[vasiliymeshko]

Ok, maybe the title here is little bit too catchy. No I didn't go over the falls in a barrel, or anything like that :D Anyway, I was on a nice trip to Niagara Falls on Monday. Had a chance to go on Maid Of The Mist, as well as on a helicopter ride, so 'Over' should be understood here just like that: 'above, in a helicopter ride'. Of course there was a ton of opportunity for pictures along the way. (There are quite a few of them, so please do hold the comments until I get them all up)

1. I-190 bridge to Grand Island from Tonawanda:
http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/646/33367550.jpg

2. Skyline of Niagara Falls, Ontario from Robert Moses Parkway:
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/873/89689760.jpg

3. I like this angle quite a bit:
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/563/12284524.jpg

4. Another portion of the skyline from Goat Island:
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/5194/30684932.jpg

5. Misty skyline:
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/963/68186792.jpg

[vasiliymeshko]

6. Rainbow Bridge panorama:
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/4825/67537507.jpg

7. Downtown Niagara Falls, Ontario:
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7471/21087252.jpg

8. Skyline from Goat Island pedestrian bridge:
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/4464/88045923.jpg

9. Maid Of The Mist from Horsehoe Falls deck.
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/7695/61649837.jpg

10. Rainbow-on-the-falls:
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/4678/19ahc.jpg

[vasiliymeshko]

11. Getting ready to board Maid Of The Mist:
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/561/93458571.jpg

12. Views from the ship:
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2963/29aw.jpg

13
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/3290/40a.jpg

14. Soaked :drowning:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/3923/12211329.jpg

15. Hurricane Niagara (I doubt anyone would have any temptations to disobey the smoking ban :) ):
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/8007/41am.jpg

[vasiliymeshko]

16.
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/2245/42a.jpg

17.
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/1850/66965567.jpg

18. Even the photos got soaked :)
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/6770/57810117.jpg

19. And now for the most exciting part of the trip, a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls :angel:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/6323/81967523.jpg

20.
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/9775/98998732.jpg

[vasiliymeshko]

21. Higher....
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6779/14440865.jpg

22. Downtown Niagara Falls, NY:
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4438/69148393.jpg

23.
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/695/36111214.jpg

24.
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6701/23138788.jpg

25. ...and higher...
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1584/46040335.jpg

[vasiliymeshko]

26. Seneca Niagara Casino from the air:
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/8943/75422754.jpg

27.
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/5594/99319073.jpg

28. Rainbow Bridge border crossing, and what looks like way too much post 9/11 paranoia in effect (Otherwise how do you explain that Canadian side, a much more popular destination, has nowhere near the traffic jam at its point of entry) Also you can see our takeoff helipad, orange in the middle right:
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/3094/80643122.jpg

29. Aerial view of downtown Niagara Falls, Ontario:
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/940/17405890.jpg

30.
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/3290/94842913.jpg

[vasiliymeshko]

31.
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9000/96401442.jpg

32. Over the Observation deck:
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/4138/42050909.jpg

33. American Falls:
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1452/73132100.jpg

34. Another angle of Niagara Falls, ON skyline:
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/977/32915706.jpg

35. Over Canada:
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/9188/40257331.jpg

[vasiliymeshko]

36. Horseshoe Falls:
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/963/88158891.jpg

37. Niagara Falls, NY. Downtown and beyond:
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/6131/34495801.jpg

38. Another pass over Seneca Niagara Casino (Sim City anyone?):
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/7509/53738210.jpg

39. Casino, Robert Moses Parkway, and the park entrance from it:
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5346/55051289.jpg

40. Rainbow bridge and the Observation Deck:
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5044/86859029.jpg

[vasiliymeshko]

41. Looking towards Canada and a bridge I'm assuming is a part of Niagara Hydro complex:
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/7471/84532956.jpg

42. Low Approach to Horseshoe Falls. Another angle I liked:
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9205/62942511.jpg

43. Back to skyline of Niagara Falls, Ontario:
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9213/26443686.jpg

44. Closer...
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7674/53485472.jpg

45. ...and even closer:
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/5849/53293037.jpg

46. Close encounter with the Skylon Tower:
http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/8912/96699785.jpg

47. Final picture before landing back at the helipad. Started the long return trip back to Wilkes-Barre shortly after that:
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9092/89427978.jpg

At this point our little tour is concluded. Hope you enjoyed the virtual ride:

[KevinFromTexas]

Neat thread. I always thought all the observation towers in one spot looked funny. It's an interesting place.

