Finally uploaded some pictures from the Buffalo area. Only problem - most of my photos are on my phone, and I need an adapter before I can transfer them. So for now, you get a glimpse (mostly from Darien Lake) of the photos I took on my regular camera.
A brief overview of Buffalo:
We left on Thursday July 1 (Canada Day), and returned on Sunday July 4 (Independence Day). My sister looked at these dates, and remarked how we left Canada on the Canadian national day, and left the States on the American national day. Guess we're not very patriotic.
As with Pittsburgh, the first day was completely travel time. Crossing the border was insane! We didn't even have lunch because it took over three hours to go 2 or 3 km (we did stop at a Tim Hortons along the way, but it was overflowing). Buffalo is barely within America, but we didn't get there until dinnertime. My stomach was so empty, I felt sick after eating the buffet food. It was REALLY good, just not the best idea after living off a handful of nuts all day.
Buffalo really surprised me. I have passed by many times in the past, but never stopped to see what was there. It's a mix of a couple nice hotels, and many run-down buildings. As a result, we spent most of our time outside the area, only to come back to our beautiful Hyatt hotel to sleep.
The Hyatt was another first for me. I'm used to the occasional Best Western or Comfort Inn. Fortunate for us, my mom got an amazing corporate discount on the more upscale hotel. The beds were so soft, and the food was delicious. Only downside - almost everything had an additional charge (certain TV channels & movies, extra breakfast items, breakfast server gratuity, delivery, parking, etc.).
The next morning, we had to decide whether we were going to travel to Darien Lake or not. I'm glad we did, though an important pointer for all readers - buy your tickets online while IN CANADA. The prices go up once you're in the U.S., meaning we had to make a detour to a nearby Wegman's grocery store to pick up "discount" tickets (for nearly the same Canadian price, but in U.S. dollars). Oh, and another pointer - if you see scratchcard machines in the U.S., they DO NOT give change. We put in $10 to get a $2 card, and ended up having to get extra cards. Luckily for us, we won our money back.
Darien Lake is like any amusement park - fun, cheerful, sunny. We didn't go into the waterpark (we got there pretty late). In any case, there were enough rides and roller coasters to keep us busy. The lines were very reasonable, and again, the food & prices were great. We saw a couple shows in the evening, as well as the laser show upon closing. Trying to find a place to eat after exiting the park was a hassle, so back to Wegman's! I ate a danish I had saved from breakfast (once again, the portions are huge! --> for me: yogurt parfait, juice, and "pastry basket" with english muffin (along with huge ball of butter) and two danishes).
Then, the most eventful part of the day - trying to get back into Buffalo. You see, it was a couple hours past midnight, and huge mobs of people were attending parties near the hotel. Some were on the street, coming up to cars, and others looked completely out of it. Police were everywhere. I was kind of frightened, and tired...
By the next day, I was exhausted. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before (since someone was kicking and screaming all night...) and as a result, my eyes were bloodshot. I didn't even go down for buffet breakfast. The hotel waiters were so nice to prepare something for me anyway. Once healed, I felt so much better. Next, our family was deciding how to spend the day. Yes, we can be pretty unpredictable...I like it that way :) The main issue was distance, since almost none of the attractions were actually in Buffalo. We could go to the mall, to go-karts, another amusement park, a comedy show...
In the end, we decided to go to the nearby Walden Galleria - a large mall full of stores. Only problem - everyone had the habit of "disappearing" from time to time. Therefore, we spent just as much time looking for each other than shopping. Guess we were all (well, not all) excited by the independence weekend savings. I don't know when else you can get (some) jeans for $5 or less. As for movies, well, there didn't seem to be anything interesting, and again, we were exhausted.
Following the mall, we had a nice dinner at IHOP :) All I can say is...you will definitely be full of pancakes when you leave...
Last day on our short trip - another long drive back. We stopped at the fashion outlets near Niagara, and had a bit of a debate over whether there was anything worth doing on the U.S. side of the Falls. My sister found this one walkway which she claimed went under the Falls, but my mom argued it was a ledge for Americans to see the Canadian side, and since we're Canadians, we get a better view anyway. No matter who was right, it was clear that there was A LOT more to do on the Canadian side. So we crossed the border, paid our border fee (seems like the easiest $3.25 that was ever taken from us), and continued past traffic to a small go-kart/mini golf course. We played two rounds of mini golf (it was unlimited for $5.50 per person) - I got one hole in one, and had improved a bit since last time. Still come last or next to last :( Golf is not my sport. We thought about trying the go-karts after being offered a special deal, 9 laps for $22 instead of the usual 6 laps, but it was getting dark, the mosquitoes were coming out, the go-kart track was getting empty, and I had this faint headache in the back of my head.
