Road Trip - Stop #2

When we last off, John and I were facing down a 7 hour drive from Vermont to Niagara Falls. A lot of folks had asked if we were staying on the American side. Why bother? I wanted to retort. To my knowledge the American side has far less excitement than the Canadian side and half of this trip was about visiting the wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake (More on that later). If anyone can show merit for staying on the American side of the falls (apart from not needing a passport), I'd love to see it.

The drive was uneventful but it did end up taking 30 minutes to cross the Rainbow Bridge getting through customs. Our customs agent was particularly chatty (and friendly!) and let us know there would be a wire walk happening during our visit. Thanks for the tip, sir. We made our way to the hotel and settled in. The hotel I wanted to stay at was the Sterling Inn and Spa. We stayed there in 2009 and it was a wonderful, boutique hotel. However, July is high season and the prices were much more than I wanted. So instead, I used Priceline for the very first time. It was nerve wracking but I ended up getting a decent deal on the Wyndham Garden Fallsview. This is a completely renovated hotel that should not be overlooked. It got some bad reviews under the old name and old owners but the upgrades they made were beautiful and I thought the location was great. About a block from the nicer Fallsview Casino, and another block down to the Falls themselves. The Sterling was closer to Clifton Hill and all the tacky, junky attractions at that end. We didn't even venture there this trip and certainly didn't miss it. Please note: the other Casino, Casino Niagara, is really old and boring comparatively.

Arriving past dinner time and quite hungry, we sought out the Falls & Firkin Pub in the Fallsview Casino for some fish and chips. Having done my due diligence, I knew that this restaurant was tucked away in a corner downstairs past the food court. I was glad to find it! The food hit the spot, the patio seating was divine, and the price was decent. This is a tourist destination. No real bargains to be had. After that we headed down to see the Falls. Always breathtaking.

American and Bridal Veil Falls

 Then we walked back up to the casino to lose some money.

Fancy!

I'm happy to say that I walked out $3.00 up. That covered our toll on the bridge. YEA! John left $20 down though so as a team, not a winning night. Casinos hold my interest for approximately 30 minutes, and that's pushing it. I wanted to watch the table games but John admonished me saying it was bad luck to have me hovering. Hmph.

Back to the hotel to rest up for our next big adventure! But that's for another day.......