I tell ya, if you want to visit Niagara Falls and you don’t like crowds, go during the first week of December, during the week. Needing a short getaway, we went to old faithful Niagara Falls for two nights this past week. The price was right. The place was like a ghost town. Christmas shopping was accomplished. Night photography finally happened after decades of visiting the place.

On our first night, there was rain and drizzle making for an indoor evening. The Horseshoe Falls creates its own weather and the winds from the south meant there was a fog blocking most of our view from the Four Points Sheraton until our second day. However, a cold front crashed through and switched the winds around from the west. The temperature dropped and the air cleared.

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The American Falls always stand in the shadow of the Horseshoe Falls. However, It believe it is the more picturesque cataract. Anywhere from 70 to 110 feet high and with a jagged crest that travels 830 feet from Niagara Falls, New York to Goat Island, the American Falls do not hide behind a self made cloud.

Fully within the United States, the American Falls receive only about 10% of the waterflow of the Niagara River, with Horseshoe Falls receiving the rest. Bridal Veil Falls is a smaller waterfall that is only 56 wide between Luna Island and Goat Island. In the above picture, Bridal Veil Falls is the section illuminated in blue.

Between June and November of 1969, the American Falls ran dry. The river was dammed upstream and the water was diverted to the Horseshoe Falls. Engineers determined whether fortification work needed to be done to preserve the waterfalls from erosion. It was later determined to leave it up to Mother Nature. With power generator diversion, erosion has been slowed to a crawl, anyway.

The image above was taken just above the crest of Horseshoe Falls. The misty cloud created by the waterfall is evident in the image. A point of contention throughout modern history, two thirds of the Horseshoe Falls are in Canada with just a third on U.S. property.

At the base, there is an attraction called Journey Behind The Falls. No matter the lineup, include this in your trip to Niagara Falls. You take an elevator down to the base and from there can travel by tunnel 150 feet behind the falls. There is an outdoor observation deck at the edge of the falls, along with two ‘portholes’ behind the falls. The power of the waterfall is amazing and the view is something you simply can’t get anywhere else.

When we went, there was no lineup. Often, we did not have other humans in our sight while visiting. This will not happen in summer! Although open year round, I’ve visited before in winter and the furthest porthole was closed because it was completely blocked with ice.

Stay tuned to It’s About Travelling, in the coming days we’ll have images from Journey Behind The Falls posted, along with an HD Video.

The Rainbow Bridge opened in November, 1941 and spans a total of 1,450 feet or 44o metres between Canada and the United States over the Niagara River Gorge. The bridge became a necessity after the previous Honeymoon Bridge collapsed in January of 1938.

The brightly lit tower on the left hand side of the bridge is the Rainbow Tower. This 50 metre or 165 foot tower was completed in 1947 and contains the Rainbow Carillon. The Carillon is a musical instrument that contains 55 bells. It sounds four times per day, every day. Although now automated, a full time musician was employed until the 1990’s with that musician housed in an apartment inside the tower.

Since the 1990’s, the Fallsview area of Niagara Falls, Ontario has become a mess of steel and concrete. The Skylon Tower is seen to the right of the above image. Skylon opened in October, 1965 with a height of 160 metres or 520 feet. From the base of the Horseshoe Falls, the Skylon is 236 metres or 775 feet high. On a clear day from the observation level, visitors can see both downtown Toronto, Ontario and downtown Buffalo, New York.

Skylon Tower was the tallest building in Niagara Falls for quite some time. However, the Hilton Niagara, seen directly behind the Skylon in the above image, is now the tallest at 183 metres. The Hilton Niagara opened in 2009 and contains 56 floors.

A staple for cheezy entertainment since time began, Clifton Hill is constantly being renewed but somehow retains its old school charm.

Photogenic as hell is the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. This Vegas-esque complex opened in the summer of 2004. The hotel contains 374 rooms over 35 floors. The entire complex contains some 2.5 million square feet of floor space. Within the walls are 18 restaurants and a 1,500 seat concert hall, along with an enormous space where you can throw all your money away.

Another look at the American Falls shows Niagara Falls, New York in the background. The tallest building in the picture with the glowing red top is the United Office Building. Built in 1929 and abandoned in the 1980’s, the 20 story building was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 2006. Since, the building was completely renovated and now contains luxury apartments, a luxury boutique hotel and office space. The United Office Building was the tallest structure in Niagara Falls, New York until the construction of the Seneca Niagara Casino Hotel in 2005.

Just outside the image, the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel is the largest hotel in the state of New York, outside of Manhattan. There are 594 rooms in the hotel and an expansive 147,000 square feet of gaming space.

Looking up the hill with Fallsview Casino on the left at the Niagara Hilton on the far right.

This image of the top of the Skylon Tower was taken from our window at the Four Points Sheraton. This was taken on our first night when there was a constant mist coming off the Horseshoe Falls.

A look at the upper floors of the Fallsview Casino Hotel. I believe this is home to the casino’s high rollers. It’s certainly not in my budget.