Niagra falls from NYC
 

Hi, I will be visiting NYC with 3 friends in the first 2 weeks of September and one of the girls wants to do a day trip to Niagra Falls. Through google we have found companies that do a day trip and I was wondering if anyone has done a trip and what they thought. Any recommendations of companies to use and what we 'must' see and do would be greatfully appreciated. Also I suppose is it worth doing? They seem to be about a 14 hour day flying to and from NYC.

Thanks.

Niagra Falls is something to see. Niagra by the Lake is a little town with lots of shops and food. Worth a day.

To me a day trip to Niagara Falls from NYC just doesn't make sense. Many people think it's just a short distance away, but it's close to 400mi drive if you were to do this by car - nearly the same distance as SF to LA.

If you want to do this then flying is a must, and there is no need to pay a tour company. You can fly JetBlue JFK to Buffalo and rent a car there.

JetBlue has 6 or more flights a day, and with advance purchase you can get a pretty good deal - I've seen specials for as low as $49 each way.

You'd need to leave your hotel 2-2.5hrs before the flight to get to the airport, so factor in that time as well.

IMHO this is just a waste of time. You will be spending a lot of money and won;t have the time to see much - esp if their are flight delays you will have time to see very little. Also, is your paperwork in order? You will need a passport to get into Canada - and IMHO there is no point in going unless you see the Falls from the Canadian side (the front) - this is where all of the best views are.

Separately, you don;t say how long you have in NYC and if you've been here before. Unless you have a long time here you're going to miss better sights just to see a bunch of water falling. If your friend really wants to go, let her. There's no reason you have to be joined at the hip the whole time.

I'd suggest renting a video of the falls and get a spray bottle. It will be sort of like being there, and then you can leave the hotel and go out and see the sites, see a Broadway show, go to the opera at The Met, or go to the Met Museum, hear a concert at Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall, then go have a great dinner, and in between do some fun shopping.

responders,

Cut baysidegirl a break. She will be in NYC for TWO WEEKS!


baysidegirl,

DON'T do this as a day-trip. If you really want to see Niagra Falls, you have more than enough time in NYC to do it as an overnight.

J62's suggestion for going independently is spot on. The three of you can share a room, budget rental car, and three budget RT flights (fly to Buffalo!) for less money than the guided day tour.

> Also I suppose is it worth doing?

I've been to Niagara Falls five times, and have enjoyed each visit. I can't emphasize enough that to do so from New York City is total insanity. It is NOT worth doing.

Bardo, she doesn't say how long she will be in Ny, just that she will be there in the first 2 weeks of Sept. I agree if she is there for an extended time, it is possible, but its just going to be a long day. Would definitely do it as an overnight.

To each his own, but calling Niagara Falls "just a bunch of water falling" or "get a spray bottle and watch the video" is sort of like saying "forget New York City, it's just a bunch of big buildings".

And by the way Niagara does NOT rhyme with Viagra.

But if you're young, ambitious, and seeing the falls (which really is an amazing sight) is important to you, then why listen to a bunch of strangers with obviously different taste than you have? Do it, but the advice is good about doing it on your own instead of paying a lot of money to a tour company to arrange it for you and probably throw in some unwanted shopping spree for tacky souvenirs along the way. And the advice is very good about not going unless you have your passports in order and can see it from the Canadian side (and perhaps from the boat -- the Maid of the Mist).

People make day trips from NYC to Atlantic City all the time, why not to Niagara Falls? I'd personally much rather do the Falls than Atlantic City -- it's all a matter of personal taste.

Ditto everything Patrick said. If I had two weeks in NYC and had not seen the falls, I would definitely make a two day trip there. Do it on your own, only go if you have a passport, stay on the Canadian side, try to see if you can stay a night that there are fireworks, and do the Maid of the Mist tour.

Because Niagara Falls is much farther than Atlantic City, it costs much more to get there (plane pus car rental and hotel) and it takes more time from an (I presume) limitd vacation.

As for people going to Atlantic City - well, I dont; get that either.

lol on the video and spray bottle. we are going to NF and NOTL in the first week of Sept. i've heard and read mixed opinions about this destination sp NF. but then, i'd still want to see it, if only once, just to see it. i bought 1 way ticket from YYZ to EWR a while ago, and paid $78 + around $60 in taxes. the same flight now costs around $90 + $60tax. we need to go to toronto for 1 night to take care of family matters. there are trains that go to NF from NYC. it's 8 hours on the train one-way. the difference between train fare and air fare isnt that much.

It is 125 mailes to Atlantic City and a bit over 400 miles to Niagara Falls.

