Canada With Mom - Part I

I love our neighbor to the north.  I really do.  I always have a great time whenever I'm there.  This round, my mom and I spent time in Ontario near Niagara Falls.  We flew into Buffalo on Friday and drove 45 minutes to Canada.  Of course, our first stop was at Tim Hortons.  My mom didn't get why I was so excited until she tried it.  She is now a fan, and rightfully so.

For those of you not familiar with this chain, Tim Hortons is the Dunkin Donuts of Canada and is as ubiquitous as Starbucks.  There were some locations in New York, but I couldn't bring myself to go to them.  It's like going to McDonalds overseas.  You just...don't.  That is unless you really have to pee.

We got a little lost trying to find our hotel because my cell service crapped out (thanks, Verizon) but it meant that we got to drive around a little.  A few words come to mind when it comes to the town of Niagara Falls.  Two I can think of off the top of my head are "kitschy" and "run-down." Let me explain:

• Kitschy: There were all sorts of stores there that I don't feel like you see anywhere else except at big tourist attractions or the boardwalk at the beach.  For example, there was a Margaritaville (because nothing screams Canada like Jimmy Buffett), a Hershey store, a Ripley's Believe It or Not, and so on.  Now, I realize that this is a vacation area, but still.  It felt like a little much.
• Run-Down: There were a lot of borded up and unloved houses that we drove by in the town.  It was sad to see.  The juxtaposition of rich tourists and poor locals caught me off guard.

Eventually, we found our hotel.  We checked in, took a quick nap, and then headed off to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a beautiful town about half an hour from the Falls.  I had booked us appointments at the Shaw Spa and it was amazing.  If you're ever there, I highly recommend them.  I had never been to the spa before, so I didn't know what to expect.  My mom and I both got body wraps and they were amazing.  After our appointment, we got a quick bite to eat and then decided to check out Lake Ontario, which was a stones throw away from where we were.

Lake Ontario

It was really, really beautiful.  I feel like this picture doesn't do it justice.  As I was looking around, I noticed a skyline across the lake.  I was trying to figure out what city it was when I noticed a needle-shaped building in the distance.  Then it hit me.  I was looking right at Toronto!  How cool.

On our way back, we noticed that there were lots and lots of vineyards between Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Falls.  I was kind of surprised.  We both thought it would be too cold up there to grow grapes, but I guess people do good business since there were a ton of vineyards.  Later I learned that we were driving on the Ontario Wine Route.

When we got back, we walked around a little bit, ate dinner at an amazing steak restaurant and watched fireworks that went off over the Falls.  It was pretty neat.  We then poured ourselves into bed so that we could get a (relatively) early start on our adventures at the Falls in the morning.  That part of our adventure is coming up in Part II...