...dragged kicking and screaming against my will to New York (well not quite), I decided to make the most of a few days in the big apple by covering a few new US stops, bolting on a trip to Atlantic City and Philadelphia.
But first up, a dash across NY state to see Niagra Falls.
Niagra is not a place that was ever on my bucket/wish list - as something of a seasoned travel snob these days, I always thought it was simply too commercial, and just for obese American tourists to say they have seen a natural wonder. In fact, the only reason for doing it this time is I've already seen everything New York city has to offer, several times over...
In the end, a worthwhile day with a very early morning start and one and a half hour flight from JFK to Buffalo. Amazing that you can fly for 90 minutes and still be in the same US state - back home in Europe I could probably have covered 4 or 5 countries in that time.
Heading over the border into Canada, we were awe struck - not by the falls, but by how much tourism they can cram into one place. Hotels, casinos, theme parks and souvenir stores galore adorn this side. Thankfully, the US side has been left relatively natural, meaning good views and photos from the crazy commercial side.
Even better, some very cold weather (-15 degrees Celsius), means the Falls were probably at their prettiest - with snow underfoot, ice covered islands, and icicles hanging down all around the Horse Shoe falls, the key attraction here. And a pretty rainbow to complete the fairytale picture...Many hours spent walking along the smaller falls and whirlpool, as well as the 'behind the falls' tunnel and viewing spots under the falls, were followed by panoramic views from on high (while stuffing faces with an all-you-can-eat buffet). Worth a trip if in the New York/Toronto area, but this is no Angel Falls in terms of magnitude and prehistoric wonder, and certainly no Iguacu in terms of sheer spectacle/awe. But it would take something truly incredible to match either of those two.