Niagara Falls, Lobster Mash and a War Hero

[MissBurrill]

In June 2010 I went to the USA and Canadia. I had a credit with Qantas which I wanted to use before an O/S work trip in August. I booked a return Sydney - NYC flight with the initial plan being NYC and an adult summer camp in Maine. The camp was for runners and knitters. I'm a runner and a knitter so it was looking perfect and they were happy for me to bounce between the programs. Getting to the camp was becoming bigger than Ben Hur so I had to come up with a new plan.

A few days in NYC then up to Niagara Falls. A night in Buffalo then a visit to DC followed by some more time in NYC.

At the time I lived in Burrill Lake which in good traffic is about 3 hours south of Sydney on the coast. I had a friend driving to Sydney on the Saturday so I hitched a ride with him and overnighted at his place. Sunday my mate had duty so I was dropped at Holsworthy train station about 0730. I caught a train to Mascot then had a leisurely walk to the Stamford. I expected to drop my luggage off and head into Sydney for a few hours but no, I was straight in a room!!!! I surprised the check in man by asking for an airport view which he gave me on the 9th floor.

That evening Qantas called saying my flight was rather delayed (A380) so they had to rebook my one to NYC. Contacted my New York hotel saying I would arrive Tuesday morning instead of Monday night. They had me change my booking online as I didn't need Monday now.

On the Monday the Stamford gave me a late check out of noon. I headed over to the airport and checked in after promising I would not leave the airport. I may have used an outwards express pass that zoomed me through the passport queue but wasn't used for security. The flight was delayed till about 1900 at this stage. It was a pretty standard flight. Empty middle seat. I didn't like how when reclined the arm rests don't quite go all the way up.

Breezed through customs in LA where they had just stopped stapling the green form in passports. In Sydney I had lined up in the Y+ queue but the J line served me so I had J tags on which made my bag come out nice and quick. Chatted to a first class passenger who gave me some inwards express passes for when I went home (apparently the crew had left them lying around).

When I checked in at Sydney my flight to NYC wasn't open so I had to collect a boarding pass, not just do a quick bag drop in LA. I was over it at this stage and used the machine to get my boarding pass. Not really caring I lined up at the nearest queue which freaked out the line-naz_ who saw PRIORITY on my boarding pass and quickly sent me to the far-queue. It was as though he would lose his job if he kept me in that queue. Dropped off my bags and up to the lounge for another shower. I then had a feed and some beers at the bar. I had a beer platter which resulted in mutliple randoms giving me their spare drink chits. I ended up handing them on to some young Aussie guys who were quite thankful.

Gotta love the priority boarding, especially the dirty looks. Was a full red eye flight. The guy behind me needed a night light to sleep so I didn't get much sleep. Landed safely and grabbed my bag and was out of the airport before 0600. Decided to kill some time by get the subway to my hotel......

 

[MissBurrill]

I know I'm late writing this however I've been asked a few questions about where I stayed so I thought I would get it in writing. Unfortunately my photos are on a different computer which is currently in Burrill Lake so I can't upload any. Well, not in the lake, in the village of Burrill Lake.

The subway was straight forward, just awkward with my suitcase. I was smart enough to have a school bag rather than handbag so I felt quite safe. I arrived at my hotel and was surprised to be allowed to check in straight away. I was told I was welcome to the complimentary breakfast but I opted for sleep. The breakfast is self serve. Nothing flash but filled me up.

I stayed at the Verve Hotel which is in Queens. A member of AFF suggested it to me and it was great value for money. Clean and modern and safe and free laundry (just gotta pay for powder). Free wireless interweb.

I would walk past the Holiday Inn when I was going from the subway to my hotel so I had a safe point midway. I never felt in danger however it was nice to know the hotel was there.

As much as I wanted to sleep all day I forced myself out of bed and went to Times Square. Yes, I've been there before but it was a great lively place to wake up. Bought myself a cheap phone and had beer and dinner.

