Trip Report: Buffalo/Niagara Falls

Here's a view of the approach yesterday morning into BUF. Buffalo is famous for its snow and there was a bit of it on the ground on arrival. That's the Niagara River in the background and if you look way off in the distance the mist in the air shows you where Niagara Falls is located.

Closer-up view. Those tall buildings towards the rear are hotels in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Virtually no snow here. Buffalo gets it because of its position directly east of Lake Erie where lake effect snow hammers the city every winter.

 

Crossed the border because we were on a mission. The crossing over the river was via the Peace Bridge in downtown Buffalo over to Fort Erie, Ontario.

Ships on the Great Lakes can't use the Niagara River to connect between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario because the Falls get in the way and there is a height difference between the two lakes. Instead, they use the Welland Canal (Lake Erie side pictured at Port Colborne, ON) to traverse the difference via 8 locks that raise and lower the ships.

The Canadian destination: Toys R Us. They still have physical stores in Canada. Unfortunately, the sought-after toy which is sold out in the United States is also sold out in Canada. Those white flakes in the photo are snow flurries.

You know we like our burger lunches and nothing says Canada like Harvey's. They have close to 300 locations throughout Canada. Verdict: Meh. Should have gotten the poutine.