Slept on the way home...yes, my trip always ends in sleep. Means I made the most of it :)
Some pictures:
I have more pics of Buffalo on my phone, but as I said, I need to get an adapter for my microSD. This is the only decent one I got on my regular camera. No, it's not the Statue of Liberty. It's one of the many older buildings/cathedrals in the city. I love how they lighted it up at night. Don't know where the green streak came from.
I've seen this ride I don't know how many times, but it still gives me the chills.
Hello up there?
One of this ride's signature moves - suspending riders while they are lowered into the metal rails and dusty floors. Real thriller.
Beaver Brother's Cafe had amazing wraps, sandwiches, and chili nachos - many meals served with mixed fruit!
Inside the cafe!
The cafe lives up to its name.
Hey, what are you doing stealing my lantern?
Another view from inside. My mom took this one.
Ummm...where's my tail?
See the roller coaster right outside the cafe. Unfortunately, they were testing it, so we didn't actually see people riding.
A hidden passage.
More cute signs.
I'm not sure I would want a beaver testing my meal.
Signs are everywhere in the U.S.
Nice view...
...but not without roller coasters!
They finally fixed the "boomerang". I caught it right as it went through the loop.
I'm not a big fan of ferris wheels, but this one sparkled in the sunlight.
You would have to be Superman to ride this thing.
Doesn't look high up, but trust me, it is.
Ride of Steel again.
Look at that drop! I heard the track is so thin, you can't really see the bottom when you get to the top. *shivers*
Waiting in line for the Rocknation: Don't Stop Believin' show.
Inside view. I couldn't take pictures during the show, but I'll give you a brief overview.
Six dancers/singers (three guys, three gals) rocked out to modern songs including "Tick Tock" (Ke$sha), "Bad Romance" (Lady Gaga), "I Got a Feeling" (Black Eyed Peas), "Crush" (David Archuleta), "Hot N Cold" (Katy Perry), "You Belong With Me" (Taylor Swift), "Party in the USA" (Miley Cyrus), "Man in the Mirror" (Michael Jackson), and "Rock and Roll All Night" (KISS). Overall, they were pretty good, though they seemed to struggle a bit with the more popular songs. I think they were hoping for more energy. I felt kind of bad because a large part of the audience were young children and older adults.
After Rocknation, we rushed over to the other side of the park for the sea lion show, which had already started. Just look at them! All the sea lions are trained to wave hello, balance on their fins, dance/moonwalk, roll over, pretend to be sharks, and more (for treats, of course). I didn't get as many photos as I wanted, because I was running out of memory and I wasn't quite sure if I was allowed to take photos inside.
Important to note: the trainers emphasized that sea lions are NOT seals!
The big one.
That must hurt.
No need for horses anymore.
The sea lions quickly swam to the balls, and brought them back on their noses!
Amazing!
Dance party?
The light show was spectacular! A mix of colourful images, music, and fireworks never disappoints. While it was difficult to get many photos (as mentioned, my camera was running out of memory & battery life), at least I got the chance to sit back and enjoy. Featured artists/works:Black Eyed Peas ("I Got a Feeling")
Stevie Wonder ("Past Time Paradise")
Miley Cyrus ("Party in the USA")
Iron Man Tribute
Kevin Rudolf and Lil' Wayne ("Let it Rock")
Owl City ("Fireflies")
Cascada ("Evacuate the Dancefloor")
Cupid ("Cupid Shuffle")
Tribute to Michael Jackson ("Billie Jean")
The Beatles ("I Wanna Hold Your Hand")
Taylor Swift ("You Belong With Me")
Queen ("We Will (Robot) Rock You")
Bruce Springsteen ("Born to Run")
Tribute to Canada
Tribute to America ("God Bless the USA")
You can see the laser show on Youtube:
I will be visiting the Canadian Youth Chess Championship on July 9, and the Canadian Open on either July 10 or July 16. I highly recommend attending, since these are two of the largest, most prestigious, tournaments in Canada!
Consider attending the 2nd Annual CITL Festival, being held at North York Central Library this Saturday. I will be there all day helping with activities, so come pick up a happy face pin if you're around! As usual, I will only have free pins for the first five people who submit the coupon above to me at the event. Coupons will be available for the CYCC and Canadian Open soon!
Please consider attending the last CMA tournament of the season this Sunday (at Marshall McLuhan C.S.S., 1107 Avenue Rd.). Lots of prizes, gifts, and more! I will visit in the afternoon - the coupon above can be used to obtain happy face pins. You do not need to be a direct participant in the event to claim a pin.
