that goes 170 feet deep, you would face a heavy fine when you emerged.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO SEE THE FALLS?
From every possible angle. Start with proximity, which means the US side. One of the nation’s finest state parks is the Niagara Reservation, comprising Goat Island and the trio of small islets known as Three Sisters. You can walk out across bridges to the most distant, from which the city of Buffalo is visible upstream. At this point the water is flowing freely, but with little indication of the catastrophe about to appear. For that, wander along to the westernmost end of Goat Island. Terrapin Point sounds innocuous enough, but turns out to be at the very brink of the Canadian Falls (indeed, the international frontier here is the water’s edge).
For your next trick, take the Maid of the Mist boat trip from the US side, just downstream from the Falls. The 20-minute trip costs $10.50 (£7), but most visitors regard it as well worthwhile. It takes you almost underneath the water, though passengers are given free plastic macs to stay dry. Boats run every 15 minutes during the day at peak times, less frequently off-peak; Call 001 716 284 8897 or visit http://www.maidofthemist.com for more information.
Cross the picturesque Rainbow Bridge from the US to the Canadian side, and indulge in the Journey Behind the Falls, where you are taken into a chamber beneath the tumbling water. This is covered with the same C$31.95 (£18) Great Gorge Adventure Pass ticket as the Maid of the Mist. At dusk, Canada’s panoramic supremacy becomes clear. Hundreds of people gather on the esplanade to watch the Falls in the evening light. The classic panorama is from the Canadian side, in the parkland that extends from the Niagara Parkway to the water’s edge.
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THAT?
As darkness descends, the town of Niagara Falls becomes Canada’s closest equivalent to Las Vegas. Clifton Hill, which winds up from the waterfront, is a dazzle of neon signs promoting bars and restaurants. Except last Thursday.
HOW EASY IS IT TO CROSS BETWEEN THE US AND CANADA?
Not as easy as it used to be, with much stricter checks in both directions. By car or on foot, the way to go is across the Rainbow Bridge.
Don’t forget your passport when crossing into Canada. You can leave America with no formalities – simply walk through a gate and you are on the no-man’s-land of the Rainbow Bridge. From Canada, you need to feed 50c (either Canadian or US; paying with Canada’s currency will save you cash) into the turnstile on the way out; there is no toll when crossing from the US.
WHERE CAN I STAY?
The Canadian side has far more places to stay than the US shore. Indeed, one good reason for staying in Canada is that you don’t have to look at the ugly fringe of hotels. Another is that prices are likely to be lower. You can even recover the tax paid on purchases and accommodation. For a cheap, independent, retro place to stay you could try the interesting Cadillac Motel (5342 Ferry Street, 001 905 356 0830), which charges C$67 (£30) for a room with one double bed.
The most individual option is the Red Coach Inn on the US side (2 Buffalo Avenue, 001 716 282 1459, http://www.redcoach.com), a 20th-century mock-Tudor structure handily located close to the bridge to Goat Island. Prices vary according to demand, but you may get a double room for around US$233 (£155), including breakfast.
Alternatively you could camp, but the sites are some way from the points of interest. On the American side, the most convenient site is at 2405 Niagara Falls Boulevard (001 716 731 3434), which charges US$23 (£15) to pitch a tent.
I’M HUNGRY
Whatever your taste in food and drink, you will find something unappealing in Niagara. Most of the options are either chains (Hard Rock Cafe, Rainforest Cafe) or glumly downmarket. Clifton Hill is full of possibilities, but you should seek out one of the family-run pizzerias on Ferry Street for something vaguely individual.
The wine list may cheer you up; some of eastern North America’s finest wines are produced in Ontario and New York State. You can even take the 100-mile Lake Ontario Wine Trail.
CAN I DRINK THE WATER?
Niagara Drinking Water is a popular brand of bottled water in the US. Its slogan is “the purest, best-tasting water ever”. Unfortunately for those who like the notion of drinking water that has made the leap, the source is near Irvine, California. The water that plummets over the Falls is drawn from the North American industrial heartland and is not entirely contaminant-free.
I HAVE BEEN INVITED TO THE “CANADIAN BALLET”. SHOULD I GO?
Only if you wish to see some striptease. “Canadian ballet” is the disparaging term coined by Americans to describe one of the less virtuous entertainments on offer on the Ontario side of the Falls.
Don’t go to either side of Niagara Falls for high culture. The American Niagara Falls has a vast new casino that fills the vast old convention centre in the middle of town at 310 Fourth Street (001 716 299 1100, http://www.snfgc.com). The Seneca Niagara Casino opens every day, admission free.
HOW DO I GET THERE?
The fastest way is to fly via New York’s Kennedy airport, power outages permitting. Seven airlines will fly you there from various UK airports for a fare of around £250 return in September. Change at Kennedy for the one-hour hop on JetBlue (001 718 286 7900, http://www.JetBlue.com) to Buffalo-Niagara airport, about 40 minutes’ drive from the Falls. The journey by bus is easy but time-consuming; take the local bus from the airport to Buffalo, and change there for Niagara Falls. The alternative is to take a Greyhound bus all the way from New York to Niagara Falls, for a fare of US$69 (£46) each way. Via Canada, the best gateway is Toronto, served by Air Canada (0870 524 7226, http://www.aircanada.ca), British Airways (0870 850 9 850, http://www.ba.com) and a range of charter airlines.
HOW DO I GET AROUND?
Most visitors arrive by car, but you really do not need one to explore the Falls; most distances are easily walkable. The best way to get a decent view of the Rainbow Bridge between the US and Canada is to walk. A bicycle is a fine way to see the area.
November 7th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Niagara falls, pictured frozen over in 1911.
November 7th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
The Canadian horseshoe falls, as viewed from the US side of the falls :