CANADA AND NIAGARA FALLS

It took about 8 hours from NJ to get there. To be honest, I wasn't too inspired by the drive. Maybe it's pretty in late spring or early summer but it wasn't for our trip. About twenty minutes before arriving into Canada, I inquired about using our phones there. Not good timing, considering that our GPS wasn't loaded with Canadian locations and we were afraid that the Int'l rates on our phone would be high so I hurried up and downloaded a map to my iPhone and we put all phones on airplane mode. We made it to Rainbow Bridge to go through customs. We picked the slowest line. I was throwing a tantrum and should of been punished. The average car time was 5-7 minutes and, of course, it took us about 2 minutes. Hey, with about 10 cars in front of us, that could be up to 70 minutes! Once we crossed, I pulled my phone map out and guided my husband to our hotel. I hate to say it but the Canadian side is much nicer than the American side along the river by the Falls. Stay in a hotel that overlooks the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side, it is well worth the view. I found a wonderful package on Travelzoo for the Marriott Fallsview Hotel and Spa. Plan to pay $25 or more for hotel parking, and there's no getting around that unless you park at the Casino garage for $5 a day and check on your car daily. It's about a 10 minute walk from the Fallsview hotels. We did valet at the hotel because it cost the same as self park (+tip). Here is our room view.

There are high and low trails to walk along the river. It is very clean. We walked them a couple of times. The American falls are about a 1/3 of the size of the Canadian falls. Once you near the Canadian falls by the river, you start to feel the mist and wonder if it is sprinkling but the sun is out and there are no rain clouds.
The area was extremely diverse. There were people from all around the world speaking many different languages and often in their traditional attire representing their culture or religious beliefs. There is a beautiful visitor's center with a food court, some little shops and kiosks to book different activities. We wanted to do the "Maid of the Mist" but she didn't open for another month so I was bummed. Instead, we did "Journey Behind the Falls" and walked through the cave like hallways behind the Falls and looked through the openings. Here is one of the pictures.

It was cool, damp, and loud down there but very thrilling.
We had a concierge in our lobby and she also had a variety of activities to discuss or book with guests. We spoke with her about the ice wineries and booked some tastings in the nearby city of Niagara On The Lake (on Lake Ontario). We took the scenic river drive and it was beautiful. The wineries are everywhere and reminded me of living near Napa/Sonoma; well, maybe a little. I just had to check out this ICE WINE that my mom keeps telling me about! We made it through our whites and reds and finally onto the Ice Wine, which is higher in sugar and considered a dessert wine. They pick the grapes frozen and at this point the sugar content is much higher when fermented. I am not much of a "sweet" person when it comes to cocktails so for me, I could enjoy a couple of sips but that's all. We did buy our favorites and then made our way to Lake Ontario for some cool views and drove around the historic downtown. We ate lunch and walked around. Here is a picture of Starbuck's and is an example of the character presented in these downtown stores.

I think my husband tried to use one of our debit cards and it was rejected, which, again, reminded me I didn't call our banks. At least our trusty USAA credit card worked and in these parts, most places take USD! So, once we made it back to the hotel to get on wifi, I made the changes online. The funny part is, I remind people to make copies of their passports, call the bank, photo copy credit card numbers, write down bank numbers, find out the transaction fees, check into wifi access or phone/text/data Int'l roaming charges and phone plans and guess what? I didn't do any of these things. I was laughing at myself and glad we weren't too far from home!
We were able to make a tribute to my mother's family. My grandfather is buried here and I was able to visit his grave site and the house my mom grew up in and eat at some of the restaruants they remembered.

