Absolutely nothing beats the view and excitement you get from this bird’s eye take of the falls in Niagara. There’s the “Behind The Falls”, “Maid Of The Mist” and the various viewing areas where one can still be amazed with the splendor and beauty of the falls. And to be quite honest, I was very happy experiencing the falls from any one of those options mentioned above.. Until!

On our last day in Niagara Falls I had secretly booked a tour of the area on a helicopter as a surprise to everyone. Everyone thought we were heading home, until we drove pass the Great Wolf Lodge (in another post soon) and made a left turn into the compound of Niagara Helicopter Tours. Seems Caron and the girls thought that I was just hopping out to get some info from the information desk. Nope! We’re going on one of those helicopters you guys have been watching take off and land.

Before I continue I must let you know that it’s a bit pricey. I don’t recall how much we paid, but if you use the contact information mentioned below I’m sure you can get a price quote from their information desk. Plus, with prices changing everyday, I’m sure their prices would have changed.

You’re directed to a “holding” area for the next helicopter to arrive to take your party up. Since it was the five of us we had an entire helicopter to ourselves. The helicopters they use (Bell 407) can carry 7 people  inclusive of the pilot, so I believe they fly with a minimum of two passengers; however, they will fill the helicopters to capacity as long as they have the people waiting.

We were very lucky that it was not a very busy day, so we waited about 10 minutes before we were asked to board the aircraft. As you walk up the ramp, a group picture is taken..as a matter of fact even after you’re about to take off the pilot does a 360 sort of turn so the ground staff can take pics of you and your friends in the helicopter. Then you’re off! Takeoff and flying is like the rush you get on a roller coaster (less belly hurt) and as I’ve mentioned already.. WHAT A VIEW.

The flight itself is only about 12 minutes, but you do travel about  27 kilometers (17 miles) and it feels longer. The journey starts off up the Niagara gorge, then you do a bit of a pause over the entire falls area (great for taking pictures). The pilot then works his way over the hotel district so you get an aerial view of the hotel you’re checked into and as you work your way back to base you get a good overhead view of the entire city area, including Clifton Hill etc.

Some pictures we took  over the falls…

An overall great experience and something I’d recommend everyone try. I especially liked the landing. You’re coming in very fast and as you look down at the landing pad you start thinking “wow! we’re going pretty fast and that small marked off area is pretty small”… but it’s a gentle and relatively calm landing. YEA! And you get to wear those cool headphones to listen in on the “guide” talk from the pilot.

Tip! If you do take a video camera as I did, don’t focus too much on filming or you’d find you’re seeing the entire thing through the lens of a camera and not enjoy the fact that you paid to see this from the helicopter. Let the camera roll and you enjoy the sights!

Some safety concerns answered:

How many years/ hours experience do the pilots have?

Each of our pilots attended flight school where they received their Canadian Commercial Pilots License and a minimum of 100 flying hours. In addition to this, Niagara Helicopters requires all pilots to have a minimum of 1500 hours of flying experience, 500 with a turbine engine. All told, our pilots have a total of 90 years flying experience. If you’re flying with Niagara Helicopters, you’re in good hands!

Are the helicopters safe?

Our helicopters are among the safest and most well maintained helicopters in the world. Along with our accomplished pilots, the helicopter ride is one of the safest things you can do in Niagara Falls.

How often are the helicopters maintained?

Daily. Our team of four full time engineers and maintenance technicians is continuously working on and testing each helicopter in order to provide you with the safest ride. They were awarded the prestigious Roland Groome Award for exceedingly high standards of aircraft maintenance.

More about Niagara Helicopter Tours.

