Monthly Archive for March, 2008

Build-a-Bear Workshop now open

Published
by
Graham
on March 31, 2008
in Niagara Falls Developments and Niagara Falls Shopping
. 1 Comment

The Build-A-Bear Workshop was supposed to open Friday, March 28. I don’t know if it did or not, but it was definitely open on Saturday, March 29. I was by there when we were visiting the area for Earth Hour, and I guess it fit right in. There was no sign on the outside at all that would light up. There were still exposed wires where the sign would be. You could see insulation in areas, and wood in other areas. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done on the outside.

The inside however looked totally complete and was very nice. For some reason I thought it was going to have two separate floors, but it is just a single floor with ceilings that are two-storeys tall. As I walked in, there was the typical cheerful host welcoming me and asking if I had any questions. She said they had a special Niagara Falls t-shirt for only $2 (I don’t know if that was a special grand opening price or a regular price). The t-shirt decal had a bear in a barrel going over Niagara Falls. It was cute.

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Pictures of Earth Hour in Niagara Falls

Published
by
Graham
on March 31, 2008
in Niagara Falls Events and Niagara Falls Scenery
. 0 Comments

On Saturday night the family piled into the mini-van and went to see how Earth Hour went in Niagara Falls. I guess you could say we did our part for Earth Hour since we didn’t have our house lights on at all :-)

Here are my observations:

  • Basically right at 8 pm most of the Fallsview hotel lights went off. Within 5 or 10 minutes many more were off.
  • The red vertical casino lights were off, but the red horizontal lights on the top of the casino were on.
  • Many of the operations on Clifton Hill did NOT participate. As far as I could see, none of the HOCO properties were participating. The “L” in Movieland was off, but I think that was just a coincidence ;-)
  • The Falls Ave properties were participating. The Sheraton was dark, the Hard Rock Cafe guitar was off, and there were minimal lights on at their other attractions
  • The Niagara Clifton Group properties were participating. Guinness, Fun House, etc had their lights off
  • The Ripley’s Niagara properties were participating as their 3 properties were dark
  • The Clifton Family Restaurant was dark, but still had people inside eating
  • Going up Victoria Avenue, the Criminal Hall of Fame was dark and the Classic Iron Motorcycle Museum didn’t seem to have all of their lights on. Other than that, very few of the “mom and pop” places were dark. I guess they need the lights on to compete.
  • The Skylon was probably the latest place to turn off the lights. They even turned off all of the lights at the top. This surprised me as there was no flashing beacon/warning light. The Fallsview Casino, other hotels, and the Hilton crane all had a light that was flashing, but the Skylon didn’t. I wonder if that was allowed/safe?

Here are some pictures:

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The lights that normally light the falls were off

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The American Falls without lights

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The Horseshoe Falls without lights

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The light at the top of the Fallsview Casino was still on

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The light on the side of the Fallsview Casino was on before 8 PM

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The light on the side of the Fallsview Casino was off after 8 PM

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The Fallsview wall of hotels looked nice dimly lit

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The top of the Skylon Tower was still lit up just after 8 PM

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The top of the Skylon Tower was dark a little later

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The Niagara SkyWheel with the Fallsview Waterpark and the Kodak Tower at Casino Niagara in the background before 8 pm

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The SkyWheel and Fallsview Waterpark were still lit up after 8 pm, but the Kodak Tower lights were off

One Week

Published
by
Graham
on March 31, 2008
in Niagara Falls Travel
. 0 Comments

Someone with a Wordpress.com blog wrote about some travelling during a week, which included a visit to Niagara Falls:

Tuesday we began our journey to Niagara Falls. We would’ve made record time except we missed the exit for the peace bridge and ended up in an infinite loop through Buffalo. Luckily Ontario Man saved us and we made it into Canada. Our hotel suite was amazing but the weather was horrible. It was that awful rain/snow mix that doesn’t stick to anything but soaks you completely. We spent all of five minutes at the falls and went back to the hotel to dry off and get ready for dinner. We went to a Brazilian steakhouse, which was decent but in no way compared to Brazzaz in Chicago. Wednesday morning the weather was more favourable. We went back to the Falls and did the Journey Behind the Falls tour. We wandered around Clifton Hill a bit, I chased a squirrel around and Chris yelled at me for it and we headed back to the states. After some very personal questions from the American border patrol we were on our way back to Pittsburgh.