[Nightsky]

One of the best Niagara Falls threads ever - probably the best!
I noticed many new skyscrapers have been going up on the Canadian side.

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures. I've never done a helicopter tour over Niagara Falls, s it's nice to see what the area looks like from the air.

28. Rainbow Bridge border crossing, and what looks like way too much post 9/11 paranoia in effect (Otherwise how do you explain that Canadian side, a much more popular destination, has nowhere near the traffic jam at its point of entry)

Actually, one side being more crowded than the other is pretty common. This is true for all of the Niagara Crossings. For instance, Saturday mornings can sometimes be packed going into Canada from Buffalo because of Americans getting onto the QEW to spend the weekend somewhere in Ontario. Friday afternoons can be packed going into Buffalo from Canada because of Canadians coming into the U.S. to go shopping.

[M II A II R II K]

That was pretty cool.

[vasiliymeshko]

Glad you guys like it. Meanwhile here is one more image I missed while posting. It belongs somewhere between #45 and 46 in the sequence:
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/4526/87aq.jpg

[whatsthepoint13]

I just love how blue the water looks, so pure.
Fantastic photos!

[photolitherland]

Damn, that is sexy but downtown Niagra Falls looks quite ugly, just a bunch of parking lots with a few buildings here and there. But the photos are pretty damn good. Great thread.

[DallasTexan]

Awesome!!! Makes me miss living in Buffalo-Niagara :(

[Brandon716]

Awesome!!! Makes me miss living in Buffalo-Niagara :(

How long were you in Buffalo? I forgot if it was over a year or what... I was in Portland almost a year, I've officially been in Pittsburgh over a year now, and I may be moving to Buffalo in late October/November now that I'm out of a job again. I've applied for jobs in the Buffalo region, but haven't gotten word back yet.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Whoa, these pics are great. Never saw the falls or cities from those aerial angles before. Bravo and thanks Vasiliy.


btw, is that your Father behind you in pic 11 and more relatives in pic 18?

[vasiliymeshko]

^ My brother is the one with sunglasses in #18. Others are friends that came up on the same day with us

[Millstone]

29. Aerial view of downtown Niagara Falls, Ontario:
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/940/17405890.jpg


no it isn't

[lrt's friend]

That is the Fallsview part of Niagara Falls. A bunch of hotels surrounding the new casino and overlooking the Horseshoe Falls. Not downtown.

[ethereal_reality]

Great thread! Loved the helicopter shots.

Thx for posting them.

[Nite]

29. Aerial view of downtown Niagara Falls, Ontario:
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/940/17405890.jpg


That's not downtown Niagara Falls, ON.

The downtown is 3 km north (right) of this photo.

[MolsonExport]

not downtown. DT NF has no crowds, and plenty of dilapidation.

[MolsonExport]

great photos. but niagara falls, NY is the manifestation of 'paved paradise, put up a parking lot'

[MOTOR]

Yes, the photos are great! NF, Ontario has an interesting skyline. It's too bad each building has a giant "label" at the top. Sure it helps identify the hotels but it looks like crap!

:rolleyes:

[rockyi]

Great shots.
Looks a lot different since I was there last. Naturally when we were there we had to do the Maid of the Mist boat tour. It was fun but a helicopter ride looks like more fun.

[boden]

Boy, you really did go over the falls! Very interesting post! Thanks.

[Dylan Leblanc]

AWESOME photos vasiliy !!! I posted a few of them in the Canadian section to make sure the guys there see them - http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=163051&page=24

That tall hotel is now the tallest in the country.

[simms3]

Awesome photos. I can't tell, did you make it to the Canadian side? And if so did you ride that little uphill tram by the casinos? I loved the old parts of Niagara Falls, ON and some of the bars :) (Got kicked out of Boston Pizza and found a much better local bar). However, Niagara Falls has to be one of the tackiest, hoakiest places on earth!

[Robert Pence]

Wonderful tour! I was there in 2000, but didn't do the boat tour or a helicopter ride. Seeing your photos makes me wish I had.

At street level, Niagara Falls, NY looked pretty run-down and desolate when I was there and there wasn't much tourist traffic. Niagara Falls, ON, though, was packed.

I had my bike with me, so I just parked and used it to get around the various sites. It was really handy, especially at the border crossings; I just walked it through the pedestrian gate, avoiding the lines of traffic.

It looks like the Maid of the Mist tour really lets one feel the full power of the falls.

[MikeOnt]

is getting on the roof of Seneca Niagara Casino as easy as it looks?