Visiting buffalo

[BillsFan4]

47 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

I get what you’re saying, but it’s not quite that simple. My wife flies to NYC almost every week for work. She leaves 2 hours early for the airport. Sometimes (far too often) the flight is delayed. Once in NYC it’s about an hour to get from LaGuardia to the hotel. Then there is the time in the air (admittedly brief from NY to Buffalo, but about 2.5 hours from ATL). Heck, it takes a good 20 minutes just to get off the plane! 

 

But for that cheap flight I’d make the trip a couple times a year. Catch a play, some nice meals, Christmas season, etc. Her boss would like her to move there. That will NEVER happen. It’s for some people, but not for us. 

 

Laguardia is a nightmare. I only fly into LGA when I have no other choice. I always fly into JFK if at all possible (sometimes it’s not as close as LGA to where I need to go but it’s very easy to get anywhere in NYC from JFK). 

 

I am usually flying on a very tight schedule myself. 

 

I usually have to be headed into the city by about 11am and take a flight that is scheduled to land at JFK somewhere between 8:30 to 10am. I’d say roughly 80+% of the time I have no issues being on time. 

 

There are definitely the odd times that the plane runs late. I find it’s best, if possible, to take one of the first 2 flights of the day. Much less chance they are running behind at that point. 

 

 

Also, If your wife is a frequent flyer and doesn’t already have it, I would highly recommend applying for TSA pre-screening. It’s something like an $85 fee for 5 years. Speeds things up a lot. You don’t have to take off your shoes, coat, belt etc. and you get to skip the main security line to go through a much much shorter line (there’s usually a handful of people in line, at most). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Augie]

3 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

Laguardia is a nightmare. I only fly into LGA when I have no other choice. I always fly into JFK if at all possible (sometimes it’s not as close as LGA to where I need to go but it’s very easy to get anywhere in NYC from JFK). 

 

I am usually flying on a very tight schedule myself. 

 

I usually have to be headed into the city by about 11am and take a flight that is scheduled to land at JFK somewhere between 8:30 to 10am. I’d say roughly 80+% of the time I have no issues being on time. 

 

There are definitely the odd times that the plane runs late. I find it’s best, if possible, to take one of the first 2 flights of the day. Much less chance they are running behind at that point. 

 

 

Also, If your wife is a frequent flyer and doesn’t already have it, I would highly recommend applying for TSA pre-screening. It’s something like an $85 fee for 5 years. Speeds things up a lot. You don’t have to take off your shoes, coat, belt etc. and you get to skip the main security line to go through a much much shorter line (there’s usually a handful of people in line, at most). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She does LGA while her former boss likes JFK from ATL. They go back and forth on that. She’s a Delta flier as we are in Atlanta. She goes to at least one city 3 weeks/month. Pre-check, Global Entry, etc is old news to her. She feels like the Sky Club is her second or third office. She gets pissed when stuck in a city that’s not a Delta hub with a Sky Club! She will land and go there for vegetable soup before leaving for the hotel. For only $500/year, it’s a steal as much as she travels. When I go with her, the free wine and drinks alone will cover it in a few trips! 

[ExiledInIllinois]

4 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I can vouch the line from Albany to Buffalo has one scenic moment along the Mohawk River. The rest of the ride is bupkis. Except the 45 seconds blowing down Main St in Fonda, NY at full speed. That was kind of exciting worrying if we'd hit anyone.

NOT sure why this is popping into my wet noodle, but it is:

 

 

[Buffalo716]

I can personally vouge that they sell some of the best crack east of the Mississippi on Goodyear on the east side

[ExiledInIllinois]

Take a Miss Buffalo Boat Cruise.  Pick it up at Naval Park just outside Erie Basin Marina... Go thru the Black Rock Lock... See where it all sparked joy for me.  LoL... The technology that created Buffalo.  The birth of a city. LoL...

 

 

 

Cross over this bridge (Ferry Street, bascule bridge I believe?) by foot or car and take a walk out into Lake Erie:

 

 

Onto Bird Island Pier, walk under Peace Bridge... Hike out the head of the Niagara River, mouth of the Lake:

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by ExiledInIllinois

[Augie]

7 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

 

 

 

 

Only the mightiest of carp can jump that span! 

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

 

Only the mightiest of carp can jump that span! 

The two elevations are basically the same.  That just creates a calm Black Rock Channel and separates the upper rapids where the Lake rushes into head of river at mouth.  The Asian carp wouldn't need to jump.  Just stay right/starboard side when going downbound into river.  It's like going down a funnel rapids to left, calm right

 

The Black Rock Channel is controlled by the Black Rock Lock.  Its so calm there that the rowing crews practice and race.  The current is almost 0mph.  Other side of that wall... The water is rushing North down the Niagara river at 5mph.  So to make 1 mile per hour up river towards Lake, a boat will have to go 6mph to get out to the Lake from the Upper Niagara.  To get out to Lake via Black Rock Lock & Channel, there is no compensation needed for current and depth.

