The Canadian side of Niagara Falls is like an amusement park.

Each time we drove to Notre Dame in College we stopped at the American side of the falls.  When I passed through this morning, I got to finally to see what the Canadian side of the falls looked like.  The view of the falls is really spectacular, but I felt that on the American side it seemed more like a natural wonder and less like an amusement park.  Shockingly, the Americans side is relatively subtle. I remember it as a park with a river next to it, which you walk through and then, "Oh my, look at that."  You are at the viewing area and there is an enormous, loud water fall.   Maybe part of this impression comes from the fact that we would visit as the midway point between South Bend and Boston, so we would arrive at dawn.  Running through the park to take a couple of pictures, we were always the only people there at such a ridiculous time of the morning.

Today, I was at a complex with admission fees, parking fees, tourist pictures for sale, and tour package options.  I grabbed two $20 bills before I left the car, and I didn't bring enough to buy my tourist picture.  Instead I decided to "burrow" it online - don't mind the watermark!

I did enjoy going to the base of the falls ($24.95) where you get a complementary rain parka, walk through some tunnels and can see both behind the water (doesn't make much of picture, but I tried) and the base of the falls.  It was very wet, but neat to see.

BTW - I found out how to get to the mythical place that Sarah Palin keeps mentioning in all her soundbites.  I passed a road sign that said "Main Street, USA" with an arrow.  I didn't visit, but after growing up near Wall St., I was excited to finally see Main Street, USA.