Niagara Falls and Toronto, August 2006
Niagara Falls and Toronto, August 2006 (5th Wedding Anniversary)
August 24, 2006
It’s been a while since we’ve traveled through Newark Airport. We had just enough time to have dinner at our favorite airport dining destination, Garden State Diner (a 50s style diner located in Terminal C), where we shared a Monte Cristo sandwich.
Upon arrival at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, we went to pick up our Alamo rental car. Many rentals are available right at the terminal, which is far superior to having to cart around your luggage and wait for a shuttle van. The Alamo counter girl was in a foul mood and told us to go to National (“they’re the same,” she said). Our reserved compact car was not available, and while our substitute Ford Focus wagon was a comfortable ride (though stinky and clearly previously driven by smokers), it did use more gas. The drive down to Niagara Falls was easy and uneventful. We just pulled off the highway to get water at a Rabba Foods (a store 24 type of chain).
The INS/customs folks have a bit of a power trip, but the border crossing is quite simple. Having a passport makes life a lot easier, and readers should take note that since 2007 a passport is required for travel to Canada.
We checked into our 4 Points by Sheraton Hotel on the American side, which was convenient and easy to find. Again a bit of a foul-mood for the front desk woman. Our room was clean and comfortable though oddly floored with Pergo. The usual, comfy Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed and some little snacks left for us compliments of the Starwood Preferred Guest program. Free parking.
We headed out to dinner at Michael’s, recommended to us by a Niagara native. Michael’s is on Pine Avenue, Niagara’s Little Italy. I guess the emphasis here is on “Little” since there are just a few restaurants and shops (no gelato place, no deli or specialty foods shop). Next door is La Hacienda “ristorante-pizzeria” that has a logo of a Mexican riding a burro. Michael’s was disappointing for us as they were out of the gnocchi, which was raved about in the review we found on their website http://www.michaelsniagarafalls.com/. We did, however, feast on the equally recommended beans and greens soup, sort of like my Mom makes, which did not disappoint and which came with our meals. We ordered off the specials board, a pancetta and spinach over ravioli in a porcini cream sauce ($10.50) and a lemon, asparagus, eggplant in lemon cream sauce over ravioli ($10.50). The ravioli was good, but both dishes were swimming in far too much sauce. Both meals came with salad, which was fresh and crispy but really just a bowl of iceberg. Chianti was $9.95 for a half bottle, which was a pretty good deal. We were too stuffed to even consider dessert. We did wander across the street to a Tim Horton’s Donuts afterwards, but we didn’t buy anything.
We returned to the hotel and headed around the Falls for a walk to the Canadian side. The Falls are illuminated at night, and it was a romantic walk on the eve of our 5 year wedding anniversary. For years people have said how much better then Canadian side is than the American side, which is no exaggeration. The American side has a few hotels, a really dumpy little park with some Indian food carts, a pathetic looking haunted house/wax museum attraction, and a hot air balloon ride. The Canadian side feels like a funhouse. It has a Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, Imax, ferris wheel, and more haunted houses, rides, and wax museums than you can shake a stick at (Hollywood Legends Wax Museum, Rock Stars Wax Museum, Criminals Wax Museum, etc.). There are countless ways to empty your wallet, including ice cream and fudge shops and Cuban cigars. It’s fun to walk around, though not peaceful. We crossed back over to the American side, where you must again go through immigration (don’t forget your passport) and pay 50 cents (U.S. or Canadian, change dispenses at fussy coin machines) to go through the turnstile to the other side.
August 25(5 Year Wedding Anniversary)
Oddly, we were given a voucher for just one free breakfast buffet, so I ate that while my wife ordered oatmeal (and picked off my plate a little). It was one of the poorer Sheraton breakfast buffets we’ve experienced and not at all a good value for the money (if you’re paying, you’re better off heading to the Denny’s across the street or ordering a la carte).