I have to mention the Guggenheim. In the early 90's my high school art class went on an excursion from Canberra to Sydney to see a travelling exhibit from the Guggenheim. I remembered these beautiful old paintings. What I saw was one small gallery of beautiful old paintings and the rest was weird and modern. In some ways I wish I hadn't gone to the Guggenheim because it was nicer in my memory. I did stop in their little cafe and have a glass of red, something I couldn't do on the excursion.

This part of my NYC visit was largely shopping even though it meant I would have to lug it around. I visited two fantastic knitting stores, ate some great meals and watched the Yankees lose.

A very brief TR on NYC-part 1 but it was back in June!

 

[MissBurrill]

I think it was the Friday where I caught the train to Niagara Falls, Canadia. Checking out of my hotel the girl said it would be quicker to catch the subway. Didn't take long and I was there.

After printing my boarding pass from the machine (the queue to chat to a person was LONGGGGGGGGGGGGG) I had to take it and my passport to a short queue. I think I received a sticker on my BP. I went to Timmy Horton's for some donuts and waited for my train to board.

Down the escalator, passengers to Canadia in the far carriage. Chatted to some other passengers (I hadn't looked at the sign next to the doorway) and learnt this was coach. A passenger offered to watch my suitcase while I made enquiries. Business at the other end of the train. As I was taking my suitcase off the train I said to a family who were waiting to board 'business class is at the other end'. Turned out they were business class passengers too who had also been sent to coach. I was told by a few people that the Amtrak staff don't look at the travel class, they look at you. Into business class where it was 1-2 seating so I had a window and an aisle.

Business class was only about $30 more and was worth it. Besides the complimentary soft drinks it was quiet and spacious. I read and I knitted. I watched the world go by. I had a lovely relaxing day.

When we crossed the border we had to stay on the train until told to leave. Business class were first and the customs lady did not like me.
Where's your green piece of paper?
They don't do it anymore.
Nobody told me that. You must have lost it. Make sure you have some US$ when you go back to America because they will make you buy a new one.
Ok.

I love getting stamps in my passport (I even get the Aussies to stamp me in and out). But after encountering this woman I didn't dare ask so no Canadian stamp. We then had to loiter on the platform until everyone was processed. I read while I waited.

If you don't have any Canadian $ don't worry, they happily take US$. I got in a taxi and the driver said 'hot, ay'. It was stereotypical Canadia. I stayed at the Sheraton On The Falls. Great hotel, mostly nice staff however it's next to Clifton Hill which is like a Vegas for kids. Next time I would stay on top of the hill where most of the other hotels are. I splurged on my Niagara Falls accom and had a falls view room. I kept my curtains open, even at night so I could enjoy the view. There are alot of cheaper hotels there. I did however enjoy the compliementary Starbucks coffee and perculator in my room. But no fridge :evil:. I did read that when I made the booking so I knew about it beforehand.

On my final night I ate at the revolving restaurant. If two people dine you can use a 2-for-1 voucher but alone is too bad. The staff thought about pairing me up with an older man who was there but they later said they were glad they didn't because he was rude. The food was good. Not outstanding but not poor.

I also saw the Bodies exhibit. It was fascinating. But not for everyone.

How can I forget the World Cup? One morning I went to a bar near my hotel where I found another lonesome Aussie drinking. It must have been 10am and we had some beers. Then we ordered an early lunch. It came time to pay and my new friend put it on his work credit card. I offered to pay the tip but no, work picked that up. Thank you random Aussie.

I bought a pass which gave me the Maid of the Mist and some other activities. I had a small handbag which goes over my body and sat comfortably under my poncho. I had my room key, licence, credit card and some money. And my waterproof camera. Don't take a big bag on the Maid of the Mist. It was funny watching people trying to stop their expensive bags from getting wet. There is a reason they give you a poncho. Women should leave everything in their room and let their men carry a wallet. Really people, you can go out without a handbag for a few hours. I had no choice as I was travelling alone and had no pockets that day. And my bag was small and stayed dry!

