On Saturday, after celebrating Canada Day in Ottawa, we drove straight to Toronto. We dropped off the bags at the hotel and went to Ontario Place, where Soundgarden was kicking off its reunion tour.

The crowd was interesting. Many concerts gather people of all ages—Green Day for instance, with fans of the Basket Case era (1994) and a younger crowd from the American Idiot era (2004). But here, our generation dominated. It was clearly a crowd of people who grew up in the 1990s.

I didn’t bother taking my camera considering we were searched at the entrance. Plus, the crowd was a bit rowdy despite smoking copious amounts of marijuana. You could get high just breathing the air.

It was gorgeous on Sunday and we drove to Niagara Falls. It was my fourth visit (the last time was in the middle of the winter) and definitely a busy time of the year for the region.

The contrast between the tacky main strip and the beauty of the falls always amazes me.

The Walk by the Falls
Lone Tree by the Falls
American Falls
View on the US Side
Towards the American Bridge
The Main Strip
Horseshoe Falls
My Little Rabbit Enjoying the View
Feng, Thirsty
House of Horrors
Horseshoe Falls
The Edge
The Edge
Funky Burger King
Vending Machines
Haunted House
The Eagles

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34 Comments

  1. kyh July 11, 2011 at 9:35 am

    Coincidentally, I just blogged about waterfall! 😀 But of course, none can beat the awesomeness of Niagara. Beautiful pictures! Powerful cascades! 🙂

    Reply
  2. kyh July 11, 2011 at 9:36 am

    Oh yes, which side do you think is best for viewing Niagara? 🙂

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 11, 2011 at 10:11 am

      Definitely the Canadian side (and no, not being patriotic!). There is the long walk along the falls, you get very close to the Hoerseshoes Falls.

      Reply
  3. Steff July 11, 2011 at 9:56 am

    Beautiful pictures and beautiful little rabbit!

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 11, 2011 at 10:13 am

      🙂 I bought it in Singapore for Chinese New Year earlier this year.

      Reply
  4. Jeruen July 11, 2011 at 10:30 am

    Ah, you’re near my neck of the woods! I wonder how long the drive is from Ottawa to Niagara Falls.

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 11, 2011 at 11:01 am

      Well, it’s about 4-5 hours to Toronto, and from Toronto another 60-90 minutes. Not that far 😉

      Reply
  5. Vagabonde July 11, 2011 at 12:07 pm

    Vraiment des chutes magnifiques. J’avais un poster à côté de mon bureau ou je travaillais qui donnait une vue panoramique des chutes. Quand j’en avais marre de travailler je regardais ce poster et je m’en allais….

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 12, 2011 at 9:44 am

      J’adore regarder n’importe quelle chute d’eau, petite ou grande. Je trouve que ça a un effet relaxant!

      Reply
  6. expatraveler July 11, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    Wow – those were great photos! Oh the hard rock cafe. I love going there just to get a t-shirt! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Cynthia July 11, 2011 at 2:26 pm

    “The contrast between the tacky main strip and the beauty of the falls always amazes me.”

    Same thing for me, it’s such a shame it wasn’t made a National Park a hundred years ago!

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 12, 2011 at 9:45 am

      Yep! On the other side, only the main street is a bit tacky but it’s not totally out-of-hand. The surroundings are still very nice!

      Reply
  8. Em July 11, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    It looks really impressive!

    Reply
  9. Nisha July 11, 2011 at 5:16 pm

    Very lively photos. Full of life.
    My question is same as Kyh’s. Which side do you think is best for viewing Niagara? 🙂

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 12, 2011 at 9:46 am

      Definitely the Canadian side! It’s a bit tacky but it’s nicer and the view is better I find.

      Reply
  10. ristinw July 11, 2011 at 10:27 pm

    Niagara Falls are so magnificent!!! Thank you for sharing this great photos! 😀

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 12, 2011 at 9:46 am

      You’re welcome, glad you liked it!

      Reply
  11. Shawn July 11, 2011 at 11:46 pm

    How long does it take to drive from Ottawa to Niagara Falls?

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 12, 2011 at 9:47 am

      We stopped in Toronto… so from Ottawa to Toronto it is about a 4-5 hour drive and then another 60-90 to Niagara Falls. It’s not that far!

      Reply
  12. barbara July 12, 2011 at 4:51 am

    Hi Zhu,

    I have never been to Niagara Falls but I think I need to go at least once in my lifetime :).
    True; natural wonder vs commercial eyesores is not an even battle. I guess that some people need to have their fill of stores and attractions.
    How darling your little rabbit is! And, it is always nice to have a glimpse of Feng!

    Bises

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 12, 2011 at 2:46 pm

      I bought the little rabbit in Singapore earlier this year, for Chinese New Year. It’s been with me on my camera bag since then 😉

      Reply
  13. Neeraj July 12, 2011 at 6:25 pm

    Beautiful pictures!

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 13, 2011 at 10:34 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  14. Soleil July 12, 2011 at 11:50 pm

    These pictures are fantastic. I love Niagara Falls, and these really do them justice. The ones of “the edge” are really kind of scary!

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 13, 2011 at 10:34 am

      The edge of the Horseshoes Falls is my favourite spot. I could stand there for hours!

      Reply
  15. Seraphine July 13, 2011 at 1:03 am

    i love that there are searches at the door but nobody finds the pot. and it is a general rule of mine if i can’t take my camera, i won’t go to the event…

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 13, 2011 at 10:36 am

      I know! I used to have the same rule but I started to relax it, some places really don’t like DSRL but still allow small compact camera. Which is kind of stupid because my DSLR can’t record but most point-and-shoot can. Go figure!

      Reply
  16. Paula July 16, 2011 at 11:18 pm

    Thanks for stopping by the picklebump site. No concerts since Peter Gabriel. I’m sorry I haven’t gotten over here sooner, but I was down with pneumonia!

    Love the shots of Niagra Falls. Its a place I’ve always wanted to visit!

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 17, 2011 at 11:20 am

      Ouch! Hope you are feeling better. Niagara Falls should be on everybody’s list, it’s a great place!

      Reply
  17. Priyank July 19, 2011 at 12:50 pm

    I never feel disappointed coming here. The falls are spectacular, and the commercial zone, although tacky, is still quite entertaining.

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 19, 2011 at 1:54 pm

      I know what you mean, as long as you know what to expect, it’s a great place.

      Reply
  18. Pauline July 22, 2011 at 7:32 am

    Yay! Niagara Falls! I love the tacky and not-tacky parts of it. What I don’t like though are the prices of some of the restaurants and attractions-Ouch!

    Did you go to Nightmares Fear Factory?

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 22, 2011 at 9:42 am

      We didn’t do any attractions ($$$!), we chose to “splurge” in Toronto instead. Plus it was really packed the Sunday we were here, I really didn’t want to lineup for ages. We just enjoyed the sights!

      Reply

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