All things Niagara Falls tourism…
The other day I posted pictures and a video of Jay Cochrane’s Skywalk. That movie was about 30 seconds. I’ve put together a few different movie clips from the same day and made a longer movie. It’s amazing seeing him walk, and this extended movie has him finishing his walk and you can hear the huge cheer as he finished.
I was at Marineland again on Friday and they are making progress with Topple Tower. As you can see by the first picture, a fence has been put in and they are doing some landscaping.
The second picture is one I took from up at the Sky Screamer platform. All you can see of Topple Tower is the top of the ride.
Also, it appears that the recent batch of maps that they hand out at the gate have been updated. Beside Topple Tower it used to say Opening Soon on the drawing of the park, and now there is nothing beside it.
The map key/legend now says that the Topple Tower is NEW.
Last week I contacted Ann Marie Rondinelli, the Marineland Marketing Office Manager, and she said that there was still no definite date for it to open, but to check back with her in a week. I’ll try again later this week.
Last Thursday I received another newsletter from the Marriott Niagara Falls Fallsview Hotel & Spa. They are promoting some exciting adventure packages which feature Whirlpool Jetboat, Niagara Helicopters, Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, and Skylon Tower.
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.
Did you see the fireworks on Saturday night? They were awesome! I haven’t really seen any big shows, so I’m sure this was the biggest fireworks display I have ever seen. I have some great pictures and a movie to post either later today or tomorrow, but here are some of the headlines:
All eyes on the sky (from the Niagara Falls Review) - a nice article about the show
So what do 4,300 fireworks look like over Niagara Falls?
A juiced-up version of the usual fireworks show - bright and very busy, like a colouring book had exploded over the gorge.
And smoky. Lots and lots of smoke.
In fact, by the time Saturday’s 30-minute ‘Wall of Fire’ fireworks show ended, it was like a London fog fell from the sky. Save for a few bright lights, you couldn’t see the U.S. side across the river. And if you couldn’t take the noise, you likely bailed fast (as one poor kid did, covering his ears as dad led him away). The crackles and explosions echoed throughout the city like the War of 1812 in Dolby stereo.
Of course, some kids ate it up.
“Louder … louder!,” yelled one girl, thrusting her hands in the air.
That wasn’t a problem. Saturday’s show was one of the Niagara Park’s Commission’s biggest - and loudest - events of the summer, with thousands of people lined up along River Road from Table Rock to Clifton Hill.
The new city of lights (from the Niagara Falls Review) - this is a nice picture that you can see online of the fireworks
Stuck on the 10th floor of hell (from the Niagara Falls Review) - an interesting article about how busy the parking was that day
Oh sure, the fireworks are fine and dandy. It’s getting home that’s the nightmare.
There was a lesson to be learned from Saturday’s gala fireworks show down by the Falls: Don’t ever drive in this city. Ever. You’ll get there faster by walking.
There has been quite a bit of work being done where Bronto’s Adventure Playland will be. They’ve painted the walls, and have been preparing for some concrete work.
From EzineArticles.com:
Many first-time visitors to Niagara Falls have a pretty clear picture of what they expect to see when they arrive: roaring water and a cavalcade of clamoring tourists pushing for that perfect view. They expect to see Maid of The Mist, that legendary boat that takes visitors on a soaking wet journey to the mouth of Horseshoe Falls. Maybe they expect to stay at a towering resort hotel overlooking the majesty of it all.
What they generally don’t expect, however, is actually the second-most-popular attraction in Niagara Falls: the Clifton Hill tourist district.
I’m in the paper! Well, it’s not my full name, but my username. The Niagara Falls Review has an article in the paper today with comments that readers left on their web site. I left one yesterday (probably the 20th one left), but it is the first on on the page:
The Niagara Parks Commission met Thursday and meet again today to discuss the application from daredevil Jay Cochrane to walk a tightrope across the Horseshoe Falls. Tell us what you think on our discussion group…
Following is a selection of comments to the discussion group at www.niagarafallsreview.ca.
gawing: I think he should be allowed to do it. It would bring hundreds of thousands of people to Niagara Falls and millions more could watch on TV. It would be amazing. I’ve created a petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/jayfalls/petition.html for anyone to sign who supports this.
If you’re not aware, I’ve created a Jay Cochrane Petition page on my site with a link to an online petition and banners to place on your site.
Also, yesterday I posted pictures and a video from Jay’s Wednesday skywalk.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
A Canadian pizza chain is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a bang in Niagara Falls this weekend.
Thirty minutes of fireworks are scheduled to be set off at the falls Saturday at 10 p.m. to mark the day. David Whysall, of David Whysall International Fireworks Inc., says people will be amazed.
“People are going to be very excited and it’s probably something they have never seen before,” he says.
Whysall and his team will be setting up and setting off one of the largest fireworks displays in Niagara Falls. A one-kilometre-long ‘wall of fire’ stretching from the Maid of the Mist to Table Rock is set to illuminate the sky.
More than 4,300 individual fireworks shells will be launched anywhere from 120 metres to 180 metres into the sky, depending on the size of the fireworks.
One of the people who really put Niagara Falls on the map was Blondin. Blondin’s story is told very well in the IMAX movie. There has always been something about Niagara Falls which has brought daredevils and other performances. In our more modern times, the only people like that you see are generally found in circuses. One exception to that is a Canadian performer, Jay Cochrane. Jay has performed in Niagara Falls before, and is back again this year walking between two large towers setup by the Skylon Tower. His scheduled performances are daily at 4 pm and 8 pm. We’ve had some poor weather, so for the last 6 days (Tuesday to Friday of last week and Monday and Tuesday of this week), he has been unable to walk at 4 pm (I’m not sure about 8 pm). Twice he had been up the tower and then come down.
Finally yesterday I was able to see him. It is really quite amazing. He is focused. He is deliberate in his steps. There never seemed to be any doubt that he would complete the walk successfully. It’s all quite impressive.
I’ve taken some pictures and posted them to the 2007 Jay Cochran Skywalks gallery. Here are some samples (the thumbnails are not clickable… visit the main gallery to see the larger pictures):
I’ve also uploaded a movie to my YouTube channel that you can watch:
Lastly, I was so moved by his ability to perform, I created an online petition to encourage the Niagara Parks Commission to allow him to walk above the Falls. You can read more about it on my Jay Cochrane Petition page. I also have images on the site that you can put on your site if you want to promote this.
The Motel 6 Niagara Falls on Stanley Avenue is now open. I’m not sure when the official opening was, but it’s been open for at least a couple of weeks.
Note: I “stitched” together a few pictures to get everything to fit which causes the rounded look
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