Syracuse, NY - Ice Ice Baby!!

Syracuse is a town in Italy (the name tells right!!), whose name has been adapted for this city in upstate New York, which has become famous for more than one reason. It's extremely cold in winters, its very very hot in summers, it has Syracuse University, its sports team performs very well (now please do not ask me if its basket ball.. base ball or something else, I only know the sports team is good here... no clue of which one!). Its most famous residents are - hold your breath - Richard Gere and Tom Cruise (It doesn't make any difference to me, but still it is exciting  fun fact!!)

The first ever picture of Syracuse which I took was that of a bird's eye, from the flight. I was expecting a lot of cold (who doesn't in January) since it was my first time, but it was just the same like Delhi in winters that day, when I landed. A mere cold jacket did it!!

The Bird's eye view of Cuse from flight

I could not leave my camera behind although we were just going to Walmart (again my first time ever), so I went inside to take some pics of American shopping center, but was disappointed, because Delhi also has them now a days, nothing new (I was actually disappointed, huh!!). I would never take pics of Big Bazaar, hence, Walmart was discarded. But the months of Jan, Feb, March and then Nov, Dec of the same year provided me with what I can never forget - the most picturesque snow (and why it wouldn't be, after all it was my first time ever with snow and ice and there after, I never liked snow again, hahaha..). It snows heaven and hell... cats and dogs there....
If you are new there, snow would look gorgeous.. beautiful, but after somedays, it gets absolutely tiresome (believe me, been there, felt that!!).

Snow fall in Syracuse - the first that I witnessed

329 Roosevelt Ave, Syracuse - my first ever home in USA

The most beautiful scene that anyone can see in the snow time is a snow covered tree. The snow acts as a lining on the linear leaves and branches and the whole image  is absolutely marvelous. See it to believe it. 

Snow covered trees - My most favorite subjects when snow falls!!

Hailing from India, I never saw colorful houses like I found in Syracuse. Umpteen number of colors like Blue, Red, Green, Orange or anything else. They did make an instant impression, once covered with snow. 

 

Contrasting white and other colors

14th February is celebrated all over the world, no one forgets that date, and neither would I ever forget 14th Feb, 2007. Syracuse received a snow storm like not many times before. I was told (unsure of whether it is right or wrong) that the university never closes itself in spite of any amount of snow, but it closed that day!! The offices were closed, university was closed, only a few places like food courts were functional (I was working in one of them that day and I so hated my life but the instant I came out to see the snow and started taking pictures while walking to work, I could not have been more happier!!). It was one of those days which I can never forget. I have never seen so much of snowfall ever again in my stay till date. 

Images of 14th Feb 2007 - one of the heaviest snowfalls I ever saw. 

My memories of snowfall include excitement, unbelievable expressions of wilderness, snowmen, shoveling around snow, trying to not slip on the icy roads, layers and layers of clothing, heavy shoes, wet university hallways, hot Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, glazing sunlight over snow, cold wind, frost coming out of mouth at anytime of the day and so many more things. 

Our first Snow man - courtesy Raji and Pradnya in March 07.. believe me your hand freezes badly in the process of making it, but do try it. Its fun!!

The first snow fall of the winter season of 07-08, in November. I love the way snow settled in forming clear sheets on roadways. 

Looking back to those days, I try to remember whether the first experiences with snow were good or bad. I cannot judge. But I can only say I neither have happy nor sad memories of life in snow, they were just different and I am only thankful that I saw those days!!

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, New York, USA - My first international destination and the only tourist place that I have been to twice, but the beauty never ceased to amaze me. Luckily, I have been to Niagara in both summer and fall seasons. The same falls, the same location - but the colors were so different making the trip special the second time also. 

Being in Syracuse NY, it was an easy destination to drive and come back in the same day. But the trip to falls is definitely a day long trip because there are different things to see at different times. Depending on one's interests, sometime an entire day might as well be short duration to cover up. 

Niagara Falls - American Falls,  Bridal Falls and Horse Shoe falls

Where ever you drive from, Buffalo is a connecting place to the Niagara falls and the Niagara river is seen flowing besides quietly.  It is not very difficult to figure out when you are nearing the Niagara falls. The river gushing speedily to fall is very evident and the noises also get very prominent. 