What we know about Niagara’s Fury

Published
by
Graham
on March 28, 2008
in Niagara Falls Attractions and Niagara Falls Developments
. 20 Comments

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Based on the article from the Niagara Falls Reporter (thanks Rob for the link; for everyone else… be sure to check out the article, it’s a good one) and other things I’ve been able to find out, here is what Niagara’s Fury is shaping up to be (along with other details about the renovations at Table Rock Place):

  1. It’s hard to get full details on what is going on as workers had to sign non-disclosure agreements.
  2. The main entrance will be via the walkway, which enters the main building on the second floor, into a large foyer. There will be kiosks, info booths, etc. You can see an artists rendering of this on the Table Rock development page of the Niagara Parks site.
  3. There will be a two-level observation area which overlooks the Falls. Near there is also where the new restaurant will be.
  4. Also near there will be the entrance to Niagara’s Fury.
  5. After purchasing a ticket, you will enter into a waiting area. You’ll then enter a large room. As the Niagara Falls Report mentioned, “One source told me that Niagara’s Fury is a type of floating theater where an indoor waterfall surrounds visitors and a multimedia display takes place on, in and around the cascades that immerses you in the history and power of the world’s most famous waterfalls.” I’m sure the area isn’t actually going to be floating (bobbing up and down), but there will be water around you.
  6. The presentation will be on a screen that wraps around the room (I don’t know if it is a big screen, a full 360º video or a dome screen). Obviously the sound will be pretty intense. Apparently there will be other effects as well such as rain, snow, lightning, and more. The whole purpose of all of this is to experience the crashing, cracking, erosion, water, and more that it took to create the Falls.
  7. The main part of the attraction will last about 15 minutes.
  8. The Niagara Falls Reporter quoted the Niagara Falls Review as sayingit will be a Universal Studios type attraction. I’ve never been, but apparently it will be like the Twister attraction (follow the link for a brief video of that attraction).
  9. I have no idea what the cost of the ride will be, but I would assume it would be pricey… $15 maybe? It’s hard to tell, but building all of this is going to be expensive and they are going to want to make the money back somehow.

It sounds fantastic! Just a couple of other thoughts… I’ve mentioned before that it seems like a strange place to have the attraction. If you want to experience the power of the Falls, then go to the free lookout that is 20 ft away, or go down to the Journey Behind the Falls. Also, there just seems to be so much hype surround this, it seems that it will be almost impossible for the attraction to live up to that hype, no matter how good it is.

Niagara Entertainment in 2008 Includes Vegas-Style Magic, Bird Shows & Live Music All Around the Ontario Vacation Destination

Published
by
Graham
on March 28, 2008
in Niagara Falls Attractions and Niagara Falls Events
. 0 Comments

Here is a press release from Market Wire (via Yahoo! Finance):

Spring is around the corner in Niagara Falls, and this season Niagara entertainment is heating up with world-renowned musicians, magicians, and more. The impressive list of live entertainment venues and events around Niagara Falls includes Avalon Ballroom at the Fallsview Casino, Greg Frewin Theatre, Bird Kingdom, Spring in Bloom Concert, and the Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Show.

‘Secure document’ date set; Homeland Security says June 1, 2009 is firm target date

Published
by
Graham
on March 28, 2008
in Niagara Falls News and Niagara Falls Travel
. 0 Comments

From the Niagara Falls Review:

It’s official. Travellers entering the United States by land, sea and air will require a passport “or other secure document” as identification iorder to be permitted into the Land of the Free.

