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2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Well.. I wouldn't drive over the Falls...
They are spectacular... If you have the time, I'd definitely recommend going.. Of course, you'll want to take the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride..
It's not spectacular like the Grand Canyon... but, well worth the trip..
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First was that the severity of the accidents were much less than before the cameras.
Secondly the "study" showed about a 30% increase in accidents the 6 months after the installation than the 6 months before. The only problem was that the cameras were installed in the fall so many of those 6 months were winter months where the roads tended to be slicker than the 6 months prior. When you compared the 12 months prior to the 12 months after there was a noticeable decrease in accidents.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I am not going to give it as much of a big deal as say the pyramids. Since we live about an hour away, we just kind of take it for granted. The falls...that is, seeing that much water go over at one time is pretty amazing. At night they put lights on it and that looks pretty spectacular. Of course, to get the best view by far you have to be on the Canadian side. They have extra great weekend packages at the Marriot Hotel and every room looks over the falls, and it is best to be about 10 floors or higher. There is free shuttle service to the casinos if that is of more interest. Niagara on the Lake is a really cute town (not in the winter though) and you can walk around and see a Shaw Play if that is of interest. If there are kids involved there is Marineland with all the usual porpoises etc. There is a cable ride across the Niagara River and you can wear raincoats and go behind the Falls. Also, the Maid of the Mist boat takes you pretty close to the Falls.
By the way, you would be 2 hours from Toronto and you could take in a baseball or basketball game if of interest, and less than an hour from Buffalo which has some attractions.
Time of year will mean a lot. If you are driving from NYC not too bad..about 10 to 12 hours. From Texas, a lot further.
I am like you, I like the comforts of my home, but once I see some places I really like traveling to some degree.
I don't know if I can give you a difinitive answer, but if you have more questions about it just ask.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I see so many people speeding up to get through yellow lights, cars going from one lane to another to get ahead etc., that I have this idea.
Unmarked cars with cameras in them. These would be strictly traffic police - looking for driving infractions. These would be on the road all over nabbing irresponsible drivers. The fines would more than cover the cost and the roads would be much safer, and it would leave more police to look after other stuff.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
States as far west as Illinois & as far south as Virginia participate in the program.
I've often wondered what would happen if a person drove up to a toll booth and realized that they didn't have a dime on them.
Good question. I'm not sure; the last time this happened to me was in the late 60s, when an expensive date cleaned me out & I had to go home via the Garden State Parkway in NJ. IIRC, the toll collector called a trooper, who ticketed me.
Driver--
Back in July '74 three of my high school chums and I rode our bicycles from Detroit to Portland (ME). Niagara Falls was the crossover pint between Canada and the US. We all loved NF. For a couple of the guys the love of NF put a crimp on their spending for the rest of the rest of the trip. The falls at night are not to be missed. Later I went back with my folks (by car) and liked it just as much the second time--even thought I would spend my honeymoon there, but, alas, haven't been back. The Canadian people couldn't have been nicer--of course we probably looked like we needed mothering and fathering.
It was so easy to border cross in those days.
Gogiboy
for the red light cameras, I think the loophole around using them is it is not a moving violation (with points) that would require court and an actual police officer. I believe it is considered like a parking ticket, in that the car gets the citation, and you don't have to be served in person (arrested effectively).
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Gogiboy, the Niagara Falls is pretty spectacular. The city is still friendly, but it would have changed a lot since you were last there. Lots of big hotels right above the Falls, with 2 large casinos in town. Lots of big hotels around and restaurants. Some of the simple charm has gone, but there is still that magnificent water always flowing over.
They had a cinisphere down the street from the hotel and they had a really good movie about the people who have gone over the Falls. A few made it, and most didn't.
Anna Taylor went over in 1901...she was desperatelyh poor and thought going over the Falls in a barrel would make her lots of money. Surprisingly, she survived, and made some money selling autographs, but still remained poor.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Thanks a lot for the info.. And yes, I will be driving from NYC .. Would go crazy driving all the way from Texas !! LOL! So that means it`s a pretty good place to go then. Cannot have a valid excuse to give my wife for not going then .. Ya-she could checkout the waterfall and I could head to the casino in the evening !! Sounds like fun.
