getting closer...

​We spent most of the day on the U.S. side of the falls, in the state park. Unlike its Canadian counterpart, New York has limited commercial enterprises around the falls.  And the smaller town of Niagara Falls, NY is more detached geographically. The result is that while the views are less dramatic, the experience is much more pleasant.
 
We did the obligatory Maid of the Mist boat trip out onto the river and up to the falls. Ed’s parents did the tour back in the 1940s. It is certainly a different experience to be right under the thundering water. The rest of the day was spent walking to various overlooks and viewpoints.

One thing struck us over and over the last two days – the incredible racial, linguistic, and cultural diversity of the tourists. Yes, this is a major international destination and yet this is unlike anything we have found in any another park or attraction in any country.
 
We did some of the drive towards home and are in Waterloo, NY, where Memorial Day was first observed on May 5, 1866. Two years later it was made a national holiday on May 30, but Waterloo still celebrates on the original date. Dinner in Geneva, home to Hobart and William Smith Colleges, a charming town on the lake.

Somewhere along the way we finished Why Fish Don't Exist and listened to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, which we enjoyed a lot. Now we are on to Taste, Stanley Tucci's memoir, which is perfect for driving - no plot to follow and more or less freestanding chapters. But we are going to need some Wait Wait Don't Tell Me downloads for tomorrow. And at night, The Diplomat!