We purchased a Passport to the Falls for $24.95 ($17.95 for children), payable by credit card, which is a combo ticket for the major attractions. We opted to stay on the American side for our Falls tours, and I think the passport comes out a little cheaper than on the Canadian side (and the experience is bound to be very similar). We didn’t go to the Aquarium, the Discovery Center, or the film, but those were included in the ticket. We started with the famous Maid of the Mist boat tour (and were glad we did this in the morning as throughout the day the boats appeared to be much more crowded). Included in your ticket is a rain poncho, but despite this you will get wet. The half hour boat ride takes you right close to the Falls, and the mist sprays all around. We were there on a cloudy day and therefore did not witness a rainbow. If you do the Maid of the Mist first, we suggest hanging onto your poncho for Cave of the Winds because it’s a little longer/better. http://www.maidofthemist.com/en/
We boarded the Trolley and were given a wristband so we could hop on and off all day. The next stop was the Cave of the Winds tour, where you take an elevator down 175 to the base of the Falls. You get special sandals (and if you do the Cave before the Maid, we’d suggest hanging onto those).
It’s hard to take a photo because your camera lens gets all wet. Indeed, you get pretty soaked while walking around. http://www.niagarafallslive.com/cave_of_the_winds.htm
Back to Michael’s for more beans and greens. The night before the pizza had looked so good, but it was not so great at lunch.
We hit the Niagara Wine Trail, Route 104. Our first stop was the Honeymoon Trail Winery http://www.honeymoontrailwinery.com/. The current owners have only been there a few years, but they are clearly enthusiastic about their venture. For $2 you get six tastes (and no charge if your purchase something, and they also have crackers, which many other places do not, and it does help you cleanse your palate). The wines are mostly semi-dry/semi sweet and fruit wines. They have lots of cute bottles and also do customized ones and a gift shop with a small selection of gift items. We bought some “Mighty Niagara” wine to enjoy back in the room. They are continuing to expand their wine varieties, and we would like to return when they have their apple wines ready.
Farther down the trail in Gasport, NY we stopped at Vizcarra Vineyards and Becker Farms http://www.beckerfarms.com/vineyards_winetasting_niagarawinetrail.html. This is a terrific stop with something for the whole family. They have a pumpkin patch with a pumpkin festival and pick your own in the fall (apple cider, too, and a cider barn.
There are goats (which you can feed) and chickens and all sorts of things, including Aurora the South American parrot, right inside their store.
This large complex is owned by the daughter of Perry’s Ice Cream (which is sold all over the place). The gift shop has many products, including home baked pies, cookies, and fudge. We also bought some perfectly ripe apricots for just $2 a pint. The wine tasting here is $1 for 5 tastes. The blueberry and plum wines were disappointing, but we bought a bottle of Dusty’s Diamond to bring home.
On the way back to Niagara we couldn’t help but stop at Corn and Cones, right along Route 104. We pulled up right in front of the ice cream stand, and Annabella didn’t even need to ask what I’d be having since right on the specials board was “homemade apple crisp with frozen vanilla custard.” We thought frozen custard was just a Wisconsin thing, but we noticed it in a few places around Niagara. The farm stand sells corn, peaches, different varieties of garlic, honey, and all the usual farm stand suspects.
We stayed at the Sheraton Fallsview on the Canadian side, not be confused with the Sheraton on the Falls (obviously we were not the first to make this faux pas since we were handed a little “Oops, you’re at the wrong Sheraton” slip of paper with directions up the road to the correct hotel). The big Sheraton is lovely, but the $20 parking fee is really uncalled for. Our room was big, clean, and nice, but not really worth paying almost double the cost of the 4 Points on the American side. The view of the Falls is, however, spectacular, but we wouldn’t splurge on this again. The Club Room (the hotel was packed, so we were not upgraded, but we were given Club Room passes) has a beautiful view, and the staff there is very friendly. The happy hour was decent, and it spared us having to go out again the in the rain. We had planned to watch the Friday night fireworks right from the hotel, but they never happened (canceled due to rain?). Breakfast was decent, but they didn’t have toast or bagels or really anything not sugary (the fruit was very good though). The Club Room also has free Internet access.
August 26
Drove to Niagara-on-the-Lake for ice wine tasting. We stopped at Inniskillin Winery (be warned that the directions on their website are not good, yet somehow you’ll manage to find your way) http://www.inniskillin.com/index.asp. They have a self-guided tour and a couple of daily guided tours. Ice wines are very expensive, so the tastings are a good way to get exposed without spending a fortune. We tasted their regular Vidal for $3 and then the same variety but oak aged (versus stainless steel) for $4. They were both very good with the oak aged being smoother and sweeter.
