Eastern Canada Trip 2019 Day 13 September 19 Toronto, Niagara Falls ON, Niagara Falls NY

This is the 13th in a series of posts covering my trip to Eastern Canada in September 2019, adapting emails originally sent to friends. I use NOW to refer to any updates since I did the trip. 

I got up just before 5:30, then walked up Dufferin, then east along Dundas (where it becomes the Chinese district closer to the downtown core) to Yonge-Dundas Square. I grabbed breakfast at the nearby McDonald's on Yonge. Heading towards Toronto Coach Terminal, I briefly slipped and spilled a bit of my drink on my arm and camera. fortunately my drink was club soda. I managed to snag the front seat on the Megabus, this time a single decker. With a brief stopover in St. Catherine, the bus made its way to Niagara Falls. At one point during the trip the sun shone so brightly I could only look ahead through my camera LCD screen. I toyed with the idea of taking the GO train back because I was schedule to return earlier than I'd liked, but couldn't find a schedule or even confirmation that it stops by the Via Rail station. Also don't know how many runs are the train and how many are still a bus and train combo.

I took the Olympic Torch Legacy rail to what feels like another world, starting with the extreme tacky Clifton Hill street and area. Just before the street is Nightmares Fear Factory. On the street itself is Frankenstein's House of Horrors,  Dracula's Haunted Castle, the Haunted Mansion, Movieland Wax Museum, etc.

I walked down to the falls proper. There are three falls. looking left to right from the Canadian side: American Falls (straight and wide), Bridal Veil Falls right beside it (straight but narrow;  it's right beside  the American Falls so it has a  bit of a tooth missing effect in between), and the Horseshoe aka Canadian Falls, which curves from the American to the Canadian side; the other two are entirely on the American side, though the best views of the Falls are across the Niagara River from the Canadian side.

I wandered to the Horseshoe Falls and back and then walked to the Rainbow Bridge, which is grey. The price of pedestrian entry doubled from 2016 from 50c to $1. I started across it to the American side.I saw a Chinese couple work their way to the International Boundary point and then turn back. I wonder if they realized that once you start across the bridge on either side, you have to at least attempt to enter the country on the other side. There were quite a few officials at the entry point at Niagara Falls, New York. I easily cleared Customs and walked along the Falls area. Lots of rainbows. On Goat Island you can get really close to the Horseshoe Falls. Sadly near the Falls was a sign with a suicide prevention number. I walked to Luna Island, where you can get up close to the Bridal Veil and American Falls. i returned to the mainland section and wanted to go up the observation deck, but there was an unusually long line (it's also the Maid of the Mist line). I like visiting the downtown area of Niagara Falls NY so I walked along Pine, visiting Rite Aid, Walgreen's, House of Fantasy (comics), and another Rite Aid, where I bought some Halloween candy. Heading back I got a strawberry Slurpee from 7-11. Returning to the Observation Deck, the line was now its normal size so I paid $1.25 to go on the deck that hangs over the water.

 

[NOW: I meant that the sign was sad because it usually means that a suicide did occur. House of Fantasy has closed.]

The important thing to know about the Falls is the Canadian side is better, yes, but the American side is not to be missed. If you're at the Falls and have the proper travel docs, make time to visit both sides. Your trip to the Falls is incomplete without seeing both sides.

I crossed the Rainbow Bridge back to Canada. On the Canadian side there was a bit of a wait because there was only one official and there was an issue with the people ahead of me. But things went quickly after they were processed. I returned to Clifton Hill and had lunch at the Burger King. it shares a building with the Frankenstein exhibit, so there's an image on top of the Frankenstein Monster holding a whopper.

After a little more Clifton Hill,  I returned to the Falls and  again walked to the Horseshoe Falls and back, getting photos of the new zipline. When I walked there earlier, there was rain right by those Falls (often happens there) but this time it was mostly just hot I think it was at this.point that I noticed rainbows at the Canadian side as well. I returned to Clifton Hill, this time taking a side street to photograph the Upside Down House.I also photographed the area around the SkyWheel (Ferris wheel) and Dinosaur Adventure Golf. I noticed a new Autopia in that area. I explore a bit more of Clifton Hill, noticing a new "6D" zombie attraction and walked down to the Falls once more. I tried finding a water fountain but no luck, an issue with past visits as well.

I would have liked to have stayed a little longer,  but it was getting time to catch my bus, and I had done all the major beats anyway, so I walked up Clifton Hill one last time and crossed through Olympic Torch Legacy Trail back to the downtown, arriving at Niagara Falls Bus terminal soon after. I finally got my water. Since this was the 4th and last trip on Megabus, I folded the travel number to just show that one. The driver wanted to see the full sheet. He said he couldn't find the number and asked to see more. I showed him the first sheet. Hie said that was for Sept 11. I pointed out that that was journey 1 and this is journey 4. He said if he couldn't find the number he couldn't let me on. I insisted that I had paid for the trip and he finally relented and let me on. Don't know why he couldn't find the travel number because there was no issue the other three times. There was a couple on the front seat so I sat behind them. As the bus filled, the woman in front of me reclining her seat. I told her there was someone with big legs behind her but she wouldn't move her seat back up.

The bus made good time to Mississauga and then hit congestion. The bus finally made to Toronto Coach Terminal. I was hoping that the trip back would relax my legs, but due to the reclining woman (who also didn't have her camera turned to mute), I was even more sore after the bus ride. I made it back to the same McDonald's as earlier, then did a reverse of the Dundas/Dufferin walk back to the Parkdale Hostelerie.