“My grandfather always said, ‘Would you rather look at a beautiful woman from a distance your whole life, or have her standing beside you?'” quipped one lifelong resident.
Niagara Falls, N.Y., is situated on the east side of the natural wonder it shares with Canada. A bend in the river cuts off direct view of the “Horseshoe,” Niagara’s most stunning waterfall. Since the northern border closed to nonessential travel in March 2020, the only way Americans can get a good look at it is to ride the famous ferry boat “Maid of the Mist.”
“The closing of the border is really like cutting off a neighborhood,” says Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino, a Democrat. “So many people here have a favorite restaurant or store there, so many folks in Niagara Falls, Ontario, vice versa. So, it’s more than just a tourism piece, it really is a pretty significant piece of the local economy.”
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