UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX

Niagara Falls
Week 9 Final
Phil Bartley HTT200 10/2/2011

1 There are lots of places that I would love to visit in my lifetime. Some destinations are more realistic than others. Hawaii, New Orleans, Miami, and Los Angeles are all places I would like to visit that wouldnt require much more than some cash and a plane ticket to get to. I would also like to visit Australia, The Bahamas, England, and Tokyo but they may be out of my reach for the time being. There is one tourist hot spot that has been on my mind for about a year now and is a place that has a lot of attractions and great dining. The town I would love to go to for my next vacation is Niagara Falls. I have been there before but only driving through on my way to another destination. My aunt went there when she got married for her honeymoon and she told me she loved it. Now comes a big decision, which side of the U.S./Canada border do I go to. Niagara Falls straddles the border between New York and Canada and while it used to be easy to get into Canada by just showing a photo id at the border crossing, now it is a bit more difficult. Since 2009 a government issued passport is what you need to get across. There are however other documents that you can get to go into Canada. There is a NEXUS card that you can get online and use because of a partnership between the two countries. Other documents that you can obtain are and EDL (enhanced drivers license) but you can only get one from New York and Washington DC so that may not be the way to go. The NEXUS card seems to be the way to go, they only cost $50 and you get them quicker than a passport. According to the U.S. State Department website there is no travel warning for American citizens for Canada. Based on all of this I think that I will visit the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, although I would need other documents they do not seem to be too hard to obtain. Canada is a country that I have gone to before when I was younger. My family would go camping at a lake called Black Donald Lake in Ontario for about a week. Canada is the 2nd largest country in the world in terms of total land area at 9,984,670 sq km with only about 900,000 sq km being water. The climate varies and changes the further north you go. It start out as temperate in south to subarctic and

2 arctic in north. Because of this, nearly 90% of the countrys population is within 150 km of the U.S./Canada border. The land is mostly plains with some mountains in the west as the Rocky Mountains do extend into Canada. As of 2006, Niagara Falls has a population of 82,184 which is about 4,000 more than when data was collected in 2001. Niagara Falls has a total area of 208 sq km which put the population density 392 per sq km. The median age for those living at Niagara Falls is 40.3 for males and 42.6 for females. With Canada being a good mix of English and French speaking citizens, Niagara Falls is a mostly white, English speaking town. There are just over 44,000 citizens in the workforce with just 2,000 being unemployed. Most people who do have jobs, 17,355 to be exact, have a job within the sales and service industries which is most among the different industries. When in Niagara Falls there is no shortage of great restaurants whether you want something quick, more casual eating, or a fine dining experience. They even have some ethnic and specialty restaurants. The first place I would check out is Planet Hollywood, especially since I am such a movie buff. Planet Hollywood, if you didnt know, is a Hollywood-themed restaurant that has actual movie props, costumes and set pieces with a mostly American menu. Then of course there is the famous Hard Rock Caf that is also a themed restaurant, only it is music that they base their eatery by and offers a tex-mex menu. I have been to a Hard Rock Caf before and their ribs are to die for. You can sit and eat at their 80 foot bar that is shaped like a guitar or in spaces showcasing Elvis and The Beatles. Also while there you can stop their gift shop to get anything from a pin to a t-shirt or I can get another Hard Rock Caf hurricane glass. If you are looking for something more formal then a place you can check out the Buchanans Chophouse that offers hand cut steaks, seafood, chicken, pasta and salads. They have a Grand Lodge setting that also won a AAA/CAA three diamond award. If you go on a Friday or Saturday you can dine

