The mythical city of Niagara Falls really ain't all it's cracked up to be; it's really just a whole lot of water going over a really big cliff, with some civilization scattered around it. Ahh, but this city is conveniently located right on the U.S.-Canadian border, which means many young people from the U.S. come here to drink and party, considering the drinking age in Ontario is 19, whereas in New York it's 21. Also, all that water going over the large precipice does attract people from alyl over the world, and as a result a lot of tourist-oriented businesses have sprung up all along here, which in turn have brought in more bar and nightclub business, in a never-ending cycle of growth.
Since the drinking age in Ontario is two years lower than in New York, and since Niagara Falls pretty much the closest Canadian city to the United States in this geographic area, until one circles around either Lake Erie or Lake Ontario and goes all the way the heck around about half a day's journey by car, this indeed makes it the utmost most convenient location for nightlife entrepreneurs to start up establishments to attract that young and wild 19-21 aged target market. I've taken it upon myself to explore this terrain thoroughly this summer, since I figure I ought to since I live right around here, and I don't know how much longer I'll be living in Buffalo, since I must be officially starting my adult post-college life rather soon.
Niagara Falls can be reached from Buffalo by way of Interstate 190, and this little trip takes about ten minutes or so (according to my own driving style, which is not altogether dissimilar from that of Mario Andretti). Here are the nightlife gems I've uncovered here so far:
Rumours (****), in Ontario. This is a very large bar at the top of a very big hill, namely the famous Clifton Hill. One must simply see this hill and all its roadside attractions to believe it, but when you do, watch out that your car doesn't overheat. On weekend nights, the traffic is jam-packed, and cars barely move, and you're going uphill at like a 15 or 20 degree angle, and you've been driving on the highway for quite a few minutes, so this means there's a chance you may start to see smoke rising from your hood if you don't keep a close eye on your temperature gauge (if you're unsure of why all this happens, take a course in thermodynamics like the rest of us have). Oh yeah, anyway, about the bar. It's a very nice bar, fairly large with a sizeable dancefloor, and I like the atmosphere because it seems rather cosmopolitan. It's definitely a young people's club; all the joints in NF Ontario attract that college-age crowd. 'All kinds of people there, one can find Americans from different places, Canadians from different places, and even the occasional European passing through (Canada is the closest thing we have to Europe around here. The culture of Canada is like about one-half American, one-quarter English, and one-quarter French. Well probably more that half American.). In fact one night, this really cute English girl came up to me, and we were talking all about the differences in the American and British educational system, about travelling through Europe, about travelling through the U.S., and umm, oh, yeah, anyway, on with our tour of Niagara Falls...
Club Extreme (***+), in Ontario. This place is at the corner of Lundy's Lane and Townline Rd., which is way the fuck out in the middle of nowhere, in like a very large empty field, next to a small motel. It's hard to get to, but I guess there are enough people there on a good night. 'Kind of an average crowd though, not what I'd necessarily call "modern" or "cosmopolitan". Young age range though. The place is actually quite big on the inside too, and has a nice rear patio, from which one can survey a very large open grassy field of nothingness, and look at lots of trees and a broadcasting antenna in the distance. I still need to examine this place on its best night (Saturdays) before I make a final evaluation...
Cellblock (****), in Ontario. This one is at either 4337 or 3447 Queen St. in NF Ontario, and is kind of interesting. Not too big, but set up kind of like a minature KIXX nightclub (see Buffalo clubs reference). Definitely a teeny-bopper crowd, as it's an all-ages club on all three nights it's open, Thursday through Saturday. Best nights are Fridays, when you'll find it quite packed and eventful. 'Kind of a gemeinschaftlich atmosphere; 'rather hard to "get lost in the crowd," as it turns out, unless you're there at the right time on the right night, in which case it's quite crowded. On a positive note, the girls here are extremely flirtatious; check for I.D. and practice safe (and legal) dating. Oh yeah, guard your eyes so you don't get zapped by the lasers.
Masquerade (***+), in NY. This is a very large nightclub with a rather exotic interior. This place replaces the once-famous Pleasuredome, which has since gone out of business, but was said to hold thousands of people in its heyday. One word of advice though, get here at an early hour, because it's definitely not a night owl club. I haven't seen it enough at active hours to say any more about it. The section of town it's in looks rather shady, so, like, make sure you have a black belt in karate, and stuff. It's at 1711 Main St. I still need to see this place at a peak hour before making a final judgement...
Velvet (***), in Ontario. This is a rather dark nightclub with a lot of laser lights in it. Part of it is very elaborately decorated into a nice seating area, and the rest is a huge dancefloor which is all painted black. Young people crowd, mixed American and Canadian, you know how it goes. I'm not sure exactly where it is offhand.
Plantation (*), in Ontario. This is just a bar in a mall somewhere, not extremely good for dancing, though I think I do recall there may be a small dancefloor in there. The building looks kind of cool though, and the interior decorations are kind of neat. 'Weird crowd, 'seemed like very local Canadians, if I recall correctly. Unsure how to get there at this moment.
I'm sure that's not the end to all the nighttime entertainment facilities which are to be found in Niagara Falls, but this is all which is ysalient in my mind for now. However, one may rest assured that I shall continue my canvassing of this territory to uncover every nook and cranny of activity I can find, and I'll add more here when I find it!
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