Commuting to Niagara Falls from New York City

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Living in New York City doesn’t require you to have your own car, mostly when you have one, its more of a hassle with the high parking fees (Manhattan has rates up to 8 dollars an hour) and complicated parallel street parking. Unlike other cities in the US, most New Yorkers don’t have cars and just rely on the 24 hour subway and buses that covers the five boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island. That’s why, when we went to Niagara Falls, we just took the subway to Penn Station and boarded the Greyhound bus that would take us to the magnificent falls. It was one of our first trips while living in New York that made it so memorable.

GETTING THERE:

Commute to the falls is easy. It is advisable to book tickets online through the Greyhound Bus website. We placed a round trip ticket which is very advisable. The place of destination should be Buffalo, New York. It would give you certain times of departure. It would be an 8 hour ride so we chose the midnight schedule so we would just sleep on the bus and when morning comes, we are already in Buffalo. Its a nice choice for those on a time constraint. From Buffalo, we took the NFTA Line 77 Bus to Niagara Falls. Keep in mind too that Niagara Falls is actually a town where the actual falls is located. The bus from Buffalo to Niagara falls would cost around 4 dollars each and would take 40-60 mins to get there. In our case, google maps was our navigator as it would tell us which stop to take to get to our hotel.

WHERE TO STAY:

We stayed at the Hyatt Hotel thru booking.com which is just a walking distance from the falls. They also have free breakfast which was a plus. Our total for a 1 night stay with 4 adults and 1 child is 181 usd.

NIAGARA FALLS:

Niagara falls is the result of glaciation thousand of years ago. It is considered to be a cataract fall meaning it contains great volume of water rushing thru the precipice. Not only it is very magnificent but its flow is also very powerful as it is a source of hydroelectric power. New York’s free household water has been attributed to the bountiful source of water from the Niagara falls.

The falls is actually a group of three waterfalls, the largest is the Horsehoe falls which straddles between Ontario, Canada and New York. The 2 other falls are American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls which are in New York territory.

Horshoe Falls

American and Bridal Veil Falls (left to right); Horshoe Falls on the far end.

THINGS TO DO:

There are a lots of things to do in Niagara. The Niagara State Park serves as an entrance to the falls. Here, one can sit down and enjoy the greenery while listening to the rustling sound of the great falls.

Entrance to the Niagara State Park
Niagara State Park

MAID OF THE MIST:

Steam Boat Maid of the Mist. Across is Ontario, Canada

The Maid of the Mist is a boat ride that would take one closer to the falls. The lines could be long so its better to do this first, we were lucky since we went there when NY was just opening after the pandemic. Adult tickets are around 25.25 usd and children 6-12 yrs old is 14.75 usd. Coming closer to the falls was a surreal moment for me. We were so happy seeing it closer, hearing the rush of water so loud and soaking us wet with its mist. It sure does feel like rain and not mist! haha. Mind you, everyone on the boat was just so happy and excited being there.

Sure be ready to get wet!
Photo taken upon exit from the Maid of the Mist with Ontario on the other side.

CAVE OF THE WINDS

If the Maid of the Mist takes you closer to the falls, the Cave of the Winds would place you at the bottom of the crashing Bridal Veil Falls. Entry is time stamped so one has to book tickets earlier on the trip and will be given a time for entry. Entrance for adults is 14 usd and children is 11 usd. Ponchos are provided just like in Maid of the Mist. You will be entering underground beneath the falls where one will travel back through time with photos of the falls taken years ago. From there, there will be wooden decks going up until the Hurricane Deck where one can experience storm like conditions. It was exhilarating!

Before the storm 🙂
During the storm 😉
After the storm. See the smiles on our faces? 🙂

BIRTHDAY DINNER AT RAINFOREST CAFE

Did I forget to tell that it was also my daughter’s 6th year birthday? The reason why we embarked on this trip actually. And to celebrate it for dinner we went to Rainforest Cafe which was a walking distance from the falls. It was a long wait for us to be seated though so its really best if you come in early.

