How do two people — one who is 6 feet 2 inches tall — fit three days of clothing, including theater attire, onto one motorcycle? And, with a black Honda Gold Wing motorcycle — a comfy cruiser — we’re the lucky ones with a trunk and two saddlebags.
The secret: dress in black, wear things twice and roll everything. All told, we had enough space to bring home four bottles of Canadian wine.
ON THE ROAD
We travel by motorcycle when possible to wring every sensual experience from a trip. Riding sensitizes. You see, smell, hear and feel deliberately.
Farmers talk about the influence of subtle climate changes. Check: We feel temperature shifts. Fields smell luscious and ripe during harvest season? Check: We smell them. Niagara Falls’ roar was apparent to us earlier than when we’re car captives. We see details in the seasonal shifts of wildflowers that dress the median strip.
Plus, motorcycles often enjoy better (and cheaper) parking. This was ano-brainer of a trip for us.
THE FALLS AND MORE
The Niagara region is much more than the Falls. It’s a gateway to cultural experiences — food, wine, theater — on the Niagara Peninsula between lakes Erie and Ontario.
While the Queen Elizabeth Way highway speeds visitors between destinations and navigation systems may select it, the Niagara Parkway is the better connector. The 14-mile stretch between the Falls and the Lake parallels the river and offers access to prime destinations such as the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, Floral Clock, Niagara Whirlpool and a few of the region’s wineries.
We’ve done this trip before, so we have a pattern. Leave work early and launch at mid-day. Hug Lake Erie’s south shore roads on the journey north. Enter Ontario, Canada. Then follow the Niagara Parkway to Lake Ontario and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Park our stuff at the hotel or bed and breakfast, and begin our adventures.
We vary our trip each time, sampling the region’s many options. We dine at local restaurants, shop charming boutiques, attend tastings at area wineries, visit the parks, see a show. Suddenly it’s Sunday, and we reverse the journey home.
CUSTOMIZE YOUR ITINERARY
The Niagara region is popular with Clevelanders because it’s close. And — given the strength of the dollar — it’s a value, too. With that in mind, reservations and patience are important.
Start your visit by checking out niagarafallstourism.com. It will give a good overview of what’s available and when.
Our weekend headquarters was Shaw Club Hotel & Spa. Across from the Shaw Festival Theatre, it was the best location of my many trips. Bonus: It offers free parking within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and theaters.
This is an understated, contemporary European-style hotel with small rooms decorated in sophisticated taupes and charcoals. As I was digging for my credit card, the front desk attendant was pouring complimentary flutes of Pinot Gris from Peller Estates Winery just around the corner. Service was unintrusive and attentive.
Shaw Festival, one of the reasons this town has developed so vibrantly, is a 50-year-old theater company inspired by the work of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. In addition to Shaw’s work, the festival produces plays from and about his era as well as contemporary plays that share his provocative study of society and humanity.
With 70 actors in 10 shows on four stages over seven months, this year’s programs span decades, styles and geographies. Given the strength of the U.S. dollar — about 20 percent to 25 percent more buying power — tickets are a quite affordable.
Determined to drink responsibly, we limit our winery visits to two establishments in a day and mix up our activities. Tour and van companies offer transportation options as well.
Choosing just two wineries is an enormous task. We selected Reif Estate Winery for the Sensory Bar experience and Ravine Vineyard for the commitment to organic, sustainability and the farm-table dinner experience.
The Sensory Bar at Reif suggests more than a dozen cleverly curated tastings. These include the Ice Wine Experience, Taste the Terroir and a Blind Tasting. During our white wine and local cheese pairing, we learned that Vidal ice wine complements a subtle, semi-soft blue cheese wonderfully.
The stories behind Ravine and its historic buildings are everywhere. As a bonus to a full line of wines, the winery restaurant’s sustainability extends from vegetable growing to pig farming.
