Niagara Falls (New York and Ontario sides) and upstate New York

Well, I have to say that despite my fears of potential problems due to the rough train ride, we had a completely AWESOME time with my son at Niagara Falls, then later at his campus. We were blown away by the beauty of both!

You can never really find words to convey the inspiring majesty of the falls. Despite the fact that it rained the whole time we were there, even the cloud cover and rain couldn't take away from the sights and sounds to behold. The color of the water was a sparkling teal/sea foam green. Copious amounts of mist arose from the base of the falls. Boardwalks allowed close-up views of the rapids beginning their plunge to the dark rocks below. A footbridge led from the mainland to an island in the middle of the river. The footbridge gave way to tree-lined paths on the island, all splashed with varying shades of red, orange, yellow, and green foliage. There's no way to see all of this and not be overwhelmed by its beauty.

My son's campus is gorgeous. There are so many beautiful trees everywhere that you imagine the original site as a forest, out of which just enough space was cleared to allow for the widely spaced buildings and nothing more. At the entrance to the college, and at many locations throughout the campus, you can see nothing but forest. It looks like you're in a national park, not a top-notch university! We were taken completely by surprise. It's easy to see why my son fell in love with this place! To top it off, the foliage is turning here, too. The entire place is awash in color. What a delight it must be to wake up here every morning and see such spectacular beauty.