They directed us to their sister winery, Jackson-Triggs, which is in a huge, modern building. They allow 3 free tastes of their regular wines. Since we can taste those anywhere, we quickly tasted a few and then moved on to the ice wine room, where you can taste 3 for $10. We liked the Cabernet Franc very much, were neutral on the Gewurztraminer, and liked the Reisling. We did prefer the Inniskillin. http://www.jacksontriggswinery.com/en/
The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is very quaint, and on a nice weekend day quite crowded. There is no free parking, but it’s only $1 per hour (pay yourself and display your ticket on the dash, which is common in Canada). We had lunch at the Irish Harp pub, which had just opened up a few weeks prior. We had the two piece fish and chips for $10.95 and bangers and mash for $9.95 (which I burped up all day to the delight of my wife). They did a nice job with decorations (check out the sparkling clean, pretty bathrooms) and faux finished walls. The pub atmosphere is jovial.
We walked up and down Queen Street, the main drag, poking in and out of shops. There are ice cream and chocolate shops everywhere, and it’s hard to settle on a place. We picked Maple Leaf Fudge http://www.mapleleaffudge.com/ because they were advertising an Ice Wine Fudge in the window (which pretty much just tasted like grapes but was good anyway). The real treat there was the orange chocolate fudge. Across the street we got Caramel Canoodle ice cream in a waffle cone, which was delicious!
We were a little regretful that we had not purchased tickets to the Shaw Theatre Festival, but since our schedule was a little uncertain and we weren’t crazy about any of the shows on the days we’d be near, we skipped it http://www.shawfest.com. We also searched high and low for discount tickets but never found any.
We tried to go to the “wings and wheels” air and car show, but it was confusing to find. We pulled over to the side of the road like everyone else to watch a few planes doing air stunts. We drove ahead back to Toronto and our 4 Points Sheraton Mississauga Hotel. The front desk service was truly friendly. The front desk young man even looked up movie theatres for us and called up to our room with information. We went down to the pool, which was small but very warm and comfortable. The Jacuzzi was broken, unfortunately. The room was small but very clean and cozy, and they even provided us with a robe. We had a special weekend package for $85 Canadian, which included breakfast for two plus a free in-room movie (we watched “Take the Lead” since it was included). Given that this hotel costs less than half of what hotels charge in downtown Toronto (and parking is free), it’s a really good choice. It’s very convenient to the airport, and it’s really not at all a long drive into downtown. There are plenty of restaurants in the area as well, and the large Square One Mall (which has a farmers market on Sundays) is less than a 10 minute drive.
We drove around looking for an ATM and dinner, and we found the Chinese mall around Dixie Road. It was Saturday night and hopping with people. There’s a food court with lots of food stands and lots of bubble tea. Our meals were marginal, but they were cheap.
August 27
Breakfast buffet at the hotel was good. We drove the “scenic route” into Toronto downtown and parked near Chinatown, which was hopping with Sunday shoppers. From there it was a short walk to Kensington Market, a multiethnic market with many shops and food stalls (they’re not exactly restaurants, but they’re really a step above stalls). The market has P.S., Pedestrian Sundays, when the main road Augusta Avenue is closed off to vehicles. There were a few outdoor music groups, including a somewhat loud and annoying didgeridoo player (who despite it all fit well into the grungy atmosphere). We had to listen to him because we ate right across the way at Back Alley BBQ.
A lot of the food places have outdoor tables on Sundays, and we got a chicken kebab wrap ($4 and okay) and a honey garlic pork rib sampler ($4 and delicious). Nearby were a few people grilling sardines, and the stench was a bit overpowering. We walked up the street a bit and listened to Spanish music and ate at Jumbo Empanadas http://www.jumboempanadas.com. The spinach and ricotta one was excellent, and the chicken chile verde one was good. We washed them down with a can of imported Thai coconut milk/juice/water, which was refreshing though it had sugar. Then we went back to Back Alley for some organic ice cream. We sampled the chocolate ginger and blueberry lavender, which were good, but we settle on the incredible Emotional Rescue, a vanilla base flavored with cardamom! We walked around looking at shops and then back through Chinatown looking at the street vendors (lots of elderly people hawking plants and leafy greens).
