I've been in NYC for about 9 years now (time sure flies!) and I've still never been to Niagara Falls. I looked into it and realized that it is not that far by bus. And you can easily walk over to the Ontario, Canadian side by foot!
This whole Niagara Falls trip started because I was looking up biographies and videos of my favorite scientist, Nikola Tesla.
Tesla moved to NYC at the age of 27 and initially worked at
a company in LES fixing generators. He would dedicate his life to making
innovative inventions largely involving electricity. He spent the last 10 years
of his life at Manhattan’s The New Yorker Hotel in room 3327. His dead body was
discovered here at the age of 86.
You can put in a special request to stay in this room. My
request went through!
Some information on his many patents, inventions, and achievements:
The room was quite modest with very few amenities, but the views were amazing:
Niagara Falls--from the New York side!
1. Cave of the Winds
You get to go near the Falls in Cave of the Winds:
Look who is at Niagara Falls!!
Tesla actually once worked for Thomas Edison. Initially,
they both admired each others’ work and work ethics, with Edison even once
remarking “This is a damned good man” about Tesla.
This soon turned into a bitter rivalry as Edison started a
smear campaign to tear Tesla down to “prove” that his DC current was better
than Tesla’s AC current.
Edison even went so far as to publicly electrocute animals,
including a circus elephant using AC current to “show” how “dangerous” AC was.
Tesla left Edison and started working for George Westinghouse’s
electric company. Westinghouse gave Tesla $60K for patents to his AC motor but
gave him rights to royalties. Eventually, Westinghouse went into a debt of $10
million. He asked Tesla if he could reduce the royalty payments to save the
company.
Tesla, moved with compassion for his friend and never forgetting to be grateful to Westinghouse for believing in his invention when nobody else did, chose to give up all rights to his royalties which were worth ~$12 million (over $300 million now). Had he kept that money, he would have most likely become the world’s 1st billionaire…(Ironically, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, ended up naming his company after Nikola Tesla.)
Do such generosity and loyalty exist in friendships nowadays?
The Bridal Veil Falls portion of the Niagara:
I haven't seen a double rainbow since I was 7 years old!
The Horseshoe portion of the Falls (looks like a horseshoe!)
2. Ontario, Canada
The walk across Rainbow Bridge was so beautiful--& I saw another rainbow!
They say the Canadian side is much better than the New York side for viewing the Falls. It's more because you get the whole panoramic view of the Falls. From the New York side, you get a close-up view instead. I actually liked the New York side better.
This part of Ontario is obviously a tourist-y area. I loved this Frankenstein just chillin' above Burger King. So cute and creative!
This area is beautiful when it's lit up at night:
3. Nightmares Fear Factory
As a self-declared haunted house connoisseur…This one that
my co-worker said was “crazy scary” was, IMO, to put it nicely, mediocre at
best. It was very long, though! The best one I’ve been to was in Myrtle Beach
where a “monster” chased me with a (fake) whirring chainsaw.
4. Bird Kingdom
Bird Kingdom is the largest indoor aviary in the world. This parrot, Mango was my favorite:
Another Macaw:
I've never seen an Axolotl before. It's a type of salamander and they are critically endangered. Axolotls have the ability to regrow limbs!
Domestic Canary (I loved the lovely orange color of this bird):
The Poison Arrow Frogs are native to Central and South America and while most are non-potent, a few species produce some of the deadliest poison on Earth. Usually the brightly colored frogs are poisonous, but some species may mimic the bright colors of its poisonous cousins.
The Bearded Dragon wave their arms to show submission and bob their heads to show dominance:
This Leopard Tortoise is from South Africa and can live to over 100 years!
You can also feed the Lorikeets at Bird Kingdom. This one
was particularly fond of me (maybe because we are both 32 years old?)
5. Skylon Tower
Skylon Tower is an observation tower that offers great views of the Falls.
The Revolving Dining Room is a restaurant that revolves slowly, offering 360 degree views of the Falls while you eat.
The food wasn't that amazing but not too bad at all, especially for the price. A co-worker told me that this area is actually pretty expensive by Canadian standards because it is a tourist spot.
More views from the restaurant:
6. Lundy's Lane
There are several neighborhoods around the Falls, I chose Lundy's Lane. It's a bit of a walk from the main Niagara Falls area, but there are some cute bars and shops that you can check out pretty easily as they are not as crowded. Canada One Outlets are located in this neighborhood as well.
Isn't this hoodie notebook so cute??
I am not sure if this is still a part of the Niagara Falls, but it was a great view nonetheless:
The hotel I stayed at had this really cute heart-shaped jacuzzi. I was too tired to use it but it was adorable:
7. Night views of the Niagara Falls
At night, the Niagara Falls get lit up and there are fireworks at 10PM. I personally liked the daytime views better but it was really nice to see the Falls lit up in all different colors and even in rainbow colors at once:
8. Nikola Tesla Statue
There is a statue dedicated to Tesla on the New York side of the Falls. Fittingly, I ended the trip here:
Italian inventor Marconi sent the world’s 1st
transatlantic radio message using 17 of Tesla’s patents. Initially denied a
patent because his idea was too similar to Tesla’s radio, Marconi was
eventually given the patent in 1904 after Edison financially backed him. (This
surely was a rivalry unmatched in history!)
Marconi even went on to win the Nobel Prize for Physics in
1909…This would not have been possible if not for Tesla’s work.
“I don’t care that they stole my idea…I care that they don’t
have any of their own.”—Nikola Tesla
Tesla loved science more than money and women. He never
married because he believed that marriage would interfere with his ability to
generate new ideas and work. He died penniless and alone in Room 3327 at The
New Yorker Hotel. For most of his life, Tesla suffered from OCD. He was obsessed
with the numbers 3, 6, 9. (3327 can be divisible by 3, as well as 33—and 27
which can also be divisible by 9.)
Tesla sued Marconi’s A$$ in 1915! (Yay!!) The Supreme Court finally overturned Marconi’s patent for the radio a few months after Tesla’s death. I believe he should’ve sued that con, Edison too, but oh wells…
On that note, until the next trip, here is a selfie with my hoodie/leather outfit from Tesla's room~
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