To me the issue is how long they have in NYC. If they have a week or more, then maybe it's worth it to them to fly up there and back. If 5 days or less, I absolutely would not take time away from NYC to go to Niagara Falls. (And I wouldn't take time away from ANYPLACE to go to Atlantic City!)

if you do go,id fly into toronto and stay at one of the hotels that overlook the Falls.It is an incredible sight,but to me only worth it if your staying in NYC for more than a week

why would you fly into toronto? Fly into Buffalo - nonstop flights on Jet Blue and Delta from JFK and US Air from LaGuardia. However, as the others said, if you do it, it is best to do an overnight (and only if you have enough time to see all you want to see in NYC).

i like Toronto more than overnight in Buffalo--but maybe thats just me

bigbomoho: of course Toronto is more likable than Buffalo, but it is also much farther from Toronto to NF than it is from Buffalo to Niagara Falls. YYZ to NF, Ontario is a 90 minute drive. It's about 30 minutes from Buffalo Intl. to NF.

And no one said overnight in Buffalo. EVERYONE said overnight in NF Canada. It is just you.

And to the OP, there are no hotels in Toronto that overlook Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is not near Toronto, although Toronto is a very nice city.

My advice is if you have more than a week in NYC, fly into Buffalo in the early a.m., rent a car and spend the day and night in Niagara Falls, Canada. The next morning I would go to Niagara on the Lake, just a short ride from Niagara Falls and spend the day there before flying out of Buffalo later that evening. Do not fly into Toronto, Buffalo is much closer and a much easier airport to navigate.

Niagara Falls is actually quite beautiful. but - it's nowhere near NYC. If you're going to Toronto or Buffalo going to see the falls makes perfect sense.

But to spend an 18 hour day to do so at quite a high price- doesn't make any sense considering what you would be giving up in NYC.

We spent the most of the day and a night there on the way back from Toronto - and enjoyed it a lot - although I think I liked best the nighttime view of the floodlit falls from our hotel window (floor to ceiling).

But if I had limited time in NYC I wouldn't spend all that time just to see a waterfall.

Why do I still insist that going to Niagara Falls when staying in NYC is total insanity? Because there are half a dozen places that can be visited from NYC, that would

(1) consume less time, money, and trouble
and
(2) be a better place to visit for a day

than a trip to Niagara.

Washington, Philly, Boston, and Baltimore are just a start. Want scenery, nature, and waterfalls? Check out Delaware Water Gap or the New Jersey Highlands.

I repeat: Toronto, Buffalo, and Niagara would make a great week-long trip. Niagara from NYC would make a silly day-trip.

Well, if the OP wants to see Niagara Falls, then she wants to see Niagara Falls. She may have no interest in Washington, Philly, Boston and Baltimore. It may make sense to you PaulRabe, but the OP knows what she wants to see. And she has gotten some good advice here on what to do/not to do if choosing to visit Niagara Falls from NYC.

I'm really amazed when some question other people's interests. What is a "must see" for some is a big snooze for others. But to say if you want to see nature then see Delaware Water Gap instead of Niagara Falls is like . . . well, I don't even know HOW to begin to make a comparison to that idea.

Heck, I know people who flew all the way across the country and spent thousands of dollars just to watch a two hour football game -- called the SuperBowl -- which they could have watched for free on their own TV. But who am I to question if that's a must see for someone or to call it "insanity" if that's what they really wanted to do?

Neopatrick - a 2 hour football game? Try 4 hours! Agree with your post.

OK, a two hour football game PLUS two hours of extras. But what do I know? I wouldn't walk across the street for the Super Bowl if it were free. My point is we all have different priorities and interests.

Heck, I know people who flew all the way across the country and spent thousands of dollars just to watch a two hour football game -- called the SuperBowl --
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I did not know Niagara had a football team let alone they were in the Superbowl. I think they are called the Slickers.

Other people actually waste their money on Broadway shows.
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Toronto is more than an hour's drive from Buffalo not including time at the border.

Where's baysidegirl? Have we totally turned you off?

Niagara is impressive, even for the most cynical. I have no use for wax museums, etc., but you can't get around the amazing roar and rush and beauty of the Falls.

About perceived distances around the state of NY vs. the city of NYC: When we lived in Rochester, I worked with international students and guests, and there were some interesting if sometimes sad perceptions. Some wanted to come because they'd seen the name of the city on boxes of film all their lives.

One student actually asked a cab to take him from JFK to Rochester - and the cabby DID, charging him not much more than the trip into Manhattan. The student and the cabby's family stayed in touch for years.

