Over the River LXXXVII
March 19, 2025
Highlights and lowlights from my 87th two-wheeled trek to the Great State of New York:
1. Upon boarding the #45 Niagara Region Transit bus at Fairview Mall, I presented my 10-ride card to the driver, who punched a hole in one of the dots which had already been scratched. So I was able to ride like a Winnipegger. Maybe it was Customer Appreciation Day at NRT. Or some sort of frequent rider discount. Whatever the case, it marked the second time a 10-ride card of mine had become an 11-ride card.
2. Take advantage of this “clearence” sale . . .
3. This is apparently still a thing in the Great State of New York . . .
4. Upon taking a seat at Amy & Co., I listened as an older couple began talking about a girl down the road who had been taken hostage and raped. Later, they spoke about a big fight at the corner of 26th and Pine. The guy had seen and read the details on Facebook.
The guy went on to talk about all his old hockey and football cards and wondered what kind of value they may have had. But things were way too out of control with the money, he said. He noted that friends of his in Youngstown had a big St. Patrick’s Day party and it was packed.
Another couple then came in. When asked how they were, the woman responded, “Tired. I pressed the snooze button way too often this morning.” She didn’t like the chilly weather when she left the house either. “This cold felt like we were back in winter again,” she said. After telling the clerk that he normally gets up at 5:00, he said that this morning, he was already up at 4:45. He went on to say how much he liked the blast of smell he got when he came in. “I used to go to Tim Hortons,” he said. “But it’s not like coming here.” They proceeded to order two breakfast sandwiches, two muffins and two coffees along with a chicken salad sandwich for his lunch, which, in total, set them back $31.00.
Once they left, the older woman behind the counter wearing a red hoodie with the slogan “Buffalo vs. Everybody” sat down and began talking to the guy. She said her daughter was an attorney and she still can’t get her head around the fact that she’s worked for 13 years and hasn’t made as much as her daughter makes in a year. Her daughter will be 35 this year and she got a better offer at a different firm, but her boss matched it. The guy went on to lament how he doesn’t know what gifts to buy his children anymore. “They’re getting older and they don’t like toys,” he said. Though he lives in Lewiston, he said he was originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario and has lived in WNY for 35 years now.
Before I left, Amy’s father came in. “Here comes trouble,” they all said. He said his basement is leaking and fills up with water every time it rains. He’s tried going through the Yellow Pages, but no one wants to take a look at it until it dries up. Lewiston Guy said that when he does finally get someone, the repairs are going to be costly.
5. An evening of compassion™. Something our former mayor would appreciate.
6. Perched outside the welcome center in the state park was a woman holding up a sign “Homeless. Lost everything in a house fire.” Clever ruse to get tourists to part with their money.
7. After spending big bucks on the new all-gender washrooms in the welcome center, the state has reversed course and separated the washrooms for men and women. There is new signage to that effect and inside, there’s a wall between the two halves. The Rainbow Mafia clearly backed down, no doubt after many complaints. Slowly, but surely, this is a battle the good guys are winning.
8. While I was waiting for the GO bus at the Niagara Falls (Canada) bus terminal, some Asian guy went up to a cab driver and asked him how much he would charge to take him to some place in Allanburg near the jail, giving him detailed directions on where he wanted to go. After the driver told him the expected fare, Asian Guy said he wasn’t going there now and that he was going somewhere else, then proceeded to board the approaching GO bus.
9. On the 420 near the QEW, the driver of a white Kia van nearly sideswiped the front end of the GO bus as he changed lanes to his left, earning a loud and prolonged honk from the bus driver.
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