Last night we returned from a four day odyssey to the paradox that is Niagara Falls. Never before have I experienced such wondrous beauty and nauseating commercialism in such close proximity to one another. I have returned with a serious case of sensory whiplash.
Rejuvenating!
Revolting!
Awe inspiring!
Stomach churning!
It is almost inconceivable that a people could ruin something as naturally beautiful as Niagara Falls by wrapping it up with gaudy tourist traps and tying it with a neon bow — but that’s exactly what those Canadians did.
We went with our friends Doug and Mo and their brood, an arrangement which we all agreed was a total coup for both the kids and the grown-ups, mostly because we would not have survived left to our own familial devices. Even with our cheerful, intrepid group, there were times when throwing myself or one of the brothers over the falls was a consideration.
(Seriously, it would have been easy. There are, like, no barriers that couldn’t be scaled by a five year old). Yet, all it took was a joke or a smile from an adult other than my husband to get me back on track. 
I imagine the same held true for the others. And we all remained on our best behavior despite the fact that we had been dropped into the middle of Twin Peaks episode for much of the week. (On two separate nights we dined in restaurants where we were the ONLY customers. Also on two separate occasions our food was served frozen in the middle. Eek.)
Interestingly, the exact same elements that were so distasteful to the grown-ups were the ones that made the trip AWESOME for the kiddos. 
They couldn’t get enough of the arcades, chintzy souvenir shops and chain restaurants. I am happy to say that we managed to avoid the germ infested indoor water park, the $20 photo of the family going over the falls in a barrel, and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum. Yet, we were suckered into the video arcade, the IMAX movie, and the requisite souvenirs that were cited as the “BEST EVER” but will be relegated to the basement, goodwill or the trash can within the year.
We did make it up to Niagara on the Lake which was a refreshingly beautiful little town just 20 minutes outside “the strip”. We spent a precious few hours there as the kids proclaimed the charming shops and cafes to be “boring”. We rewarded them for their “patience” with … more arcade time. No shame at this point in the trip.
My final takeaway: The power of this nautral blue wonder is indeed amazing but after about four hours you are in need of some serious relief. Do I need to go back and do it again? Not so much. Am I glad that we went? Absolutely. Chalk the trip up to a check off our bucket list with good friends and a chance for us all to see something pretty cool. Even if the coolest thing the kids think they saw was the glass elevator at the hotel.
