Would You Like To Go To Niagara Falls?

There are so many places to visit in North America, especially in the United States. I was born, raised and spent most of my life living in New York City. There are so many places that I have not visited yet. New York State has beautiful sites to visit. One of those places is Niagara Falls. I went when I was 12 and always wanted to go back. So we decided to go and I wanted to share with you.

 My Significant Other (SO) and I drove from Philadelphia to Niagara Falls.  We left Philadelphia on a Thursday in July, around 11 in the morning and arrived at our hotel in Niagara Falls around 7:30 that evening. We made two stops, ran into some slow traffic and made a wrong turn. My SO retired from the Coast Guard after twenty years of service. When we travel we usually stay at lodges/hotels that are part of or on a military base. We spent four days and three nights at Niagara Lodge, Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in Niagara Falls, New York. The room was $70 per night. The lodge is located a few miles from Niagara Falls. It is cheaper to stay on the New York side. There are many hotels/motels to choose from at various prices on both sides.

The room that we stayed in was equipped with a mini kitchen that included a microwave, small sink, coffee maker and refrigerator.  We had a Queen size bed, a sitting area, desk and chair, dresser, television, Direct TV, DVD player, separate sink from the toilet/shower area, ironing board and iron, toiletries and wireless connectivity. Souvenirs and sundries were available for purchase. Movies and Xbox gaming systems are available for sign out. There is a workout room available on the base. They even had tour services available for purchase.

When we arrived Thursday evening we checked in. We asked the gentleman at the front desk to suggest a place for dinner. He suggested The Griffon Gastro pub, it was nice, the service was great and the food was delicious. We then drove around to see what else was in the area. We found a high-end store outlet. Luckily it was about to close, that saved me money.  We found Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target and many other well known stores and restaurants. We were both tired so back to the hotel to rest.

The waitress at The Griffon Gastro pub restaurant suggested a quaint little café in Lewiston, NY called The Villa Coffee House for breakfast.  We had breakfast there on Friday. We had a nice scenic drive to find this restaurant. Yes, we went the wrong way. But we eventually found it. The café closed at 2pm and we got there around 1pm. The food and service was good. After breakfast we t began our drive to Niagara Falls.

There are a lot of State parks to visit in Niagara Falls New York. We stopped at Devil’s Hole State Park to take pictures.  Devil’s Hole State Park is a 42-acre state park located in Niagara County, New York, north of the City of Niagara Falls.  The park overlooks the lower Whirlpool rapids of the Niagara River George. It was absolutely beautiful.

I definitely recommend that you visit Niagara Falls. You can visit the New York side, the Canada side or both. We parked on the New York side and walked across the bridge to the Canada side, you can also drive to Canada. Driving and parking on the Canadian side is more expensive and there is a very long line to get into Canada. Parking in a big parking lot on the New York side was $10.00 no driving around. Yes you need your passport and there is a fee to come back into the United States. You can only pay with quarters; I believe it was fifty cents.

There are many activities and restaurants to visit. Of course there were many souvenir shops. It was very crowded with tourists from various countries. We walked up this steep hill to what reminded me of the activities at Coney Island or Atlantic City. Yes, a lot of walking, I was very happy that I had on comfortable shoes. I forgot to bring my bottle of water. We took pictures, sat and watched the falls.  Now back to the New York to have dinner at Applebee’s.

Saturday we had breakfast at The Sunshine another quaint café the waitress from Thursday night recommended. The food and service was very good. New York State has an extensive list of wineries. We decided to try one. As we got closer to the winery we could smell the grapes. We went to a wine tasting. You got to taste four different wines with chocolate to enhance the flavor for $8.  You got to choose four wines from four different wine categories. Needless to stay I really enjoyed that. Luckily I was not driving. We left and went to dinner at Applebee’s. I guess we like Applebee’s.

We checked out Sunday morning, had breakfast and drove home. The trip was excellent. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Niagara Falls was smaller than we expected. But it was beautiful! The scenery surrounding it was gorgeous.

I am so Retired&Lovinit!!! I want you to be also!!!