After reading an article about it in our Continental Airlines in flight magazine, we decided to go to the Bata Shoe Museum, the collection of the Bata shoe heiress http://www.batashoemuseum.ca. $8 seemed a bit much for a shoe museum, but it is very well done. The ground floor is the permanent exhibit with a history of foot wear and well done displays, low lit to preserve the vintage shoes. The explanations of things like foot binding and other cultural practices are very interesting. The temporary exhibits were fantastically well put together. The French shoes were in a room designed like a French palace with period music in the background. The Chinese exhibit was designed in a room that looked like a Chinese pagoda.
http://www.batashoemuseum.ca
We headed on to our Sheraton Lakeshore Hotel. It looks like it was converted fairly recently from an Asian hotel (lots of Asian influence in the décor). Most things inside looked very new, but the exterior looked older. We were going to take a walk along the lake shore (there looked to be a recreational area right across the street, and there were ice cream stands and the like), but it started to rain. The front desk staff was very helpful at suggesting places to eat, so we drove up to the Bloor Street neighborhood and stumbled across a large Ukrainian Festival in Bloor West Village, which they say is the largest festival of its kind in North America http://www.ukrainianfestival.com . Things were closing up, so we ended up with some mediocre pierohys from a street vendor. I got a skimpy gyros from another vendor while my wife ate a good cottage cheese crepe. Lots of the shops were closed on Sunday, but it was a fun area to walk around, and it was only a 5 minute drive from the hotel. We went back to the hotel and enjoyed the “Spa,” which also looked very new. The fitness area had some newer looking treadmills, weights, TV and other equipment. The whirlpool was very new (and also the steam room and sauna). No one else was there, so we enjoyed a peaceful soak. We enjoyed our comfy bed, as usual. Despite the traffic on the street, the room had good windows and was quite quiet.
August 28
We drove to the Distillery, a new arts district built in the old Gooderham and Worts Distillery. It’s a great example of Industrial Revolution architecture. Monday probably isn’t the best time to go since the studios are not open then, and weekends are bound to be happening (but it was peaceful on Monday). You can take regular walking tours or also tours on a Segue ($30 for 30 minutes). We enjoyed banana nut crepes at La Creperie and talked to owner Christopher Brown and his lovely Italian fiancée, who he met while studying in Bologna (which as you know from this site is the gastronomic centre of the universe) http://www.lacreperie.ca .
The Soma Chocolatemaker looked appealing and smelled amazing http://www.somachocolate.com. You can see chocolate making during certain times or at least see the preparation area at all times. The chocolate is very expensive and we were disappointed that the milk chocolate covered cashews with chai spice were sold out in the small packages (and not wanting to splurge $10 for something that would probably melt in a hot car). We settled on a very small milk chocolate with wild cherry bar for ($3.50, which with tax comes out to $4). Honestly, it wasn’t any better tasting than a cheap bar of Hersheys.
We walked down to St. Lawrence Market, but it is closed on Sundays and Mondays and afterwards drove to the CBC Center (Canadian Broadcasting) http://www.cbc.ca/. The center is large and impressive with a small but well done and free museum, which seems to only house temporary exhibits. There was one on sound effects on the day we went, and another on children’s television.
Dining options weren’t too good in that area being a business center, but we found a 2 course lunch for $10.99 at a place that looked good, The Red Tomato on King Street. The waitress was complaining to the chef, so we figured someone didn’t show up for their shift. We were nervous our parking would run out, and we needed to get to the airport, so it was a rush and the service was slow. Our “roasted” fish came out and was breaded, but the waitress insisted, “That is roasted.” We choked it all down and rushed to the car. We need not have rushed since our flight was very delayed.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
- Virtually nothing is free, including parking.
- The heavy immigrant influence is readily apparent throughout the Toronto area.
- High taxes and taxes on everything. “Free” health care comes at a steep price.
