All things Niagara Falls tourism…
How was that for a headline?!
Well, yesterday I went to Marineland. Here is the update (click on the picture to see a larger version):
To no one’s great surprise, there has been no progress.
I’ll post a few more pictures and a video from our visit later in the week…
Someone with his own blog recently posted about a trip to Niagara Falls:
I had a truly terrific time in Niagara, which I’ll relate in a little bit, but it truly is wonderful to be home again. The hotel was nice, we had fun, the food was good, it was great to get away and spend time with Terri…
The Canadian side is far more commercial, far more touristy. Clifton Hill looked like a miniature version of Las Vegas, or maybe Disney Land. Lots of bright lights… An assortment of restaurants, shows, rides, shops, and things like that… Loud music… A casino… There was certainly a lot to see, and it was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t really uniquely “Niagara.” It felt like I could have experienced a lot of it just about anywhere else.
On Sunday I received the latest newsletter from the Niagara Clifton Group (the Travelodge, Fun House, Brick City, etc group). They are promoting various packages and their fun pass.
To sign up for the newsletter, click on the Join our FREE Email Mailing List link on the side of any of the pages at Falls.com
From the Buffalo News:
Boats have chugged through the waters below the American and Horseshoe falls as far back as 1846, but unusual lease arrangements as old as the Maid of the Mist Steamboat Co. have gone largely unnoticed — until now.
Today’s Maid of the Mist Corp. holds one of only two 40-year leases for a state parks concession, a $39 million deal that was renewed in 2002 — without public bidding — and runs through 2043.
But the recent renewal process for a lease on the Canadian side became mired in controversy after a general manager for Ripley Entertainment, which owns several Falls, Ont., attractions, complained that the company had been shut out of the bidding.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Chester Kowalik doesn’t mind the cars that rumble past his roadside fruit market on Victoria Avenue in Vineland. For him, the more traffic, the better.
That was his motivation two years ago for taking pencil to paper and designing a scenic route from Vineland to Niagara Falls that cataract-loving tourists could take to escape the QEW. It is also why he’s thrilled Welland MPP Peter Kormos is pushing for an official scenic route now.
“Everyone would benefit: wineries, restaurants, gas stations,” said Kowalik, who owns Peach Country Farm Market. “It only makes sense. You can’t stop progress.”
From the Niagara Falls Review:
If the Niagara Parks Commission won’t open up about its lease with the Maid of the Maid Steamboat Co., the provincial government should force it to be more forthcoming city councillors say.
“Make it more open, transparent and accountable and let us know what the heck is going on up there,” said Coun. Carolynn Ioannoni who introduced a resolution other councillors backed Monday.
Councillors called on the government of Ontario to force the Niagara Parks Commission, a provincial agency, to adhere to the principles of “openness, transparency and accountability.”
Ioannoni said she was upset by recent news stories – on both sides of the river – about the commission’s long-term lease with the privately-owned Maid of the Mist company which leases the land for its Canadian operations from the commission.
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