Monthly Archive for February, 2008

Commission honoured for preserving parks for 120 years

Published
by
Graham
on February 22, 2008
in Niagara Falls Attractions and Niagara Falls News
. 0 Comments

From the Niagara Falls Review:

The Niagara Parks Commission has been honoured for enhancing, maintaining and preserving its public park system for more than 120 years.

The agency was the recipient of the Ontario Parks Association’s “Protecting Tomorrow Today” award at the Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture centre Thursday.

“This award is a testament to the dedication, vision and commitment of the various commissioners, staff and students of NPC’s School of Horticulture,” said commission chairman Jim Williams.

“Niagara Falls” by Darwin Wiggett

Published
by
Graham
on February 21, 2008
in Niagara Falls Books
. 1 Comment

niagara_falls_dw_cover.jpg
Click to see a larger version of the cover
Buy at Amazon.ca
Buy at Amazon.com

I was recently in contact with Altitude Publishing about a few books they have that are Niagara Falls-related. They have sent me a couple to write about. The first one is Niagara Falls, a photo book from Darwin Wiggett. I had never heard of Darwin Wiggett before, but apparently he is a fairly well-known Canadian photographer. Based on the book, I’d say he’s well-known because he is so good. The pictures in the book are gorgeous.

The book is quite large 9″ x 12″ and so the full-page pictures are clear and detailed. There is no story in the book at all. The story of the area is told in the photos. There are pictures of not just Niagara falls, but also some lesser-known places in the Niagara Region. Among other things, there are pictures of the skyline, the Falls at dusk, Oakes Garden, Ball’s Falls, Morningstar Mill, rainbows, and more. Although it is not a hard cover edition, it would make a great “coffee table” book as it shows how magnificent Niagara Falls can truly be

The inside cover of the book has this to say:

Niagara Falls has been recognized for centuries as one of the most beautiful and spectacular places in North America. This collection of photographs by Darwin Wiggett is one of a series of books exploring the light and landscape of Canada’s natural wonders.

The back of the book has this to say about the photographer:

Darwin Wiggett’s photographic specialties include Canadian landscapes, children, animals, and outdoor recreation. His work has appeared in hundreds of publications including, Outside, Nature’s Best, National Geographic Traveler, Outdoor Photographer, Dogs in Canada, Business Week, and Photo Life. His first three books were published to great acclaim: Darwin Wiggett Photographs Canada, Dances with Light - The Canadian Rockies, and How to Photograph the Canadian Rockies. Darwin also teaches photography courses and leads photography tours. For more information, visit www.darwinwiggett.com

Here are a few samples of the pictures:

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niagara_falls_dw_marineland.jpg

niagara_falls_dw_skylon.jpg

After Iguazú, Niagara is puny

Published
by
Graham
on February 21, 2008
in Niagara Falls News
. 0 Comments

The Lexington Herald-Ledger has an article about the Iguazú Falls in Argentina and mentions Niagara Falls a couple of times:

…a horseshoe of more than 275 separate falls, dwarfs Niagara Falls in height, width and volume…

…Next to Iguazú, Niagara Falls seems like the drizzle from your shower head…

…A more daring version of Niagara’s Maid of the Mist, the Great Adventure took us beneath the outer edges of two of the falls…

…Savoring my experiences at Iguazú, I was reminded of Eleanor Roosevelt’s words upon first seeing these falls: “Poor Niagara.”

Empress Inn for sale

Published
by
Graham
on February 21, 2008
in Niagara Falls Hotels
. 5 Comments

I don’t know when the last time this hotel was open, but the other day when I was on Clark Avenue (near the Victoria Avenue intersection), I noticed that the Empress Inn was for sale.

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Hooters newsletter - Weekly Specials

Published
by
Graham
on February 21, 2008
in Niagara Falls Dining
. 0 Comments

On Tuesday I received the latest newsletter from Hooters. They are promoting their daily specials.

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To subscribe to the Hooters newsletter, visit the Hooters web site, then click on the Niagara Falls location, then click on the Newsletter link.

21 places to take the kids on March Break

Published
by
Graham
on February 21, 2008
in Niagara Falls Hotels and Niagara Falls News
. 0 Comments

Last week the National Post had an article about places you can take the kids during the March Break. Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls was on the list under Water Parks:

One big happy family At Great Wolf Lodge, in Niagara Falls, bask in 29C temperatures with not a chance of flurries as you splash your way down 13 waterslides, as well as wave pools and spray pads. The day starts off with a wolf walk in the Grand Living Room, and ends with a group bedtime story.

New Movieland display

Published
by
Graham
on February 20, 2008
in Niagara Falls Attractions
. 0 Comments

This isn’t a great picture because of the glare, but the window display at Movieland has been changed recently. There used to be a hotplate with melted wax in it as if someone were creating something new. That has been taken away, and Brad Pitt figure has been put there instead. The person in the white lab coat is another figure (the creator I guess), and instead of working with the melted wax in the pot on the hotplate, she is now working on Brad Pitt.

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Niagara Falls are great out of season too

Published
by
Graham
on February 20, 2008
in Niagara Falls Travel, Niagara Falls Weather and Niagara Falls Web Sites
. 0 Comments

From the Earth Times:

The power of the Niagara Falls draws millions of visitors a year in the summer, yet this natural wonder is even more impressive in the wintertime. The cascades are like a jewel in frozen splendour and the relentless mist which rises from them wraps all the trees and buildings around in a thick coat of ice. Amid this glistening, surreal landscape, millions of gallons of green water still thunder over the rocks every second as the Niagara River plunges to a depth of up to 52 metres on the Canadian side. For visitors the icy temperatures have advantages. For a start, there is no need to queue for hours at the kiosks to see the attractions. According to the Canadian Tourist Office, some 15 million people a year take a trip to the Niagara Falls but most of them come in the summer.

Road salt shortage?

Published
by
Graham
on February 20, 2008
in Niagara Falls News and Niagara Falls Parking
. 3 Comments

This isn’t anything important, but I thought it was kind of funny. This is a sign that was posted on the gate of the new parking lot on Clark Avenue. I had no idea there was a salt shortage! What to do, what to do?! :-)

Don’t worry, I took this picture a few days ago, and when I was by yesterday, the sign was gone. Crisis averted!

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As a side note, the gate used to have markings on it that indicated that it was a Fallsview Casino parking lot. As you can see by the picture, it no longer shows that. I wonder if that means anything…

Parks commission set to unleash The Fury

Published
by
Graham
on February 20, 2008
in Niagara Falls Attractions, Niagara Falls Developments and Niagara Falls News
. 15 Comments

From the Niagara Falls Review:

The Niagara Parks Commission is keeping a tight lid on details about its upcoming new attraction at Table Rock.

At least, that’s the marketing strategy so far.

The commission has hired St. Catharines-based public relations firm OEB Enterprise to start laying clues about Niagara’s Fury, a new high-tech attraction opening this summer. It’s part of a $38 million revamp underway at Table Rock.

Last week, OEB announced a new website at www.niagarasfury.com that features a black screen and the caption “Niagara’s Fury - Will You Survive? Find out in two weeks.”

More clues will be announced soon before the attraction is unveiled at a media conference.