With my plane returning last night I was able to make it to jazz at the bistro today where I heard a Grammy nominee band called Jeff Lorber Fusion. They had a very smooth and easy sound with piano, alto sax, bass, and drums. I'm glad the pianist, Jeff, didn't hurt himself awhile back when he swerved to the road side after hearing one of his songs, Rain Dance, being sampled in a rap by Lil' Kim. He calmed down though, and played us the original version.
"Would Jarode Akbar please present your passport again before boarding the plane; and zone 2 may now board." Last Saturday I flew into Buffalo, NY. I was surrounded by the Niagara hockey team on my way up and saw no end of hockey games, televised during the trip. David was waiting as I got off my delayed plane and we hustled straight to a cultural experience at a pizza shop outside Buffalo. Some day I'll learn the NY accent. We then went down town to the hippest street around but settled for a coffee shop rather than a club; we're just "not the type of guys who fist pound and chuck yeager bombs", we were told by one of the chill Occupy Buffalo protesters. Since the coffee shop closed at midnight we drove around, running into the occupiers out front of city hall. They were very hospitable and fun to talk with, even offering us free power and wifi, but instead we shoved off to find a place to sleep.
Here is one lesson learned: Never sleep in your car in a strip mall parking lot, in front of a vacated dollar general. Invariably an elderly man in a street sweeper will sweep circles around your car at 3:30am, then get out with a broom to sweep under your car. Lesson two: Do not hide and pretend to be asleep in such an awkward situation, then give in and start your car and take off when you see he is actually sweeping under it; while you will be out of his way, making his nightly rounds easier, you will probably surprise the crap out of him. Lesson three: Don't go back to the same spot to continue sleeping. No doubt a taxi and Buffalo news truck will drive into the alley behind the boarded up dollar general for a few minutes and then drive away again. This makes for a very restless night and you'll probably end up driving to Niagara falls just to avoid the kaos. At least the road is empty at that hour. Lesson four: Once in Niagara, do not sleep in the parking spot beside the dumpster in the Holiday Inn's lot. Move at least one spot away, because that spot is reserved for taxi drivers who regularly come there to sleep.
Niagara's falls were awesome. Yes there are multiple of them, each with their own name, and they do exist in the city of Niagara. However there is no waterfall specifically named Niagara; most people see Horseshoe Falls in the photos.
David and I sampled all the activities at Niagara. I wouldn't recommend paying for the official tour. It is expensive and uninformative; you can do everything on your own without a guide. Here are some more photos and I'll try to tell the rest of this epic tomorrow once I've rested more.
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| It can get really misty on the boat ride in front of the falls. You will get drenched! |
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