{"id":16917,"date":"2014-12-03T13:03:40","date_gmt":"2014-12-03T18:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/?p=16917"},"modified":"2014-12-13T08:35:50","modified_gmt":"2014-12-13T13:35:50","slug":"stepping-back-from-the-rail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/03\/stepping-back-from-the-rail\/","title":{"rendered":"Stepping Back from the Rail"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-FALLS-OCT-2014.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16930\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/03\/stepping-back-from-the-rail\/niagara-falls-oct-2014\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-FALLS-OCT-2014.jpg?fit=2400%2C1594\" data-orig-size=\"2400,1594\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5000&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1413325054&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Niagara &amp;#8211; FALLS OCT 2014\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-FALLS-OCT-2014.jpg?fit=640%2C425\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16930 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-FALLS-OCT-2014.jpg?resize=590%2C391\" alt=\"Niagara - FALLS OCT 2014\" width=\"590\" height=\"391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-FALLS-OCT-2014.jpg?resize=1024%2C680 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-FALLS-OCT-2014.jpg?resize=450%2C298 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-FALLS-OCT-2014.jpg?w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-FALLS-OCT-2014.jpg?w=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m so glad to be back blogging about my favorite subject &#8211; and I was so glad to be back in my favorite spot in October! \u00a0My mom and I took a leisurely girls\u2019 trip away from Pittsburgh up to Niagara. We moseyed our way through some shopping, attractions\u2026 shopping\u2026 dining\u2026.and a little more shopping. (<em>You\u2019re welcome<\/em>, Canada). The weather was a little iffy much of the time, but the sun cooperated when it counted most, and one of those times was the last afternoon of our trip.<\/p>\n<p>We parked in the \u201cbig lot\u201d and moseyed our way across the foot bridge to Table Rock and made our way to the edge of the horseshoe. It\u2019s a spot that always makes me feel like I\u2019m on a boat as I look down, and I never want to leave.<\/p>\n<p>But we did pull ourselves away and moseyed down the sidewalk.\u00a0I have to admit that over the past couple years, I have noticed a new phenomenon. I\u2019ll call it the \u201cCHEEKY SEAGULL\u201d. This involves a seagull landing on the railing rocks VERY close to tourists. See the photo below. That is not zoomed in. It is not cropped in. That was from my phone, people!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-Cheeky-Seagull-2.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16926\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/03\/stepping-back-from-the-rail\/niagara-cheeky-seagull-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-Cheeky-Seagull-2.jpg?fit=720%2C503\" data-orig-size=\"720,503\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5000&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1413323824&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;55&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Niagara &amp;#8211; Cheeky Seagull 2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-Cheeky-Seagull-2.jpg?fit=640%2C447\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16926 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-Cheeky-Seagull-2.jpg?resize=450%2C314\" alt=\"Niagara - Cheeky Seagull 2\" width=\"450\" height=\"314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-Cheeky-Seagull-2.jpg?resize=450%2C314 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-Cheeky-Seagull-2.jpg?w=720 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Evidently, some seagull got some food this way and told two seagulls, and they told two seagulls\u2026 and so on\u2026 and so on. Though I haven\u2019t seen anyone giving them food for this trick, but I can\u2019t figure out any other motivation, unless seagulls have developed a love for the paparazzi.<br \/>\nMy mom and I observed several examples of this behavior as we moseyed our way a little way down the park sidewalk and back. Then we sat down on some of the stones next to Table Rock &#8211; just a few yards from the rail. We sat and people-watched for a little while.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few\u00a0pictures I took of people taking pictures of these Cheeky Seagulls. I found it very entertaining. People are funny. I realized I had been one of them just a few minutes ago and it was very possible someone was chuckling at me, too.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/COLLAGE-.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16938\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/03\/stepping-back-from-the-rail\/collage\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/COLLAGE-.jpg?fit=1250%2C1120\" data-orig-size=\"1250,1120\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5000&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1413324545&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;55&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"COLLAGE\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/COLLAGE-.jpg?fit=640%2C573\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16938\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/COLLAGE-.jpg?resize=450%2C403\" alt=\"COLLAGE\" width=\"450\" height=\"403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/COLLAGE-.jpg?resize=450%2C403 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/COLLAGE-.jpg?resize=1024%2C917 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/COLLAGE-.jpg?w=1250 1250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I also realized that from our vantage point you couldn\u2019t see the Falls &#8211; only see the beautiful railing that was installed who-knows-how-long ago. So distinctive and such a gift to the visitors of Queen Victoria Park.<\/p>\n<p>It made me think that this is one wonder of the world that people actually look DOWN on. It suddenly seemed so odd to me. You walk a few feet away and the Falls disappear. Maybe that\u2019s why they made the railing so beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-railing-Victoria-Park.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16931\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/03\/stepping-back-from-the-rail\/niagara-railing-victoria-park\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-railing-Victoria-Park.jpg?fit=2400%2C800\" data-orig-size=\"2400,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5000&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1413324793&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;55&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Niagara &amp;#8211; railing Victoria Park\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-railing-Victoria-Park.jpg?fit=640%2C213\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16931 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-railing-Victoria-Park.jpg?resize=590%2C196\" alt=\"Niagara - railing Victoria Park\" width=\"590\" height=\"196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-railing-Victoria-Park.jpg?resize=1024%2C341 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-railing-Victoria-Park.jpg?resize=450%2C150 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-railing-Victoria-Park.jpg?w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Niagara-railing-Victoria-Park.jpg?w=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>People are always looking\u00a0up at things. City architecture, the Eiffel Tower, Mount Rushmore&#8230;\u00a0the world\u2019s largest ball of twine. \u201cLooking down on\u201d something is usually a bad thing.\u00a0\u00a0I hate to think of people\u00a0&#8220;looking down on&#8221; the Falls.\u00a0\u00a0But I guess the mist takes your eyes back up to the heavens from which this spectacle was given. \u00a0With all the shopping, attractions\u2026 shopping\u2026\u00a0dining\u2026.and a little more shopping &#8211; and cheeky seagulls \u2026 it\u2019s important to take some time to mosey into the park and lean on the rail and look down on this wondrous gift.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; I&#8217;m so glad to be back blogging about my favorite subject &#8211; and I was so glad to be back in my favorite spot in October! \u00a0My mom and I took a leisurely girls\u2019 trip away from Pittsburgh up to Niagara. We moseyed our way through some shopping, attractions\u2026 shopping\u2026 dining\u2026.and a little more&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[10089,10087,10088,847,41,99,255,721,10086],"class_list":["post-16917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-niagara-falls-scenery","tag-betterbe-creative","tag-girls-trip","tag-karen-captline","tag-niagara","tag-niagara-falls","tag-niagara-parks-commission","tag-npc","tag-queen-victoria-park","tag-seagulls"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16917"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16917\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/accessniagara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}