The sorry state of the American side (commerce)

The place to talk about the world famous waterfall attraction, the tourism, and the condition of each side of the border.

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Matt
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Shana and I stopped by Niagara Falls, NY yesterday to see the fall and grab a bite to eat. When it came to finding a nice place to sit down and have dinner, we couldn't really find anything decent, albeit trustworthy. There are several Indian restaurants, but we couldn't risk it. We walked around and entered in in a few shops. Haven't always just passed through on our way to Canada, we never visited anything other than the parks. It really seems like another country. The brands, the people, everything is just a little off- seemingly impoverished. Storefronts a block away are empty, and those that are still in business carry stale food and outdated merchandise. And that food court in the small plaza they have in front of Niagara Fall State Park is just plain creepy.
I'm shocked that the Hard Rock Cafe was there - and still in business! We ended up eating there and it was fantastic. How long will that last? We didn't walk down to the Casino area- its location is just too far from the falls.
Across the river, skyscraper resorts are being built; new water parks and multimedia attractions are forming- Clifton Hill is outgrowing its space.

It just goes to show that the government is doing (and has been doing) something totally wrong there. Taxes, zoning, promotion, I'm not sure. In many ways our side it more attractive, with intimate views and closer proximity to the falls, plentiful parks (which are in rough shape), and handicap accessibility. Even now with the dollar weak and the Looney overpowering it, you'd think this summer there would be a large boost for our side. Essentially we offer the same main attraction as the other side- the falls. How have we managed to not take advantage of it and turn our Niagara Falls into a tourist Mecca?

What are your thoughts on this?
What do you think the problem is and what steps can be done to turn this area around?
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cbobcat49
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Along with everything you've mentioned it's been common knowledge for awhile in the Buffalo/Niagara area that the Niagara Falls city government, namely the mayor, is linked with organized crime.

What perplexes me is why the National Park Service doesn't have some sort of presence here. Niagara Falls is one of the 7 wonders of the world and it's only a state park? I think it could easily be given National Monument status. I don't know if doing that would have any effect on the local economy though.
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Matt
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becoming a part of the national park system will significantly increase attendance. this would increase its national and international exposure a great deal.
Excellent idea.
I had no idea about these so-called links from the government to organized crime. So there's a big market for gangsters in Niagara Falls huh?
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My hubby grew up in Niagara Falls and he has noticed the trending downhill over the last 20+ years. When the carbon plants were active in the Falls area, the town was booming and prosperous. As those plants closed in the late 80's, many of the people that were laid off left the area. We went to the Falls this summer in our convertible with the top down, and were actually regretting it as we drove through downtown and towards the Niagara Falls Park. Last summer we went to the Seneca-Niagara Casino to see a concert, and walked from the casino, through the park, and then over the bridge to Canada. Matt, as you mention, just cross the river and it's a totally different story! We are actually headed to the Canadian side of the Falls this weekend to celebrate our anniversary, and will not be spending any time on the NY side beyond passing through. It's quite sad. (I do hope for some good "shooting" over the weekend though, since the CR contest ended and school began, I've hardly taken any pictures!)
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It's been quite awhile since I have visited the Falls but as far back as I can remember the Canadian side has always been better. The gardens, upkeep and cleanliness seems a priority to the Canadians and this alone makes it a more pleasant place to visit. It really is a shame that we are missing the ball on the U.S. side. I like the idea of it becoming part of the National Park System.
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Matt
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It's sad because it's times like this that the state economy could benefit greatly from commerce coming from across the border. It's a multi billion dollar industry we are just watching from across the river. The fact that we aren't taking advantage of the stronger Canadian dollar is a sad, sad thing.
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Matt wrote:The fact that we aren't taking advantage of the stronger Canadian dollar is a sad, sad thing.
Some of us are. ;) :lol: Oh, but we were talking about Niagara Falls weren't we? I agree that a National Park would be a good thing. We also enjoyed the Hard Rock on this side. In January, it was one of the few places that was even open. We also did a bit of walking around town and it is quite dismal.
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I grew up in Northern Erie County, and Niagara Falls was our 'backyard'. Yep, the Canadian side has always been clean, prosperous and well organized, while the American side has the park, and...well, not much else. I didn't know specifically about any mob ties to the mayor, but Buffalo & Niagara Falls have a long and dishonorable tradition of corrupt and incompetent government. Buffalo in particular recieved well over a billion dollars in Federal development money in the 1970s - 1980s. The city squandered essentially every nickel of it artificially suppressing tax rates and holding off on making painful but essential decisions on downsizing services to match the plummeting population. Hence Buffalo's current bombed out status.

Near as I can tell, Niagara Falls was even worse. The entire tax base was the chemical industry, and when it skipped town one step ahead of the Love Canal clean-up bill, it was game over.

Local economics/demographics are also at work, of course. The Canadian side is a natural draw for folks from prosperous, cosmpolitan Toronto just down the lakeshore a ways. The American side? The most economically depressed part of the rust belt. And America's post 9/11 paranoia has made crossing the border much more of a pain in the behind, making it that much less attractive to Canadians.
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