美国有什么景点？？用英语写哦！带上中文..51
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发布时间：2023-09-19 03:01
共2个回答
热心网友
时间：2024-11-23 11:19
1、时代广场（纽约） 年游客数：3500万
站在时代广场上，能看到绚丽多彩的广告牌，川流不息的人群，更能感受到纽约的艺术气息以及商业文化的巨大魅力。时代广场联盟引用了一个数据，据统计，在工作日，平均每十五分钟就会有2000个人穿越曼哈顿七号大街。在新年前夕，就会有超过100万的狂欢者汇聚到广场上庆祝新年。
2、拉斯维加斯大道（内华达州拉斯维加斯） 年游客数：3100万
这条霓虹大道铺设了拉斯维加斯瑰丽的夜生活，它不仅包含了这个罪恶之城的心脏，同时也是美国联邦*国家风景道计划的一员。据统计，每年在这条大道上徜徉的游客人数占据了整个拉斯维加斯城市旅游人数的百分之八十。
3、国家广场和纪念公园（华盛顿） 年游客数：2400万
国家广场和纪念公园占地1000多英亩，游客可以在这里发现很多美国历史发展的纪念里程碑。这里还有华盛顿、林肯、杰斐逊等美国总统的纪念馆，以及朝鲜战争和越南战争的老兵纪念馆。
4、法尼尔厅市场（马萨诸塞州波士顿） 年游客数：2000万
1742年，富有的波士顿商人皮特·法尼尔建立了这个市场。多个世纪以来，法尼尔厅市场都是作为城市的商业中心，同时也是一个著名的演说地点，当年塞缪尔·亚当斯也曾在这里进行过演讲。
5、迪斯尼世界魔幻王国（佛罗里达州奥兰多） 年游客数：1710万
根据全球主题公园入场人数统计报告，相比2006年，佛罗里达迪斯尼主题乐园游客人数增长了2。5个百分点。
6、迪斯尼公园（加利福尼亚州阿纳海姆） 年游客数：1490万
1955年，沃尔特·迪斯尼在加利福尼亚创建了世界上第一个迪斯尼乐园。这里有著名的海底总动员之旅，游客们可以在这里乘坐潜水艇，透过身边圆形的视窗来赏析海底世界。
7、旧金山渔人码头/金门国家娱乐区（加利福尼亚州） 年游客数：1400万
旧金山邻近海峡，每年大约会有1580万的游客。作为旧金山标志性景区，渔人码头是游客的必到之地，也是旧金山最充满欢乐气息的地方。金门国家娱乐区是世界最大的都市公园，包括金门大桥及海湾地区沿线广博的区域。
8、尼亚加拉大瀑布（纽约州西北部） 年游客数：1200万
瀑布位于美国和加拿大交界的尼亚加拉河中段，从19世纪中叶开始，就饱受游客的青睐。不管是站在了望塔上，坐在船里，还是徒步探险，游客们都能看到壮观的大瀑布奔流而下的水势。
9、大雾山国家公园（北卡罗来纳州/田纳西州） 年游客数：940万
大雾山国家公园是美国最受欢迎的国家公园，这里有着充沛的降雨和密布的溪流，10条大瀑布和众多小瀑布是这里的一大美景。大雾山得名于山上终年不散的烟雾，烟雾闪烁着浅蓝光芒，弥漫在整个低地山峦，美不胜收。
10、海军军港（伊里诺斯州芝加哥） 年游客数：860万
海军军港开放于1916年，它曾经是海军训练场所和集会广场，也曾是伊利诺斯大学最初的临时校地。现在，它拥有占地50英亩的商店、餐馆以及博物馆等公共设施。芝加哥莎士比亚剧院以及儿童博物馆都在这里，游客们在夜间还能欣赏烟火表演。
11、密湖国家游乐区（亚利桑那州/内华达州） 年游客数：760万
密湖国家游乐区地处于拉斯维加斯东南方向30英里处，是个游泳、露营、划船、钓鱼及水上运动的胜地，也是个度假的好地方。密湖是由胡佛大坝截流科罗拉多河而形成的，它是美国最大的人工湖，同时也是美国西南部的重要水源地。
12、环球影城/冒险岛（佛罗里达州奥兰多） 年游客数：620万
佛罗里达环球影城有两个主题公园，一个是具有大量影视资料的环球影城，一个是可以给游客带来惊险刺激体验的冒险岛。同时，影城推出的4D电影也吸引了不少游客。
13、奥兰多海洋世界（佛罗里达州奥兰多） 年游客数：600万
奥兰多海洋世界提供了很多大型海洋生物表演节目，海豚、海狮、海豹、海象、鲨鱼和鲸鱼都会在节目中亮相，其中就是杀人鲸秀场和鲸豚剧院。
14、圣安东尼奥河滨步道（德克萨斯州） 年游客数：510万
圣安东尼奥河的河滨步道号称是德克萨斯州第一娱乐胜地，这条绿荫大道吸引来了来自世界各地的游客。河道两旁聚集了餐馆、商店等众多娱乐场所。游客们游走在河滨步道上，沐浴着河面的微风，更能感受到一股浓浓的诗意。
15、圣殿广场（犹他州盐湖城） 年游客数：500万