Niagara Helicopters Limited
3731 Victoria Ave.
P.O. Box 636
Niagara Falls, ON
L2E 6V5
Canada

Ph. 905-357-5672
Fx. 905-374-2856

Website: http://www.niagarahelicopters.com

Yet another hotel we stayed at but never really use much of what they had to offer. Overall a great place to spend the weekend, but it can be  bit pricey for parking (self parking is $20 / day) and if you get one of the rooms near the top of the hotel facing the falls. I’ve also read that previous guests do get the impression that the hotel will charge for every and any thing. A bottle of water (75 cents at the corner store) is reportedly $8.

We had a room on the 27th floor, directly across from the falls (see pic below). What an amazing view! If you can, wake a bit early (5-6 am) and take a close look at the water going over the falls. You’ll notice that it’s controlled further upstream and the volume is much less than during the day. Gotta keep those tourists happy!

As mentioned above we had a room facing the falls on the 27th floor. With the wall facing the falls completely made of glass, you had a great view of the entire area surrounding both the  Horseshoe and American falls… we could even see the Maid of the Mist chugging away up the gorge with soaked tourists! Not unlike any other hotel room you’ve seen, with 2 queen beds (very comfortable), typical bathroom, mini desk and bar.. EXCEPT – that view! If you’re scared of heights you may want to think twice before booking one of thees rooms, since the wall facing the falls is full-glass so you really get a true feeling of how high you really area.

If you do decide on a room other than one facing the falls (city view it’s called I think), there’s a great observation deck where you can go get a view of the falls from a different perspective. Here’s a pic from that deck:

Hotel Facts:

Location: 6755 Fallsview Blvd.   Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada    L2G 3W7   800-618-9059

Website: http://www.fallsview.com/NiagaraSheratonFallsviewHotel.shtml

Check in is between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. Check out is at 12:00 p.m. should you require an earlier check in or a later departure I’m sure you can speak with the attendant at the fornt desk to make arrangements.

Directions:

From Buffalo Airport:

* Take the Kensington Expressway (Rte 33) West to I-90 South
* Proceed South on I-90, exit onto I-190 West to the Peace Bridge
* Take the Peace Bridge Border Crossing (Exit 9). This will lead you to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW).
* Follow the QEW, towards Niagara Falls, to McLeod Rd. exit.
* Turn right onto McLeod Rd. Continue on McLeod Rd. until you reach Stanley Ave.
* Turn left onto Stanley Ave. to Livingstone St.
* Turn right onto Livingstone St. to Fallsview Blvd.
* Turn left onto Fallsview Boulevard.
* The Sheraton Fallsview Hotel & Conference Centre is on your left hand side.

From Toronto Airport:

* Follow signs to HWY 401 West.
* Follow signs to 427 South to QEW (Hamilton/Niagara bound).
* Follow QEW into Niagara Falls. to McLeod Rd. exit.
* Turn left onto McLeod Rd.
* Continue on McLeod Rd. until you reach Stanley Ave.
* Turn left onto Stanley Ave. to Livingstone St.
* Turn right on Livingstone St. to Fallsview Blvd.
* Turn left onto Fallsview Boulevard.
* The Sheraton Fallsview Hotel & Conference Centre is on your left hand side.

Since our goal was to use this as a base for exploring Niagara Falls, our use of the hotel was limited. But I can say that the pool area is somewhat shabby… we expected much more. A plain old rectangle hole with water, is how our youngest daughter described it. The location itself is not bad. You’re very close to many restaurants, other hotels, the casino and the cable car thing that takes you down the hill, directly across the horseshoe falls main tourist area.

I’ll leave you with a picture of the Niagara Falls taken at night:

Should you have any questions about this hotel or the surrounding area, be sure to leave me a comment below and I’ll try my best to assist if I can.

This morning as we walked through Jackson Square to pay a parking ticket that Caron got a few days back we decided to hit the Farmers Market. As we approached the market we noticed that it was closed for renovations (as soon as it’s open again, I’ll post a review), but in the same direction to the market is the central location for the Hamilton public library system.

