All things Niagara Falls tourism…
From Niagara This Week:
There was a sense of summer running through the city at a very unseasonable time of year.
It wasn’t the weather, which was a very un-summery, rainy and cool, but rather the thousands of people who flocked to the city to take part in the Fallsview Casino Resort International Marathon Sunday. The wet weather didn’t stop nearly 15,000 spectators from lining the race route, urging runners on towards the finish line at Table Rock in front of the Horseshoe falls.
From the Buffalo News:
Tourists on the deck of the Maid of the Mist get wetter the closer the boat inches to the Horseshoe Falls. There’s a cold wind blowing.
But it’s warm and dry in the wheelhouse. Captain Richard Schuyler has spent 32 years there, piloting Maid of the Mist tour boats.
“I like my job, but I’ve been down here half my life,” he said last week, as he steered the fleet’s flagship vessel toward the wall of water. “It’s time to do something different.”
From the Buffalo News:
While local and national news cameras have focused on Buffalo-area storm damage this week, a Hollywood film crew has its lenses trained on the brink of the Horseshoe Falls.
Walt Disney Studios is shooting falls-related scenes for use in “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” the third installment in the wildly successful series of swashbuckling films, scheduled for release in May.
Stars Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are nowhere in sight; instead, the thundering water of the falls is playing the lead role.
The studio is keeping mum on exactly how the footage of the world-famous waterfall will be used, but there is speculation that moviegoers will see Captain Jack Sparrow and his shipmates facing oblivion courtesy of the giant cataract. As was the case with “Bruce Almighty,” where studio-shot Jim Carrey scenes were superimposed on actual Horseshoe Falls footage, Disney will use shots of the treacherous waters as background for scenes filmed in Hollywood.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Like a pirate in the night, a film crew for the third “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie sneaked in and out of town this week.
Autograph hounds needn’t fret - stars Johnny Depp, Kiera Knightley and Orlando Bloom weren’t among them. Instead, Walt Disney Studios shot footage of the Horseshoe Falls using helicopters and a high-tech crane for scenes in which the actors will be superimposed upon later.
Both sides of the border were utilized.
Filming started Monday at Terrapin Point in Niagara Falls, N.Y., eventually moving to Table Rock on the Canadian side Wednesday.
Niagara Parks Commission public relations manager Sarah Wood said the crew used the same complex Strada crane that was used to film the IMAX movie “Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic” in the mid 1980s, which is still screened at the Niagara Falls IMAX Theatre.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Going from polishing jelly beans to controlling a boat with celebrities like the late Princess of Wales and Wayne Newton on board would be quite the contrast for most individuals.
But for Richard Schuyler, who has been an employee with The Maid of the Mist Steamboat Company Ltd. for more than 30 years, it all comes in stride.
Born in Fort Erie, the 65 year old has been a captain with the local company since 1989.
He has seen a little bit of everything while manning the lines, including kayaks, jet skis, barrels, as well as being around when various daredevils - including Dave Munday (1985 and 1993) and Steven Trotter (1985 and 1995) - made their famed leaps over the world-famous falls.
Less thrilling, but equally satisfying, Schuyler captained boats that took Regis Philbin, Ernie Ford and William Shatner for up-close cruises of Niagara Falls.
But after 32 years with one of the oldest tourist attractions in North America, Schuyler, known by staff as having a friendly personality, is retiring.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
For its 24th year, the Winter Festival of Lights is doing some adding through subtracting.
Say goodbye to the weekly night parades after eight years. Say hello to $250,000 worth of new lights, displays and events.
The winter tradition, starting Nov. 4, will include more concerts and activities this year as it gears up for a gala 25th edition next year. And it won’t stop until the event is recognized as the top lights festival in Canada, said general manager Dino Fazio.
“We will keep you busy, no question.”
The other day I was out on Clifton Hill and someone stopped me and asked me about which is better, Guinness World Records Museum or Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum?
I like them both. They’ve both been around a long time, but Ripley’s has kept improving their exhibits while Guinness is a little stale. Ripley’s is also a little “weirder” than Guinness and Guinness certainly has that famous name that attracts people.
What do you think?
Last night I received the latest newsletter from the Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview. I think this is the 5th time now that they have sent out this email. They sent it out 3 times last year, and now they are using the same thing this year and it’s the second time they’ve sent it this year. Come on people… get a little more creative!
As you can tell, they are promoting their New Year’s Eve packages.
You can subscribe to the newsletter by clicking on the Special Email Offers link on the side of the Marriott Niagara Falls Fallsview & Spa main page.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Arlene White sees Doors Open Niagara as “a wonderful analogy” for cross-border tourism.
“(Americans and Canadians) see this area as one region. We see what others who live outside binational regions don’t see. And Doors Open is a wonderful analogy for our border. We just need to keep expanding things like this,” said White, executive director of the Binational Tourism Alliance.
She officially launched the 2006 Doors Open Niagara program - which will take place at 111 locations in Western New York and Southern Ontario Saturday and Sunday - during a ceremony at the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission Rainbow Promenade Friday.
It was a fitting location for the event, named Meet Me at the Border.
With the falls and long lines of traffic as a backdrop, politicians and tourism advocates from each side of the border praised the initiative, which allows visitors to check out sites they’ve never been to before free of charge.
They also offered praise for U.S. lawmakers who earlier this week officially pushed back the deadline for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
The latest issue of Business Link Niagara has a nice article about the new restaurant, A Young Garden:
Stepping through the doors of A Young Garden is like crossing a portal into the realm of the Orient. This uniquely designed restaurant with a Korean and Japanese menu captures the atmosphere of fine oriental dining at its best. From the moment you walk through the doors you can tell you are in for a unique and satisfying dining experience. Presented with a special touch of gaiety and grace, from the wood floors to the traditional private seating areas, the décor and presentation of A Young Garden invites you to partake fully in the experience of an ancient traditional culture.
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