From the Niagara Falls Review:

The plan has been talked about for years. The goal is to reduce congestion in the area of the Horseshoe Falls.

The plan calls for the relocation of the Niagara Parkway to the west just south of Table Rock.

Residents had an opportunity to view the plan, along with two others, when the Niagara Parks Commission held a public information session Wednesday at the Whirlpool Public Golf Course on the Niagara Parkway.

The other two plans related to the year-round, fully accessible Falls Incline Railway and repairs at Oakes Garden Theatre.

The relocation of the Niagara Parkway would begin just past what is known as the Bridge Of Flowers at Table Rock and would involve changes to the current parking lot behind the old Canadian Niagara Power building and the area near the Niagara Floral Showhouse.

“This is a proposal. Right now, we are getting feedback from the public and stakeholders so that then we can make some changes based on some of that feedback and hopefully finalize a plan that we can move forward with,” said Marcelo Gruosso, executive director of engineering and planning for the NPC.

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Graham on May 17th, 2012

A visitor recently asked what used to be at the current Outback Steakhouse location on Victoria Ave. I answered that it has been a variety of restaurants. Well, the other day I noticed a sign on the back of the building and it reminded me of what it used to be called. For the longest time the restaurant was called Brandino’s Italian Ristorante & Cafe

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Graham on May 17th, 2012

From the Niagara Falls Review:

WEGO is a no-go for July.

The new $50-million visitor transportation system that was expected to hit the roads June 29, won’t be rolling out until mid-August.

The launch of the bus system, which will replace the Niagara Parks Commission’s People Mover, is being delayed due to issues with computer-based transportation technology.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati.

The buses, a mix of 40-foot traditional buses and 60-foot articulated buses, have arrived. But the smart technology equipment still needs to be installed and programmed.

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Graham on May 17th, 2012

So I posted back in January about a rumour I’d read that Kiska, Marineland’s remaining Orca whale, was pregnant. I hadn’t read the rumour anywhere else, but it was an exciting thought that there could be some baby Orcas on the way.

Well, I have an update. It has as much authority as the last one (as in not a lot). However I have a friend who knows a guy who used to be a trainer at Marineland and who still knows people at Marineland. I have been told that Kiska is NOT pregnant. Ike and Kiska never even got to a point where there is even that possibility. Ike was agressive because he was agressive. I was also told that it is virtually unheard of that an Orca would have twins.

So, there you have it. The original source is sketchy, my other source is a friend of a friend, so I don’t know how reliable either of them are. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

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on May 16th, 2012
  • It's a little chilly out today, but the rain was good. It looks like it's all clear ahead through the weekend. #

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A poster on the SkyscraperPage.com web site has posted a bunch of pictures from a recent visit. They look quite nice. The view from the new Hilton is beautiful.

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We knew that ABC was going to broadcast Nik Wallenda’s walk in the US, and now we find out that CTV will be the Canadian broadcaster.

From a CNW press release:

CTV announced today that it is the exclusive Canadian broadcast partner of daredevil Nik Wallenda’s death-defying tightrope walk, live from Niagara Falls, on Friday, June 15. Canadians can follow along with Wallenda’s every breath-taking step, in the unprecedented, live two-hour special MEGASTUNTS: MAN ON WIRE: LIVE FROM NIAGARA, airing from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT, exclusively on CTV and simultaneously on CTV Mobile. Kicking off the festivities at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV is an hour-long special devoted to the greatest stunts of all time, MEGASTUNTS: THE GREATEST STUNTS… EVER.

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Graham on May 16th, 2012

From Canoe.ca Travel:

There are days when you just need to get away.

A quick escape from your everyday life to bring back the flavours of your love for life, food, fun and above all else — your spouse. This is exactly what my wife and I needed, and, with little time and hardly any planning my travel senses took us to Niagara-On-The Lake just down the highway a bit.

The headline refers to Niagara Falls, but the getaway was to Niagara-on-the-Lake. I wonder if that was intentional (for the keyword/phrase “Niagara Falls”), or if the headline writer didn’t really read the article and just made a mistake.

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From the Hamilton Spectator:

As the belly button goes, so goes the rest of the body.

That saying never made it into the lexicon of high-wire walkers, but it helps explain how Nik Wallenda will attempt to cross over Niagara Falls on June 15.

The daredevil will be 60 metres above the water barreling over the falls, holding nothing but a 30-foot pole weighing between 16 to 25 kilograms across his belly button.

“It’s very difficult to do, but scientifically wire walking is just simple physics,” says Julie Jones, a scientist with the Ontario Science Centre

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