I have very fond memories of that library. That was my connection to all the international soccer when there wasn’t much media coverage as there is now in Canada. All the soccer magazines could be found there. A couple months behind… but at least I got my fix. I’d grab a bunch of magazines, then go to the audio department to get some groovy tunes  to listen to while I read. All you had to do was hand the attendant your library card and they would loan you the head phones.

This was a bit before computers and the internet became mainstream, so this was also my spot for doing homework and research on projects etc. As our girls came along, we’d take them every Saturday to play in the kids area and grab books for them to read and for us to read to them.

Do people still go to the library? Get to know the Hamilton Public Library.

Location (there are 2 entrances. 1 from inside the Jackson Square mall and the other from York Blvd.

55 York Blvd.
Hamilton, ON
L8N 4E4
Phone: 905-546-3200
Fax:     905-546-3202

Hrs of Operation.

Mon.:  9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Tue.:   9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Wed.: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Thu.:   9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Fri.:    9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sat.:   9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sun.:  1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Computer/Internet Bookings: 905-546-3232

Collections Available

Adult Literacy Materials
Career Information Collection
Children’s collection
City Directory
Fiction books (hardcover and paperback)
Large Print Collection
Learning Centre (English as a second language materials, including TOEFL kits)
Leonardo Sciascia Room
Multi-media Collection (videos, DVDs, books on CD & cassette, CD-Roms, language kits, international language videos)
Multilingual Collection (books, newspapers & magazines in languages other than English)
Music on CD
Non-fiction books in numbered sequence 000 to 999
Picture Collection
Sheet Music
Teen Territory

Services

Art Exhibition Space
Book Drop (when library closed)
Disability Information Service Helpline (DISH)
Internet Workstations
Piano Practice Room
Public Phones (Main floor lobby including one TTY phone)
Local History and Archives
Wireless Access Available:  Homework Help Area (2nd Floor) and Local History and Archives (3rd Floor)

Programs

Book Clubs:
The Hamilton Public Library offers over 40 book clubs in our branches and supports many book clubs in the community.

Book Sales:
Enjoy library seasonal Book Sales.

Computer Classes:
Small group training programs at Central Library and other branches.  Check the details for every season!

Programs available at the Central Library and surrounding Hamilton area..

Story Time Registration

We offer story times for different age groups.

Maybe next time I’ll ensure I have some extra time to go and reconnect with the library and all it has to offer.

Here’s my mini review of the Sutton Place hotel in downtown Toronto. Last winter we took the girls for the weekend in Toronto to do some Christmas shopping, so we we gassed up the mini van and hit the QEW. We had reservations at the Sutton Place which was recommended by a friend, who said that it was centrally located and offers good service. We really didn’t have need to test most of the services that were offered by the hotel, except for the porter, valet parking, concierge and check in attendant. All tops in their respective duties I must add. Shopping does take a toll on my body, so it was a welcome relief to hit that bed at night.

Hotel info:

The Sutton Place Hotel

955 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada  M5S 2A2

416.924.9221  Fax 416.924.1778

Toll Free Reservations 1.8663.SUTTON (1.866.378.8866)

We had booked one of their apartment type suites, that’s located on the upper floors of the hotel. If I remember correctly, I think our room was on the 29 floor. Excellent view if you’re nosy (tons of high end condos surrounds the hotel).  Our suite came with 2 bedrooms with queen size beds, 2 bathrooms (one with bath), kitchen, dining area and full living room/ den. I’m always concerned about 2 things when I stay at a hotel, the bathrooms and the beds/bedding. Both passed the test, except the bed was a bit to hard for my liking but Caron and the girls loved it.

Couple bathroom Pics..

What a great location for what we wanted to do. Not even five minutes walk and you were on the subway and there were tons of great shopping with 5-10 minutes walk. And how could I forget that wonderful Chinese restaurant where I got that amazing Generals chicken.. it’s half way between the hotel and the subway line. Please don’t ask me the name, I was hungry and tired!

