Page Forty-Five  

15 DECEMBER 2005

 

Don't take my word for it.  Straight from the bowels of 416: (for clueless Rochesterians -- c'mon, admit it -- that's the area code of Toronto)

Tourists untrapped

Could the woes plaguing the Rochester fast ferry be chalked up to our diminishing interest in the United States? Not necessarily due to emerging ideological differences, but the collective weaning off 20th century media conditioning that a third-rate American town was more culturally stimulating than even the most populated Canadian one. In the case of Rochester, perhaps it was the comforting corporate legacies of Corning, Kodak and Xerox; the more exhilarating supermarkets and outlet malls; or those exotic television stations, listed with channel numbers in little white tubes, that no houses seemed to actually receive. Yet, the belated proposal of a 2006 marketing plan targeting people to spend their multi-coloured money across the border doesn't seem terribly alluring either. Can promoting Rochester Music, Jazz and Lilac festivals possibly motivate any Torontonian to board the Cherry St. express rather than dawdling around this city in summer? Since it was Rochester who built an elaborate waterfront terminal to receive such tourists – disappointing the Bavarian beer nut and frozen custard vendors who rented space there – a proposal requesting $10 million from the city to help steady the ship's finances is also riding on a surge of new passengers. While initially established as a year-round venture, the ferry has hastily shut down for the year, and is now being winterized three weeks ahead of schedule. Shipping a greater quantity of restless Rochesterites to the 416 area code seems the best this effort can do when it sails again April Fool's weekend. The folks from Erie, PA venturing to launch more modest ferry rides to Ontario speak of wanting to "capture" those Canadians who are blissfully speeding past. But decades of ironic affection for a sort of Americana kitsch, as transmitted over the border from Buffalo, may be what's run dry.

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December 14, 2005 in fouronesix

Comments

But the point is - as I can remember - that this ferry was incepted rather for transit, not for tourists.

This idea could have sense (cutting time for lorries and those going to - say NYC), if the price is right of course.

Tourists?

Well - of course Americans coming to Toronto for a day or two.

But whoever thought that Toronto will venture to Rochester for... what????... was really crazy!

Oh - and there was this Olympics stuff also :))

By the way I cannot understand why there is no ferry (or rather touristic line) to Kingston and to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Really strange.

Posted by: matt | December 14, 2005 at 01:10 PM

 

No Torontonian in their right mind would go to Rochester for a visit.

This ferry sounded good when the possibility of knocking a couple of hours off the drive around Lake Ontario was there, but in reality it takes the same amount of time and costs way too much money to bother, so naturally, no one does it.

Make it go faster and cheaper and I might consider it, and forget about any sort of tourist bullshit.

Am I the only one who thought this?

Posted by: Jeremy Wilson | December 14, 2005 at 05:22 PM

 

Just so you know that the Toronto Port Authority just issued a "Request for Design/Build Qualification" for the ferry terminal. At this rate they will be in the midst of contruction when the service is permanently mothballed.

Posted by: dave | December 15, 2005 at 08:58 AM

 

A high speed rail service from Montreal to Niagara Falls, Ontario makes more sense than tax dollars spent on a ferry terminal in Toronto.

Posted by: Glen | December 15, 2005 at 11:38 AM

 

Oh yeah - high speed in Canada... When it comes? If ever?

And why there is no electric trains/lines - at least near Toronto (GO transit)? I read all that discussion what to do to reduce pollution - and this one could surely help and make transport faster/easier.

I'm not talking about such highly developed technology as you can find in Europe :))) - but at least see what Americans try to do... Canada will soon remain far away.

And what happened to this turbo train by Bombardier - probably it will zip fast in the USA first, not here...

There is quite a lot to do in Canada....

Posted by: matt | December 17, 2005 at 04:37 AM

http://www.paved.ca/paved/2005/12/tourists_untrap.html#comments

I wouldn't dare add commentary to this assessment; the authors have written everything needed to be read by deluded 'Rochesterites'.  Spot on, my friends.

On to news being beamed across Canada:

GLOBEANDMAIL.COM

Globeandmail.com > Today’s Paper > National > Article

Other U.S. cities eyeing ferries

Erie, Cleveland and Grand River, Ohio, are undeterred by Rochester's losses

By UNNATI GANDHI

Wednesday, December 14, 2005 Page A17

As the high-speed Rochester-to-Toronto ferry calls it a season, having lost millions of dollars and thousands of riders to a rough year, three other Great Lakes communities are getting set to launch their own Canada-bound vessels.

But Rochester City Council is vowing the 80-kilometre-an-hour catamaran will be back in the spring, despite going more than $5-million in the red from startup and operating costs since the U.S. city bought it in February.

Council accepted the recommendation of the Canadian operator of the ferry, Bay Ferries Ltd., which advised that services be stopped as of two days ago because fewer than 100 passengers were boarding sailings in the past two months. The 774-seat, five-storey vessel was scheduled to run until Dec. 31.

"We have not been pleased with the ridership so far and we know why," said Bill Sullivan, chief of staff for Rochester City Council.

"We started so late in peak season. We were ramping up during the time we should have been at our peak and that cost us. That cost us lots and lots of money and riders."

