28 July 2007 – New Friends and Niagara Falls

 

The largest waterfall in the world boasts an average flow rate of around forty-two and a half thousand cubic meters per second, with a maximum recorded rate of close to seventy-one thousand.  Niagara Falls is not the largest waterfall in the world but the North American giant does come in at number 10 on the list of the world’s largest.  It is the largest in North America and so probably still worth mentioning.  The largest in the world is Inga Falls on the Watercourse of the Congo River, which appears to be the United States of rivers, having claimed the Gold and Silver medals in this, “I have the largest waterfalls” competition.

 

 

In NYC things were generally going swimmingly.  The bank was doing a very good job of looking after its new recruits.  “Networking” events in the evenings and team building exercises had played their role in making us feel like we were back in the first year of university again.  I still had a little bit of an unsettled period on first arriving however.  Probably having settled down somewhat in London with very close friends and Sarah, for the last couple of years, had made me a bit less amenable to socializing.   Before long though I was making enough good friends and getting to know most of the others on the program.  On this day I had planned a trip to Niagara Falls along with a few good friends.  I have used the word ‘planned’ very loosely here.

 

On Friday Sarad, Shubham, Murtaza and I decided we were going for a day trip to the falls.  Leaving work at around five we went back to our apartments to pack and relax.  At around seven or eight we started to question if this was going to happen or whether it was hardly more than a velleity (ref.  9 words you never knew you needed on bendtheblock blog – written by another friend of mine from the TAP program who I work with in Geneva).  After mustering the energy to research a little on the internet we soon found the perfect solution:  Take a night bus leaving Midtown at ten and arrive at the falls at seven on Saturday morning, spend the whole day there and do the reverse on the way back that evening. 

 

The day itself was incredible and a whole day is plenty.  It’s a must for anyone that gets the opportunity to go.  Turning up before lunch is also a good idea to get on the attractions without queuing.