Well hello, it's been a while!
If you've been following along on the interwebs or in real life, you know there was a LOT going on in my life-- an elopement, a honeymoon, a honeymoon hangover, a new puppy, and the joys of seasonal affective disorder. I have so much I want to write about that it's almost overwhelming, hence the lack of any sort of writing whatsoever. I am, however, determined to share some of the highlights of the last half a year (!!!), and what better way to do that than with the most recent?
Last weekend, Shelley and I took Friday off and headed up to Niagara Falls, New York. I still don't have a passport, but we had been to the falls a few years ago in the spring and wanted to see them in the winter. The trip is a relatively short four hour drive compared to the sixteen hour jaunts we usually go on, so it was perfect for a quick weekend getaway.
We stayed in a hotel called The Giacomo-- a find we scored on Airbnb that promised a newly renovated-but-true-to-its-1920s-origins vibe, a view of the falls, and a suite with a kitchen and morning room service.
Well.
This place didn't even have a microwave. The view was a lovely side of the Quality Inn across the parking lot because we were on the THIRD FLOOR, so no falls. The room service breakfast was all pre-packaged and $10 extra a person, and it took us until Saturday morning to notice that the blanket we slept with had definitely a lipstick stain and also something that could have been either coffee or pee. I spent the next night without a blanket! The highlight was the shower-- the bathroom was newly done, clean, provided terrycloth robes, and was bigger than the room. So, don't stay there.
On Friday we went to the falls in the afternoon and it was SO COLD I wore my mask just to keep my face warm, but it also was so gorgeous! The ice and slush in the rapids leading to the falls took our breath away, and the sunlight caught in the water and produced a rainbow, which made my day (I've always loved rainbows because I grew up on The Care Bears).
Friday night we had reservations to go to a place called Savor. We had been there during our previous trip, and it's a great deal. It's the restaurant attached to the culinary school there, and so you could get bread, an appetizer or salad, an entree, and dessert for $25-- and it's delicious, fancy food! We had a couple of drinks and dinner, and were dismayed to find out it wasn't open Saturday because we definitely would have gone back for dinner again. Their black and blue burger was great and the toffee dessert was divine. Plus, even though we were considerably overdressed compared to everyone else there, it was still nice to get dressed up for the first time in months.
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| Niagara Falls |
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| All gussied up |
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| I did love the Giacomo's lobby |
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| Dessert at Savor! |
Saturday was hilariously full of mishaps. The Canadian side of the falls was bumpin'-- lights, restaurants, a Ferris wheel (?!?!?), and even behind the falls tours. The American side? Not so much.
It had snowed overnight and none of the roads were plowed. With the wind chill (and Lord, it was windy (Draco almost blew away)) it was below zero. We explored the waterfalls a bit, took a walk, realized pretty much everything was closed, and grabbed a pizza from a place called Goodfella's. It was good greasy pizza and they use the crumbly sausage, so they got my seal of approval.
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| Sad room service |
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| me & Draco |
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| Rainbow Falls |
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| The ice was no joke! |
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| Shells |
Saturday night we were going to listen to the live music in the hotel lounge, but more false promises were made and after the mediocre drinks from there the day before, we decided instead to check out this little wine bar we found online called Wine on Third. We got dressed up and drove out there on the snowy roads (thank goodness we have an SUV). We were some of the first people there, and our server brought Shelley an old fashioned and me a glass of Bordeaux. And that's it.
We sat there
And sat there.
And sat there.
FOR AN HOUR! It picked up a bit in there, but not enough that at no point we could have gotten a refill or put in a food order. So when she finally passed us to go to the back room, we got her attention and asked for the check. We spent the next 30 minutes driving through the area trying to find any place that was open for dinner and just cracking up about how ridiculous it is that at home all there is to do is eat. You can't drive more than a minute without finding some place to sustain yourself. There? Nothing.
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| More lobby shots |
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| That golden hour glow! |
We went back to the room and found out that Draco had Shawshanked himself out of his crate and was waiting at the door to greet us. All in all, we were more than ready to pack up and head home. A highlight, though, was seeing the falls at night. That was a huge reason I wanted to go in the first place, and it was coooold but it did not disappoint. It was worth it, and so misty it was like we got to ride the Maid of the Mist anyway.
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| Pretty sure I have this same picture from my 8th grade trip... |
Sunday we left early and drove through North East, stopping off at a couple of wineries fo some tastings (I will always recommend the Winter Pear wine from Heritage Wine Cellars). We also took a little stroll on Lake Erie, which was frozen solid in parts.
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| Strolling on Lake Erie |
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| Lake Erie |
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| Presque Isle |
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| Draco, in flight |
The bright side: In the moment, it was sometimes frustrating and sometimes hilarious, but overall we had fun. We bonded, got a lot of time to talk, and got to enjoy the fresh air.
The moral of the story: if you go to Niagara Falls in the winter, either have a passport so you can eat in Canada or pack a picnic so you don't starve.