Mark did a great job communicating with participants. Above, he answered a question before the start of this participant's game. As you can see, when Mark speaks, he commands attention of everyone around him - people were so interested in what he had to say!
Mark made his way around the simul tables at a very fast pace. Sometimes he would stop at a board, but rarely stand directly in front of it. Above, you can see his angled posture - ready to take down his next opponent!
Making another move...
...and proceeding once again.
I would call this my 'front row seat', at least for a simul. Notice the intensity!
The camera on my phone has a cool black and white option. Personally, I think photos look very artistic in black and white.
My 'front row seat' view in black and white.
Here he comes!
Crowds grew quite large throughout the simul. Students, faculty members, even parents and people from the community! Above, my photo got squeezed out by the crowd, but I love it!
More crowds!
People were literally standing everywhere!
This photo was a bit of a joke. My friend didn't want me to take a picture of him playing his game, so we agreed his hand could be famous instead :)
There were a bunch of cool Laurier posters that completely roll up after use (talk about convenient storage!) and a microphone for announcements + speeches. At the microphone above is Dr. Hasan Shodiev, a physics professor interested in promoting chess at Laurier. He organized the whole event!
We also had a few journalists and photographers! Smile!
Even that chair was intimidating :)
A few people rolled their eyes when I took this photo, but I couldn't help it. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful building!
Mark's sponsors donated an assortment of chess equipment, including this giant display board, for use in the WLU Chess Club next year. I will be the incoming president of the club, and will work with Dr. Shodiev to organize activities + a team. I was surprised when Mark said there wasn't really a chess team he could play on when he was at York University, yet this simul alone gave him a lot of positive energy. Therefore, I hope to see chess increase at the academic level (especially in universities) in the future!
I will be volunteering at the 2011 Ontario Girls' Chess Championships on May 7. If you wish to receive a free happy face pin (blog gift) at the event, please print this coupon. Note that only the first five coupons presented to me in person at this event will be accepted. One free pin per family. You do not need to be a participant in the OGCC to claim the gift. Expires May 7 at 4 pm.
Hello Readers!
GM Luke McShane (England) wins the 2010 Canadian Open!
I have more pics of Buffalo on my phone, but as I said, I need to get an adapter for my microSD. This is the only decent one I got on my regular camera. No, it's not the Statue of Liberty. It's one of the many older buildings/cathedrals in the city. I love how they lighted it up at night. Don't know where the green streak came from.
I've seen this ride I don't know how many times, but it still gives me the chills.
Hello up there?
One of this ride's signature moves - suspending riders while they are lowered into the metal rails and dusty floors. Real thriller.
Beaver Brother's Cafe had amazing wraps, sandwiches, and chili nachos - many meals served with mixed fruit!
Inside the cafe!
The cafe lives up to its name.
Hey, what are you doing stealing my lantern?
Another view from inside. My mom took this one.
Ummm...where's my tail?
See the roller coaster right outside the cafe. Unfortunately, they were testing it, so we didn't actually see people riding.
A hidden passage.
More cute signs.
I'm not sure I would want a beaver testing my meal.
Signs are everywhere in the U.S.
Nice view...
...but not without roller coasters!
They finally fixed the "boomerang". I caught it right as it went through the loop.
I'm not a big fan of ferris wheels, but this one sparkled in the sunlight.
You would have to be Superman to ride this thing.
Doesn't look high up, but trust me, it is.
Ride of Steel again.
Look at that drop! I heard the track is so thin, you can't really see the bottom when you get to the top. *shivers*
Waiting in line for the Rocknation: Don't Stop Believin' show.
Inside view. I couldn't take pictures during the show, but I'll give you a brief overview.
After Rocknation, we rushed over to the other side of the park for the sea lion show, which had already started. Just look at them! All the sea lions are trained to wave hello, balance on their fins, dance/moonwalk, roll over, pretend to be sharks, and more (for treats, of course). I didn't get as many photos as I wanted, because I was running out of memory and I wasn't quite sure if I was allowed to take photos inside.
The big one.
That must hurt.
No need for horses anymore.
The sea lions quickly swam to the balls, and brought them back on their noses!
Amazing!
Dance party?
The light show was spectacular! A mix of colourful images, music, and fireworks never disappoints. While it was difficult to get many photos (as mentioned, my camera was running out of memory & battery life), at least I got the chance to sit back and enjoy. Featured artists/works:
Followed the music perfectly.
Miley Cyrus song.
USA, right before the fireworks. I took a pic of the fireworks, but my camera malfunctioned and started beeping at me like crazy. So I lost the photo.
Still managed to get some fireworks (just not the big ones).