There is a lot to do here. You could easily stay for a week but plan on spending more $$ than planned. Visit tripadvisor for restaurant and activity ideas. The restaurants in the "tourist" areas are limited and we heard people saying that the food wasn't very good. We took advice from the concierge desk and front desk employees and were pleased with their recommendations. We didn't get to the Casino or the shopping or the area with Planet Hollywood and the Ferris Wheel. There is also a butterfly conservatory, a Fort along the river, cable cars that cross the river and many scenic viewing areas and walking/biking paths.
We were going to head to Toronto, which we could see across Lake Ontario, which would take about 90 minutes to get there but we opted to stay in our area this time. We'll take a cruise to the New England/Canada area from one of the NE ports in the fall or next summer and get a chance to see more of Canada!

It was a wonderful trip and we are glad we were able to visit one of Earth's magnificient wonders.

Check out my Facebook page for more pictures.

Travel Highlights of 2011

Sometimes when we think about travel, we forget that exploring a local attraction can be a quick and easy way to benefit from a quick getaway. Don't write off locations within a days drive. I guess we just need to make a point to schedule it into our calendar along with exercise, cleaning, and rest! I spent the last year dreaming about exciting adventures I would love to take throughout the world, but I understand that I must pace myself! I also need time and money!!

These are the highlights worth mentioning and I recommend you visit if you get the chance! January 2011 kicked off with a trip to Napa, CA to visit my favorite wineries. A special one I take families to visit is Castello di Amoroso. This genuine castle is worth the tour and the wine isn't bad either! February brought us to South Lake Tahoe where we went skiing and snow mobiling with good friends. In early March, my husband, Jason, and I took a drive to the CA coast and went hiking in Bodega Bay. We saw many whales putting on a show for us very close to shore. The sun was warm, the sky was pure blue, and the little restaurant along the water was perfect. In the first week of April, we suprised my family by showing up at the beach house in Sandestin, FL. This area in the Gulf of Mexico has white sand sugar beaches and the perfect amount of sunshine and relaxation needed to call it a Winter's Break! (A drink worth mentioning was a mix of orange vodka, canned mandarines with juice, ice, and I think a little sprite~ a little local beach bar made it up and it was so refreshing!) Our CA Spring Break was in late April and because we knew we only had two months left to live in CA, we drove Highway 1 down the coast to San Diego. My favorites were Big Sur (some of it was closed due to a major mud slide! so sad), the Elephant Seal beaches, and Santa Barbara. I enjoyed San Diego and would like to go back and explore more of the area. Before the packers came to load up our household goods, we drove to a local coastal town called Half Moon Bay and went kayaking and had lunch. Yes, the cost of living in CA is high, but the weather is worth the price! You can pretty much plan to do something outside every day of the year!! We made a couple trips on BART to San Francisco (we LOVE this city and my recommendation is going to a show called: Beach Blanket Babylon at Club Fugazi in North Beach!)
Our home was empty by late June and we flew to Hawaii for my Sailing reunion. Because we lived there for five years, we had a blast revisiting our favorite spots (one to mention is sailing in Kaneohe Bay to the Sandbar). I will do a Hawaii Blog in the future for those that are interested in visiting the islands. After spending the 4th of July in Hawaii, we flew back to CA and loaded up the car for our drive from CA to NJ! We made a summer stop at Lake Tahoe (I love this place so much regardless of the season!) We stopped at Salt Lake City and made a visit to the Temple Square downtown. We stopped in the library and found a 1930 census of my grandparents! Did I mention that we are traveling with a Golden Retriever? Our next stop was Denver, CO to stay with Jason's brother. We were there all weekend and his mom and niece and nephew from Indiana flew out too. We went white water rafting and found out that our class 3-4 trip qualified as class 5+ because the water level was SO high and the rapids were insane. We had to pull the raft out a couple time to survive! Next, we headed to Omaha, NE and then to Kokomo, IN for a week with all the family. After family time were back on the road and we stayed in Triadelphia, WV and finally ended at Fort Dix, NJ. While househunting and taking care of the pets (lizard and goldfish too) and kids, and a mixture of 3 different hotels in the area, we found a beach apartment on the Jersey Shore in Ocean Grove. This is a historic town with Victorian Homes and a beautiful boardwalk. We were forced to evacuate early due to Hurricane Irene and then found out our dog had fleas. Great. We found a VET to treat her sores (she was on fleavmedicine but the bites caused hot spots). We finally moved into our home on SEPT 1st. Within a month I took Hannah to Indiana to visit her sister at Purdue University and we went to the Purdue-Notre Dame Football game. I met the family of one of the Irish players who lives in NJ! In OCT, we had a visit from my mom and mother-in-law and we took a day trip to Cape May. This is a beautiful beach town at the southern tip of NJ. We also made a visit to NYC and toured the SEPT 9/11 Memorial. We spent November in Indiana for Thanksgiving with all the family. Early DEC I went to Florida for more training with the cruise lines and escorted tour agencies. I spent a seminar at sea on Carnival sailing to the Bahamas. The Purvis family finished the year with a trip to Philadelphia and NYC to see the holiday shows and lights!
It's early 2012 and I am ready to help plan anyone's future getaways!! I have some ideas of my own too. If you are interested in any details of anything I mentioned, please ask; I love to share! Happy New Year!!

