Day 5 Tuesday - Somnath had booked a suite at Four Points Sheraton in Buffalo. It was a block away from Niagara falls. What more could you ask? A suite using Starwood points and a dream getaway within walking distance :) Remind me this when I crib about a consultant's lifestyle ;-) We started our visit to Niagara with the Maid of the Mist boat ride. Needless to say, enjoyed it thoroughly!! It was a hot day and our wet clothes were dry within a couple of minutes. Infact it felt good to be drenched since it was a welcome respite from the heat. Good thing about our trip to Niagara was that we were there much earlier than the long weekend when the crowds would be maddening. Flip side - we overlooked the Niagara passport that would have save us about $4 each since it offered all the tours that we were to take. Secondly realised that its better to do the 'Cave of the winds' first since they give you rubber soled sandals that can be used for the 'Maid of the Mist' trip instead of getting our sneakers and socks all wet and sodden :) The 'Cave of the winds' tour is too good to describe using words. Standing beneath the 'Bridal veil' falls and getting drenched was the highlight. Decided to lunch at an Indian restaurant just outside the main gates. One piece of advice - Avoid this place!! :)) They offer a buffet that too pricey, the food is ordinary and the decor reminds you of a roadside hotel in India complete with flies! Anyway - we decided to walk off the meal by strolling through the Niagara falls state park. We walked the entire stretch to Goat Island onto Terrapin Point the overlook for the Canadian Horse-shoe falls. Somnath had the time of his life experimenting with his brand new tripod and camcorder. At the end of the day, came back to the Observation deck to watch the falls decked in different colored lights. Walked back towards the hotel to find another Indian restaurant just adjacent to our hotel. Decided to give it another shot and it was really good. Housed in the Ramada Hotel lobby, the hostess was a nice Gujarati lady who had just arrived from India a couple of months back to help her husband run the restaurant. She was so happy despite the tough life that she spoke about - it was very inspirational. She kept saying that 6 hours of sleep is really sufficient for her to keep herself going through the day...hmm and I feel that 8 is not enough :)....Anyway came back to our room and crashed for the night. Planned on a late start the next morning and continue with our journey to New York.
Day 6 Wednesday - Started from Buffalo, crossed back into Pennsylvania and drove back into NY. Destination this time - a visit to Somnath's friend Bisu, his wife Debjani and their darling baby boy Sayam aka Ritz. Crossing George Washington bridge in NY drove home the reason why public transport is preferable out there. It reminded us of our traffic jams and long travel hours in India. Reached Bisu's apartment after spending about 3 hours to just cross one bridge! The baby made the trip worth every bit of it not to mention the authentic Bangla cuisine that Bisu and Debjani had cooked for us! It was too good...thinking about it right now is making my mouth water :) Left really late from their place to check in at the Sheraton in Newark, NJ at 3am.
Day 6 Wednesday - Started from Buffalo, crossed back into Pennsylvania and drove back into NY. Destination this time - a visit to Somnath's friend Bisu, his wife Debjani and their darling baby boy Sayam aka Ritz. Crossing George Washington bridge in NY drove home the reason why public transport is preferable out there. It reminded us of our traffic jams and long travel hours in India. Reached Bisu's apartment after spending about 3 hours to just cross one bridge! The baby made the trip worth every bit of it not to mention the authentic Bangla cuisine that Bisu and Debjani had cooked for us! It was too good...thinking about it right now is making my mouth water :) Left really late from their place to check in at the Sheraton in Newark, NJ at 3am.