Got her balloons to play with while waiting
And Tim Horton’s for us while waiting for dinner 🙂
And finally, Dinner 🙂

Also, be sure to check out the falls at night. The lights are amazing!

My photo doesn’t do justice to the amazing light show on the falls.

Going home was as easy as visiting the falls. We just took the same bus to Buffalo and from Buffalo, we made a little detour before hopping on the Greyhound Bus. We took uber to take us to where the original Buffalo Chicken Wings started at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York.

It was such a memorable trip especially after the pandemic. Right now we are on the planning phase of getting to Niagara Falls again but this time on the Canadian side. :))))))

New York, New York

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I haven’t written for a while now, my last post was June of 2018. Almost 4 years of blogging hiatus! Many things had happened since then but first and foremost, 2018 was the year that changed the course of my career. After 9 years of waiting, I finally got the email that we (me and my family) were scheduled for a visa interview at the US Embassy in the Philippines. The feeling was so surreal having your dream unfolding into reality. My American Dream within the grasp of my hands! December 2018 we had to do the medical and interview in Manila and by January 2019, we were on our way to New York- the city that never sleeps. It was a whole new feeling of excitement coming into a whole new world!

Winter Blues. Not much to our knowledge, January in New York is the height of Winter and I hate to admit, we came semi prepared. Hehe. Coming out of JFK we felt that the winter clothes (no offense to Uniqlo) we were wearing is not enough. We were so cold we were having chills! But still, the excitement doesn’t stop.

Starting here isn’t that easy too. Speaking the English language in front of a strangers and your hubby is intimidating at first and often frustrating as you won’t be able to find words to express it. haha. Housing in the city is expensive. For a family of three, we rented a room for 700 dollars , we had no friends or family near but with the help of our very kind land lady we were able to navigate New York with its intricate subway, got US mobile numbers with tmobile, bought thicker winter clothes for low prices. Help got in unexpectedly, a friend of a family sending us clothes, some meeting us for lunch and telling us tips, a high school classmate giving more clothes, meeting an aunt who I remember last seeing was in grade school. Help pouring in every direction. I call this, the new and modern BAYANIHAN. Soon, we were gaining more and more friends, and some we now consider our family here. Eventually we got used to the life here, me being able to adjust with the new work environment, hubby getting a job that he loves and our daughter being able to make new friends at school. We are still adjusting though as it has only been 3 years in a city we now call home. I’m writing this to let my readers (if I have any.lol) know that most of my travel blogs would be from here. 🙂

First timers at the Times Square 🙂

Beautiful Dinagat

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I am at a loss for words to describe what I saw in Dinagat. It was raw and refreshing- like going back to the old times when scenic spots and beaches in the country has not been devoured by mass tourism.

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My inquisitively curious brain got me here in Dinagat. Back to the time when it’s mayor and also the PBMA (Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association) supreme leader, Ruben Ecleo Jr. became notorious for certain charges, I have always thought of coming here and seeing how its founder, Ruben Ecleo Sr., was able to form and organize one of the country’s biggest and most solid sect.

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Dumaguete City And Valencia, Negros Oriental: It’s Always Good To Keep Coming Back

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The City of Dumaguete has its own unique way of charming me. It’s vibrant yet laid-back air makes me want to come here often. And even though Sans Rival Bistro has invaded Cebu, it’s still a different feeling when you dine to the exact place where it all started. The city is a beautiful concoction of urban and rural living. In the morning, the city is silently busy as locals go to work, students go to school or for some, run some errands. The silence slowly dissipates at noon as more and more tricycles (with the place being called the tricycle capital of the Philippines) invade the area bringing with them both locals and tourists. Later in the evening, the center of Dumaguete’s attraction is at the Rizal Boulevard as almost half of the city’s population dine on the lined- up restos, eat balut and tempura at the boulevard or converse and relax while sitting down at the sea wall. This is what a typical day in Dumaguete looks like.

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