Packing my bags after a year-long lockdown was nothing short of a treat, especially considering my thrilling destination and the travel leading to it. Summer is a peak season for traveling in the United States of America so one has to be smart to get one’s hotels, plane tickets, and rental cars reserved. The earlier the better! Booking at the eleventh hour will cost a lot of additional charges, hassle, and last-minute changes to one’s plan.

When it comes to travel, it's always a good idea to have early bird discounts, student discounts, state discounts, group discounts, and being alive discounts! Whichever applicable.

Coming from a burning Texas State, landing at a cooler Cleaveland, Ohio, after a two-hour road trip in a ground shuttle and three-hour air travel, was a sigh of relief. The rental Malibu Premier sedan car by Chevrolet was already reserved for road travel the next day to our destination, Niagra Falls.

The next day was going to be hectic for me. Wrapping up my official commitments took longer than expected. Among the group of friends was also Muhammad Saad Zia, a fellow Fulbrighter studying at Georgia Tech University. His fondness in geography and defensive driving helped us follow the speed limits all along the interstate highways and enjoy the interstate travel. We were racing against time, worried to miss the special illuminations that were to be displayed on July 27^th, 2021 at 08:45 Central Time. Luckily we didn’t!

As we parked the car at Niagara Falls State Park, we ran towards the sound of water coming from a far distance, weaving our way through the people. The place was crowded as everyone wanted to see the Falls in its colourful attires; everything looked mysterious and breathtaking under the cover of dark sky and tiny lights suspended in air on the Canadian border.



Niagara Falls is a city on the Niagara River, in New York State. It’s known for the vast Niagara Falls, which straddle the Canadian border. Niagara Falls is in a public location on Niagara Parks land. It can be accessed for free 24/7 all year around.

Dressed in Green:
Looks like dancing lush.

The Canadian border, covered by the Niagara Fall, is famous for a better view. The lights in the picture below are on the Canadian border.
 

It was indeed magical, more than any picturesque scene we had ever watched in our lives or any painting. In front of us played the majesty of one of the greatest wonders of the world. The tiredness that we carried in our bodies due to hours-long travel vanished slowly as we felt engrossed in the majesty of the water wall.

Dressed in Red:
Looking like an endless bed of roses.


Dressed in Blue:
Like skies on the ground!


Dressed in White:
Mysterious white spirit landing on the water.


Maid of the Mist:
A favorite Niagara Falls State Park attraction for more than 150 years, the Maid of the Mist journey begins at the Observation Tower, where guests are given a souvenir rain poncho to wear and board the double-deck Maid of the Mist tour boat. From there, the boat ferries passed the base of the American Falls, and into the basin of Horseshoe Falls.
 
 
Onboard the Maid of the Mist:
The Maid of the Mist boat tour in Niagara Falls, NY has been described by generations of visitors as one of the highlights of their trip. The picture below shows the Maid of the Mist approaching the horseshoe section of the Niagara Fall.
 

Ship’s Wheel, Maid of the Mist:
The ship’s wheel is present inside the gift shop located inside the park.


The Rainbow Bridge:
The Rainbow Bridge walk is the route you will take from the U.S. side to the Canadian side or vice versa. You do not need a passport if you are only visiting the New York side and are staying in the U.S.. However, you will need a passport if you intend to cross the border to Niagara Falls’ Canadian side.

There are three international bridges between the U.S. and Canada within 6 mi /9.6 km of the Falls. “Rainbow Bridge” is one of them. It offers a spectacular view of the Falls. There is no commercial traffic allowed. You can walk, bike, or drive across.

 
The best time to visit Niagara Falls is June to August. Summer is peak season, and with good reason. Mists and breezes from the waterfalls can make the area feel cooler.


Gastronomic Delights!
There is a top of the Niagara Fall restaurant in the Niagara Falls State Park famous for its exotic eateries and gourmet food. However, we could not enjoy the food there because of time constraints. Coming from Lahore – the city that never sleeps – it is an uphill task to schedule everything in a place where most of the attractions close early in the evening! However, along our way back to our hotel in Cleveland, we were able to make a stop at an Iraqi restaurant run by immigrants from Baghdad. It was not an upscale restaurant but talking to immigrants from a war-stricken country who opened a family business was a very exciting story. Lentil soup in the appetizer just tasted like a Lahori dish.
 

Cloud-maker:
Water evaporating from the waterfall can be seen rising above in the form of mist and making clouds as it goes higher into the atmosphere.


Coin-minting Machine:
For a dollar, one can put a penny inside the coin-minting machine and can engrave four different types of monuments on it. I selected the Statue of Liberty for myself considering how important is it for an individual to have freedom of expressions and actions.
 
 
The Coin:
Using the coin-minting machine, I prepared this coin having the ‘Statue of Liberty’ on it.
 

Souvenir:
Below is a souvenir I liked at the gift shop. They are using the recycled paper for environmental conservation.

 
Niagara Falls State Park Attractions:
A man shows his talent for flying giant bubbles in the air using sticks and strings. He expects to collect some donations in return for his performance. In the U.S., people who are looking for donations do not resort to emotional blackmailing and coercion; rather they try to sell their arts. We used to have the same culture in Pakistan where snake charmers, portable rides, and animal trainers would roam the streets asking for donations in return of their talents.
 

Train at the Park:
A hop-on-hop-off train encircles the entire Niagara Falls State Park. One can visit the entire park riding on the train.


Suicides:
According to unofficial sources, an estimated 5,000 bodies were found at the foot of the Falls between 1850 and 2011. On average, between 20 and 30 people die going over the Falls each year. The majority of deaths are suicides, and most take place from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Many of these suicides are not publicized by officials.

Ice Cream Fiesta:
We got two scoops of ‘Mango Crunch & Vanilla with Caramel’ from the ice cream parlor at Niagara Falls State Park. It was too big for a single person to finish, so we ended up sharing it!
 

Meeting Buddy Corso:
He is a proud Husky dog. His owner rescued him from an abusive environment; in turn he saved his master’s life at the workplace. I had a chance to have a candid photograph with this amazing dog who is lovely and friendly to strangers even.


Nikola Tesla Monument:
Tesla invented alternating currents and was instrumental in the construction of the first hydroelectric plant in Niagara Falls in 1895.

 
Sunset at Lake Erie:
Returning from Niagara Falls, while heading towards Cleveland, we made a short stop at  Lake Erie to view the ending of the day. The sunset was never as spectacular as it was there because of the clean water, endless unobstructed view, colorful horizon, and roaring water. Saad and I got a picture to capture the moment forever and headed back to our car. We still had long travels ahead!

 
It is rightly said by St. Augustine, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

– Muhammad Ali

Muhammad is a Fulbright Ph.D. candidate at Texas A&M University and a graduate from the University of Tokyo. He is currently the president of the Geo-Institute chapter at Texas A&M University.