Niagara-on-the-Lake
September 9–10, 2014
I flew into Toronto from Charlotte on September 9. I got on a bus which took me to my hotel, the Pillar and Post, in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The building had been a cannery and had housed Polish soldiers, etc, over the years. The CAA gives it four diamonds. That was perhaps a bit generous, but it was a nice place. I was not the first prominent guest they have had:
The town is on Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Niagara River. The river carries water from Lake Erie and then empties into Lake Ontario. My hotel was about ⅜ mile (0.6km) from the lake, so after a few moments to get settled into the room, I left to walk there. On the way I passed charming homes and a school on a historic site.
The main drag of town lies a few blocks south of the lake. There is a strip of very touristy shops and eating places and a very nice park with flowers. The Prince of Wales Hotel occupies a whole block itself. Nearby theaters present plays during the Shaw festival. I wasn't interested in seeing either play that evening. They didn't seem to be doing any Shaw at the time.
Markers in the park tell some of the historical significance of the town.
There is another park at the lake side. A gazebo faces Lake Ontario. The right end of the park faces the Niagara River where it empties into the lake.
You can see Fort Niagara across the river. In my picture, the water straight ahead is the river, and to the left and beyond the fort is the lake. The fort was built by LaSalle to protect New France. The large building on the left was added and later the fort was expanded. From the French and Indian War through the War of 1812, it passed into British and then US hands back and forth. It is now in New York state.
After I wandered around and took some more pictures, I headed back to the Pillar and Post for dinner.