Frontier Senior Prom

We had a lot of fun at the Frontier Senior Prom. The day started out sunny and very hot--the group went to the Hyatt Hotel for the dinner and dance. Afterwards we headed for Niagara Falls and a little exploring of Goat Island. We topped-off the evening at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Amherst High School Prom

Had the good fortune of taking nearly 30 people to the Amherst High Prom last weekend. Here are a few of the highlights. Click the arrow button to start the slide show. Click on the caption button to see the comments that accompany the images:

Thank you for choosing Buffalo Limousine! I hope you had as much fun as I did.

More Foreigners find the Falls Fantastic

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend the Falls looked more like the United Nations. I dropped off my group and then parked the Limo Bus. I couldn't park in the main lot (a first, as far as I know), so I had to park on the South end of the island and make my way back to the group. Along the way I saw people from all around the world and from several states.
The Niagara Gazette made note of the large crowds as well:

"Changes in foreign visitors to Niagara
By Don Glynn

Stroll through Prospect Park any day of the week — now that the prime tourist season is under way — and you’ll quickly come to the conclusion that there’s indeed a revolution in tourism.

In the travel industry, they’re known as the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and they’re coming by the bus loads — via the charter flights — to Niagara Falls. At present, it appears visitors from India rank No. 1 of the Big Four.

Not that the natural wonder here has just been discovered by the international set. Foreigners have been a major segment of Niagara tourism for more than a century but the UK no longer leads that list, tourism operators generally agree.

Locally, it’s virtually impossible to track the influx.

A large group from India or China may descend on the state park at any time and they often move swiftly — guided by a tour leader — to a specific attraction or vantage point.

Still, after you’re in the park for a half hour and maybe had a chance to observe the exodus from the Prospect Park tower, you’ll be convinced that some of the 47 million Chinese traveling abroad this year have included the Falls on their itinerary. And visitors from Indian and Pakistan are all around as well.

Of course, there was the credible threat that many Americans had been planning to cut back on their vacations this year because of the high gas prices.

That didn’t happen here, at least over the Memorial Day holiday. In fact, attendance in the state park was up more than 8,000 for the comparable weekend a year ago.

If you check out the license plates in Prospect Park and on Goat Island, you would have found visitors from as far away as Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Oregon — a lot more than a tankful away.

That combination — foreigners and Americans determined to go on vacation despite the gas prices — provided for a good start to the season.

Meanwhile, hoteliers and bed-and-breakfast operators will tell you that many foreign visitors — even some U.S. citizens who think the new passport regulations are already in effect — are reluctant to cross the international bridges because of the unwarranted concern they won’t be allowed to return.

It’s an ironic twist from the days when visitors couldn’t wait to clear customs because they were always told the view was better from that side."

My words of advice to people who are thinking about visiting Niagara Falls...DO IT! The American side, the Canadian side...the cultural attractions all around--there's plenty to do. Be certain to check out the Falls in a chauffeur driven stretch Limousine or Limo Bus from Buffalo Limousine. It's a great way to see the attractions and have a customized agenda.

Fearless Dare Devil to Risk Death at Niagara. But can he get Insurance?

Take a look at this dark video to see an extreme dare devil jump from the top of Niagara Falls to the gorge floor below while holding onto a rope:



The stealthy dare devil in the video is Dean Sullivan. He walked away from that stunt without a scratch, and was able to avoid Parks Police.
Now he wants to go legit. Sullivan would like to leap from the Skylon Tower this summer. His only equipment will be an ordinary climbing rope tethered to the structure. He's already scheduled to leap from a crane to promote a festival in Niagara Falls, Ontario this summer. Plus he'd like to leap out of a helicopter at Niagara as revealed in this article from the Niagara Falls Review:

Skylon Tower spokesman Lee Carr says the jump shouldn't be a problem, so long as Sullivan has the proper insurance. The Skylon has attracted base jumpers before, but no one has ever rappelled off the 160-metre tower. Carr believes it would be a hit with tourists, and a way to utilize the city's daredevil past.

"We have a history," he says. "There is a heritage of stunting in Niagara Falls."

Celebrate Old Downtown has booked Sullivan for two upcoming festivals: Springlicious May 30 to June 1, and the more apt Dare Devil Days Aug. 15 and 16. In addition to rappelling off a 200-foot crane near Queen Street, Sullivan wants to stage his coupe de grace - a 1,000-foot plunge from a helicopter.

Niagara Helicopters operations manager Rene Huessey says the stunt needs approval from Transport Canada and the usual insurance. But someone jumping from a copter with only a rope "won't be an issue."

Celebrate Old Downtown events co-ordinator Shane Sargent says stunting, for better or worse, will be forever linked with Niagara Falls, so why not capitalize on it?

"I don't think the event wants to celebrate daredevils, except we do want to recognize our unique history."

Doing a fully approved stunt will help Sullivan take the next step. Or leap.

"If he's part of the festival, it has to be all legal," says Sargent. "Or we just can't be involved. For his part, if he wants to be a professional that's what he's got to do."

