On the Road – Selfie Magnets, Swing Sets, Lost Tourists and More
November 26, 2023
Highlights and lowlights from yesterday’s bus trip to the Falls:
1. Despite the early hour, an unshaven middle-aged dude sauntered up to the Fairview Mall bus stop while chugging down a beer. When finished with the beer, he lit up a cigarette.
2. In the stall in the washroom at the Niagara Falls Bus Terminal, a homeless guy had spread out all his worldly possessions over the floor. Among those possessions was an aerosol paint can.
3. Off-color scenes around downtown that I suspect don’t quite make the tourist brochures:
4. Free sock . . .
5. Hello, my name is Dipshit and I’m here to help you today . . .
6. No thank you . . .
7. New selfie magnets around town . . .
8. I still appreciate living in a part of the world where people have to be reminded to lock their car . . .
9. Gay signs . . .
10. Standing on the sidewalk on Victoria Avenue was a drug dealer waving down passing motorists to try to peddle his products. But unlike the drug dealers wearing white coats, I suspect he wasn’t trying to convince his would-be customers that his products were for their health.
11. Inside and outside the government ATM otherwise known as Fallsview Casino:
12. No, it’s play for the government . . .
13. A glove to keep the pole warm . . .
14. Spotted at Table Rock was someone wearing a Bomber toque. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the SPRM continues to follow me around.
15. Walking around Table Rock, I wondered why they bother putting signage in English since I heard very little of it being spoken.
16. Video walkthrough at Table Rock:
17. Someone taking a picture of his flask using the falls as a backdrop. Call it a hunch, but I suspect this is one of many who has a serious drinking problem.
18. Niagara Falls: Selfie capital of the world . . .
19. A light coating of ice at Terrapin Point on the good side of the river . . .
20. Despite the presence of so many garbage receptacles around Table Rock, so many just toss their junk over the railing instead . ..
21. The presence of these newly installed swing sets is, well, unclear. Anything to amuse the tourists, I suppose.
22. Look at me! I just spent $80 for a 30-second thrill!
23. Free beer . . .
24. I feel for the youngster who lost his furry friend . . .
25. Air and repair becomes wreck and vandalize . . .
26. At the Niagara Falls Bus Terminal, two women in their late 20s got off the Megabus from Toronto and went up to the counter, asking in broken English how to get to the falls. When told they each needed a $12 24-hour pass for the WEGO sucker bus and that they had to pay in cash, they went to the white label ATM inside the terminal because they weren’t carrying any. Later, they went back, explaining that they had come from Quebec and asked about how to book the Megabus for their return trip. After being told that they could book online, they asked how long they should stay and how long it takes to see all the major attractions.
So let me get this right. You spend one or two full days of travel to go somewhere, have no idea how to get back and have no clue as to how long you want to stay or what you want to do while you’re there. And don’t carry any cash for your trip. Sounds like a plan. Or not.
27. That bus terminal is in serious need of maintenance. The water fountain was again out of service, one of the urinals was broken, only one of the two hand dryers worked, the washroom is covered in graffiti and one of the seats was busted. Hardly a warm welcome for visiting tourists in a city that relies on them.
28. Boarding the GO bus at the Niagara Falls Bus Terminal was a Hamilton-bound woman in her mid 40s who took off her backpack and said she needed to find her ticket. She rummaged around for a while, then set her backpack on the ground and went through it for several minutes before telling the driver she lost it. A likely story. But she got away with evading fare, a favorite sport in the Old Country, as the driver told her to take a seat.
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