3 while listening to some live music. If you are looking for a restaurant with an ethnic flavor then you can go to Curry Queen Authentic Indian/Pakistani Restaurant that has authentic Indian and Pakistani food. This restaurant offers a lot of services such as a buffet, take out and even delivery. The best part of this is that most of the restaurants in Niagara Falls are within walking distance of many of their hotels. Speaking of hotels, there is no shortage of them either no matter what your budget is. If you are going to the falls and want to use most of your money on food and attractions then your best bet would be to use is Americas Best Value Inns and Suites. They have 73 rooms, some with a hot tub in them, and offer an indoor and outdoor pool along with the free continental breakfast. This inn is also within walking distance of the attractions and falls. If you can afford more than one of the Fallsview hotels can be where you stay. One in particular is The Marriott Niagara Falls Fallsview & Spa, where you can wake up, open the curtains and see the falls from your room. The Marriott has 432 rooms, some with a whirlpool and fireplace. They also offer Junior Presidential and two room family suites as well. Inside the hotel there is the award-winning Terrapin Grille Fallsview Restaurant where you can go to eat no matter what time it is. If you in need of some relaxation, the Marriott also has the Serenity Spa by the Falls where you and your loved one can get treatments along with other services. If youre looking for a resort to stay at then Americana Conference Resort & Spa could be the way to go. They have 200 rooms with some having a fireplace and Jacuzzi in them. They also have a fitness room, gift shop, pizza parlour and their best feature the Waves Indoor Waterpark with pools, slides and a retractable roof for all year fun. Of course like all resorts, Americana offers the Senses Spa and Boutique where you can relax after all the walking around you may do. Niagara Falls also has bed and breakfasts locations if that is what you are into. One such place is A Night to Remembers B&B which has Ming size beds, wireless internet and a double Jacuzzi tub with fireplace. It is also the closet B&B to the falls and the casino.

4 There are many attractions in Niagara Falls. Haunted Houses, museums, and others but one I would go to is the Guinness Book of World Records museum that shows all the world records you can think of along with some interactive displays such as a rotating 6 ton Floating Granite Ball that people try and see if they can stop. Families can also have their picture taken in the worlds largest chair. Since I am into these types of records, especially sports records, then this would be a place that I would love to visit. If you have kids with you, which I would have if I go, then you can take them to Cheeky Monkeys Indoor Playland to get some of their energy out. I think it would be important for the kids to have some fun instead of just walking, or riding in a chair all day. Another attraction I would love to see is the Mystery Maze that is based on medieval times where you race to capture some castle towers and find the Mystery Sword. This would be great fun, as long as it was easy to get through the maze. Then there is the Maid of the Mist tour boat as seen in the movie Liar, Liar. This tour takes you to the base of the falls to hear and see the awesome force of the falling water. I would just have to remember to take an umbrella with me. There are many ways that I could get to Niagara Falls, either by bus, car or plane. If I were to drive then it would take me 347 miles to get there at about 6 hours, it would be more for me since I would stop 2 or 3 times to let the kids out of the car for a few minutes to stretch their legs. That is a long trip but very easy for me. I would say that it would roughly cost me $100 in gas since my car could get there on one tank. This would be my preference for many reasons but the biggest one is that I have kids and I do not think it would be a good idea to take them on a bus or plane. Now I could take a plane there, but there are some issues. First, after looking at many websites, there are not that many flights to Niagara Falls and even if there was they would land in Buffalo. Second, the closest airport is on the U.S. side of the town so I would still have to drive into Canada. A bus is out of the question as it would take twice as long to get there and cost much more than just driving.

5 There are many reasons that I want to go to Niagara Falls for a vacation, some of which I said in this paper but that is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a great and wide variety of choices on lodging; dining and attractions that there is no way that a person couldnt enjoy themselves. There is not only something for everyone but there is also something for every kind of budget. As I have seen in doing research on this town that it doesnt break the bank to go. As a matter of fact, as I did this final paper I booked a vacation package for next May to go there with my family and finally see the falls.

6 References: CIA World Factbook-Canada, no copyright used as it is a public domain, retrieved 9/29/2011, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html Statistics Canada. 2007. Niagara Falls, Ontario (Code3526043) (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Released March 13, 2007. Retrieved 9/30/2011 http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E Niagara Falls Tourism Official Website Niagara Falls Ontario Canada, Copyright 2001-2010 180 Marketing, retrieved 9/29/2011, http://www.niagarafallstourism.com/ Official Maid of the Mist Website, no copyright given, retrieved 9/29/2011, http://www.maidofthemist.com/en/ Greyhound Bus Lines, Copyright 2011-1995 Greyhound Lines, Inc., retrieved 10/1/2011, https://www.greyhound.com/default.aspx Google Maps-Zanesville OH to Niagara Falls ON Canada, Google 2011, retrieved 10/1/2011, http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&cp=3&gs_id=8&xhr=t&q=niagara+falls&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=o n.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=716&bih=550&wrapid=tljp131757249580604&um=1&ie=UTF8&sa=N&tab=wl