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It’s more than natural wonders

NIAGARA FALLS — Buffalo Avenue is right in the heart of where the spill-over pedestrian traffic of this fallen Western New York city should be. Within walking distance to the rapids, Goat Island and the world-renowned falls, the streets and sidewalks were not filled with hustle and bustle this week. But the city is taking some steps.

Within the last year, a new nine-story DoubleTree hotel opened. On the inside, it’s an impressive interior with a high-class bar area and restaurant.

It’s definitely not your father’s Cataract City.

“We have views of those rapids which I don’t think others will offer,” Merani Hotel Group President Faisal Merani said of his new facility in the Niagara Gazette last spring. “The best views in the city.”

Across the pond is no mirage. Niagara Falls, Ont., gives the impression of an Emerald City when traveling north on Interstate 190 through Grand Island. It’s no longer a skyline dominated by the Skylon and the former Minolta towers. It’s an amazing sight. Thirty- to 58-story hotels climb to the clouds. A beehive of foot and car traffic also is evident, especially in the summer.

Add the gaudy Clifton Hill exhibits to the equation and you have a can’t-miss opportunity to build on tourism.

How did the New York state side suffer for so long? It was a lack of investment — and the belief that if you had the falls alone, tourists will come.

They did. But after a day in the disaster that was the Rainbow Mall and substandard hotels, those who came bolted — for the Canadian side.

Newer, upscale hotels will bring more tourists to this destination — as will a redesigned state park that is the raging waters and roar that lead Niagara Falls. Mark Thomas, western district director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, spoke earlier this spring at the Rotary Club of Fredonia about new buildings, stairs on Luna Island as well as improvements on Terrapin Point and the Cave of the Winds.

In all, some $17 million in improvements will have taken place.

Canada may have the tourist traps, but the American side gives visitors the closest — and best view — of the mighty Niagara.

Dunkirk and northern Chautauqua County could learn a little from this vision. We already know Lake Erie is best utilized by the fishermen during this four-month period. With some of the best walleye, steelhead and bass, our Great Lake also is a destination that is not much less than Niagara Falls.

Like the New York side of Niagara, we just have not grasped at how to truly market it. Consider a trip on the New York State Thruway. How would travelers even know Lake Erie was minutes from Interstate 90? There are no signs — or welcome centers close by — promoting this.

Investors came to the American falls knowing hotels need to be a part of the tourist experience. We could use another of these near Sunset Bay and in Dunkirk.

Some of those living here say we have enough accommodations, but that understates the potential for how many more people this area can attract — especially along the lake.

We need to think big. Who would have thought, 10 years ago, Dunkirk’s festivals and concerts would be a destination for many local residents and visitors?

It was a vision, as the Thursday night Music on the Pier opener proved, that continues to succeed.

John D’Agostino is the OBSERVER publisher. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 366-3000, ext. 401.

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