Thunder of Waters – An article about Niagara Falls

While in New York, I booked a hotel in Niagara Falls. I forgot to check which side of the falls the hotel was on, US or Canada. After a brief visit to the Crowne Plaza on the US side, I found myself across the border at the Crowne Plaza on the Canadian side of the falls.

It was dark when I crossed the Rainbow Bridge, the bridge that connects each side of the falls, but the falls could be seen and definitely heard. The falls have a light display during the first few hours of darkness, and noise dominates the soundtrack of the area immediately surrounding the gorge in which approximately 6 million cubic feet of water makes the 70-foot drop over the crest. The name Niagara Falls supposedly originates from the Iroquois word “Onguiaahra” which translates to “Thunder of the Waters.” This was my first live view of the falls, having seen them in numerous documentaries and movies (see Superman II and of course Niagara) and was very impressed. This had been an impulsive trip to the falls from New York, so I had little idea what to expect other than the famous Horseshoe Falls. For example, I didn’t realize that the American side of the falls also has an impressive waterfall, aptly named American Falls.

Having successfully gained access to Canada, each end of the Rainbow Bridge has US and Canadian customs checkpoints respectively, the Canadian Crowne Plaza was almost immediately opposite. Now situated between Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe restaurants, the Crowne Plaza is also connected via walkways to a casino and water park, as well as having numerous outlets, Hershey’s and Coca Cola, to name two, along from the road at street level. . The hotel originally stood alone as an exclusive hotel. The hotel opened in 1929 and was originally called the General Brock Hotel, after Major General Sir Isaac Brock, commander of the British and Canadian forces during the War of 1812, a conflict between the United States and England. Over the years, the Brock has had a succession of royal visitors and was also home to the cast and crew of the Marilyn Monroe film Niagara. For Monroe’s most avid fans, her room number was 801. The hotel has moved with the times and developed considerably, while still managing to retain a touch of its previous, more glamorous incarnation. The hotel is currently undergoing a transformation from the Brock to the Crowne Plaza in another twist of hotel history.

I checked in on April 16 for a 4 night stay. The room costs approximately 85 Canadian dollars (at the time of writing, the exchange rate is 2 Canadian dollars to 1 British pound). Despite the mild climate of bright sun and temperatures of over 20C, it did not seem to be tourist season. There are tourists, but by no means as many as the area is prepared to handle. I imagine that in a few weeks the streets will be crowded. Instead, it looks like the staff and attractions are beginning their preseason warmups.

Let’s face it, the name gives it away, the falls are the main attraction here. Everything else has been built around it to try to keep tourists there for longer than it takes to look at the falls for a while. Every conceivable angle to view the falls seems to be covered. I would imagine someone somewhere must be working on something that can safely get people to the falls to complete the experience. Unfortunately for me, the Maid of the Mist tour boats are not operating yet, so I opted for “Journey Behind The Falls”. This is it, at a reduced Canadian cost of $9.45 (the lower observation deck was closed), it takes you, you guessed it, behind the falls. The experience consists of going down a few meters in an elevator to a tunnel that extends behind the falls. At the midpoint and endpoint of the tunnel are portals from which you can see the falls. The first thing you notice is how cold it is. The second thing you notice is how strong it is. The third thing you notice is that through those portals there isn’t much to see: the water gets in the way. Once I got over the initial disappointment, I began to understand what the portals present. The view is one of a wall of white water. I couldn’t see anything through it at all. In fact, to recognize that it is water and not a shiny wall, I had to concentrate my attention. With this concentration combined with the noise and cold, I began to fully appreciate the power of water on display. In addition to the portals, there is an upper viewing platform where, because it is situated next to the falls, but much lower than the walkway, I could stand and watch the water rage over the crest. When I looked away, the sides of the gorge were barely visible through the generated spray.

Having had more insight into the power of the falls, I ventured back to the walkway that runs along the top of the gorge. I find that the further you get from the falls, the less impressive it looks. Once, on a trip to Iceland, I visited Gulfoss (Golden Falls) and it was a terrifyingly exciting experience. This was because I was so close that the dew covered me and wherever it fell, the water froze. This made the walkways extremely here and dangerous. At no time did my Niagara Falls experience become so exhilarating, but I did get glimpses. As I got closer to the falls, I began to feel the force of the water roaring below. The water does not simply flow into the drop and overflow. The current rushes toward it, taking with it branches, huge chunks of ice, and whatever other debris it can absorb. If you fell into the water upstream the cold would probably kill you and you would be glad of that because in seconds you would be at the falls with an almost certain fall to your death.

There is a general morbid fascination with waterfalls. In particular, jumping over the falls in a barrel or walking a tightrope over the top. The tradition started in the early 1900s and seems to have stuck in the public psyche ever since. The chance of surviving a plunge into the falls seems to me to be about 50/50 – for every death there seems to be a story of survival…even if badly mangled. The reasons people do it are mostly publicity stunts or suicide, but one survivor’s story really stands out. In what is generally known as the “Miracle of Niagara”, a seven-year-old boy, Roger Woodward, survived falling over the falls, following a boating accident, wearing only a life jacket. Luckily for him, the Maid of the Mist tours took place that day and he was blown out of the water. At the same time, his seventeen-year-old sister was the subject of a dramatic rescue by passersby as she made her way toward the falls. As recently as 2003, Kirk Jones jumped and survived the fall only to be arrested and charged as it is illegal to go over the falls. The president of the Niagara Parks Commission called the stunt “stupid.” Not wanting to do anything stupider than book a hotel in the wrong country, I stayed away from the falls.

Away from the falls themselves, one thing dominates the skyline: Skylon Tower is a spire-like structure that rises 520 feet tall and houses a revolving restaurant just below the observation deck at the top. Naturally, I made a trip to the tower. The ride in the yellow elevators on the outside of the tower is by far the most interesting. From the mall at the bottom, travel out of the darkness into brilliant sunlight and stunning views of the falls. The elevator moves pretty fast so it’s quite a ride. The elevator stopped to let people out and into the revolving restaurant, and I headed for the top. As far as being up high and getting 360 degree views of Niagara, that’s great. Anyone really interested in the falls though…unless a sky view of the spaghetti factory floats your boat. It’s worth the $12 Canadian admission for the photo opportunity alone. But it also gave me a chance to see what else Niagara has to offer.

When I was about 14 years old, I went with my family on holiday to Blackpool for a week. Niagara reminded me of that vacation. Okay, Niagara has the falls, we’ve more than established that. Niagara has a tower and Blackpool has a tower, each impressive in its own way. But Clifton Hill, Niagara, aka “Fun Street” gets all the credit for my Blackpool flashback. The Clifton Hill area is filled with tourist attractions including Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, miniature golf, Waxworks, Imax theaters, comedy t-shirt outlets, and easily more haunted houses on a street than you’ll ever see. I count at least 4 and see another 2 advertised along the way. This entire area screams in desperation to maintain a tourist industry behind the falls. It is extremely tacky in the style of a British seaside resort. I am not being prejudicial about the area, or indeed Blackpool, the attractions are popular and provide entertainment away from the falls and there are numerous bars and restaurants to suit all tastes.

So, it’s all about the falls and how to look at them. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s a natural sight that needs to be seen up close (but not too close) to truly appreciate it, and once you’ve done that, why not take a haunted house tour?