Niagara Falls Ontario - It ain't like it used to be

-


We had a chance to visit Niagara Falls this past summer. It has been 30 years since I last visited and I can truthfully say that after having spent four very relaxing days while we were there I doubt that I will be returning anytime soon. The city is commercialized beyond recognition. Thirty years ago there was certainly a touristy feel and the start of a honky tonk town but today, it is unbelievably  geared towards tourism with casinos, restaurants, high rise hotels and so on.

The first photo is of the falls itself, the Canadian side. There were literally hundreds of people on the boardwalk that day so it was hard to get scenic views plus the weather was overcast and slightly misty but warm.

We stayed a place in Niagara Falls called Accoomodations Niagara and it proved to be the highlight of our stay. Lee was wonderful and the guests staying at the time were facinating folks.

Downtown Niagara Falls is a busy place and if you have kids it is probably a great place to vacation and I suppose for couples as well. You can easily spend a lot of money in the casinos but it was not our thing. Most of our time was spent in Niagara-on-the-Lake visiting the various wineries capped off with a wonderful dinner at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Photos taken with an Olympus EPL-5 and 14-42 and 45mm lenses.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seth Thomas Round Top Mantel Clock

-
Image
Seth Thomas Dome clock I wrote about this clock a few months back and at that time it was only running for a couple of days. I was pretty happy with my purchase since I had picked it up at a junk / antique store just about a 1/2 hours drive from here. It has, in fact been running wonderfully for several months now. It's a bit idiosyncratic in that despite being an 8-day clock it does not like being wound right down because the count wheel for the strike gets confused and strikes the hour on the half hour instead. Could be it needs some adjustment. Keeping it wound without it stopping has proven to work. It also ticks quite loudly but it is in our dining room and certainly not intrusive in that location. It has been oiled and seems to runs just fine. The walnut case is in excellent condition and a good rubbing with Murphy's Soap has virtually restored the cabinet. I make it a point not to redo the clock finish if it has minor nicks and scratches. I have an assortment of
Read more

Seth Thomas Gothic Beehive Mantle Clock

-
Image
Seth Thomas Beehive Mantle clock circa 1928 This is a Seth Thomas Gothic beehive mantle clock. The face has Henry Birks & Sons inscribed on it and obviously the company contracted the clock out to Seth Thomas at that time. The movement is an 89AL which was used in a variety of clock between 1922 and 1928 so I would put this clock at around the 1928 period. There is a little plaque inside the back access door giving the reseller location which in this case is Amherst, Nova Scotia. I has been running all day now and I am just waiting to see whether it gains or loses time. I will know in about 24 hours. The beat is good but the clock chimes the hours on the half hour which is obviously not supposed to happen. It means a minute hand pin adjustment once I know that the clock can run steadily. As is typical of these old clocks there was a lot of dirt and grime on the finish. Rather than take the dramatic step of refinishing the clock it is far easier to take a good cleaner, in my
Read more

Photography Rant – Is It A Rant Or Just Some Observations?

-
Image
Panasonic G6 with 45-175mm zoom On my last holiday trips outside this country I was surprised to see so many people using cell phones to take photos. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, the world of technology is changing and changing very rapidly. I was also equally surprised to see so few people using cameras and most of what I saw were larger DSLRs (I am a mirrorless user myself). Some were even using their iPad which in and of itself is rather amusing to watch. Cell phones have virtually hosed the lower digital camera market and must be a blow to the bottom line of camera companies who saw much of their profit in these small entry level cameras go out the window in recent years. So, along comes the cell phone, the new Kodak Instamatic.  If you are into a phone contract as most people are you might as well take advantage of as many features of the phone as you can and that includes taking photos and immediately posting them for all the world to see. Cell phones have opera
Read more