Daily Archive for August 22nd, 2005

Canada in the mist

Published
by
Graham
on August 22, 2005
in Niagara Falls News
. 0 Comments

The Chicago Tribune has a nice article about a trip the author and his family made to Niagara Falls:

This summer, Juju and I returned by ourselves to Niagara Falls, Canada (we still haven’t set foot on the American side), and found it swarming with families, just as before.

In places along the wall beside the falls, the crowds stood four deep and stretched on for hundreds of yards. New-looking high-rise hotels loomed above us from the bluff alongside the Niagara River. Two casinos, also fairly fresh out of the wrapper, had come on line since our last visit, and there were amusements galore, from carnival rides to macabre museums.

The falls proceeded with their usual rush of astounding turbulence. Hadn’t changed a bit in a dozen years, as far as I could tell. They mesmerize. They show how brutally strong a body of water can be when it suddenly has to drop 170 feet from atop a cliff.

More Skylon Tower Information

Published
by
Graham
on August 22, 2005
in Niagara Falls Attractions
. 0 Comments

As a final note to my posts about the Skylon Tower (see Niagara’s most famous landmark … next to the Falls and Skylon Tower Facts), I was in contact with Dave Gillies, Director of Sales. He answered a few questions for me:

What was the original purpose of the building (communications, tourism, or both)?

The original propose for use was as an exhibit hall with an observation deck and dining room at the top, so the answer is both.

How much does it “sway”?

It is designed to sway 18� from centre.

Are base-jumpers or suicides a problem?

No, the outer observation deck is covered.

Have there been any movies filmed in the tower?

One of the scenes from Superman and many commercials were filmed here along with footage used in other movies.

When did the Yerich family take over?

1986

What other businesses does the parent company own/operate in the area?

Holiday Inn by the Falls, Cascade Inn, Pyramid Place, Wolfgang Puck, Cafe Tu Tu Tango.

How many people go up the tower each year?

About 1 million go up. Close to 3 million visit the Tower.

How did the tower get involved with Jay Cochrane?

Jay has wanted to do a walk from the Tower for a long time. The Casino stepped in and sponsored the walk.

Do you have to pay for parking?

Yes

Can you give us any insight into the future development plans? I know that there is approval for hotels.

As you know, hotel development is planned along with the redevelopment of Pyramid Place, redesign of our lobby area, and Revolving Dining Room.

Lastly, there is a good write-up on the history of the tower at http://www.niagarafrontier.com/towers.html (scroll down almost to the bottom).

Clifton Hill billboard

Published
by
Graham
on August 22, 2005
in General
. 3 Comments

So the billboard I’ve been posting about is advertising for the Clifton Hill attractions. These are the HOCO Limited properties. I can’t imagine they’re too happy with the right billboard. The Movieland sign is missing the top, and almost all of Elvis’ head is missing.