Canada Day in Niagara Falls

Over eight years, a long time ago in kid years, Bhavna, the kids and I vacationed in Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. It was a vacation with extended family; my two sisters-in-law, their kids, and one set of my nephew's grandparents. Niagara Falls was our first-ever extended family vacation and our second international trip.

I just rediscovered the images, which I had never posted to this blog until now. Sometimes It takes me a long time to get around to things. I don't remember all the details, but I reconstructed the trip below based on the notes I had put in the image description field in Adobe Lightroom.


After a day of driving, we arrived at our hotel, the Embassy Suites by Hilton Niagara Falls. Our room was on one of the top floors facing Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls Funicular
Niagara Falls Funicular | 1 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

The Embassy Suites by Hilton Niagara Falls was about a 20-minute walk along the streets of downtown Niagra Falls at the top of the hillside from Niagara Falls Park. However, for practicality and to reduce the complaints from the smaller kids, we purchased a day pass to use the incline lift. The lift takes about 5 minutes to get down the incline, including the wait time in line. The ride is a type of railway transport called a funicular. A funicular uses cable-driven cars to connect the points along a steep incline, using two counterbalanced passenger cars attached to opposite ends of the same cable, looped over a pulley at the upper end of a track.

The area overlooking the Horseshoe Falls was quite crowded given the holiday weekend, but we did manage to squeeze in a few family photos. After a few snapshots, we ventured to tour the park, starting with the Journey Behind the Falls. The ponchos are an indication of how "wet" everything was.

1 July, 2012 | NIKON D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
1 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

We continued our tour of the park with a walk down near the foot of Horseshoe Falls. It was like standing near a giant sprinkler.

1 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

We waited until our second day to ride on the Maid of the Mist. The rainbows, caused by light reflecting off the ever-present mist in the air, can be seen from almost any vantage point around the park.

Maid of the Mist
Maid of the Mist | 1 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

We took a break to get some dinner at Elements on the Falls before walking over to the field to lay out some blankets and claim a spot for fireworks. Families and friends were spread out across the lawns.

1 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
1 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

We visited Niagara Falls just in time to celebrate Canada's Independence Day. The fireworks started around 10 PM. Thousands of people gathered in the Queen Victoria Park for the fireworks on July 1st, Canada Day. While fireworks lit the sky over the falls, large coloured lights illuminated the water pouring out from Horseshoe Falls. It was an impressive light display.

Canada Day Fireworks
Canada Day Fireworks | 1 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

The next day after a leisurely continental breakfast at the hotel, we walked down to the falls for more family photography.

Mehta-Patel-Williams | 2 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Cousins | 2 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Williams | 2 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

On the agenda for the day was a ride on the Maid of the Mist. I stowed my Nikon camera away to prevent moisture from wrecking my gear, inserted my iPhone into a waterproof case, and donned a blue plastic poncho to keep myself dry. As we got closer to the Horseshoe Falls, I felt a strong wind with water coming from all directions.

2 July, 2012 | NIKON D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

The spray from the falls was everywhere. I am so happy I put the Nikon away. Despite the ponchos, we were soaked.

After the Maid of the Mist ride, we walked around looking for other things to do. There was no lack. I started to realise that Niagara Falls was a prominent tourist trap.

Tourist trap | 2 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

We walked to the Bird Kingdom where we were able to occupy the kids for several hours.

Birds of the Forest
Birds of the Forest | 2 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G
New Guinea "Goura" pigeon
New Guinea "Goura" pigeon | 2 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G

After everyone was in bed, I snuck out with my tripod for some blue hour photography. I was tired from walking around on our second, but I wanted to explore some of the paths ways I could see from my hotel room. I wandered off with my camera and trip along the footpath from my hotel and through the grounds of the Falls View Casino. I walked over to the footbridge over Murray Street.

