Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is…well, Niagara Falls. And beautiful from both American and Canadian sides. And lovely in morning mist or lit up at night. And generally an enormous tourist magnet.
Lucy Lippard says–the sublime is patriarchal. Meaning? Does a mad vertical of cliff and water oppress women? (Bridal though it may be?). Or does she mean that the agreed upon spectacle is cultural domineering?
Hydroelectric plants, industry, abandoned smelting towers, a run down upstate town…in Canada Niagara-on-the-Lake is a bit of British paradise, with lots of vineyards and cherry orchards. Also, startlingly, in the Canadian Niagara among the honky-tonk and casinos an enormous Pure Land Buddhist Temple, Hong Kong style, with no doubt 10.000 golden Buddhas.I took off my shoes and bowed.
A bad border crossing back, very slow, and the SUV in front of us held up for ten minutes in what looked to me like profiling, as an obviously Muslim family was evicted until finally being allowed through.We were grilled–why are you so far from home? Are you just declaring TWO SCONES?! It was uncomfortable.
I read recently in a book on souvenirs that a souvenir is for non-repeatable experience. Rich got me, at my request, a tiny snow globe of Niagara Falls. I like to shake glitter and see it fall.