Also, I am not into any games except Tennis- US open being my favorite followed by Wimbledon !! :shades:
I'm probably in the minority, but the Grand Canyon was a disappointment to me. I suppose that I expected too much. It was the same with the Painted Desert. Spectacular to me was Pacific #1 Hwy---what a beautiful drive. San Francisco was a beautiful city and not disappointing at all. Nova Scotia was also spectacular to me, along with the state of Maine. I suppose that Niagara Falls "falls" some where in between. Like foods, I suspect that places become personal preferences for most people.
Richard
I'll second all the Niagara Falls recommendations. You want to do the Maid of the Mists and the tunnels. There's some other neat things there - floral clock, butterflies, etc. You could spend a good amount of time just hanging out at the horseshoe falls. Spectacular. Try to forget all this water is coming from Lake Erie.
I assume Clifton Street still looks like a New Jersey Boardwalk.
Richard - here's a good idea for an alternate route to Boston that will take you completely around NYC. First, take the coastal route once you get in the Norfolk area. Go up 13, cross the Chesapeake on the bridge tunnel ($12 - and they take EZPass. Head up to Lewes, DE and take the Cape May Lewes ferry. You'd really like a day or two in Cape May but if you skip just pick up the Garden State Parkway from exit zero and stay on it all the way to the north end at route 287 east. If you got that EZ Pass you never have to stop on the Parkway.
Take 287 over the Tappan Zee Bridge and continue to route 684 north. Take that to 84 east which takes you diagonally across Connecticut. Try to avoid Hartford at rush hour. You'll connect right into the Mass Pike and head straight into Boston.
If you really want some fun we'll give you an alternate route that takes in Niagara Falls. That will take a few more days....
That's the way it is down here. They mail you a slip with the amount of the fine, and you just mail it in to them. My wife got a couple of them in Wilmington. I've never had one.
What drives me crazy here are those stupid round-a-bouts. People here don't seem to understand the yield rules. They just go through the round-a-bouts whether it's your turn or not. Some even try to beat you to your turn by racing into the circle. It's insane.
Richard
Richard
When are you going? Summer and that tiny little fall season are real pretty. Off the road a bit is a duck pin bowling alley. Not many of those left.
That Cape May ferry is a favorite. About 80 minutes on the water. On a lucky day you get dolphins. If you happen to catch the Twin Capes it's bigger and a bit nicer than the other boats but they are all quite nice.
I was there last month, I have to say I wasn't disappointed. I was amazed by it and even more so as I descended into the canyon, you could tell you went down far by looking up towards the rim but not by looking down.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I suspect you were at the South Rim then. Next time, try the North Rim. Much harder to get to, and no where near the crowds and commercialization of the South Rim.
If you are going to hike down into the canyon, hike down from the south rim, sleep overnight at the base, and then hike up and out the north rim. You need to book it like a year in advance, though.
I didn't go into the canyon. I was traveling with my mom who was pushing 70 at the time. However, back then you could fly over the area to the west beyond the park - something you can't do anymore. We rented a Cessna 170 with pilot and tooled around. Really nice.
BAck to the north rim - it's a completely different world - temperate woods instead of desert.
We only hiked in about 20% of the way down (1000 feet down, about 1.5 miles if the crow has to walk).. Easy in....
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I 2nd your suggestions. Bryce is my personal favorite, if you start at the south end, hike down into ampitheater, and head north up thru the Canyon. Absolutely spectacular.
http://www.nps.gov/brca/
Zion has some great mountains to hike as well, a couple of the more difficult have some scary rock ledges, where you hold onto chains if it's windy (or you're afraid of heights).
We flew to Vegas and picked up a rental motorhome, spent a couple weeks on the road with the kids hitting a number of the parks. Everyone loved it, ready to hit some other parks next year.
I think over all you will like it. If you came to Toronto in early August you could get tickets to the Rogers Cup. We went the night when Federer was playing.
About the only games I watch are tennis too, Wimbledon first and US Open next. :shades:
Good luck, I hope you get there, and that you enjoy it (and that you come out ahead if you go to the casinos). I think if you get a chance to see a wonder like the Falls, you should go for it. I feel like I really saw something incredible when I saw the pyramids,
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I forgot about the floral clock and the butterflies. You'll have to get here soon to see the flowers on the clock though......the cooler weather is here and the flowers are going. However the Fall colors of the trees are amazing. Yes, Clifton Street is still busy during the warmer weather.
