Niagara Falls

October 23rd, 2006 by Potato

So I had a nice weekend in Niagara Falls. It was a little chilly, and a little rainy, but we never got soaked, and it was never so cold that we needed a scarf or hats. And, for the first time, I actually won money at the casino! I hit a $100 payout on one of the slot machines, and it rang the bell and everything.

The casinos are looking a little sad over there. Fallsview is brand new and all, but really all they have going for them is the slot machines: the tables are so expensive that I just simply can’t play them. We were hoping that a cool weekend in October, late at night and early Sunday morning would be quiet enough that they might try a $5 table, but the cheapest we saw was $15 roulette. There were lots of empty tables, so I don’t quite see why they didn’t bother to put someone there to take my money. They can easily get a few hundred an hour even from a $1 table, so the economics seem to be there. And if all there is to do are slot machines, then why go all the way out there? London has slot machines; Woodbine has slot machines… And speaking of slots, they’ve gotten more ridiculous since I was last in a casino. There were some that were so complicated that we just couldn’t figure out why we were or weren’t winning, and we had no idea what to hope would show up. Some had up to 20 different “lines” which is just getting ridiculous. I really didn’t find them fun at all.

I’d recommend the Hilton Garden Inn again: it was a bit out of the way, just about equidistant from St. Catherine’s, Niagara Falls, and Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was no problem to drive into Niagara Falls, park for free at the casino, and walk around from there. Plus, the hotel restaurant was actually great for breakfast, which is a pretty rare thing in a hotel restaurant. I had a waffle with fruit topping and whipped cream, and Wayfare got pancakes, bacon, and hash browns (lots of each), and our total bill came to under $10. Usually, I find hotel restaurants are really over priced because of the “convenience factor”, so this was a really nice surprise. Especially since we ate at the Golden Griddle the day before for twice as much, and it really sucked.

I also had a costume idea: dress up as a ghost and follow people when they turn their back, then look away when they turn to look at me.

3 Responses to “Niagara Falls”

  1. Rez Says:

    That’s funny, I was at Niagara just this last weekend, too. Too bad I didn’t bump into you. I actually found the $5 and $10 tables, but there were huge crowds standing around them waiting for a seat so I didn’t bother waiting to play. In the end I didn’t play anything at all. The World Poker Tour was starting up on Sunday so it was pretty busy in general.

  2. Ben Says:

    Hey, you were right across the highway from my school. That place does look nice from the outside. Glad to hear you enjoyed your stay!

  3. Netbug Says:

    I have nothing constructive to add to this post.

    that is all.