Falls View Casino Resort
Falls View Casino Resort | 2 July, 2012 | NIKON D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

These were all shot as long exposures (1 to 15 seconds) at different apertures on my Nikon and then combined in Photomatix Pro to create an HDR image.


The next day we walked around the area for a bit before the younger kids were bored, so we drove to the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture. We spent most of the time at the Butterfly Conservatory.

Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture | 3 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture | 3 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

Queen Alexander Birdwing Butterfly was everyone's favourite. If I remember correctly, the naturalist explained that this species was on a protected species list.

Queen Alexander Birdwing Butterfly
Queen Alexander Birdwing Butterfly | 3 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

After dinner, we walked downtown to the noise and lights. We had promised the kids some amusement and candy.

Dinosaur Adventure Golf
3 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

I had to have a photo with Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla was the genius who gave us alternating current, which Edison tried to discredit. In comparison, Thomas Edison was nothing more than a businessman who patented or took credit for other people's genius.

Nikola Tesla | 4 July, 2012 | Nikon D40 | AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

Atlantis

A decade ago, Bhavna, Shaan, Kiran and I took a family vacation to Paradise Island, Bahamas. We stayed at the Atlantis Resort. It was our first family vacation, and I was nervous about messing it up. I wanted the family to have a comfortable flight, have no worries about getting from the airport to the resort, and have no concerns about what to do once we were at the resort.

It turned out better than I expected. Despite a very early start to our day - we had to arrive in Philadelphia two hours before the 6 AM flight to the Bahamas - we had no issues with our trip. The resort bus met us at the airport, and we enjoyed a relaxing scenic drive to the resort. Our suitcases were taken to the room. When I opened the window to look out, I was presented with this open vista.

We arrived just afternoon and had lunch at an American-style diner. In New Jersey, where almost every township1 has a restaurant, the experience is a more petite package and more of a neighbourhood gathering place. You get to know the owner, the staff, and the "regulars". The Atlantis version of a diner felt "off" to me, but we ordered and enjoyed our "diner" food.

Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas * Nikon D40 * AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

After the first few days, the kids and I fell into a pattern. Get up, and eat breakfast of eggs, bacon, fruit, and pancakes. Then back to the hotel room to change into our swimsuits. We would spend an hour in the nearest swimming pool, then an hour on one of the water rides, back to the swimming pool for another hour, then have a poolside lunch, then back to one of the water rides, then to the beach, then back to water ride, etc. We were on vacation time. No work. No scheduled events. Just playtime all day.

By the later afternoon, we were exhausted, so we headed back to the hotel room for a shower and a nap. After napping, we dressed and went out to dinner. Atlantis has many choices. We had Chinese-American food one night, dined at a Bobby Flay's steakhouse another night, Johnny Rockets for burgers and fries another night, and Caribbean food another night. The resort is set up to make Americans feel rights at home.

Each night After dinner, we took long rambling walks on the beach before retiring for the day.

These photographs were taken on my Nikon D40, my first DSLR and Nikon's cheapest entry-level camera. I had had the camera for about three years and was still learning how to use it.

Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas * Nikon D40 * AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas * Nikon D40 * AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas * Nikon D40 * AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas * Nikon D40 * AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

  1. As of 2022, New Jersey is divided into 21 counties and contains 564 municipalities consisting of five types: 253 boroughs, 52 cities, 15 towns, 241 townships, and three villages. The largest municipality by population in New Jersey is Newark, with 311,549 residents, whereas the smallest is Walpack Township, with seven residents. 

On the Beach in Salvo, North Carolina

It's a long trek to the beach from the house.

It's a long trek to the beach from the house we rented in Salvo, North Carolina. The dry and soft powdery sand makes walking challenging. It can easily take up to 15 minutes to traverse the path from the house and over the dunes to the beach.

I wish I had bought a lighter tripod, but my budget limited my choices. Carrying the tripod is a chore, so for this walk to the beach, I brought nothing but my iPhone. In panorama mode and decent light, it does adequately.