Niagara Falls and fingerlakes region

Did a few days in Buffalo/Rochester before hitting Niagara Falls followed by driving across the border and on to Toronto last Summer.

Buffalo is cool. Hit some of the famous wing joints. Bar-Bill, Duff’s, Elmo’s, etc. Rochester is take it or leave it.

There’s not much to Niagara Falls outside of the falls themselves and a tourist trap mall next door on the US side. Touristy stuff on the other side too; but, but there is also a casino on the Canadian side if that’s something you like.

Doing a boat tour of the Falls is pretty awesome. You don’t really appreciate the power of it until you are in it.

If wanting the best view of the Falls stay in a hotel on the Canadian side and request the highest elevation possible overlooking the Falls. The view is much more impressive from the Canadian side.

Be aware; the Canadian side is pretty near the Falls; but, it gets a bit gritty once you pass the casino area. Car break ins and petty theft are common. The rental car dealer in Buffalo made a point of making sure our rental had a Canadian tag after learning we were heading across the border. He said a US tag is basically begging for trouble on the Canadian side of the Falls.

A day or two in Toronto is fun. Hit the tower and tour the City. If you are a foodie; Toronto has a hugely underrated culinary scene. It’s one of the most diverse cities I’ve encountered and their food scene has been the benefactor.

You’ll be in a part of the world that has Wegman’s grocery stores. You should go to one if you have time. I’m in Florida so Publix has always been the measuring stick for grocers for me. Wegman’s totally destroyed what positive thoughts I had for Publix. Bigger, cleaner, fricking huge deli, made to order sushi, pizzas, sandwiches and more. The bakery section is incredible. World class cheese selections and Midwest cheap pricing. It has a cult following for a reason.

Spending 5 nights in the Canadian side in St Catherine’s. Couple of nights in Buffalo on either end of the trip. Have a really good tour of the Falls from the Canadian side set up along with a hike behind the Falls. Spending two nights in Candadaguia . Thinking about driving to Saratoga but not sure yet.

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Penn Yann

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Our cottage is about 5 miles south of Penn Yan on Keuka. Are you from the FLX area?

I'm about 1-1.5 hours from the area. I went to the duck egg ice cream place a couple of summers ago when spending a weekend in Watkins Glen.