Mr. Sullivan said startup expenses were $2-million and operating costs reach at least $3-million, but he blamed the revenue side of the operation -- ticket sales -- for the loss.

"The expense side was completely on budget," he said.

Today, council will be proposing increased funding for the ferry for 2006, he added.

Bay Ferries spokeswoman Lisa Elkind said scheduling enough group bookings was difficult with a launch date of June 30.

"We had a lot of obstacles to overcome this year. But now we can get ready to have a strong 2006," she said, adding the ferry will operate only from March 31 to Oct. 31.

The City of Rochester bought the Spirit of Ontario, later renamed the Cat, for $32-million at an auction this year.

Before that, it was privately owned and shut down in September of 2004, after about 80 days of operation, when its private backers ran out of money and left it $1.7-million in debt.

Despite the financial woes of the Rochester ferry, which can skip across Lake Ontario to Toronto in 2˝ hours, several other U.S. communities on Lake Erie are eyeing ferry routes to Ontario destinations.

Cleveland, which has $6-million in federal money for the construction of a terminal, is looking to service a route to Port Stanley, while Grand River, Ohio, hopes to shuttle to and from Port Burwell.

Port Dover would be the daily destination of a 250-passenger ferry from Erie, Pa.. However, it will launch a trial 50-passenger, high-speed vessel next summer at a cost of $900,000 to get some of the kinks out, including customs and cost-recovery, the executive director of Erie's port authority said yesterday.

Ray Shreckengost commented that a lot of the problems that Rochester experienced were because "they never went in and sorted those things out ahead of time and wound up with problems at the end. We're hoping we don't make the same mistakes."

He said the goal is to boost the town's economy by taking 1,000 new people to the downtown core a day.

"Right now, those people are driving by Erie on I-90 (U.S. Interstate 90) and they're not stopping in the town and they're not spending any money here. We want to capture them and bring them into town."

Globe and Mail link 

"We have not been pleased with the ridership so far and we know why," said Bill Sullivan, chief of staff for Rochester City Council.

"We started so late in peak season. We were ramping up during the time we should have been at our peak and that cost us. That cost us lots and lots of money and riders."

Well Bill, you just keep on believing that if it makes you happy.  The reality is: the folks across the lake -- you know, the ones who'll make or break the entire project -- had/have no desire to head on down to Rochester no matter whether the ferry season started the moment the city bought the barge or not.  For your elucidation:

"No Torontonian in their right mind would go to Rochester for a visit... and forget about any sort of tourist bullshit."

Are we clear on this NOW?  Timing had very little to do with the embarrassing lack of Canadian passengers and should the ferry see action in 2006, the same result will be repeated once again.  You Rochester area residents seem to think your beloved music and lilac festivals are hot items, but to Toronto residents, if that's the best you have to offer, then your best simply isn't good enough.

"She was a big boned gal from southern Alberta
You just couldn't call her small.
And you can bet every Saturday night
She'd be heading for the Legion Hall
Put her blue dress on and she'd curl her hair,
Oh she's been waiting all week.
And with a bounce in her step and a wiggle in her walk
She'd be swinging down the street."

k. d. Lang  - "Big Boned Gal" 

It's a matter of relativity. That which smaller localities find to be a real 'hoot' is often seen as hokey nonsense by larger communities.  Is that 'snobbery'?  A case of 'Simple minds, simpler pleasures'?

That all depends on who's being asked.

Rochester area residents might find the idea of a weekly dance at the Legion Hall as a highly anticipated social highlight of the week as being... well, somewhat lacking on the excitement scale.  On a personal note, I completely understand why such a soirée would raise spirits in a small rural community and to be honest, I've had some pretty good times at some of these events.

Residents of a large metropolitan area the size of Toronto look at Rochester in the same light as Rochesterians see the weekly hoedown in Bumpkin Corners... a major yawn no matter how thrilling walking around looking at flowering bushes and eating funnel cakes may be to the locals.

Great Heavens Above.  Is there no end to the humiliation?

In a word: No.  Apparently, at least not yet.

Remember our 43-year old suburban hausfrau-cum-journalist... the purveyor of junk and self-professed Beanie Baby trader with a law school degree?  She waxed poetically about the fast-food and tchzotchke emporiums in the local ferry terminal ("If you dine at California Rolling, you're as good as dining in Toronto"). Unfortunately, she'll miss the DREADFULLY upsetting analysis of her local haunts courtesy of the customers across the lake.

How would I know this?  Well, I've intentionally left out any links to her tacky online cheese and she most likely doesn't even know this glowing tribute exists.  (Holding a cyber-battle of wits with the unarmed is no fun anyway.)  Couple that with a provincial outlook which prevents any interest outside her idealized little world and it's a safe bet she isn't reading what the 416'rs are saying about her community.  Unless, of course, it makes the headlines of the hometown media mouthpieces in which case she launches a blistering attack with all the ferocity of, well, a Beanie Baby ("Oh Yeah?  Well, I Don't Like Toronto, Either!"). 

Still, schadenfreude being what it is, I can't help but wish she'd get an eyeful of the REAL vox populi of those pesky folks snickering under the Maple Leaf. 

Delicious fun, it is. To next page