Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl): June 28

Canadian Falls

Winter Harbor Marina

This morning we walked along Queen Victoria Park and the Niagara River to view the falls from the Canadian side. Finding parking that is close to the falls is more difficult in Canada...we finally found a lot that was close to Clifton Hill. This street is like a small amusement park; it contains gift shops, wax museums, haunted houses, video arcades, restaurants, hotels and themed attractions. I guess it would be a fun place with kids. It was a nice morning and we enjoyed our walk to the Table Rock Visitor Center, which is at the top of Horseshoe Falls. It’s hard for me to describe how amazing it is to see these falls, the amount of water that flows over them and the sound it makes…it’s all incredible.

After our visit to the falls we headed to Watkins Glen at the south end of Seneca Lake. Seneca Lake is the largest of the glacial Finger Lakes in New York and the deepest lake entirely within the state. It is promoted as being the lake trout capital of the world. Due to Seneca Lake's unique microclimate it is home to over 50 wineries, many of them farm wineries. On our way down the lake we stopped in Geneva for lunch, we found The Water Street Café, a little diner that looked like it was out of the 1950s. The food was very good, the prices were very reasonable and the staff was very friendly. Our next stop was at the Miles Wine Cellars, a beautiful winery right on the lake. We could have docked our boat and visited this one. This winery is also a brewery, so we did the brew tasting instead of the wine. The grounds were amazing and the beers were very good.

The town of Watkins Glen is very quaint, with a nice little main street full of stores, B&Bs and restaurants. Stan’s quest for this year’s cruising season is to find local brewpubs, and Watkins Glen didn’t let him down. We found a place called The Crooked Rooster Brewpub; their brewery name is Rooster Fish Brewing. Stan said the beer was very good…I had my old standby…Coors Light! We had dinner at a local favorite named Jerlando’s, a cute little Italian place close to our hotel. The restaurant was packed when we got here…which is always a good sign. The food was wonderful.

Part of Clifton Hill