Days 20 and 21: Falling for the Falls
Hello, everyone! This post will be more text based than image based, because I have a lot to say about my experiences the past few days and not quite as many pictures to share. You've all seen Niagara Falls before, I'm sure.
I don't want to sound haughty when I speak about my first impression of Niagara Falls, but I'm afraid that my disappointment seems to take on that tone. It's interesting to note that my experience in Niagara these past few days has been one similar to my experience in Cairo with the Great Pyramids. Media does a good job of portraying these incredible locations as remote and obscure, while in actuality a bustling city has grown up around them and there are tall buildings just across the street. Looking out the window of my hotel now, the city of Niagara glitters like some strange hybrid of Las Vegas and Myrtle Beach. There are casinos and tourist traps of every shape and size, and so my first impression of the area was one of distaste. I saw the Falls, briefly of course, and it occurred to me that the world had somehow turned this marvel of nature into a theme park, of which Niagara Falls was merely a major attraction. Amusement parks are wonderful, and a great way for many people to have fun, but I don't care for them out of personal preference, and so I was disappointed to have built up the idea of Niagara Falls as a natural landmark in my mind when it wasn't as much.
But this is my request. With the glitter of the town obscuring it, it's easy to forget that there are actually Falls at Niagara. Please remember them. Having a personal experience with the Falls themselves has been one of the most memorable parts of this trip for me. The sheer power of the Falls is unlike anything that can be replicated by human hands. The magnitude of the water flowing over the falls is something that they try to rationalize for you in the museums (something along the lines of one million bathtubs' worth every minute- or was it second? I don't recall), but is really more of a concept that you must feel to understand. Not only is there an opportunity to ride a boat directly in front of the Falls- providing a view like no other- but there is also an opportunity to venture behind the Falls. In the dark, wet tunnels carved out of the rock behind the Falls, visitors can feel the magnitude of the rushing water with every part of their body. You hear descriptions of various experiences touted as being "like a train passing overhead," but that's actually more accurate than you might think. The feeling of pressure that one receives from being behind the falls is a full-body experience. There's really nothing like it.
Visit Niagara Falls. Visit, not for the city, but for the Falls themselves. If you've never been, take a trip someday to see what the power of nature is capable of doing, and what humanity can only dream of in its wildest fantasies.
A computer error has prevented me from uploading any of the photos, which is a shame because there was a beautiful rainbow under the Falls yesterday. I'll try to put up some pictures later, perhaps tomorrow night depending on the circumstances. For now, I thank you for reading, and we send our love from Niagara!
I don't want to sound haughty when I speak about my first impression of Niagara Falls, but I'm afraid that my disappointment seems to take on that tone. It's interesting to note that my experience in Niagara these past few days has been one similar to my experience in Cairo with the Great Pyramids. Media does a good job of portraying these incredible locations as remote and obscure, while in actuality a bustling city has grown up around them and there are tall buildings just across the street. Looking out the window of my hotel now, the city of Niagara glitters like some strange hybrid of Las Vegas and Myrtle Beach. There are casinos and tourist traps of every shape and size, and so my first impression of the area was one of distaste. I saw the Falls, briefly of course, and it occurred to me that the world had somehow turned this marvel of nature into a theme park, of which Niagara Falls was merely a major attraction. Amusement parks are wonderful, and a great way for many people to have fun, but I don't care for them out of personal preference, and so I was disappointed to have built up the idea of Niagara Falls as a natural landmark in my mind when it wasn't as much.
But this is my request. With the glitter of the town obscuring it, it's easy to forget that there are actually Falls at Niagara. Please remember them. Having a personal experience with the Falls themselves has been one of the most memorable parts of this trip for me. The sheer power of the Falls is unlike anything that can be replicated by human hands. The magnitude of the water flowing over the falls is something that they try to rationalize for you in the museums (something along the lines of one million bathtubs' worth every minute- or was it second? I don't recall), but is really more of a concept that you must feel to understand. Not only is there an opportunity to ride a boat directly in front of the Falls- providing a view like no other- but there is also an opportunity to venture behind the Falls. In the dark, wet tunnels carved out of the rock behind the Falls, visitors can feel the magnitude of the rushing water with every part of their body. You hear descriptions of various experiences touted as being "like a train passing overhead," but that's actually more accurate than you might think. The feeling of pressure that one receives from being behind the falls is a full-body experience. There's really nothing like it.
Visit Niagara Falls. Visit, not for the city, but for the Falls themselves. If you've never been, take a trip someday to see what the power of nature is capable of doing, and what humanity can only dream of in its wildest fantasies.
A computer error has prevented me from uploading any of the photos, which is a shame because there was a beautiful rainbow under the Falls yesterday. I'll try to put up some pictures later, perhaps tomorrow night depending on the circumstances. For now, I thank you for reading, and we send our love from Niagara!