That's it for today. Tomorrow I'll tell you about Buffalo and beyond.

 

[totalk]

Terrific TR. Looking forward to your next trip.

Cheers

 

[samh004]

Good reading so far, a shame the photos aren’t available right now, but I’ll wait patiently for them to come another time.

 

[MissBurrill]

Here again. My interweb wasn't working and I was relying on borrowing it. Buffalo. I had two options to get from Niagara Falls (Canadia) to Buffalo. A taxi or a bus. In Canadia I had an Aussie taxi driver who offered me $70 to get me to my hotel in Buffalo. I ended up catching a taxi to the bus terminal then Greyhound to Buffalo. I think the coach only cost about $10 Canadian. Nice modern coach with electric chairs (power points) and wireless interweb. The bus was late out of Toronto so late to Niagara and late to the border. Must have been about an hour till it was our turn. Everyone off, including luggage. They were still doing green pieces of paper in passports so my guy asked his boss and said I was fine to re-enter without (at least they knew what LAX was doing). Then loiter in the corner chatting to other passengers whilst hearing some dude get questioned on why he only plans to be in the USA for a couple of hours, claims to be on vacation but is wearing a suit :shock:. Get herded onto the bus so we stop listening in.

We made it to Buffalo late and it was on to the Holiday Inn Buffalo Downtown. If anyone stays there ring from the bus station to for a courtesy pickup (or catch a cab). I walked ha ha ha ha....... Standard HI property. I did my laundry and relaxed in the afternoon. Tv remote didn't work so I was given a replacement which also didn't work. No complaints, would stop there again.

Grabbed my knitting and went downstairs for dinner and a beer. Sat at the bar and chatted to some awesome people for hours. Starter was Glazed Bacon Wrapped Shrimp (YUM!) which I considered ordering again. However I am a fan of mashed potato. If you ever invite me to visit, just make me a bowl of mash and I will be happy. I then ordered the Fillet Mignon because it came with Lobster Mash. Wow. It was great. Their menu is online.

Next day I caught the courtesy bus to Buffalo Airport. Next up is Jet Blue, DC and the War Hero.

 

[MissBurrill]

Here I am again. I was driven to Buffalo airport in the hotel courtesy bus. Jetblue allows your first bag free and I was thinking my bag was borderline on weight. If that was the case I was going to remove my second bag from the first and pay to check it. The check in lady didn't seem to be in a good mood then I commented that she had the same last name as the Police Officer standing next to her. She broke into a grin and said 'he's my husband'. Her attitude changed. She took my bag to the conveyor belt behind her and said 'I'd better weigh it'. I was a couple of pounds over but she let it go. As I walker away her husband yelled at me to stop buying things!

I walked around the terminal and relaxed with a coffee. Chatted to a passenger who was off to Australia and suggested some places in the cities he was visiting. Turned out he didn't have a pen so over-prepared me gave him one.

First flight was to New York. Had a great guy across the aisle from me who asked if I had heard of the Greater Credit Union. I told him I had and that Jerry Seinfeld advertises them. He was happy and told me the ads had been filmed in NYC and he had been part of Jerry's security team that day. Then showed me some photos of Jerry. I enjoyed the flight.

I had a couple of hours in the terminal before my flight to DC. Decided on a taco and a beer in a bar. Mmm, yep. Stuffed up with that choice and ended up with a deep fried taco that was awful. I did my best to eat it, feeling sorry for the animal which had died to become my taco. Another good flight however I was in giggles when before the flight the pilot came out and made an announcement rather than do it from the coughpit.

Was met at the baggage carousel by Captain America. My bag came out quickly and it was off to Georgetown for food. Next up DC featuring some randoms and the war hero.

 

[JohnK]

Nice trip report Karen. Looking forward to the rest of the trip report....