Some pics from our balcony…

Except for the hard beds, lack of pillows (quick call and we had tons) and the hot water tap in the shower that seem to be doing it’s own thing after you’ve set it, I would gladly recommend this hotel to anyone. With the subway close and not to mention area attractions (see below), shopping and dining so close, it’s great for that weekend trip to Toronto. We didn’t have time to visit their business center or pool area so I really cannot comment on those  things.

I believe it cost us a couple hundred dollars a night, but for a family of 5 we consider that very reasonable for what we got. Mold free bathroom, clean bedding, a great view, very roomy and a full functional kitchen (with dishes etc).. you can’t go wrong.

Area attractions…

• Molson Amphitheatre: The Molson Amphitheatre is located on the former site of the Ontario Place Forum. The Amphitheatre’s sound-delay system allows patrons on the lawn to hear as well as those in the reserved seating, while two large-screen video walls allow those in the rear and lawn sections a closer view of the performers on stage .  .  . [more]

• Hockey Hall of Fame: Largely due to Sutherland’s convincing arguments claiming Kingston as hockey’s birthplace, the CAHA and the NHL agreed to establish a Hockey Hall of Fame in that city. In a meeting held September 10, 1943, Kingston’s mayor, Stuart Crawford, was elected president of the newly-established Hockey Hall of Fame  .  .  . [more]

• Ontario Place: Ontario Place is an internationally acclaimed cultural, leisure and entertainment parkland located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The complex extends throughout three man-made islands along the Lake Ontario waterfront. Ontario Place opened in May 1971 and featured a five pod pavilion complex, The Forum, pedal boats, a marina, restaurants and the world’s first permanent IMAX^® theatre, the Cinesphere  .  .  . [more]

• Roy Thomson Hall: Roy Thomson Hall opened in the fall of 1982 and has hosted hundreds of world-renowned artists over the years .  .  . [more]

• Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts: Hummingbird Centre is Toronto’s only mainstream civic theatre in the heart of the downtown entertainment district, it is the largest performing arts venue in Canada with a capacity of 3,200 seats .  .  . [more]

• Air Canada Centre: Home of the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) and Toronto Raptors (NBA)Air Canada Centre has earned its place of distinction along Toronto’s skyline, and in the hearts of sports and entertainment fans from all over the world .  .  . [more]

• Princess of Wales Theatre: The theatre is a 2000-seat theatre located at 300 King Street West in the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District. It is named in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales .  .  . [more]

• Rogers Centre (SkyDome): Formerly known as SkyDome, the venue was renamed the Rogers Centre February, 2005.  Home of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club and the Toronto Argonauts.  Roger Centre facility’s capacity ranges from 5,000 to 60,000 for sports events, concerts, family shows, trade shows and conventions .  .  . [more]

Last fall we decided to take a mini-break with the girls before they head back to school, so we did the tourist thing and headed down the QEW to Niagara Falls for the weekend. It was (sadly) one of the most boring summers they’ve ever had to endure, but this trip did brighten things up a bit for us. In another post I’ll share my review on the helicopter tour we did and the trek we took under the falls.

Once you get past the “musty smell”… The place is roomy, and clean. The carpets were jazzy (bright red, leopard print, etc). The figures were right there, so you could pose for pictures with them. Many looked real, and the outfits were great. I could even smell the leather scent of Angelina Jolie’s dress, I was impressed that the costumes were high-end.

You can take a pic in a Delorian with a Back to the Future theme, with a wax Oprah in a set designed to look like the show, and much more. I would be wary of taking kids in, only because they must be well behaved and not touch or pull on the figures.

The scary-horror section was VERY SCARY, so if you take a child you may wish to bypass this. My group was terrified amazed as the Freddy and Jason figures looked so so so real.

This museum has beautiful life-masks on the walls as well, which are fun to look at. These are poured over actor’s faces, and I guess the molds help the wax-makers construct the figures.