作为摩门教的中心，圣殿广场目前已经不仅仅是一个宗教圣地。2007年，来这里参观的游客人数就已经接近500万，这也让圣殿广场成为了犹他州首屈一指的游览胜地。
16、特拉华峡谷国家娱乐区（宾夕法尼亚州/新泽西州） 年游客数：480万
特拉华峡谷国家娱乐区位于宾夕法尼亚州和新泽西州交界处，公园以河流景观为主。
17、好莱坞环球影城（加利福尼亚州好洛杉矶） 年游客数：470万
作为环球主题公园的旗舰品牌，好莱坞环球影城号称是洛杉矶的娱乐之都，游客们可以亲身体验影视剧激动人心的场景。
18、纽约大都会博物馆（纽约） 年游客数：450万
大都会博物馆成立于1870年，并于1880年迁址到了现在所在的*公园。这是美国最大的艺术博物馆，其中艺术作品就超过了200万件。
19、威基基海滩（夏威夷） 年游客数：450万
威基基海滩是游客心目中最典型的夏威夷海滩。这里可以冲浪、划船、欣赏落日余晖。此外，这里商店、饭店、购物中心云集，欣赏自然美景的同时还可享受周到服务。
20、大峡谷国家公园（亚利桑拿州） 年游客数：441万
闻名于世的大峡谷是由科罗拉多河在地质时期长年侵蚀而形成。峡谷两岸的不同地质年代形成的地层断面随处可见，岩层清晰，是一部活生生的地质“教科书”。1919年，大峡谷被设立为国家公园。
21、非洲布希公园（佛罗里达州坦帕湾） 年游客数：440万
这个以非洲为主题的公园驯养了2700多头动物，园内野性十足，让人仿佛置身非洲*。园区内分为不同的主题，游客们不仅可以和野生动物亲密接触，而且还能欣赏到非洲传统的民族风情。
22、科德角国家海岸（马萨诸塞州） 年游客数：435万
高耸的灯塔，迷人的酸果蔓池塘，还有沙丘和森林，这些无与伦比的景色让科德角海峡熠熠生辉。在这个44600英亩的保护区里，环境优美，细沙绵绵，游客们不仅可以感受大海的气息，还可以徒步旅行，欣赏沿途风光。
23、圣地亚哥海洋世界（加利福尼亚州圣地亚哥） 年游客数：426万
圣地亚哥海洋世界创办于1964年，有趣的是，最初的创建者只是想开一间水下餐厅。目前，圣地亚哥海洋世界是世界上最大的海洋主题公园，游客们在这里不仅能欣赏到精彩的演出，而且可以亲自与海洋生活进行互动游戏。
24、美国自然历史博物馆（纽约） 年游客数：400万
美国自然历史博物馆地处于纽约曼哈顿西区，拥有45个永久展出的展厅，是世界上规模最大的自然历史博物馆。此馆馆藏丰富，展现了世界自然科学的广博与魅力。
25、大西洋城木板路（新泽西州） 年游客数：400万
木板路沿着海滩绵延四英里，除去唯美的自然风光，路边还耸立着酒店、商店和各种娱乐场所。游客们信步在这条大道上，还可以顺便参观大西洋城历史博物馆和艺术中心。 英文说我真的没办法 SORRY
热心网友
时间：2024-11-23 11:19
Out of all of America's symbols, none has proved more enring or evocative than the Statue of Liberty. This giant figure, torch in hand and clutching a stone tablet, has for a century acted as a figurehead for the American Dream; indeed there is probably no more immediately recognizable profile in existence. It's worth remembering that the statue is - for Americans at least - a potent reminder that the USA is a land of immigrants: it was New York Harbor where the first big waves of European immigrants arrived, their ships entering through the Verrazano Narrows to round the bend of the bay and catch a first glimpse of "Liberty Enlightening the World" - an end of their journey into the unknown, and the symbolic beginning of a new life.
