Before leaving the Canadian side, we had lunch at a sports bar called Mick and Angelo's. I tried their Canadiana burger; It was just like an Americana burger, but with less taste. We also drove along the river for one last look at the falls from that side.
In 1954, or maybe '55, my parents brought my brother and me to the American side to see the falls, which was, for a 9 year old boy, quite literally the only thing to do here back then. A ride on the Maid of the Mist was the high point of any non-honeymooning visitor. As the Canadians turned their side of the river into a mini-Disney/Vegas/New Orleans hybrid, our side has become the equivalent of the nose-bleed section or the cheap seats. Hell, even the Maid of the Mist only docks in Canada now!
Nevertheless, we would have stopped for a few minutes to check out the view had we been able to find any RV parking. We didn't. The best we could do was a lot several blocks from the river used by the tour buses and we only stay there long enough to program the Garmin for the closest RV park.
The route it plotted took us through a rundown section of town full of boarded up buildings and poorly maintained streets. While it is tempting to generalize from this that the entire city has fallen on hard times, the truth is that it was a black area and has probably been decaying for decades.
Day 31
Niagara Falls, Ontario to Niagara Falls, NY
Daily Mileage: 19.4
Total Mileage: 6,585.5
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