Be sure to bring your passports to cross the border these days.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Richard
I doubt that we'll get back up to Boston or Maine before next summer. We're doing the fall foliage thing here in North Carolina and up into Virginia in two weeks. Thanksgiving will be New York, and the Florida Keys for Christmas. Then, we have a Royal Caribbean cruise planned in February for my birthday. Thank goodness we now have a nice SUV for some of this traveling.
Richard
I just cut the GSP out of the mix. generally a good rule of thumb whenever you can do that!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
That would be the Phantom Ranch. Its not your typical rooms but a bunkhouse setting that sleeps 10-12 people per building and is segregated by sex. There is also a campground nearby and IIRC it doesn't need a reservation, its first come first served. But it does require a backpacking permit.
Back on tipic, the wife is starting to talk about replacing the Saturn. She mentioned this weekend about visiting some dealerships to check out some cars. I think the Saturn has a few more years at least and I am willing to wait to the auto show in February to look at all possible cars at once.
We both like the new Sonata and I will be pricing out the Hybrid vs a non hybrid to see what the price difference is and compare that to expected savings at the pump.
But I am more leaning towards a more economical car as we have the ragtop.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
link title
To me you have either an electric or IC (internal combustion) based propulsion system. Hybrid seems to be a selling point, but what is being sold?
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Thanksgiving will be New York, and the Florida Keys for Christmas.
I am glad you are retired. I don't know how you would do all that traveling if you were working. Another thing is, you just got your new car in time, that's a fair bit of traveling for an 8 year old car with over 100k miles on it.
Then, we have a Royal Caribbean cruise planned in February for my birthday.
Good move. Last year we went on our first cruise (Baltic) on Norwegian, this year we did the East Medit on Royal Caribean. What a difference....we will actually consider going on more cruises again.
Thank goodness we now have a nice SUV for some of this traveling
It makes you feel good to have nice things. I bought a Rolex from a guy who had a bunch of watches in a suitcase in Alexandria. I try to hold my arm in such a way people can see my Rolex. $15 for a genuine Rolex, and it makes me feel great.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Ahhh, a sales story (kind of). The technical guys can answer your question, but from my observations some people want to feel they are helping the environment...maybe it is playing on guilt feelings.
That is an interesting ad, seems like a good deal for the price. I wonder why he is selling it after 2 or 3 years. I would guess he has had problems with it or it isn't getting the results he wanted.
Hybrids seem to be a stop gap way to try to get better mileag until something better comes along...like more efficient gasoline engines. If all car makes could get about 10% better mileage we would probably be ok.
Good ad though!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Richard
Richard
If you don't pay the toll at an EZ pass both you get a $25 ticket with the picture of your tag in the mail.
BTW. If you are paying cash at the toll, get a receipt. Once I paid the toll at the Lincoln tunnel, the booth attendant asked me if I want a receipt, I told her no. When I came home, I got a ticket in the mail. The attendant kept the money.
The Garden State Parkway has (or at least had) little envelopes you could get if you had no money and mail them the toll afterward. I wonder how much they collect that way?
Back in the day of 25 cent tolls, those exact change machines would take pennies. We'd sometimes pay in pennies and you could hear it clicking away counting them.
Is the Skylon (I think that's what it was called)--a spire with a revolving restaurant at the top--still there? My buddies and I stayed at the Alamo Motel...why can I remember that after 35 years, but not recall where I left my keys this morning is anyone's guess? It was a cheap, but serviceable place and more than adequate for two 17 and two 15-year old guys. It seemed like the nicest hotel was the Sheraton, which was close to the falls.
There were lots of miniature golf establishments, a wax museum and a tourist trap museum dedicated to Harry Houdini. I don't suppose much, if any, of that stuff has survived the passage of time. Still, I'd like to get back some day.
Gogiboy
Richard--
My folks are a lot like you and your wife. They have never been ostentatious nor have they fallen prey to any sort of brand or designer mania. My father is still driving a ten year old base model Corolla.
Over the years he frequently received gifts from patients--usually meat from Omaha Steaks, fruit baskets and the like so I was surprised when my mom called me aside and said she wanted to show me a gift they had received for his service. It was two (his and hers) $10K Rolex watches. They insured them, put them in a safety deposit box and after about five or six years wore them once or twice a year to a party. My dad seems more than satisfied with his Timex--or maybe its a Casio.