Niagara River before it "Falls"

The first and the most obvious location once you reach the falls is the Prospect Point Park Observation tower from which the American falls are visible and the immediate roads and skyline of Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada can also be seen (which look much better in the night time). 

American falls as seen from the Prospect Point

 

The Rainbow bridge connecting USA and Canada passing over Niagara Falls

There are two most popular tourist attractions in Niagara falls - The Maid of the Mist and The Cave of the Winds. Both awesome and stunning in their own sense. The Maid of the Mist is a boat ride which takes you in the interiors of the falls - esp in to the Horseshoe falls which are more inclined towards Canada. The American falls and Bridal falls are also covered but the immense density of the Horseshoe falls makes the heart skip a beat for sure.

Prospect Point Observation Tower, right from the ground level of Maid of the Mist

The American Falls as seen from the Maid of the Mist

The Maid of the Mist takes about 40 minutes and unfortunately, most of the time is lost in taking perfect pictures than just admiring the beauty (at least for crazy people like me!!), but the experience is nevertheless splendid. The force and the power with which the falls fall is certainly intimidating (considering the fact that some people do rope walking and film shooting over Niagara). After the 40 minute ride people usually tend to go the second tourist destination, called the Cave of the Winds, which is about a mile or so, by walk.
You can once again capture the flow of Niagara river (right before becoming the falls) while walking around the river for Cave of the Winds. There are places in between where you just sit around the river and touch the water and play with it (but carefully please, do not let children go unattended!!). The whole river flow is very dramatic, with the background of colorful trees (in fall season) and crystal blue waters of the river. 

Niagara river cruising towards the Bridal falls

The tip of the Bridal Veil falls

Bridal Veil falls are the smallest of the three falls that make up the Niagara Falls.There is an elevator that takes the people down to the deck and people can then walk to the base of the falls and experience how it feels standing right at the receiving end of the falls. The speed of the water and wind can make it quite of a sensational electrifying experience.

At the base of the Cave of the Winds

Rainbow formation is a common (near permanent) occurrence in Niagara falls, observed both at the Maid of the Mist and the Cave of the Winds, adding more excitement to the children and adults alike. 

Rainbow formation at Niagara Falls

The summer trip of mine started late in the afternoon, so we could not go to the Cave because they close pretty early in the evening, around 4 30 - 5 00 PM. So, instead we went to have some snacks and see what we found - 

There are a lot of Indian restaurants in Niagara falls and of course many more cuisines, but the overwhelming part was that, since Niagara was my first destination outside Syracuse, NY, I was surprised to see the number of Indian restaurants around (the excitement did not last long, because then I went to New Jersey in a couple of months). 

Post Evening meals, during my first trip, we had no time left to visit the Cave, so we went forward to the other attractions of the city like casinos and other gaming arcades. There is also a Hard Rock Cafe, for those who absolutely love it. A walk in the Niagara city itself is pretty nice, since it is a tourist city, there is a lot of glitz in the place, some (rather expensive) shopping destinations with the sovereigns of Niagara all over.  What you (absolutely) do not want to do is - feel content with the Niagara Falls you just saw because the spectacular part is yet to come. People wander off in the evening time and return to the falls at around 8 30 PM - 9 00 PM because at night, Niagara falls is all decked up with colors. Sometimes there is a single color or sometimes, a whole range of complementing colors, but whatever it is, color covered Niagara is definitely a breathtaking view. 

The only hitch to view the falls on the American side is that you cannot see it fully, as it can be seen from the Canadian side. We did not understand the logic behind the fact that Canadian side of Niagara is more beautiful than American side till the night lights happened, but nevertheless, what we saw here was also an exceptional experience. 

No prizes for guessing why Niagara falls is a favorite tourist spot for visitors. A visit to the Niagara is definitely a memory no one would want to forget. The Maid of the mist and the Cave of the winds are generally closed in the winters and they get opened again in summer and stay till fall, so make sure (if you have not seen it yet) to mark one vacation spot next time for Niagara Falls. 

Have a good day,
Raji (the traveller)!!