These days, although only the very wealthy can afford to arrive here by sea, and a would-be immigrant's first (and possibly last) view of the States is more likely to be the customs check at JFK Airport, Liberty remains a stirring sight, with Emma Lazarus's poem, The New Colossus, written originally to raise funds for the statue's base, no less quotable than when it was written……
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips."Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse to your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
The statue, which depicts Liberty throwing off her shackles and holding a beacon to light the world, was the creation of the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who crafted it a hundred years after the American Revolution in recognition of solidarity between the French and American people (though it's fair to add that Bartholdi originally intended the statue for Alexandria in Egypt). Bartholdi built Liberty in Paris between 1874 and 1884, starting with a terracotta model and enlarging it through four successive versions to its present size, a construction of thin copper sheets bolted together and supported by an iron framework designed by Gustave Eiffel. The arm carrying the torch was exhibited in Madison Square Park for seven years, but the whole statue wasn't officially accepted on behalf of the American people until 1884, after which it was taken apart, crated up and shipped to New York.
It was to be another two years before it could be properly unveiled: money had to be collected to fund the construction of the base, and for some reason Americans were unwilling - or unable - to dip into their pockets. Only through the campaigning efforts of newspaper magnate Joseph Pulitzer, a keen supporter of the statue, did it all come together in the end. Richard Morris Hunt built a pedestal around the existing star-shaped Fort Wood, and Liberty was formally dedicated by President Cleveland on October 28, 1886, in a flag-waving shindig that has never really stopped. The statue was closed for a few years in the mid-1980s for extensive renovation and, in 1986, fifteen million people descended on Manhattan for the statue's centennial celebrations.
Today you can climb steps up to the crown, but the cramped stairway though the torch sadly remains closed to the public. Don't be surprised if there's an hour-long wait to ascend. Even if there is, Liberty Park's views of the lower Manhattan skyline, the twin towers of the World Trade Center lording it over the jutting teeth of New York's financial quarter, are spectacular enough.
2.纽约唐人街介绍：
On the surface, Chinatown is prosperous - a "model slum," some have called it - with the lowest crime rate, highest employment and least juvenile delinquency of any city district. Walk through its crowded streets at any time of day, and every shop is doing a brisk and businesslike trade: restaurant after restaurant is booming; there are storefront displays of shiny squids, clawing crabs and clambering lobster; and street markets offer overflowing piles of exotic green vegetables, garlic and ginger root. Chinatown has the feel of a land of plenty, and the reason why lies with the Chinese themselves: even here, in the very core of downtown Manhattan, they have been careful to preserve their own way of dealing with things, preferring to keep affairs close to the bond of the family and allowing few intrusions into a still-insular culture. There have been several concessions to Westerners - storefront signs now offer English translations, and Haagen Dazs and Baskin Robbins ice-cream stores have opened on lower Mott Street - but they can't help but seem incongruous. The one time of the year when Chinatown bursts open is ring the Chinese New Year festival, held each year on the first full moon after January 19, when a giant dragon runs down Mott Street to the accompaniment of firecrackers, and the gutters run with ceremonial dyes.
Beneath the neighborhood's blithely prosperous facade, however, there is a darker underbelly. Sharp practices continue to flourish, with traditional extortion and protection rackets still in business. Non-union sweatshops - their assembly lines grinding from early morning to late into the evening - are still visited by the US Department of Labor, who come to investigate workers' testimonies of being paid below minimum wage for seventy-plus-hour work weeks. Living conditions are abysmal for the poorer Chinese - mostly recent immigrants and the elderly - who reside in small rooms in overcrowded tenements ill-kept by landlords. Yet, because the community has been cloistered for so long and has only just begun to seek help from city officials for its internal problems, you won't detect any hint of difficulties unless you reside in Chinatown for a considerable length of time.
哎呀本来还想多帮你找的，但学校的网速实在是不行，太不给我自信了，接下来看你的了哈，祝你好运哦！
3.迪斯尼乐园介绍：
Walt and Roy Disney began their partnership on October 16, 1923 when they signed a contract to proce the Alice Comedies, a series of six- to eight-minute animated films, or "shorts," combining live-action and animation. What began as the Disney Brothers Studio evolved into The Walt Disney Company.
