NIAGARA FALLS
One of the natural wonders of the world is Niagara Falls, between the
U.S. and Canada. For Canada, this is one of their top tourist
attractions. For the U.S., well... Niagara Falls, NY has seen better
days. Along with nearby Buffalo, the economy around Niagara Falls has
been on the skids since the early 1970's. Attempts at urban renewal
resulted in a small convention center and smaller shopping mall that
only served to congest the traffic patterns downtown. The city
continued to deteriorate. Only the beautiful landscaping around the
information center seem to be helping the American side.
Then a few years ago Canada got a brilliant idea: casino
gambling! The new casino tower overlook downtown Niagara Falls,
Ontario's collection of older hotels and the Rainbow Bridge. Casino
Gambling has brought the most excitement to the falls since the
original towers built in the 1960's. Newly expanded customs facilities
and new hotels have gone up in anticipation of new gaming tourism.
Niagara Falls was once one of the busiest tourist destinations in
North America. It was just the right distance from the industrial
Northeast and Great Lakes for million of vacationers. Tourists have
been coming here since the beginning of the 19th Century. The opening
of the Erie Canal brought people from New York even before there were
trains. The automobile brought a flood of people in the 20th Century.
But, in the jet age and the opening of the interstate highway system
made Niagara Falls into a "been there, done that" destination.
Niagara Falls became a honeymoon tourist trap that was down on its
luck. People from all over the world still came to see the falls, but
seeing the falls is free. The huge investment in observation towers,
hotels, and other attractions didn't get the business they once had.
The one perennial feature, the Maid of the Mist boat ride,
somehow remained popular.
The Canadians had more to lose from a Niagara Falls losing its
tourists. The Canadian Falls is the larger of the two falls. The
Canadian side is the best side in which to view both falls. They've
invested a great deal in landscaping and activities for tourists.
The park on the Canadian side is landscaped across many levels
with flowers, fountains, and animal sculptures. There's a Hard Rock
Cafe on both the Canadian and American side. Double decker buses,
futuristic buses, and horse and buggy rides take people around.
You're more likely to see people from Europe or Asia than other
Americans viewing the falls (a trend that's increasing at North
America's most famous sites).
There is a lot to see in and around the Falls. Perhaps with gambling
more Americans will stop back again.
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