Most of my vacations are brought on in a very scrappy manner, meaning that a few friends and I will decide where we are going, what we want to do, and then finally schedule out the whole trip about a week before we leave. Every trip usually adopts some sort of a theme or revolves around some kind of an event. The outcomes of this method are great times that are just about as random as the planning we put into them.
This week I am going to post about the Great White North and my adventures and experiences while traveling to Canada. In this blog I am going to talk about the times when I have visited the Buffalo and Niagara areas of Canada and next week I will add stories and misadventures from Toronto which is where the real fun begins.
I have made the trip to Niagara with a group of buddies about five times and these kinds of mini vacations, which we like to call “Binders”, have become a yearly ritual. We plan the trip on the same weekend that the New York Jets visit the Buffalo Bills. This provides some kind of stability for the planning of the trip and for some, and an excuse to leave their significant other for a weekend of fun with their friends. Ralph Wilson Stadium (Bills Stadium) is about 45 minutes away from the border of Canada where the Niagara Falls are. The hostility you receive from the charming Buffalonians for wearing Jets jerseys to a game in Buffalo is priceless. It is all in good fun on our part; however the Buffalo fans never seem to get that memo. Overall the game is such a fun experience and the intensity of 95% of a sellout crowd hating you because of your green and white jersey adds to the excitement of the game in a weird way. Majority of the time the heckling stops half way through the game as the Bills fans realize they are clearly out matched by the Jets and that we are cheering for the better team.
Making the trip up there is a hassle. Unless we start to fly and take out the whole road trip aspect of our Binder, the drive will always suck. However, in the past few years we have perfected the transportation and travel part of the trip. Driving in a few separate packed cars is not so much fun. Loading up an eight seated Durango with video game systems and screens is pretty fun. Renting an RV and designating two people (Canada Rookies) to drive the whole way while everyone else drinks and hangs out inside is quite possibly one of the smartest and most fun ways to have a trip like this.
One constant downfall of the trip is customs. We have never and would never try and smuggle anything illegally in or out of the US (except for me, I will explain) but passing through the border has become such a hassle. Before every Binder to Canada I stress that everyone gets their passport and has it ready as it is now required by law to pass through customs. A few years ago I was really nagging everyone to not forget their passports and when it was time to get our passports together I then realized that I had packed my check book, which is of similar size and exactly the same color. On top of the feeling of humiliation that I had left my passport at home, ten hours away, my friends and I had quickly gained a sense of desperation and stupidity. With nowhere else to go but the long ride home, back to Long Island, I volunteered to climb through my Focus’ back seat and into the trunk. This is where I spent the scariest 20 minutes of my life as we passed through customs. I remember sweating so heavily and hoping that we did not qualify for a random search. I would never even think of attempting something like this and would never suggest it to anyone. The idea worked and we were off to an exciting weekend in Canada. For some reason they make it so much harder to get into Canada than to get into the US. The US Border Patrol is like the cool easy going Fonz to Canada’s uptight Richie.
Niagara, Canada is perfect for college students aged 18- 21. The drinking and gambling age there is 19 (it used to be 18) and this attracts a lot of travelers from upstate colleges who are too young to legally drink in the States. The area is kind of “touristy” and has a heavy family feel to it. In recent years my friends and I have branched out from spending our Binders here. The clubs are decent and the casinos are fun but the area gives a kind of, “been there done that” feel after visiting more than once. The streets do come alive at night for various holidays. For example, one Halloween we happened to visit and had a great time. Tons of Buffalo college students made the short trip north and everyone had a blast in their costumes. I had a great time even though our brilliant Jonas Brothers costumes bought us more heckling than appreciation, but I guess you can’t win them all.
After exploring this area of Canada we have discovered a hidden gem of that region. There is a college town about 30 minutes away called St. Catharine’s. It does have the feel of any other college town except that the bars and clubs are much more fun. We did not know what to expect when we first arrived and ended up waiting on a long line outside of a small building called the Red Hot Chili Pepper bar. When we finally got in, I realized the place is much more expansive than it looked. The main floor had a club look to it and Hip Hop and House music mostly played. There was nothing unusual or special here but when I found out there was a huge basement is when I really appreciated this place. The down stairs had a house party feel to it and there was constantly a live band playing alternative music. The crowds totally split themselves between upstairs and downstairs and catered to different people with different tastes .
After getting out of hand with the typing of this blog I will be discussing the experiences I’ve had with Toronto, Ontario, Canada next week. Here are some various pictures from these Binders with their own stories to tell.
- Brian
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