Friday, December 16, 2005
No! You Blog About it!!!
I was flipping through my favourite blogs and came across a blog post titled "No - you blog about it!" Clora Clairvoyant asked the eternal questions: What is it like to live in your city? When you say, "let's go out tonight," are you limited to bars, movies, or cow tipping? Or do you get your choice of plays, restaurants, and museums?
Is your town full of things to do, or are things restricted only to the people with money? Is it lush and full of parks, or do you find yourself missing nature?
I thought about this and asked the simple question... I live in Niagara Falls, Do you want the tourist side or the residential... and the response came back quickly... the residential DF!!!
So after getting over the chaos that is my car and Christmas (bleh!) and such... I finally have time to write...
Living in Niagara Falls is interesting at best.
There is always something to do... depending on how far you want to go and how well you know the area.
The best shopping is in St. Catharines... a city 10 minutes out of the Falls, but there are some good stores in the northern end of the city away from all the tourists.
A million restaurants... very expensive the closer to the Falls themselves and better quality the farther away you go... I can't even name favourites... as it depends on eh time of year and my mood... also who's with me. The best breakfast is the Falls Manor... incredible!!! The biggest greasiest breakfast is the Flying Saucer! Even tourists go there.. but it is a local restaurant too... and the prices are good... I think I will always love Chatters, even though the signs on the outside say Greek, Tex-Mex, Salads and Pool. It has great food and a great atmosphere and the tourists can't find it...
Bars: Go to St. Catharines to get away from the tourists and the teenagers... There's a great one on Saturday nights called Stellas... but watch out for cougars... hahaha
As for nature.. there is an amazing scenic trail the runs the entire length of the Niagara River.. and trail a trail that runs through the city... no need to get away from tourists any time of year... there's a lot of space... you just have to be aware of parking... that sucks.. but it comes down to where you want to go and how close you want to get to the falls... I prefer Chippawa or the Whirlpool anyway... easier to find parking( free is best). And you can feed the geese at Dufferin Islands.. a little nature preserve... big fun... but watch out - some of them are getting brave! They'll come right up to you now.)
This time of year - if you can brave the negative Celcius temperatures (that is in the 20's or lower for you American's) you can check out the pretty Winter lights that are set up around the Falls and the park... it's quite lovely... For everyone... hahaha
Movies are always available here, if one isn't playing in Niagara Falls, there are 3 movie theatres in St. Catharines within a 15 minute drive... and that isn't too bad... and another in Welland (the same distance away). My movie nights with Firefly lately consist of my driving to Burlington which is almost an hour to her house... but that's OK... cause... well, it's Firefly and her I lurves!!! hehehe...
The thing is... Niagara Falls in about an hour and a half from downtown Toronto (depending on traffic) so even if you want to see a show or get major concert tickets they are always available... and it isn't that inconvenient to go... and so many people do go all the time... it makes for a good day.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is 20 minutes away and they have the Shaw Festival - known for putting on some amazing Bernard Shaw plays... supposed to be fabulous... I haven't seen any but it is on my to-do list for this year... And N-O-T-L is amazing for shopping (expensive but some cool shops and wineries) and just for a great wander around and look at stuff kind of day. There is also a Fort there that offers ghost tours.. I took my godchild 2 summers ago and it was the freakiest thing I ever did with her... most definitely would go again...
One of the things C.C. asked was about the weather in my part of the world...
well in the summer it gets hot and humid... sometimes up to 31C occasionally 35C (I think that's in the 90's) and in the winter we get snow, wet snow (which is a combination of rain and snow at the same time and that also means it is above the freezing mark) and freezing rain... and really f@#$ing cold - which means the temperature can drop to -30C or lower... and that is not pleasant.
Just so you know... it doesn't snow when it is that cold... weird huh!
One of my favourite things to do ... and I only do it once a year with my friend BondGirl is to go to Clifton Hill - the major Tourist Hill by the Falls and ... well... act like Valley girls and idiots... doing some of the attractions, fooling around, holding hands and giggling at everything... It really is something you have to do once in a while... Why live in a tourist destination if you can't act like a tourist once in a while!
Honestly... there is a million things to do here... and I am lucky if I feel like doing any of them...
usually I find myself staying in and enjoying it.
I did go for quite a few walks along the parkway this summer and there is a guy a Blockbuster who continuously flirts with me.. that's nice.
I work with tourist in one of the tourist destinations - a casino - and on my days off I don't really wnat to be around them... so I tend to avoid the crowds as much as possible, I don't like bars, but have been forced into a few in my day!!!
There is no shortage of gyms and malls, outlet malls too. The States has good shopping too!(As I am not a shopper it doesn't really interest me either way - but I do know these things)
Do I wish I lived somewhere else? I wish for many things... I wish I was debt free and was not tied to the job I have... I don't hate or dislike my job but I would like the opportunity to pursue something else without being in dire financial straits.
