Tour Tales

Sometimes people get me high. It was a group of 6 on a driving tour, 2 families of 3, one Biblical Christians from Tennessee with an 11-year-old son, the other Sikh from Dubai, the mother in attire reflecting her religion, the father in jeans and polo, the daughter in jeans and a Snoopy t-shirt, fresh from Disney.

We approached the ticket window. “4 adults, 1 child and um, ah, oh wait a minute” I said at the window before turning back to my Dubai guests as the young woman who hadn’t spoken watched “how old are you? Are you 12 or younger?” “I am 21,” she said in British English.

Indeed, Prisayal (a new-to-me name) might have looked small, and young, but she was formidable, having just finished lawschool in Manchester, England and about to embark on a career as a corporate attorney who will break the hearts of men who underestimate her because her diminutive appearance hide a sharp intellect.

“I want one thing,” she said. “Today, at some point, can we get ice cream? In Dubai it is so hot it melts before you can eat it.”

After the Maid, she found Dippin Dots from the concession stand. Her mother took it over because that doesn’t count as icecream.

I took them toward Prospect Point and she bought a dish of Perry’s Niagara. I watched her savor it with glory. No tip will ever outweigh the look of satisfaction on her face.

She also said she wanted a dog, a big one. In Dubai, there is nowhere to walk an animal and everyone lives in flats valued at $1 million or more. It is often too hot to walk or spend time outdoors.

At the Cave of the Winds, the mother decided she would rather rest than take the elevator. While they were in the movie that precedes the cave, I found her and brought her to a comfortable place for waiting. She didn’t understand at first, and apologized for her lack of English but I got her to a comfortable place and when her husband and son emerged before the elevator she understood.

At DiCamillo’s, they carefully chose one slice each that adhered to their vegetarian diet and savored every bite.

“It was just enough,” Prisayal said. “If we eat too much it tires us.”

Even across cultures and faiths, I understood because of how frequently Beth and I split a sandwich or an entree and still bring leftovers home.

Meanwhile, about our family from Tennessee, they talked a bit about having visited The Ark in Kentucky, retelling the story of Noah from the Bible.

The father was happy the gender neutral bathrooms in the state park have been divided again.

Their son, however, asked questions about Annie Edson Taylor was well as recent suicides at the Falls.

You can bring an 11-year-old boy to church Wednesday for Bible study, Thursday for youth group, Saturday for activities and Sunday for service but if you still let him have access to the internet and talk to outsiders he is going to question things.

I said nothing that disrespected those parents and gave them lots of good ideas for additional things to do while visiting but that young man seemed like he was questioning, and seeing things independently.

I also give that family a ton of credit for recognizing the value of DiCamillo’s and loading down with bread, pasta and sauce for their camper at Four Mile Creek.

Another young man in a group this week pulled me aside after the tour. He wanted my contact information so he could write a review.

He also wanted to know more about Robert Moses, horrible human being and about how New York State does nothing to support its Niagara Falls host community.

As a tour guide, I am not politically correct. The relationship between our city taxpayers and State Government is abhorrent. Our Niagara Falls government doesn't demand better and our Assemblyman and Senator both are Republicans trying to help in a Democratically controlled State Capitol.

My guest was from Syracuse and said he was studying political science, the third intellectually engaged young person of the week.

I shared some more details and then hit him with the Sylvester  Beaman/Joe Biden story. AME Bishop Beaman knew Sen. Biden from leading praise in Dover, Del. President Biden asked him to do the Benediction at the 2020 inauguration.