July seems to be the month when newspaper columnists can't help but trot out "Best of" lists for their loyal readers to digest and religiously follow.
I, of course, am no exception. However, rather than adhere to the tired formula of offering you my list of "Best Books to Read at the Beach" or "The Top 10 Ice Cream Flavors of 2005," I shall instead present to you a list unlike any other you have ever encountered. Pick up the daily papers if you want reheated columns for breakfast. What we are about to serve here in the Reporter is piping hot and fresh from the oven.
Following no particular format or rules, here then is Croisdale's "Best of Niagara Falls, Summer 2005 Edition" list.
Best Place to Find Out What's Really Going on at City Hall
The other side of the mail slot at the Niagara Falls Reporter. You'd be amazed at what comes through that slot and over our fax line. Secret memos, interoffice documents and year-end reports, all highly classified, are just a sampling of the types of things that are "presented" to us on a near-weekly basis.
There are two sides to the political game in Niagara Falls: what is sent off in giddily written prose disguised as press releases and the deep, dark secrets exposed on the other side of our mail slot.
A word of warning to anyone in public office thinking about dealing from the bottom of the deck -- eventually all of the details of every dirty backroom deal are going to be slid through our mail slot in a plain brown envelope. Save yourself the embarrassment of being exposed by staying on the up and up.
Best Spot for a Tourist Off the Beaten Path
Whirlpool State Park. Situated just a few miles north of the mighty cataracts, Whirlpool State Park is an oasis from the desert storm of high admission and parking fees that surround the direct falls area.
Free parking and no admission fee are not words often uttered in Niagara Falls, but they are apt descriptors for this lovely park. Featuring ample grassy areas, hibachis and a playground, Whirlpool State Park is a terrific place to while away a summer afternoon.
Throw in the breathtaking views of a whirlpool the size of six football fields around and the stunning Niagara Gorge and we're talking about an outlook that deserves to be called a natural gem.
Best Place to Overhear Juicy Gossip
Gadawski's. Enter the always-packed Polish eatery for lunch during the work week and you'll encounter more than fine delectables from the old country. While your taste buds savor the sweet flavor of sour cream over lightly browned pierogies, your ears will be treated to any number of fast-flying rumors and innuendo.
Judges, lawyers, politicians, business movers and shakers and even newspaper scribes often use Gadawski's as a home away from home. Who is on the way up, way down, or on the way downriver are all hot topics of discussion at Gadawski's. In fact, there are only three rules of protocol one need follow in order to have a good time at this East Falls Street landmark. Tip your glass, tip your waitress and always cock an ear.
Most Loved Newspaper Columnist (and Most Despised)
Bill Gallagher, hands down! I'm sure that I speak for the other writers on this staff when I say that Bill is the columnist most often referenced when people write in response to a piece that one of us has penned.
Most responses say something like, "Dear So-and-So, I just want you to know how much I enjoy the Reporter, especially Bill Gallagher, and ..." or they say, "Dear So-and-So, I just want you to know how much I enjoy the Reporter, except, of course, Gallagher's nonsense, and ..." Whether it's pro or con, the esteemed Mr. Gallagher is often referenced.
As one of the nation's top leaders of the left, Gallagher has that wonderful ability to polarize our readership, week in and week out. While I don't presume to speak for my colleague, I don't think that he would want it any other way.
Gallagher, more than anyone at the Reporter, falls into the Howard Stern category of readership polarization.
"Hey, the new numbers are in and readers in favor of Gallagher's views say that they read his column nine out of every 10 issues of the Reporter."
"Yeah, but what about the readers who say that they can't stand him?"
"Oh, they read every word he writes."
Best Place to Go to Read a Book
The loft at the Book Corner. Now that the library has been given the gas pipe, people are going to need to find a quiet place to turn the pages of whatever fiction takes their minds off of the troubles that ail them.
The second-floor loft inside the venerable bookstore on Main Street is the perfect spot to curl up on a couch and spend some much-needed time with old friends like Twain, Steinbeck and Cheever.
The Book Corner has thousands of used books for sale. Most of them can be had for pennies on the dollar of the original selling price. If that's not enough to lure you in, just imagine enjoying a lunch break by reading some Elizabeth Barrett Browning while one of the Book Corner's resident felines purrs contentedly in your lap.
Now that's a power lunch!
Best Pizza and Wing Special
Goodfellas in the City Market. You don't have to be a wise guy to enjoy the great food and prices at this eatery located off Pine Avenue next to the city's open-air produce market.
While Niagara Falls is blessed with an abundance of great pizzerias, no one has a daily special to rival the one offered by this terrific restaurant named for one of the all-time great mob movies.
A half-tray of pizza, 20 of their delicious charbroiled wings and a pitcher of beer, all for under $20. How can you go wrong?
Add pictures of De Niro, Liotta and Pesci, along with ample copies of the Reporter, and you'll be digging a hole to get over there.
Best Hour of Local Radio Programming
Breakfast with the Beatles. Tune your radio to 97 Rock any Sunday morning from 7 to 8 a.m. and you'll be treated to a great hour of music in tribute to the greatest band there ever was and ever will be.
What makes this program so special is the love and expansive knowledge of the Fab Four that host John "J.P." Piccillo displays with each new song that he spins. Piccillo doesn't just stick with the tired old chestnuts either, he covers much of John, Paul, George and Ringo's solo work and throws in a healthy dose of B-sides and bootleg singles.
Do yourself a favor, set the alarm clock next Sunday morning and tune in Breakfast with the Beatles to hear some of the best music ever put down on vinyl.
Best Corner Bar
Cocktail Bob's. In the interest of fairness, I have to admit that, as a result of two Reporter get-togethers, Cocktail Bob's is the only corner bar that I've been inside in the past year.
That confession aside, C.B.'s is fully deserving of being crowned best corner bar in Niagara Falls. Aside from spirited banter of the clientele and attractive, smart barmaids, Cocktail Bob's has two big things going for it, as pointed out by my astute colleague David Staba.
The first is that it is a true corner bar.
Step 10 paces in any direction from the front door and you'll be standing in front of someone's home. In today's age of corporate "corner bars" situated in strip malls and plazas, Bob's is a throwback to a simpler time when factory workers just wanted to down a brewski where everybody knows your name.
The second is that, if you enter Cocktail Bob's, you'll meet Cocktail Bob.
Try going to Disneyland and meeting Roy or to a Hilton and swapping tales with Paris and then you'll appreciate what a pleasure it is to have the man whose name is on the marquee on the bar stool next to you.
There you have it, Croisdale's inaugural listing of what's best in Niagara Falls in the summer of 2005. Whatever you do, get out and enjoy some of these things while the 90-degree days are still with us.
You'll be shoveling snow again before you can say, "Nothing beats a Western New York Summer."
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | July 19 2005 |