Hello From Niagara Falls Ontario An Uplifting Experience Part II

A modern glass-enclosed           180 metres of walkways snake       pavilion opened in 1996         through the conservatory,          holds a gift shop and a         surrounded by an impressive        climate controlled tropical           tropical forest. Butterflies       biotope that holds more than 2000     flutter all over the place, sit    butterflies. On this cold winter      on the glass windows, on the       day, a little reprieve inside a       walls and on several feeding       warm and colourful sanctuary like     stations that feature colourful    this was just what the doctor         plates with oranges on them. In    ordered. A 7-minute video             fascination I watched some of the  provides an introduction to the       butterflies eat, who actually do   butterflies and plants housed in      not use a chewing mouth, but       the Conservatory.                     rather a structure that is                                               reminiscent of a sucking straw     After taking off my jacket I          which allows them to ingest        walked inside the conservatory        nectar, pollen and fruit juices.   and was immediately enchanted by                                         the fluttering brightly coloured      After having spent almost an hour  creatures that were coming at me      in this tropical retreat I was     from all angles. Some of the          ready to venture outside again     roughly 45 butterfly species on       and started driving back into      display include the brownish          town on the Niagara Parkway which  Magnificent Owl, the Blue Morpho      was peaceful and quiet on this     (featuring an almost neon blue        sunny yet cold winter day. I       wing surface), the orange and         stopped at the Whirlpool Aero      black Queen, the yellow and black     Car, a cable car that was built    Zebra Longwing, and the               in 1913 by a Spanish engineer and  intricately patterned red, orange     that has been a fixture among the  and black Red Lacewing.               popular tourist sites in Niagara                                         Falls, Ontario since 1916. During  winter the entire complex is          which is a 24-hour upscale diner   closed, but from about mid-March      that features fresh foods in a     to mid-November the cable car         casual ambiance. The decorating    offers a perfect aerial view the      theme at The Famous is inspired    treacherous Whirlpool Rapids          by Art Deco, and a huge globe      about 150 feet (more than 40 m)       suspended from the ceiling         below. The view towards the           represents the major attraction    American side of the Niagara          in this stylish eatery. The menu   River and towards the Robert          features a variety of all-day      Moses Generating Station in           breakfasts, omelettes, fruits and  Lewiston, NY, is outstanding.         salads, soups, hamburgers, hot                                           and cold sandwiches, various meat  Well, I had not eaten since I had     and fish entrees and desserts.     left Toronto early this morning,                                         so by now I was dearly in need of     Frank Scordino, one of the         a late lunch. I drove back into       co-owners, joined me for a bit to  town and decided to park in the       give me more information about     Fallsview Casino Resort, a $1         his dining establishment.          billion entertainment, hotel and      Together with Robert Sniderman     gaming complex that was opened in     (son of Toronto’s famous Sam       2004. Parking during the week is      Sniderman of “Sam The Recordman”   free and offers one of the most       fame) he owns the Senator, one of  convenient ways to access the         Toronto’s most well-known fine     great falls. I walked upstairs        dining establishments. His         onto the main floor which             business partner Robert, an avid   features the Galleria shopping        world traveller, picked up the     concourse and a variety of dining     globe during one of his            options.                              international excursions and made                                        it the visual anchor point of      I stopped off at “The Famous”,        their Niagara Falls                establishment.                        But my adventures weren’t over                                           yet: I was yet to experience the   When I asked him about what makes     Niagara Falls Festival of Lights,  “The Famous” unique, Frank said       highlighted by a personal tour of  that everything is freshly made       the Illumination Tower which       on site, “nothing is bought in a      creates the nightly light effects  box”. Even the famous cream pies      on the waterfalls, followed by a   and cakes are all made on site,       my first real magic show.          and celebrities such as Regis                                            Philbin and Wayne Newton have all     My first exposure to Niagara       stopped in here during their          Falls had definitely been an       trips to Niagara Falls, Ontario.      uplifting experience…              My stomach was really happy when                                         my lunch arrived and I enjoyed my                                        hearty potato leek soup as well                                              align="center">                    About the Author: Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions. Travel and Transitions deals with travel to foreign countries and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travelers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. Check out some of Susanne's several hundred video clips at http://www.youtube.com/user/travelandtransitions Published At: www.Isnare.com