 

Why you see (or did at one time) the sunken scow under Peace Bridge... Because the Captain took the wrong turn from the Lake.  Hung Left, not right!

 

Also: PSA... Why one should NEVER stern (rear) anchor under Peace Bridge (River side)!  The vessel will flip around in swift current, weigh down and water will rush in over the stern/transom.  The boat will swamp and sink.  ALWAYS bow anchor under the Peace Bridge/Upper Rapids!!!!

Edited July 29, 2019 by ExiledInIllinois

[Mark80]

If I'm here for only one day or so from far away, there's only one must do and it's Niagara Falls.  Do the maid of the mist.  It's something that you can't really do anywhere else in the entire world.  It's amazing.  And as locals we take it for granted way too much.  Everything else mentioned is just filler.

[ExiledInIllinois]

3 hours ago, Mark80 said:

If I'm here for only one day or so from far away, there's only one must do and it's Niagara Falls.  Do the maid of the mist.  It's something that you can't really do anywhere else in the entire world.  It's amazing.  And as locals we take it for granted way too much.  Everything else mentioned is just filler.

The Canadian Side boat is the:

 

"Hornblower"

 

"Cave of the Winds" on the American Side is another Falls activity.

Edited July 29, 2019 by ExiledInIllinois

[BritBill]

In regards to getting to the falls from Buffalo, we intend on getting the number 40 NFTA from downtown.

 

Is the the best/easiest/cheapest was of doing it?

 

Thanks.

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 minute ago, BritBill said:

In regards to getting to the falls from Buffalo, we intend on getting the number 40 NFTA from downtown.

 

Is the the best/easiest/cheapest was of doing it?

 

Thanks.

It's 20 miles.  What would Uber cost?

[BritBill]

Just now, ExiledInIllinois said:

It's 20 miles.  What would Uber cost?

 

Don't know, never used one.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Just now, BritBill said:

 

Don't know, never used one.

Same here.  Wonder what a trip like that costs? 

[BuffaloBud]

Go to the top of Buffalo City Hall.  If you hit the weather right, you'll have an awesome view of the city, waterfront, WNY!

[Ittakestime]

1 hour ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

It's 20 miles.  What would Uber cost?

 

Lots of factors in that.

 

Non uberxl, not during peak hours on Sat, you are probably looking around 40 dollars.  From the train station in depew to niagara falls, it cost a little over 50, but that was uberxl.

[Gordio]

13 hours ago, bbb said:

If you're only going to do one thing, it's GOT to be the Maid of the Mist.  You can't do that anywhere else

 

 

 

Just took my 10 year old daughter & her friend to the maid of the mist last week.  It is simply breathtaking the views.  I haven't done that since I was a kid.  Funny but the falls is almost an after thought to people that live around here but it is truly one of the wonders of this country.  

[BritBill]

1 hour ago, Ittakestime said:

 

Lots of factors in that.

 

Non uberxl, not during peak hours on Sat, you are probably looking around 40 dollars.  From the train station in depew to niagara falls, it cost a little over 50, but that was uberxl.

 

Cheers.

 

A couple of dollars on the 40 remains the choice at this time.

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, BritBill said:

 

Cheers.

 

A couple of dollars on the 40 remains the choice at this time.

I'd rent a car.  One of Winston Churchill's favorite drives was on the Canadian side from Fort Erie (opposite BFLo) to Niagara Falls via the Niagara Parkway.  You'll have your passports, so do the loop around.  Go American Side, take in American Falls.  Cross @ Rainbow Bridge in Falls and take in Horseshoe Falls on Canadian Side.  Drive the Niagara Parkway back south to Fort Erie, cross the Peace Bridge @ BFLo... One of my favorite drives.

 

Good luck... So many choices!!!

Edited July 29, 2019 by ExiledInIllinois

[Seasons1992]

18 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Thanks for the shout out!

 

Not sure if they are still there... Especially in the age of GPS sounding... But if you ever see a survey station mark painted on the Black Rock Channel (where they crew/row on the Niagara Section Wall), the outter & inner breakwaters or the Ship Canal (where you were)... I painted those station marks and built that baseline to sound (take depth readings) the Buffalo Harbor area!

 

The stations are usually marked something like: 1+00, 2+00, etc.. etc... That's how we would sound in the pre-GPS days.  Build baseline, then go off each station w/boat to take sounding.  That data would determine how much the area needed to be dredged and to figure out how much it would cost to remove said spoil (the material removed from bottom).

 

Sadly, my artwork is slowly being erased by time & technology,  nobody is updating those station marks anymore because everything is controlled view the heavens/sky!

 

LoL... You knew I wouldn't disappoint!  ?

 

I did see some marks like those........

 

And a very large ocean freighter was being filled with grain, and it had your avatar on the side of it........or something like it, perhaps altered. Always wondered what that was.

[Marv's Neighbor]

Last year we wanted to see the Falls with the new LED lights.  We got there, and the parking was $9. just to park on the Canada side/.  We did a respectful, slow, drive by and left.