How Are the Residents of the Town of Niagara Falls Influential in the History of the Area Being a Tourist Attraction?

Wesley Jerome

Why is the Canadian side of Niagara Falls currently doing better than the American side in terms of attracting more tourists and bringing them back for future visits? Some time ago, the American side used to be a much more tourist attraction for visitors from all over the world. One of the main reasons why this is no longer the case is because several blocks of downtown Niagara Falls stand like sprawling acres waiting for the tiller. Despite endless promises that ambitious developments are on the drawing boards, the scene is not any different than decades ago. In some ways, the situation is worse.
Most of the buildings remain vacant, stark evidence that the urban renewal that the politicians had planned for, failed. The whole scenery is a sore to the eyes for unknowing visitors, who now line up to go over the Rainbow Bridge to the Canadian side to visit the hot new gambling palace.

Old Falls street retains its ghost-like atmosphere, except for the refurbishing of the pleasuredome section of the darkened Falls Street Station, a strong reminder of the days when the passenger trains rumbled into the New York Central depot-now the Radisson Hotel site-when thousands of visitors strolled the two blocks to Prospect Park to visit the Falls.
Large buildings line the Prospect Park area. A tourist would not know that they were in Niagara Falls if it were not for the numerous brochures reminding them of that fact, because the landscape was put up in such that they now block the "big drop" from the view of the tourists until they are well over the Falls. There are so many buildings blocking the view to the Falls. I visited Niagara Falls with a friend who had never previously been there. As we were on our way to the parking lot, she kept on asking us where the "big drop" is, because she could not see it from the car, the main mode of travel into Niagara Falls.
The pictures were taken on Falls Street and Main street, the principal streets in Niagara Falls. The pictures of the boarded-up stores are typical of the businesses leaving or going out of business in those areas, because there is nobody to sustain the business. The businesses can no longer afford to put up shop in those areas, because there is not enough revenue to sustain them, so they move away. As a tourist, these site did not offer any reason for me to visit and stay in Niagara Falls.