Throughout the decades, the company has expanded worldwide from shorts to feature-length animated and live-action films and television proction; character merchandise licensing; consumer procts retailing; book, magazine and music publishing; Internet activities; television and radio broadcasting; cable television programming; and the operation of theme parks and resorts.
From the creation of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in 1927 and the debut of Mickey Mouse in 1928 to the premiere of Tarzan in 1999, animation has remained the defining signature of the company. Along the way, Disney has added successful TV shows like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, opened theme parks in California, Florida, France and Japan, launched more than 700 Disney Stores and added brands such as Touchstone, Miramax, ABC and ESPN to the fold.
To make the most of Disneyland - the ultimate escapist fantasy and the blueprint for imitations worldwide - throw yourself right into it. Don't think twice about anything and go on every ride you can. The high admission price ($36) includes them all, although ring peak periods each one can entail hours of queueing. Remember, too, that the emphasis is on family fun; the authorities take a dim view of anything remotely anti-social and eject those they consider guilty.
Over four hundred "Imaginers" worked to create the Indiana Jones Adventure, Disneyland's biggest opening in years. Two hours of queueing are built into the ride, with an interactive archeological dig and 1930s-style newsreel show leading up to the main feature - a giddy journey along 2500ft of skull-encrusted corridors in which you face fireballs, falling rubble, venomous snakes and, inevitably, a rolling boulder finale. Disney claims that, thanks to computer engineering, no two Indiana Jones rides are ever alike. Judge for yourself.
Among the best of the older rides are two in Adventureland: the Pirates of the Caribbean, a boat trip through underground caverns, singing along with drunken pirates; and the Haunted Mansion, a riotous "doom buggy" tour in the company of the house spooks.
Tomorrowland is Disney's vision of the future, where the Space Mountain roller coaster zips through the pitch-blackness of outer space, and the Star Tours ride simulates a journey into the world of George Lucas. The Skyway cable-car line that connects Tomorrowland with the clever but cloyingly sentimental Fantasyland is the only spot in the park from which you can see the outside world.
As for accommodation, try to visit Disneyland just for the day and spend the night somewhere else. Most of the hotels and motels nearby cost well in excess of $70 per night.
You're not permitted to bring your own food to the park; you can only consume the fast food sold on the premises.
Disneyland is at 1313 Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, 45 minutes by car from downtown using the Santa Ana Freeway. In summer, the park is open daily between 8am and 1am; otherwise opening hours are weekdays 10am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to midnight, and Sunday 9am to 10pm. Arrive early; traffic quickly becomes nightmarish, especially in the summer. For further information, including public transportation details, call 714/999-4565.
Spotlight on St.Petersburg
4.圣彼得堡介绍：
St.Petersburg.The very name brings to mind some of Russia's greatest poets,writers and composers:Pushkin,Dostoevsky,Tchaikovsky.The 19th century was a golden age for St.Petersburg's wealthy classes.It was a world of ballets and balls,of art and literature,of tea and caviar.
圣彼得堡，只要提到这个名字就让人想起那些*最伟大的诗人、作家以及作曲家：普希金、杜斯妥也夫斯基、柴可夫斯基。十九世纪对圣彼得堡的富有阶级来说是段黄金岁月。那是一个充满了芭蕾舞和舞会、艺术和文学、茶和鱼子酱的世界。
The golden age ended with the advent of World War 1.Working people were growing more and more discontented.In 1917,Communism came,promising peace and prosperity.
这段黄金岁月因为第一次世界大战的来临而结束。工人阶级的不满愈来愈高涨。1917年时，*党来了并向人民保证和平与繁荣。
St.Petersburg had become Petrograd in 1914.People wanted a Russian name for their city.Ten years later,the city's name changed again,this time to Leningrad.Then in 1991,Leningraders voted to restore the city's original name.Some people opposed the name change altogether.Others thought it was just too soon.Old,run-down Soviet Leningrad,they said,was not the St.Petersburg of 19th-century literature.
圣彼得堡在1914年变成彼得格勒。人们想为这个城市取个*名字。十年之后，这个城市的名字又改了，这一次叫做列宁格勒。然后在1991年，列宁格勒的居民投票恢复了此城最初的名字。有些人彻底反对改名字，有些人认为名字改得太快了。他们说老旧的苏维埃列宁格勒已不再是十九世纪的圣彼得堡了。
What,then,is St.Petersburg?In the confusing post-Communist world,no one really knows.The quiet,if Soviet-style,dignity is gone.The Communist sayings are down,and gaudy advertising up.Candy bars and cigarettes are sold from boxy,tasteless kiosks.And clothing?Well,anything goes.Everyone wants to be a little different.But many people do not know the true meaning of freedom.Personal crime has gone up,up,up in the past few years.