"Every man will die, but very few will live ... that's a good saying. I forget where it came from, but it's true. At least I know I've done a few things in the world nobody else has done. And there's billions of people in this world.

We'll keep you posted on this story. Sullivan is scheduled to jump from a crane during the 'Celebrate Old Downtown' festival May 30-June 1.

Niagara Falls Review - Ontario, CA

Niagara goes "unconventional"

Niagara Falls Ontario continues to build infrastructure giving travelers another reason to stay in the region for more than one day. Planners unveiled the new logo for the convention center, and the Niagara Falls Review was there:

Niagara Falls Review - Ontario, CA

Tell us what you think of the logo

Posted By Corey Larocque

Niagara’s convention centre is borrowing a page from 7-Up. The soft drink company marketed itself once upon a time as the “un-cola” to separate itself from its competition.

Now the Niagara Convention and Civic Centre will promote itself as “unconentional,” putting an emphasis on delivering “unconventional experiences” to thousands of annual delegates.

“We are going to make sure the world knows Niagara Falls has a convention centre,” manager Kerry Painter said at a reception Wednesday to unveil the logo and slogan she’ll use to drum up business.

The logo has a series of coloured, vertical bars depicting “an original and fresh interpretation” of the world-famous falls, a press release states. Two blue, wavy horizontal lines represent the relationship between the falls and the Niagara River.

A crowd of civic and business leaders attended the reception at the Fallsview Casino to see the the logo unveiled to Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” blasted over the sound system.

Sample ads with phrases “Be Unconventional” and “Meet Unconventional” were shown to demonstrate how the “unconventional “ brand could be linked to Niagara attractions like the falls, casinos and golf courses.

The new $105 million convention center is scheduled to open in 2011. It will be built on Fallsview Boulevard near Dunn Street. The convention centre is just one more reason to use Buffalo Limousine for your travel needs in the Niagara region.

Falls Springing to Life

It's an annual rite of Spring for people who live near Niagara Falls, the day workers begin constructing the 'Cave of the Winds' deck. If you're not familiar with this attraction, find out more here; Click here to see a multi-media version of this story.
Here is a bit of Spring coverage from the Buffalo News:

State Parks workers are completing the yearly reconstruction of the Cave of the Winds deck, the season’s first Maid of the Mist boat will be launched Saturday, and tens of thousands of seagulls are mating near the Bridal Veil Falls.

“This is our spring,” State Parks assistant Amy Ortman of Lewiston said.

Thursday, visitors from many countries already were streaming out of the Cave of the Winds tunnel that leads to the bottom of the American and Bridal Veil falls.

The Hurricane Deck is still being rebuilt, so the tourists couldn’t venture to within 15 feet of the drenching base of the falls. They snapped photos of the reconstruction, instead.

They began dismantling the steep, winding deck last Oct. 24 — the same day the Maid of the Mist boats pack it in each season.

“If we didn’t take it down, the whole thing would be crushed by the winter ice,” Siegmann said.

Slabs of ice are still jammed between the boulders at the bottom of the American and Bridal Veil falls.

By mid-May, most of the ice will be gone and the entire Cave of the Winds structure will open."

One of the Maid of the Mist boats was launched today, the others in the fleet will return to the river on Wednesday. The fleet of four boats can accommodate 1,800 passengers at one time. This year it is estimated that 2.5 million tourists will ride this awesome attraction.
If you are headed to Niagara, the Maid of the Mist is a must! Consider taking in all the Falls has to offer by booking a Dare Devil Tour from Buffalo Limousine.

Niagara Guides Now Available

Just in time for Spring, a new Niagara Visitor's Guide is available. The new publication will be given away at key gateway areas to Niagara, as well as through a US-Canadian distribution in newspapers. Here's more on the guide:

“Niagara Seasons” and “Les Saisons” guides highlight Niagara accommodations, Niagara-on-the-Lake wine tours, and so much more! Niagara Falls, ON – April 22, 2008 -Tourism Niagara, a division of Niagara Economic Development Corporation, is delighted to announce that the 2008/2009 edition of “Niagara Seasons” and the 2008/2009 “Les Saisons” are available for visitors looking to experience the best of Niagara Falls, Ontario. The attractive guide highlights Niagara as a destination with experiences that cater to many different interests. The guide has a special emphasis on popular Niagara Falls attractions and services such as the Niagara on the Lake Heritage District and Niagara hotels. The annual visitor guide features articles on topics such as Natural Outdoors with the Welland Canal and Niagara River; Food, Wine & Drink with Niagara-on-the-Lake wine tours; Niagara’s Culture and History; Fun with the Family; and Shopping & Antiquing such as at the Niagara falls outlet mall. This year the magazine’s Festivals and Events section has been expanded with more than 100 events from all of Niagara’s communities.

There are two ways in which you can order a copy of the guide. Call 1-800-263-2988 or contact Gateway Niagara via e-mail at gateway@tourismniagara.com . The publication is free. As always, consider using Buffalo Limousine to take you to all the exciting places and events in Niagara including our winery and scenic tours.