Our 1st Wedding Anniversary 2010!

Our first wedding anniversary is today, and we have a few things we're excited about doing. First of all we are super excited to open the wine bottle we used as a guest book and read all the messages people wrote us at our wedding that we promised to save for today. We are substantially less excited about eating some year-old wedding cake, but we're going to do that too.

Mainly, we celebrated our anniversary last weekend because it was a long weekend. We went to Niagara Falls because I had wanted to go there for years. Niagara Falls are the most powerful falls in North America and the two waterfalls that make up Niagara, the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls, are also incredibly beautiful. The Canadian side is much better than the American side. The view of the falls is better and all of the tourist attractions (though still very cheesy) are less cheesy. Surprisingly fun: taking the Maid of the Mist boat closer to the falls. Totally worth it must-do. You get soaked in the Watershoe Falls.

We had a romantic dinner, and my super sweet husband gave me a wonderful card and Tiffany hoop earrings.

In front of the American Falls (standing on the Canadian side)

The misty Horseshoe Falls with rainbow

On the Maid of the Mist! (In front of the Horseshoe Falls.)

We also checked out a beautiful neighboring town Niagara-on-the-Lake where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York. We went primaily to eat at Oban Inn Restaurant which had excellent reviews. It did not disappoint. From there we walked over to Lake Ontario, and then drove to the main shopping area on Queens Street.

Lake Ontario with a view of Old Fort Niagara in the Youngstown, NY

Queens Street

George Bernard Shaw, they LOVE him here.

On the way back from Canada we stopped in Buffalo for, what else, Buffalo Wings, so named for their place of origin. We went to Gabriel's Gate, which some people say are the best wings in Buffalo. It was delicious. I am not a lover of spicy food, so we got the medium, but they were so delicious that next time I will be brave and try the hot.

Buffalo Wing happiness

Nom nom nom

On the way back we cruised around Scranton, PA, home of the fictional The Office characters and Donald's grandparents. It's a pretty cool little city.

Scranton, The Electric City!

We will have updates on the Message in a Bottle guestbook soon. I predict a lot of randomness worth blogging about.

Buffalo, NY 2010

On the way back from Canada we stopped in Buffalo for, what else, Buffalo Wings, so named for their place of origin. First we tried to go to Anchor Bar, which claims that it is the inventor of the Buffalo Wing. Sadly, they were not open until 4 p.m. because of the holiday and we saw a bunch of sad people checking the door like us. (Hello, update your website!)

But, no bother, we went to Gabriel's Gate, which some people, including Kevin, say is better. It was delicious. I am not a lover of spicy food, so we got the medium, but they were so delicious that next time I will be brave and try the hot.

Gabriel's Gate

Buffalo Wing happiness

Delicious beauty

Nom nom nom

When we returned, my friend who went to law school in Buffalo told us that Duff's actually has the best wings. So now we have a reason to return. This visit was overdue though because we had originally intended to go for the Wing Festival last Labor Day, but one of our friends got married that weekend. Perhaps we can try for Wing Festival this year?

Niagara on the Lake, Canada 2010

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town near Niagara Falls where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the southern Ontario. It is located across the Niagara River from Youngstown, New York.

We went primarily to eat at Oban Inn Restaurant which had excellent reviews. It did not disappoint. From there we walked over to Lake Ontario. We had to drive to the main shopping area on Queens Street. There we perused shops and bought a coffee at Victoria Gallery and Teas (skippable). We also went to the Niagara Apothecary Museum (c.1820), the oldest pharmacy in Ontario, a National Historic Site of Canada is on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. It only takes a second to pop in, so you may as well. Finally, I got an amazing Gooey Mooey ice cream cone at Cows ice cream shop. Do not skip this!

Lake Ontario with a view of Old Fort Niagara in the Youngstown, NY

Kevin in front of Lake Ontario

Beach area

Queens Street

George Bernard Shaw, they LOVE him here.

 

Outside the Apothecary

Inside the old pharmacy

Niagara Falls, Canada 2010

I had wanted to go to Niagara Falls for a long time. I went to the Montmorency Falls when I was in high school and they noted as a point of pride that these falls were higher than Niagara Falls. But, of course, Niagara Falls are the more famous, so I wanted to see why. Niagara Falls claim to fame is that they are the most powerful falls in North America. (The tallest are James Bruce Falls, in British Columbia, Canada.) The two waterfalls that make up Niagara, the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls are also incredibly beautiful.

The Canadian side is much better than the American side. Sorry, America, but it is. The view of the falls is better and all of the tourist attractions (though still very cheesy) are less cheesy. Surprisingly not-cheesy and fun: the Maid of the Mist. Totally worth it must-do. You get soaked in the Watershoe Falls so it's best to put your hood up ahead of time. You go right up to the falls and stay long enough to get a good look. Best spot on the boat leaving from Canada is port side (left).


In front of the American Falls (standing on the Canadian side)


American Falls complete with rainbow   Close-up


The misty Horseshoe Falls


On the Maid of the Mist! (In front of the Horseshoe Falls.)

Video of Kevin on Maid of the Mist
American Falls at night We took the SkyWheel, a ferris wheel that let's you view the falls from above, but we skipped the Skylar, a cheesy looking buffet restaurant with bad reviews and robotic voice ads all over the city.

We ate dinner one night at Taki, a well-reviewed sushi place. Delicious and reasonable prices. Another night we ate at Tacos and Tequila. We couldn't resist, but you definitely should resist. Resist a lot. Sky Wheel Kevin looking down on the falls View from the Sky Wheel