You might be wondering who would bestow such a gift. Turns out it was the son of Saudi Arabian princess. She (or her doctor) was seeking help outside her own country. The real irony is that there wasn't a thing my father could do to assist her because her cancer was so advanced.
Oh, my youngest brother has already let it be know that he wants the watches!
Gogiboy
A watch expert spent about ten minutes looking it over. He shook his head and tole me he could tell it wasn't real but that it was, by far, the best counterfeit he had ever seen. I have about 40 watches (I know) so I would wear it a few times a year. It kept perfect time. The last time I went to wear it, I couldn't get it to come alive. For 65.00, I got my money's worth.
For my money I think it's hard to beat an Invicta for the dollars.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
I tried superwatches.com and they only had some off brand names and I didn't see prices. I am not a big fan of knock off merchandise, I have worked for major companies and realize it isn't nice to be copied and not be paid for it. I would be surprised if they could last very long on the internet, selling knock offs. Even in China, capital of knock offs, companies are trying to clamp down if China is to be taken seriously as a player.
My Rolex is strictly for fun. It is kind of big and clunky looking and looks like it is a cheap imitation of the real thing. It even has two little dials on the face, that would do something on the real thing, but on this watch they are just for show. Now people are asking me if my BMW is a knock off car, and is it really a VW underneath the metal.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The Rolex is a great watch. It still keeps perfect time and looks like the day I got it. We had it cleaned, etc. about 8 years ago. That cost around $500.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
I can't see any information about the Alamo Hotel so it has probably gone. I think you would be surprised at how much Niagara Falls has changed. It's like Las Vegas, we were there last year and you wouldn't recognize it from 4 years before that. There are 2 huge casinos now and huge hotels all along the edge. The main street is still there with a Ripley and Madam Tousads museums, Hard Rock Cafe etc. And, the Skylon is still there.
It has changed, but I think you would still be impressed if you get a chance to go back one day. But, I don't think you will be able to stay at the Alamo, and it would be pretty tacky by now. The Marriot with every room facing the Falls is the best place to stay.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Don't get too excited about I-84/I-90, it can be a pain to drive.
Getting through NYC can be easy, you just have to do it before the city wakes up.
There was some very good advice about avoiding NYC, though.
When we drive to the Washington, DC area, we avoid NYC and whole state of NJ.
Now you've done it!
Richard, to avoid the entire state of Connecticut, when you get to the top of the Parkway take 287 north instead of south. Take the exit for the Mass Pike. This has the aded benefit of taking you through the Berkshires!
My wife and I love nice things just for the sake of enjoying them ourselves. We don't advertise them. People will come to our home for the first time and ask why we never mentioned our beautiful antiques and oriental rugs. We didn't purchase them to mention to others. We bought them because they give us pleasure and take us back to more gentle times.
A few years ago, I bought my wife a mink coat ($5K). Our niece saw it in the hall cloak closet and had a fit that my wife hadn't told her about it. In typical style, my wife informed her that she only wore it when it turned really cold---as when we travel to the North. My wife also inherited seven carat and five carat diamond rings. They are locked away. She wore one of them on Christmas Day last year. My sister got on her for not wearing them more often. She just wears the one carat ring that I bought in 1967 when we became engaged. I made payments on that ring for 24 months. As for all of my gold jewelry, I just wear it when I trade cars. (Joke here).
It's like the SRX. I bought it because that is what my wife wanted. She thought that it was pretty. If it had been a Honda CRV, it wouldn't have mattered to me. So many people buy labels for show, and can't even afford them. It's a shame. I was fortunate to have grown up with what my parents could provide. Regardless of money, I was taught to take care of what you have and appreciate the fact that you have it. Though my wife came from a wealthy family, we never took money from them. We taught school and lived within our means. I drove nice cars because I worked second jobs to pay for them. I did that because I love cars. In our old age, we are fortunate. Older kin died off and remembered us kindly. At least now, we are secure financially---a fact that my nephew loves to point out. As I keep telling him, "If it's here it is yours, but I'm not saving it for you." I always make him sound bad, but he is really a good boy. I think that he worries about sending his two boys to college. Little does he know it, but my sister and I have taken care of that problem. We don't tell him because we want him to continue saving.
Richard