Weekend at Niagara Falls

Hubster and I just got back from a long, lovely weekend at Niagara Falls.

We went there for two reasons.

My beautiful friend C was getting married (amazing wedding - one of the most beautiful, moving, love-filled weddings I've ever seen); and hubster and I decided we were in need of a romantic (read: no kids allowed) getaway, to celebrate our anniversary a little early this year.

It was fabulous. Western NY this time of year is unpredictable (C told me "It might be 70 and sunny, or it might be snowing... so be prepared!"). Luckily, it was 70 and sunny (however there was still visible ICE in the water at the Falls - amazing!). We stayed at the Seneca Niagara Hotel & Casino, within walking distance of the Falls. The hotel was gorgeous - very upscale and posh (a pleasant surprise considering the great internet rate we got!)

However, I must add that I'm still recovering from the hour or two I spent in the casino. Here are my thoughts on casinos:

1. People who hang out in casinos are a really unhealthy looking bunch. REALLY. I practically got run over by an 80 year old man in his wheelchair. He had his oxygen cannister strapped to the side (oxygen canula in his nostrils) and yes, cocktail in one hand. I'm SURE the only reason he wasn't smoking is because oxygen is flammable. Amazing.

2. If you're a non-smoker (like me), and you enter a casino (even for an hour or so), by the time you leave, you'll have a nicotine buzz and will feel like crap the next day (I STILL feel like crap and have a horrible cough.) I'm seriously thinking of calling a pulmonologist to make sure I didn't do anything permanent to my poor lungs.

3. The amount of smoke in a casino is so intense that it soaks into your hair, into your clothes (including your undergarments) and even will dry out your contacts. ICK. (I wonder - the people who work there.... if they contract lung cancer.... is that a compensable Workers Comp claim? I would think it would have to be, because it's a work-based exposure.)

4. Apparently I'm missing the "why-gambling-is-fun" gene. I put $20 into a slot machine just to see what the hubbub was about. I pressed a few buttons. There were some lights, and some mildly appealing electronic noises, and that was it. The ride was over (and my 20 bucks was gone) before my watered down cocktail was even gone. (On what planet is THAT fun, and why?)

However, the hotel and the restaurants at the hotel were wonderful. The Falls (both the American and the Canadian sides) were breathtaking (this is my 2nd time at Niagara, and I'm just as in awe as I was the first time), and the wedding was amazing. More on the wedding tomorrow. I have to go find my nebulizer now (kidding.... but still....)