那么，到底圣彼得堡是什么呢？在*党结束执政后的令人困惑的情形下，没有人真正知道这个答案。那种安静却又无聊的苏维埃式的尊严已经成为过去了。*党的标语被换了下来，代之以俗气的广告。那些四方形、没有品味的摊子出售糖果和香芋。至于穿着呢？嗯，任何样式都有。每个人都想要有点与众不同。但是许多人仍然不知道自由的真意为何。在过去数年里，个人犯罪率一直不断地上升。
Yet in spite of this,you can still find some of the city's grand past.Stand at the western tip of Vasilievsky Island.To the right is the elegant Winter Palace,former home of the czars.Its light blue sides and white classical columns make it perhaps St.Petersburg's most graceful building.It houses one of the worlds most famous art museums:the Hermitage.Inside,20km of galleries house thousands of works of art.Look over your right shoulder.The massive golden dome of St.Isaac's Cathedral rises above the skyline.You'll see,too,why St.Petersburg is called a "floating city."Standing there,nearly surrounded by water,you can see four of the city's 42islands.
但是，尽管如此，你还是可以找到一些这个城市辉煌的过去。站在维丝利瓦斯基岛的西端，右边是优雅的冬宫，是沙皇从前的住处。它那浅蓝色的外墙和白色古典的园柱，使它成为大概是圣彼得堡中最优雅的建筑物。它里面有世界上最有名的艺术博物馆：赫米提巨博物馆。在里面，长达20公里的艺廊收藏了数千件的艺术作品。朝你右肩后方看去，圣以撒大教堂巨大的金制圆顶伸入了天空。你也会了解，为什么圣彼得堡又被称为「漂浮的城市」。站在那里，几乎完全被水环绕，你可以看见这城市四十二个岛屿中的四个。
Cross the bridge and turn behind the Winter Palace.In the middle of the huge Palace Square stands the Alexander Column.It commemorates Russia's victory over Napoleon.The 650-ton granite column is not attached to the base in any way.Its own weight keeps it upright.Hoisted into place in 1832,it has stood there ever since.
过了桥转到冬宫的后面，巨大的冬宫广场中间竖立着亚历山大圆柱。它是为了纪念*和拿破仑交战的胜利。这个六百五十吨的花岗石圆柱底部并未以任何方式固定，底部也无任何支撑。自1832年被竖立起来之后，便一直站立在那里。
Continue to Nevsky Prospekt,the heart of the old city.Let the crowds hurry by while you take your time.Admire the fine carving on bridges and columns,above doorways and windows.Cross over canals and pass by smaller palaces and other classical structures.Let your eyes drink in the light blues,greens,yellows and pinks.
继续走到纳瓦斯基街，这个老城市的中心。在你悠闲地漫步的时候，让人群从你身旁匆匆走过。欣赏那些在桥上和圆柱上，门口以及窗户上面的精致雕刻。穿过运河并经过较小的皇宫以及其他的古典建筑物。让你的眼睛饱享淡篮、青绿、*和粉红色。
Take time to wander among Kazan Cathedral's semi circle of enormous brown columns.Or, if you prefer Russian-style architecture,cross the street and follow the canal a short distance.The Church of the Resurrection occupies the site where Czar Alexander 11was assassinated in 1881.
花些时间漫步于喀山大教堂里巨大的棕色圆柱所围成的半圆形。或者，如果你喜欢*样式的建筑，穿过马路并随着运河走一段短距离的路。复活教会正好位于沙皇亚历山大二世在1881年被暗杀的地方。
Travel outside the city to Petrodvorets Palace for a taste of old imperial grandeur.After a visit to France in the late 17th century,Peter the Great decided to build a palace for himself better than Versailles.His dream never came true in his lifetime.It took almost two centuries to complete the palace and park complex.
