Published: June 11, 2009 10:57 am      

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Writer defends U.S. side of falls

A Pennsylvania writer took pains in a recent travel story to defend the American side of Niagara Falls, widely considered inferior to its Canadian counterpart.

Jack Markowitz of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, in a story discussing the Cataract City, said that even with increased international border security, there is no need for Pennsylvanians to obtain passports to have fun in the Niagara Frontier.

“The American side of the falls is unexpectedly better in some ways than the more celebrated Canadian (side),” he wrote. “This is because the Niagara River that drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario radically tilts before it goes over. A terrific rapids starts a half-mile above the final leap. You don't want to miss the rapids. And the way to experience it — to feel it — is from New York's Niagara State Park.”

Where some visitors see a lack of activities, Markowitz sees beauty: “New York's riverside reserve is more spacious and park-like, too — think picnic tables — than the few blocks of commons that Canada has saved against the encroachments of commerce, some of which are pretty crass — funhouses, for instance,” he wrote.

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The New York Times recently reported that one of Western New York’s leading secret-keepers was unable to keep his lips sealed upon hearing good news at home.

Don Postles of Channel 4 news recently saw his daughter, Elizabeth, marry Richard William Sanderson Jago of England. In the Times write-up of the wedding, Jago relayed the story of his asking Postles for his daughter’s hand in marriage last year.

“Mr. Jago and Mr. Postles were sharing a drink in the family’s backyard. Eventually, Mr. Jago got up the courage to ask Mr. Postles for his daughter’s hand in marriage,” the paper reported. “ ‘That’s when the whole thing went wacky,’ Mr. Jago recalled. When informed of Mr. Jago’s intentions, Mr. Postles threw his drink on the lawn, started yelling in celebration and hugging his future son-in-law before running into the house and shouting the good news to his wife.

“ ‘I stood there, dumbfounded,’ Mr. Jago said. ‘I mean, I couldn’t speak.’ ... ‘The whole point was to ask if I could propose to her, not to propose to her. I was just mortified.’ ”

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With families having less cash on hand this summer, the region’s main landmark is poised to see an uptick in visitors this summer.

The Fairfield (Conn.) Minuteman reported that Niagara Falls was among the most popular tourist destinations among travelers utilizing AAA. More than half of all Americans have changed vacation plans this year, AAA spokesperson Fran Mayko told the newspaper, with many of those people opting to visit somewhere to which they can drive.

“Most people are staying closer to home, we’re finding,” Mayko said.