I wish I could be closer to my godchild - but that would take me further from my friends and I have come to enjoy their company ever so much...
Do I wish to live somewhere else?
For now... I will stay here... I like it.
Is your town full of things to do, or are things restricted only to the people with money? Is it lush and full of parks, or do you find yourself missing nature?
I thought about this and asked the simple question... I live in Niagara Falls, Do you want the tourist side or the residential... and the response came back quickly... the residential DF!!!
So after getting over the chaos that is my car and Christmas (bleh!) and such... I finally have time to write...
Living in Niagara Falls is interesting at best.
There is always something to do... depending on how far you want to go and how well you know the area.
The best shopping is in St. Catharines... a city 10 minutes out of the Falls, but there are some good stores in the northern end of the city away from all the tourists.
A million restaurants... very expensive the closer to the Falls themselves and better quality the farther away you go... I can't even name favourites... as it depends on eh time of year and my mood... also who's with me. The best breakfast is the Falls Manor... incredible!!! The biggest greasiest breakfast is the Flying Saucer! Even tourists go there.. but it is a local restaurant too... and the prices are good... I think I will always love Chatters, even though the signs on the outside say Greek, Tex-Mex, Salads and Pool. It has great food and a great atmosphere and the tourists can't find it...
Bars: Go to St. Catharines to get away from the tourists and the teenagers... There's a great one on Saturday nights called Stellas... but watch out for cougars... hahaha
As for nature.. there is an amazing scenic trail the runs the entire length of the Niagara River.. and trail a trail that runs through the city... no need to get away from tourists any time of year... there's a lot of space... you just have to be aware of parking... that sucks.. but it comes down to where you want to go and how close you want to get to the falls... I prefer Chippawa or the Whirlpool anyway... easier to find parking( free is best). And you can feed the geese at Dufferin Islands.. a little nature preserve... big fun... but watch out - some of them are getting brave! They'll come right up to you now.)
This time of year - if you can brave the negative Celcius temperatures (that is in the 20's or lower for you American's) you can check out the pretty Winter lights that are set up around the Falls and the park... it's quite lovely... For everyone... hahaha
Movies are always available here, if one isn't playing in Niagara Falls, there are 3 movie theatres in St. Catharines within a 15 minute drive... and that isn't too bad... and another in Welland (the same distance away). My movie nights with Firefly lately consist of my driving to Burlington which is almost an hour to her house... but that's OK... cause... well, it's Firefly and her I lurves!!! hehehe...
The thing is... Niagara Falls in about an hour and a half from downtown Toronto (depending on traffic) so even if you want to see a show or get major concert tickets they are always available... and it isn't that inconvenient to go... and so many people do go all the time... it makes for a good day.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is 20 minutes away and they have the Shaw Festival - known for putting on some amazing Bernard Shaw plays... supposed to be fabulous... I haven't seen any but it is on my to-do list for this year... And N-O-T-L is amazing for shopping (expensive but some cool shops and wineries) and just for a great wander around and look at stuff kind of day. There is also a Fort there that offers ghost tours.. I took my godchild 2 summers ago and it was the freakiest thing I ever did with her... most definitely would go again...
One of the things C.C. asked was about the weather in my part of the world...
well in the summer it gets hot and humid... sometimes up to 31C occasionally 35C (I think that's in the 90's) and in the winter we get snow, wet snow (which is a combination of rain and snow at the same time and that also means it is above the freezing mark) and freezing rain... and really f@#$ing cold - which means the temperature can drop to -30C or lower... and that is not pleasant.
Just so you know... it doesn't snow when it is that cold... weird huh!
One of my favourite things to do ... and I only do it once a year with my friend BondGirl is to go to Clifton Hill - the major Tourist Hill by the Falls and ... well... act like Valley girls and idiots... doing some of the attractions, fooling around, holding hands and giggling at everything... It really is something you have to do once in a while... Why live in a tourist destination if you can't act like a tourist once in a while!
Honestly... there is a million things to do here... and I am lucky if I feel like doing any of them...
usually I find myself staying in and enjoying it.
I did go for quite a few walks along the parkway this summer and there is a guy a Blockbuster who continuously flirts with me.. that's nice.
I work with tourist in one of the tourist destinations - a casino - and on my days off I don't really wnat to be around them... so I tend to avoid the crowds as much as possible, I don't like bars, but have been forced into a few in my day!!!
There is no shortage of gyms and malls, outlet malls too. The States has good shopping too!(As I am not a shopper it doesn't really interest me either way - but I do know these things)
Do I wish I lived somewhere else? I wish for many things... I wish I was debt free and was not tied to the job I have... I don't hate or dislike my job but I would like the opportunity to pursue something else without being in dire financial straits.
I wish I could be closer to my godchild - but that would take me further from my friends and I have come to enjoy their company ever so much...
Do I wish to live somewhere else?
For now... I will stay here... I like it.
Dragonfly 12/16/2005 05:46:00 PM