A nice array of past and present celebs, world leaders, fictional characters, and so on. Wish it was even larger because it was so much fun. MY fave was the Star Trek display (see below) and I just had to take a pic with the fellas. Beam me up Scotty! Caron went nuts for the chance to take a pic with her teenage sweetheart Michael J Fox (Back to the Future).

Some Pics…

We got the combo pack that got us into both the wax museum and Ripley’s to save on some cash.

Admission to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum and Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks Adult $18.99    Child $8.99 In Canadian Dollars.

Contact Info:

OPEN YEAR ROUND INCLUDING HOLIDAYS
4983 Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls, Ontario
905-356-2238 ext 233 / fax 905 356 8122 / www.ripleysniagara.com

Couple pics of the lively street … the first one was taken looking up the street (Clifton hill) and the other from the top of Clifton Hill.

Couple weeks back we went out for dinner to celebrate Caron’s birthday at Milestones in Burlington. Still young, gorgeous and vibrant as ever, but I still won’t say how young she turned. Just to be on the safe side

I had called earlier in the day to inquire if we needed reservations and was told that’s it’s probably best to do so to avoid the possibility of having to wait in line. Not sure if there’s ever a line, but when we got there we were immediately escorted over to our table. Good sign.. I hate when I have a reservation and still ask to wait. Overall a lovely place with a very casual and jovial feel to it. Our server for the night (great job BTW) made her introductions and inquired about drinks and starters. We’re not ones to order off the starter menu, nor do we indulge in wines or other alcoholic beverages. Coke and Sprite please!

What a nice mix of excitement and classics on the menu. Kieana old eldest daughter had a hard time finding something she liked… but she can be picky at times. Indy our youngest went straight to the “kids” menu, where she found the good old … Chicken Nuggets and Fries! She was HAPPY!

Some pictures of what we ordered.

Indy, as I mentioned had the Chicken Nuggets and Fries off the kids menu. As a nugget connoisseur, she was quite pleased at the heaping plate that arrived with what looked like fresh made chicken strips and not the frozen stuff that plagues so many kids menu.

Kieana had…Grilled Chicken Caesar. Reggiano crostinis, cipolline onions, shaved asiago, our signature Caesar dressing and hand-sliced chicken breast. The roasted garlic is amazing!

Tehya, the most daring in our bunch had… Shanghai Noodle Stirfry. Pan-fried noodles with red peppers, Shiitake mushrooms. Topped with steamed Asian greens and honey five-spice grilled double breast of chicken. The leftovers made it’s way home and on my lunch plate the next day. Nice combination of flavors and texture.

Caron, the birthday girl had…

Certified Angus Beef 8oz. Top Sirloin. With a trio of signature Steak sauces: House-made Worcestershire, Kobe mustard, Gaucho sauce.
With Black Peppercorn and Cognac sauce served with seasonal vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes.

For the life of me (maybe I was too busy sampling what were on the other plates, but I can’t remember what I ordered. Steak and shrimp? I do know that the steak was cooked perfectly and smothered in a wonderful cognac sauce. Yes, the garlic mashed potato was excellent.

You guessed correct, we’re not dessert people either so we didn’t experience any of the offerings of the dessert menu. However, it being Caron’s birthday she did get a free slice cheesecake to take home with us and it was absolutely delectable, with the accompanying sauces that were included.

Overall we spent a little over a $100 with tip for the 5 of us. But do bear in mind that we didn’t order off the bar or the dessert menu.A great spot to enjoy a wonderful dinner with family or friends. We did get the impression though that it’s more focused towards friends enjoying a night out.

Location

1200 Brant Street
T: 905.332.6057
F: 1.866.381.2014

Milestone’s is located on Brant Street, just north of the QEW. With convenient parking and the Power Center Shopping Mall nearby, Milestone’s is the perfect place to meet after work or before a movie for a fresh Bellini and appetizer in our lounge.

Hours of Operation:

Weekday Opening – 11:30 am             Weekend Opening – 10:00 am