“We are on course to implement and enforce the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative which is an important step forward in securing the homeland,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “Limiting and standardizing the types of documents presented will result in a more secure and efficient border. We will continue to encourage cross-border travel and trade while at the same time decreasing identity theft and fraud.”

That’s good news to Arlene White, executive director of the Binational Tourism Alliance.

“This is good,” she said, moments after the Department of Homeland Security sent out the media release announcing the date travellers from Canada, the United States, Mexico and some parts of the Caribbean - countries that traditionally gave oral declarations or a birth certificate or drivers licence when entering the country - will need to enter the U.S.

Out go the lights

Published
by
Graham
on March 28, 2008
in Niagara Falls Events and Niagara Falls News
. 0 Comments

From Niagara This Week:

Saturday night between 8-9 p.m. is something Stan Sammy has been waiting for a long time.

There are a number of interesting things happening among the stars these days, said the president of the Niagara Centre chapter of the Royal Astronomy Society of Canada. Saturn’s ring and five or six of its moons can be clearly viewed through a telescope and the a nebula in the Orion constellation (a bright patch of gas and dust in outer space) can be seen by the naked eye.

But what has Sammy really excited is the skies over Niagara will be extra dark thanks to the region’s participation in Earth Hour, a global movement spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness about energy conservation.

Spring 2008 is here!

Published
by
Graham
on March 27, 2008
in Niagara Falls Scenery and Niagara Falls Weather
. 8 Comments

Yes, it’s that time of year again… the flowers are starting to come up along the Niagara Parkway in Queen Victoria Park. I noticed some flowers and shoots for the first time today. Within a month or so there will be daffodils, tulips, and crocuses all along the parkway. It’s seems like it’s been a long winter. This is a welcome site!

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Construction and development update

Published
by
Graham
on March 27, 2008
in Niagara Falls Developments, Niagara Falls Dining, Niagara Falls Hotels, Niagara Falls Night Life and Niagara Falls Shopping
. 30 Comments

Last year at this time, I was struggling to post even one thing a day. This year, there just seems to be more going on. Even if some of them are little, it’s good to see things happening/changing.

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There is still work being done around the new Cantina Charlies. The building is painted blue and they will be switching the signs soon.

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The walkway over the Niagara Parkway at the renovated Table Rock Place is coming along.

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The renovations at Al Macs seem quite substantial

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The Beef Baron on Centre Street is all boarded up…

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…as they are undergoing renovations

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The Build-A-Bear Workshop is supposed to be opening soon, but it still looks like there is a lot of work to do.

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Here is the other “High Times” on Victoria Avenue

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I’ve lost count of what floor they are on, but work continues on the Hilton. After the accident yesterday, things seem a little quieter around the site, but there are still workers there.

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We’ve known for a couple of weeks now that Niagara Freefall is open

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In case anyone is interested, the shark attack has been contained :-)

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Actually, the original shark is still on the loose (why didn’t they take this one away?!)

Moraine affected by hotel development

Published
by
Graham
on March 27, 2008
in Niagara Falls Developments, Niagara Falls Hotels and Niagara Falls News
. 0 Comments

City Councillor Janice Wing wrote a letter to the Niagara Falls Review expressing concern about their coverage of the City Council meeting where Canadian Niagara Hotel’s application for off-site parking at their Jolley Cut hotel was approved:

Some important facts were missed in your coverage of the Canadian Niagara Hotels’ new development atop the moraine above Queen Victoria Park. The current proposal is certainly not “green,” as your headline suggested.

The information presented by city staff indicated it is not the depth of vertical encroachment into the moraine that matters, but the horizontal: Planning staff told council that “given the steep slopes and mature vegetation surrounding the site, a significant reduction in the building footprint will be necessary to effectively reduce the impact on the moraine” and “eliminating one level of parking without decreasing the building footprint does not lessen the impact on the moraine.” We were told mature trees on the Jolley Cut will be lost as a result of the construction.