Upside Down House

Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Address: 4967 Clifton Hill
Date: Jan 2015
Website:  www.upsidedownhouseniagarafalls.ca

  Things are getting a bit topsy-turvy in Niagara Falls.  You could be forgiven for thinking that something is not quite right as you near the top of Clifton Hill.  We were headed to the Upside Down House where the floor is the ceiling and the ceiling is the floor.  The entire structure sits on its roof and you enter the home through a door that has been cut into its side.  No one uses the front door as it is up in the air on what is now the second floor. 

  Even before reaching the Upside Down House we encountered the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum which appears to have toppled over onto its side.  King Kong clings to the top of the tower which points the way to our final destination.  We finally reached the home, paid our admission and walked inside.

  The first room we encountered was the kitchen.  We looked up and there above us were a fridge, a stove and a breakfast table all defying gravity.  Don't try to hide the cookie jar from little hands by putting it in the top cupboard.  The floor would be harder for them to reach.

  The photo above is what the house would look like if it had a normal kitchen.

  We hope you don't think we just took a bunch of pictures and flipped them around.  If you notice the cars outside in the parking lot in this hallway photo, you can see that this photo is right way up.  In the wider photo below you can see the ceiling that we walk on to move around the house.

  The best part of the Upside Down House is the trick photos you can take.

 

  The upper photo is of the bathroom as it really appeared. If you take a picture of someone's arms reaching for the ceiling and then flip it around, it looks like you are falling from above.

  We had fun taking various pictures.  We found that if you take a picture of someone and they jump up in the air or bend over to touch the floor (aka the ceiling) you will get a great shot.  People with long hair should give it a flick to make it appear that gravity is taking effect.  Once you leave the Upside Down House you flip your photos upside down again and admire the results. ˙uoıʇɐɔɐʌ uo ɹǝʇʇǝq sı ǝɟıן 'uıɐbɐ ǝɔuO

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Map of Our World
Upside Down House

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Post # 133

The Stinking Rose

Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Address: 325 Columbus Ave
Date: Feb 2014
Website:  www.thestinkingrose.com

  One of us is very fond of garlic.  So when we discovered a restaurant totally devoted to garlic based recipes we just had to pay it a visit.  The Stinking Rose in San Francisco stands out as you drive down Columbus Avenue.  It has been turning heads with its unusual name and filling noses with its overpowering smell for over 25 years.

   The idea for the restaurant came after a visit to the Gilroy Garlic Festival.  The town of Gilroy is about an hour and a half south of San Francisco and is known for its garlic.  We stopped in Gilroy to gas up the car during our California driving trip.  As soon as we exited the vehicle we could smell the garlic, even over the fumes from the gas station.  We also paid a visit to Garlic World which is a grocery / souvenir shop selling local products.

  Back at The Stinking Rose we enjoyed an appetizer of garlic spinach fondue and followed it up with a couple of garlic based entrees.  Everything was delicious and after our meal we advertised for the restaurant with our breath.

  The restaurant also boasts one of the world's longest garlic braids.  It has close to 2,600 blubs on it and wraps all around the interior of the restaurant.  If you are looking for a unique dining experience we highly recommend The Stinking Rose.  It was one of the culinary highlights of our California trip.

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Map of Our World
The Stinking Rose , Garlic World

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Post # 132

White Castle

Location: New York, New York, USA
Address: 89-03 57th Ave
Date: Jan 2009
Website:  www.whitecastle.com

  We went to White Castle and we got thrown out!  Oh no, that wasn't us, that was the Beastie Boys.  We went to White Castle because we had a craving.  It wasn't quite like the craving Harold and Kumar experience in the movie Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, but we were hungry.  Harold & Kumar have a series of misadventures before finally getting their long awaited burgers.  We just hopped in the car with some friends and drove to the nearest location to pick up a Crave Case.

  A Crave Case is a cardboard suitcase filled with 30 of White Castle's signature burgers.  Their tiny steamed burgers made with onions and a pickle are the original slider.  White Castle was formed in 1921 and was the first fast food hamburger chain in the world.  After spending a cold, January day in New York, we polished off our whole case of burgers.  They really hit the spot. 

  The movie Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle was set in New Jersey, but in reality the building where Harold & Kumar lived is in Toronto, Canada. It is located just a few blocks south of St. Clair West and Avenue Road. There have never been any White Castle restaurants in Canada so for the full experience you would have to cross the border into the United States. The good news is that some grocery and convenience stores in Canada sell frozen White Castle burgers. That means you could pick up some burgers at the Longo's near Avenue and St. Clair and walk down to Edmund Ave. You could then enjoy your burger in front of the fictional apartment from the movie. That is if you can also find a microwave first.

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This location is near Summerhill subway. Visit other Toronto TTC stations.

Map of Our World
Mayfair Mansions
White Castle (Elmhurst, NY)

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Post # 131