离开市区往彼得城方向游览，一尝古老皇宫富丽堂皇的风味。彼得大帝于十七世纪末到法国游览了一趟后，他决定要为自己盖一座比凡尔赛宫还好的皇宫。在他有生之年，这个梦想一直没有实现。皇宫和公园的复合建筑几乎花了两个世纪才完成。
Seldom does any city have the chance to reinvent itself.That chance has now come to St.Petersburg.A few people might hope to return to the glory of the past,but most know that is impossible.They want to preserve the best of past eras and push ahead.You can bet the city won't be old St.Petersburg,but something altogether different.
很少有城市有机会再创造自己，这个机会现在降临到了圣彼得堡。有些人可能希望回到过去的荣耀里，但是大多数人知道那是不可能的。他们希望能将过去年代当中的精华保留住，并进步向前。你可以打赌这个城市将不再是老圣彼得堡，而是一个完全不同的城市。
5.尼亚加拉大瀑布的介绍：
被称为世界七大奇景之一的尼亚加拉大瀑布位于加拿大和美国交界的尼亚加拉河上，它那丰沛而浩瀚的水汽和磅礴的气势，使所有前来观赏的游人都为之震撼。
尼亚加拉河长约56米，上接海拔174米的伊利湖，下注海拔75米的安大略湖。这99米的落差，已足以形成湍急的水流，而两湖之间横亘着的一道石灰岩断崖，更使水量丰富的尼亚加拉河水在经过这里时骤然陡落，水势澎湃，声震如雷。
从高处的伊利湖到低处的安大略湖，在经过河床绝壁上的半岛时，湖水分隔成了两部份，分别流入加拿大和美国，形成了一大一小两个瀑布。这两个瀑布在加拿大这边的景致比在美国看起来要更加美丽壮观。
Niagara Falls comprises three distinct cataracts. The tallest are the American and Bridal Veil falls on the American side, separated by tiny Luna Island and plunging over jagged rocks in a 180ft drop; the broad Horseshoe Falls which curve their way over to Canada are probably the most impressive. They date back a mere twelve thousand years, when the retreat of melting glaciers allowed water trapped in Lake Erie to gush north to Lake Ontario. Back then the falls were seven miles downriver, but constant erosion has cut them back to their present site. The falls are colorfully lit up at night, and many say they're most beautiful in winter, when the grounds are covered in snow and the waters turn to ice.
The best views on the American side are from the Prospect Point Observation Tower (daily; 50￠), and from the area at its base where the water rushes past; Terrapin Point on Goat Island in the middle of the river has similar views of Horseshoe Falls. The nineteenth-century tightrope-walker Blondin crossed the Niagara repeatedly near here, and even carried passengers across on his back; other suicidal fools over the years have taken the plunge in barrels. One survivor among the many fatalities was the Englishman Bobby Leach, who went over in a steel barrel in July 1911 and had to spend the rest of the year in hospital. That practice has since been banned (though a couple of maniacs did it in summer 1995 and came away with minor bruises), for reasons which become self-evident when you approach the towering cascade on the not-to-be-missed Maid of the Mist boat trip from the foot of the observation tower (summer Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm; $8.50; 716/284-4233). From Goat Island, the Cave of the Winds tour leads down to the base of the falls by elevator to within almost touching distance of the water (mid-May to late Oct; $5.50). A combination pass for these and other attractions costs $16. Rainbow helicopter tours (716/284-2800) are a more expensive proposition at $40 per person for a ten-minute ride. To check the view out from Niagara Falls, Ontario, it's a twenty-minute walk across the Rainbow Bridge to the Canadian side (25￠ each way; bring ID, and check with US Immigration officials before heading across), where you get an arguably better view, bigger crowds and even more tawdry commercialism. Driving across is inadvisable: the toll for a car is just 75￠, but parking on the other side is upwards of $15.
As you look on in awe, reflect that you're seeing only about half the volume of water - the rest is diverted to hydroelectric power stations. The full story of this engineering feat is related at the free Niagara Power Project Visitors Center in nearby Lewiston (July & Aug daily 9am-6pm; Sept-June daily 10am-5pm; 716/285-3211). With your own transportation it's also possible to trace the inhospitable Niagara Gorge two miles along the dramatic Robert Moses Parkway to the Whirlpool Rapids, a violent maelstrom swollen by broken trees and other flotsam.
Ten miles east of Niagara Falls, the town of LOCKPORT takes its name from the series of locks that raise and lower boats some 65ft at the western end of the Erie Canal. You can see the impressive flight of locks from the Pine Street Bridge, or up close on canal boat tours (May - Nov daily at 12.30 & 3pm, also 10am on Sat; $9; 716/693-3260).