Very well, I'll concede the point. If anyone wants to see Niagara Falls while visiting New York City, I will not presume to suggest alternatives.
I MIGHT mention there is not a bit of "nature" there, not even the Falls. Places that have colored lights on them at night are NOT nature, even if they are the central point of an amusement park. For me, "nature" is walking in a mountain forest for four hours without seeing a single human being, then standing forty meters from a wild bear, photographing it as you both walk down your trail. Having been to both Niagara and to DWG about five times apiece, I can appreciate which has more "nature."

And if you say you want to see the Statue of Liberty while visiting Buffalo? Fine -- I'll tell you how to get there, with no comment about the distance.

You see more of this on the Europe board where people want to visit 35 cities in 6 days. Mention your objection once and scurry off to the corner. The same is true for tourist trap restaurants in NYC. I used to argue, now I mention it once, if at all. If they want to go to bad restaurants, it just means more open tables at the better places.

I hope they find Niagara Falls to be more than they wished.

As far as scaring people away, one would hope they are adult enough to contend with a variety opinons, just they way people do in the normal course of their lives.

Thanks for the lecture on what is and what is not nature.

On the American side, there's a pleasant - if man-designed - park. Maid o' the Mist or a view of the whirlpool affords something about aqua-nature even if mountain- or forest- nature aren't right there.

In addition, there's a lot of history surrounding the Falls, how they got there, what they meant in westward expansion and cultural records (American painting, literature, lore), what they mean re: energy supply for most of the northeast, how they are moving, and how they get turned off sometimes. In some ways, despite their status as a natural wonder (which they are, colored lights notwithstanding), they also provide some amazing engineering "wonders," for better or worse.

baysidegirl, where are you? ;-)

Yes, Niagara Falls does not represent nature. Clearly the entire project was a major engineering feat by man -- taking millions of tons of concrete and the development of fake water that actually looks real -- I think it's some sort of visual trick done with twisting plastic and special lighting. LOL

And of course lighting it with colored lights is not natural. It's funny. Two days ago I was in the huge and spectacular Silver Caves in China. Much of it is lit with colored lights, a big "no-no" in the US as it is "unnatural". Yet for the life of me, I'm not sure how anyone sees any caverns ala "natural" as they exist in nature only in pure darkness. Once you light them to see them, it has become unnatural, so who determined that white lights are OK, but red, green, or blue ones are unnatural? The whole idea is to "enhance" the natural beauty. But then I guess beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. Heck some people see huge waterfalls and simply shrug it off as "just a bunch of water". Others see it as a magnificent creation of nature.

Of course people posting here should get used to differences of opinions just as in real life. And at the same time I guess they should get used to rude people calling their ideas "insane" or being told what is a waste of time and what isn't. Just like in real life, they should expect to encounter some people who think their ideas are the only GOOD ideas. And they should be "adult enough" to determine when their own ideas are important enough to pursue.

I hope this post isn't used as example of the "expertise" of Fodor's posters... it should be used as example of whiners trying to convince innocent travelers to only listen to them... pissing contests only result in wet shoes...

NeoPatrick - y'think Disney's imagineers were behind it? They could have done better than the Maid'o'the'Mist, though - no fiberglass monsters to pop up.

What this post is, garyt22, is a ping-pong of people calling the OP an idiot, other people defending OP and offering plausible/implausible alternative ways of thinking out her trip, then the idiot-callers extending their idiot-calling to the defenders, and so on.

I admit, I'm not surprised baysidegirl hasn't come out of hiding.

Slowly she turned, step by step......

I don't care. I refuse to let bigbomoho say that there are hotels in Toronto that overlook Niagara Falls and not contradict him.

Technically, the hotels in Toronto DO overlook the Falls... its just that they are 36 miles away...

tuscanlifeedit, I suggest you read it again. He didn't say anything about hotels in Toronto overlooking the falls. He said, "if you do go,id fly into toronto and stay at one of the hotels that overlook the Falls."

It seemed clear to me he's saying to fly into Toronto's airport and stay at Niagara Falls on the Canadian side rather than fly into Buffalo. Of course, it would involve a drive to the falls from the airport (either airport, in fact). And he may have a point. We were treated like terrorists a couple years ago trying to cross the border at the falls -- ORDERED out of our car while they tore it apart, and then searched our luggage, glove box, and even under the seats. Arriving through immigration at the Toronto Airport in a breeze, and does not stack up like it can at the falls crossing points. Plus, the last time I checked you could rent a car for almost nothing for one day at Toronto -- not so at Buffalo.

There you go. Punctuation can clear up so many things.

But really, it's my fault. I don't think bigmoboho's first language is English. I should have read with a more open mind.

Technically, the hotels in Toronto DO overlook the Falls... its just that they are 36 miles away...
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In that case Santa Claus's hotel overlooks everything.