niagara Falls

Niagara Falls Preservation efforts

2009-02-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

Niagara Falls has long been a source of inspiration for explorers, travelers, artists, authors, filmmakers, residents and visitors, few of whom realize that the falls nearly were devoted exclusively to industrial and commercial use. In the 1870s, sightseers had limited access to Niagara Falls and often had to pay merely for a glimpse, and industrialization threatened to carve up Goat Island to power expanding commercial development. Other industrial encroachments and lack of public access led to a conservation movement in the U.S. known as Free Niagara, led by such notables as Hudson River school artist Frederic Edwin Church, landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted, and architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Church approached Lord Dufferin, governor-general of Canada, with a proposal for international discussions on establishment of a public park.

Goat Island was one of the inspirations for the American side of the effort. William Dorsheimer, moved by the scene from the island, brought Olmsted to Buffalo in 1868 to design a city park system and helped promote Olmstead's career. Later, in 1879, the New York state legislature commissioned Olmsted and James T. Gardner to survey the falls and to create the single most important document in the Niagara preservation movement, a Special Report on the preservation of Niagara Falls. The report advocated for State purchase, restoration and preservation through public ownership of the scenic lands surrounding Niagara Falls. Restoring the former beauty of the falls was described in the report as a "sacred obligation to mankind."[13] In 1883, Governor Grover Cleveland drafted legislation authorizing acquisition of lands for a state reservation at Niagara and The Niagara Falls Association, a private citizens group founded in 1882, mounted a massive letter writing campaign and petition drive in support of the park. Professor Charles Eliot Norton and Olmsted were among the leaders of the public campaign, while New York Governor Alonzo Cornell opposed.

Preservationists' efforts were rewarded on April 30, 1885, when Governor David B. Hill signed legislation creating the Niagara Reservation, New York's first state park. New York state began to purchase land from developers, under the charter of the Niagara Reservation State Park. In the same year, the province of Ontario established the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park for the same purpose. On the Canadian side, the Niagara Parks Commission governs land usage along the entire course of the Niagara River, from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

In 1887, Olmsted and Calvert Vaux issued a supplemental report detailing plans to restore the falls. Their intent was "to restore and conserve the natural surroundings of the Falls of Niagara, rather than to attempt to add anything thereto", and the report anticipated fundamental questions. How would preservationists provide access without destroying the beauty of the falls? How would they restore natural landscapes damaged by man? They planned a park with scenic roadways, paths and a few shelters designed to protect the landscape while allowing large numbers of visitors to enjoy the falls.[14] Commemorative statues, shops, restaurants, and a 1959 glass and metal observation tower were added later. Preservationists continue to strive to strike a balance between Olmsted's idyllic vision, and the realities of administering a popular scenic attraction.[15]

source: http://www.wikipedia.org/

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The Falls

2009-02-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

There are also surprising ways to enjoy the Falls from afar. Many Niagara Falls hotels and restaurants are situated such that they have spectacular views-especially nice for a romantic getaway-while Niagara attractions like Skylon Tower, which rises 775 feet above the falls, offer observation decks for a very different perspective. Fun Niagara (and Other) Facts A natural phenomenon second in size only to Victoria Falls in Africa, Niagara Falls sees between four and six millions cubic feet of water go over its crest every minute. The Falls are 188 feet high, with the deepest section of the Niagara River just at their base-going down 170 feet. The rim of Horseshoe Falls measures 2200 feet across-the same height of Yosemite's famous Cathedral Spires.

Just 15 minutes north of the Falls rests an impressive array of Niagara vineyards. Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries currently number 17, many of which produce award-winning vino, including the region's famous ice wines. At a similar latitude to the Bordeaux region of France and Napa Valley, the Niagara climate is ideal.

The first person to attempt to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel was a 63-year-old woman. Seeking fame and fortune, schoolteacher Annie Taylor loaded herself - and her cat - up in a barrel and descended over the falls in 1901. She survived.

Niagara Falls received its reputation as the "Honeymoon Capital of the World" when Aaron Burr's daughter-Theodosia-chose a Niagara Falls honeymoon in 1801. She was followed up by Jerome Bonaparte-Napoleon's brother-in 1804 and, thus, a tradition was born. Now over 50,000 Niagara honeymoons are arranged each year.

In 1848, Niagara Falls actually stopped flowing for 30 hours when ice fields from Lake Erie jammed at the source of the river.
Marilyn Monroe visited the falls to film portions of the thriller Niagara Falls, released in 1953. Other notable visitors have included King George the V in 1939 and Princess Diana with her sons in 1991.

The Niagara Fallsview Casino , overlooking its namesake, occupies the record for the largest commercial development in Canada at 2.5 million square feet.

source: http://www.niagarafallstourism.com/

Cheap Ways to fly Business Class

2009-02-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

YourNiagaraFalls.com

Be Smart and find out Cheap Ways to fly Business Class

There are definitely some ways to fly business class without shelling out a lot of money for it. Many of the business class travelers are not millionaires; they are just frequent travelers and smart fliers. You can actually occupy a business class seat without having to spend a fortune, and let us check out some methods used by people to achieve this status.

First of all you must try and take an elite membership and become an elite flier. If you are one, you generally get a complimentary upgrade to the business class. In some airlines elites are upgraded in every flight, when business class seats are unsold. But to attain the elite status most airlines need you to fly 25,000 miles in one year. Generally, an average leisure traveler does not cover it. But if you are keen to attain the elite status, try and always fly one airline so that you can collect enough miles.

However, there are some tricks to attain this status without flying all those miles. Airlines offer this elite status at some points of time, and you must be able to take advantage of that promotion, so be on the look-out for them.

There are two ways to get your frequent flier miles to put you into business class. Firstly, you can get enough miles for a free business class flight, if you fly 40,000 to 60,000 miles on domestic flights. The second option would be to use your miles to upgrade your seat.

You can still upgrade to a business class seat by paying less, even if you don't have the miles or the status. Standby upgrades are offered by many airlines, which can be done on the day before or the day of the flight. The cost difference is often affordable, but still check before you finalize the seat.

It is possible to buy full-fare economy tickets and get upgraded to business class. These tickets are definitely more expensive than the deeply discounted economy and sale fares. But it is worth its while, because they are a good deal cheaper than first-class tickets, and it is then useful for travelers who want to travel business class but at a lower cost.

If you are determined to travel business class, the last resort for you would be to buy a business class ticket, but a cheap one. Some airlines have cheap upper class tickets, so choose an airline which makes such offers.

And as a last try, you can always ask at the gate. Sometimes there may be business class seats available after all the regular business class ticket holders and all the pre-paid and award mile upgrades have got their seats. You may just be lucky, because it does not hurt to ask. Be pleasant about it, and you might just get the free upgrade, or maybe pay a little extra, but it is still worth asking. There are a few budget airlines which offer a business-class like flying experience in spite of the low fares. Ask around and check what perks the budget airline offers, and you might get the business-class experience with one of them.

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