Day Trip: Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake

I had the day off yesterday, so my parents and I decided to take a little trip to Niagara Falls.
Niagara Falls: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls
Entering the mist of Horseshoe Falls
"I think I can, I think I can..."
"Hornblower"
Rainbow Bridge
Seagulls galore
Horseshoe Falls
Old power generating station
Mystical dragon's breath
My dad also wanted to check out a winery on this trip, so we took a detour in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is known for their copious amounts of wineries. Not having any idea which one to check out (we didn't exactly do research), we just stopped at the one that looked the most impressive, Colaneri Estate Winery, which is housed in a palatial Romanesque-style building.

T.G.I. Friday's

Went to T.G.I. Friday's for lunch and had a Jack Daniel's Burger, which was huge (like, the size of my head), but pretty damn good. Nothing spectacular or super unique, but it was juicy and flavourful and satisfying. Ironically, I could have done without the Jack Daniel's part of the burger, which is in the BBQ sauce (it's not bad, it's just not fantastic). I've never understood why all these American chain restaurants have franchises in Niagara Falls but not anywhere else in Canada.

IHOP

I went to IHOP for the first time in Niagara Falls, and ordered the breakfast sampler special, which included two eggs, two breakfast sausages, two pieces of ham, two pieces of bacon, hash browns, and two pancakes – all for $13.99, which is very cheap compared to their other menu items. But I was really quite underwhelmed with the food, which was mediocre at best. I should have ordered a more pancake-centric dish, which is, you know, what they're known for (though extremely overpriced; like, seriously, $17 for a stack of pancakes?). Epic fail.

Birthday Weekend In Niagara Falls

Shawn, Edward, Ben, and I decided to spend this past weekend in Niagara Falls to celebrate Ben's and my birthday. For me, it was mostly just an excuse to get out of the city for a weekend, which was really nice, if not a little tiring.

Other than eating, we spent most of our time in Niagara Falls playing Blackjack at Fallsview. And then we were like, "We should probably see the falls at least once on this trip, right?" So we went down to the falls early enough (or late enough, depending on how you see it) that the colourful lights were still on (I think they go off after midnight). We also spent a large chunk of our weekend in Buffalo, which I will post about later. I just wanted to post a few "highlights" of my weekend, in case you were wondering where I went. (You probably weren't, though.) Hope you all had a good weekend.

Weekend In Niagara Falls: Part II

Shawn and I left the wedding reception early and took a walk around Niagara Falls since it would've been a shame to have travelled all the way there and not seen any of the sights.

A really bad photo of the American Falls (after the lights went out)

Clifton Hill (just outside the Fantasy Fudge Shop)

Clifton Hill (just outside The Great Canadian Midway)

Stopped for a mocha cappuccino swirly ice cream cone

The Niagara SkyWheel

The volcano at Dinosaur Adventure Golf

The T-Rex at Dinosaur Adventure Golf

Skylon Tower

We're such tourists. But those ice cream cones are phenomenal.

Weekend In Niagara Falls: Part I

Shawn and I went to his cousin's wedding last night at The Hilton Hotel in Niagara Falls, and it was beautiful.

Red rose centerpieces

A wedding favour of rum cake (a popular dessert in Guyana)

First course of dinner: Mixed winter greens with shaved apple and dried cranberries in a cranberry vinaigrette

Second course of dinner: Chilled Gulf martini shrimp cocktail

Main course of dinner: Double roasted prime rib of beef au jus and fingerling potatoes served with beans and baby carrots

Dessert: Chocolate and raspberry tartufo and fresh berries with brandy snap tulip bowl and raspberry coulis

Everyone on the dance floor

I don't really know Shawn's cousin or any of his extended family, nor do I dance, so for me, the best part was the dinner. And the dinner was phenomenal. Seriously, even the salad was ridiculously good. By far the best free meal I've ever eaten. Had I known wedding receptions could have such good food, I would've attended way more.