Christmas in New York City

We always try to take advantage of local attractions.  Because we don't know how long we will be living in New Jersey we made a decision to experience NYC during the holidays.  My husband's mom flew in from Indiana to spend the holiday with us and she joined us in the city.  We had purchased tickets to the Rockettes' Christmas Spectacular and it was SPECTACULAR!  After 75+ years, they sure know what they are doing, not to mention that Radio City Music Hall is spectacularly decorated. 

We parked at Hamilton Station in NJ and took the transit to Penn Station near 32nd street.  I had done a bit of research on restaurants and found the perfect family style Italian restaurant in the area and called for reservations to only find out they were closed on Christmas Eve.  Yes, we were going into the city on Christmas Eve!  I used Trip Advisor and Yelp to help search for another eatery that was close to Radio City Music Hall with comfort food at comfort prices. (Thankfully, Trip Advisor has a map to help you search through the 7,139+ restaurants.)  So, we had an Irish dinner at The Perfect Pint.  We had a lovely Irish waitress, and I loved her accent.  The food was excellent!  It was the perfect New York experience for us.  I even loved the mashed peas and I hate peas!  Or maybe she said smashed peas??  Either way, it was a good start to our day.  Off to Radio City Music Hall.  We sat close to the top but in the middle section.  I truly feel that any seat would be great in that Hall.  The show was classic, yet, it weaved in the 3D high tech scenes in a way that enhanced the performance without taking away from the timelessness of the show itself.  Did you know that when the Rockettes tap dance they have microphones in their shoes and they recharge the shoes after the performance?  From beginning to end, the show was spectacular and will be a memory etched into our minds for years to come.  After the show we wanted to see the tree at Rockefeller Center.  This is where things got interesting.  We walked in a single file line trying to get through the crowds without getting lost.  I was stopped a couple times to take someone's picture by the tree and ice skating rink.  No problem.  I am good at that.  I take the time to get good background shots, I count: 1..2...3, and I ask if it turned out okay.  I only wish other people would do the same when we ask for pictures.  Oh well.  We actually had one of the guys that prints on the spot to take our picture.  It was 20 dollars and the picture has New York City and Rockefeller written on it with the tree in the background.  With the crowds it was worth it because we can scan the picture and everyone can use it.  After that crowd, we wondered toward Penn Station and considered stopping to shop but the only shopping we did was window shopping.  The window displays at Lord &Taylor and Macy's were fantastic.  The crowds were not fantastic and they continued to keep us walking in single file fashion to Penn Station.  At this point, we all pretty much wanted out of the city so we could breath again. 
Penn Station can be hard to find at night.  If you are new to finding it, remember 7th and 32nd near Madison Square Garden.  There is an entrance off 7th.  Those tunnels can be complicated to out of towners! 
All in all, we had a memorable day and we loved the Rockettes!  Even though there were crowds, I would go again next year; even on Christmas Eve.  A Christmas show on Christmas Eve?  How perfect is that!!!