The drive up to 90-west and out to Western New York had always been one of my favorites and it did not cease to impress on that sunny day. Luckily, we were able to enjoy the western section of I-90 in MA by cruising up form Hartford to Springfield and then from Springfield into NY. This section of I-90 is unique in many ways, as it moves from the boring, flat, and somewhat industrial city of Springfield into the only "mountainous" region of MA which, remarkably, contains the highest-by-elevation section of I-90 (in Lee, MA at around 1,500 ft) for nearly 1,500 miles until you reach Western South Dakota. There's a nifty little fact, huh. The 350 or so miles from Albany to Buffalo are incredibly scenic, marked by tiny villages and farmlands which symbolize a time-warp back to the days of the agrarian lifestyle. As a skeptic of big-city living it's truly remarkable to conceive of the fact that New York City and upstate New York are part of the same state, as the two represent a glaring polarity in terms of spatiality and daily existence more generally. Anyways, the drive was pleasant and it was a quick trip across the border into Niagara Falls, Ontario--I didn't realize that Ontario, like Quebec, was predominantly French-Speaking?
I had heard great things about Niagara Falls, and I realized it was a natural wonder that was necessary to see if you lived out East. Let's just say that the attraction invoked a dichotomy of emotions. After being fortunate enough to have a childhood filled with bountiful travels, I had learned that I not only disliked locations that attracted throngs of crowds, but had come to the conclusion that the experiential value of even the most profound site such as the Notre Dame in Paris or Table Mountain in Capetown, South Africa was tainted or blunted by the massive, obnoxious crowds it attracted. Niagara Falls was no different, and perhaps even strengthened my argument, as my brain was taken captive by a flurry of emotions, ranging from awe to anger to disgust, and distracting me from the natural wonder of the falls. Let me be clear--the falls were absolutely gorgeous and absolutely breathtaking even from a distance as the endless flow of water spiraling downward created a constant double rainbow and filled the air with a dense mist that covered the entirety of the gorge. Here are a few visual snippets of the positive half of the experience:
Whenever I tried to take in the majestic elegance and perpetual purrrrr of the water hitting the rocks below, I would be pushed by a family clothed in their generic Niagara Falls Tees accessorized with family fanny packs or rattled by the abrasive voice of a tour guide feigning excitement to the delight of the accompanying horde of tourists. Everywhere you looked, tourists filled one's view and the cacophany of voices was incredibly overbearing. It would be hypocritical to say that Fran and I were not tourists, as we precisely fit the mold, snapping off pictures and chattering about the incredible view. I am not embellishing that the enormous set of walkways surrounding the falls literally embodied the busiest place I had ever been, and that was a fact I was not pleased about. Adding to the mess, the group as a whole was unbelievably unattractive, but at least it made for great people watching. Moreover, surrounding the main drag of the tourist zone was an artificial city of hotel skyscrapers and casinos built strictly for and upon the money of the masses to suck everyone dry with inflated prices and a plethora of subtle fees that ranged from the premium paid to stand close to the falls to looking through a telescope to the exorbitant expense of sitting on a boat below the falls. NASTY. Here are some pictures from the less-than-enthralling segment of the trip to the falls including the mandatory peace sign tourist shot:
Anyways, after an hour of exciting tourist viewing and pictures, we made our way to a hotel on the strip to settle in and plan the rest of the day. At this point (the first of many times) I need to rep Groupon/LivingSocial. Without their deals, our trip would've never materialized as it did. To this day I troll the two sites on a daily basis planning out hypothetical trips for when I have money. I am impressed with the breadth of both sites' travel sections and during the trip, utilized the massive number of off-the-beaten path locations in which they sponsor hotel deals. Our deal through Groupon that night included a dinner coupon and a free wine-tasting at a local vineyard. After a few minutes in the hotel, which was what you'd expect from a tourist town, we headed to the vineyard to scrutinize some local vinos. Per usual, upon reaching the vineyard, one of us (me) realized we had forgotten a credit card which was necessary to book the visit. After almost an hour of calling random places that I had visited earlier in the day, I finally located my card to the chagrin of the bitchy Starbucks manager who wanted nothing to do with my plight. At that point the vineyard was closed; we missed out on our opportunity for free booze and the car ride back to the hotel was tense to say the least. To our surprise, the night was salvaged with an excellent meal at the hotel (not an all-you-can-eat buffet--shocker) and as we sat overlooking the falls from the tenth story of the hotel, a fireworks display lit up the water below, creating an ethereal landscape of colorful mist. All in all, despite the setbacks and the nightmarish crowds, the day's adventure was certainly worth the time. Next, we travel through the exceptionally dull midwest--a stretch of I-90 comprised of the decay of the rust-belt, what I imagine to be a hotbed of incest and rapists, and extensive strip malls which span as far as the eye can see. Quite the teaser....
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