Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls acquired a reputation for being rather corny and rather dull, most interesting as the setting for one of the best scenes in the original Superman movie. Too many weddings turned it into a punchline, and it somehow became lost in the list of American splendors, obscured by the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone and the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. If only some rich Republicans with their hands in the oil industry wanted to drill by Rainbow Bridge, maybe we'd bring some tragic glamour back to the Falls.

But Niagara Falls is special. It's awesome in the true sense of the word without being overwhelming, unlike the Grand Canyon. It's accessible without being commercialized. You can visit it without being crammed into endless tourist lines. You can walk around. Take a load off. Go over the bridge and visit Canada. Think about what this country and this world have to offer, the wonders that we take for granted. The opportunities for stupidity that we never, as a species, seem able to pass up. Wouldn't it be weird to go over that giant waterfall in a barrel? Yeah, it would. I'll bet it would hurt. Let's try it. Okay.

I drove from Boston to Niagara Falls on my 25th birthday, just to check it out. I never expected to fall in love with it. The town of Niagara Falls, NY is surprisingly grubby, but hold on, there are wonders up the road. Drive into the Park, park your car, then wander around. Niagara is for wandering, and for listening. The sound of the Falls reminds you that this world is bigger than you are, and probably more interesting. And probably less anxious, in the long run.

Buy a ticket and take a ride on the Maid of the Mist. Wear your complementary cheap blue slicker as you ride under the waterfall. Buy another ticket for the Cave of the Winds and wear yellow this time as you walk down into the water, or just lean over the railing and watch the yellow figures stumble their way through the spray. These mild "rides" bring you closer to nature, like a water safari, and force you to feel small.

I visited Cooperstown on my way back from that 25th birthday trip, but found it sleepy and pointless after the excitement of the rushing water. I'll bet no one ever locked herself in a barrel and went rolling through Cooperstown.