'Ghostbusters' & 'SNL' calls Niagara Falls, N.Y. "prettier" By JOHN LAW, NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW Updated 16 hours ago
Dan Aykroyd, you've got some explaining to do.
Local fans might be wondering who they're gonna call after the 'Ghostbusters' and 'Saturday Night Live' star called Niagara Falls, New York "a little prettier" than its Canadian counterpart during an appearance across the river Saturday.
Aykroyd was promoting his Crystal Head Vodka at Supermarket Liquors on Niagara Falls Blvd. when he praised the American city as "one of the unpolished gems of American architecture." As he received the key to the City from Mayor Paul Dyster, Aykroyd raved about the city's infrastructure, original office buildings and power dams.
"In Canada, we say we have the longer Falls and maybe the prettier ones," he said. "But I think the city of Niagara Falls, New York is a little prettier than Niagara Falls, Canada."
It's a comment which made Niagara Falls Tourism chairman Wayne Thomson chuckle.
"Well, he is a comedian," he cracked.
The former mayor and current alderman said while both cities have their charms, there's a reason millions of people flock to the Canadian side every summer.
"Everything is in the eyes of the beholder," he said. "As with wines, I prefer Mike Weir Wine to Dan Aykroyd Wines."
The Canadian-born Aykroyd produces his own wines through Niagara-on-the-Lake's Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd., which also produces his pricey Crystal Head Vodka. Though available in Ontario bars and through private order, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario refuses to stock the vodka because it comes in a skull-shaped bottle.
"That's an image that's commonly associated with death," said LCBO spokesman Chris Layton last year. "It's especially problematic at a time when there are concerns around binge drinking by younger adults."
Without an Ontario store carrying his product, Aykroyd headed to Niagara Falls, New York to sign bottles of the award-winning vodka. He chose Supermarket Liquors because he said it has sold more bottles than any other liquor store in the state.
"They get the idea of a skull as a thing of mystery and fun, not a symbol of death," he told the Buffalo News.
Between 800 and 1,000 people showed up to meet the star, said store owner T. Chris Castellani. In addition to the vodka bottles, he signed posters, shirts, photos and whatever else fans brought.
Castellani felt Aykroyd wasn't dissing the Canadian falls so much as praising the American side's history.
"I don't think he was referring at all to the view of the falls or anything. He was talking about architecture."
Thomson isn't so sure. He felt Aykroyd was trying to "sell his wares" to Americans by taking a cheap shot at the Canadian side, which is where he still chooses to live.
"The Niagara Parkway – 35 miles from Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake – it's a beautiful drive at any time," he said. "If you drive on the U.S. side … there's a small area around the falls that have been preserved, and just outside that are brown fields, antiquated industry and smoke stacks. Maybe Mr. Aykroyd prefers that."
Added Mayor Jim Diodati: "If I was to guess, I'd say that Mr. Aykroyd was being something of a politician and killing them with old-fashioned Canadian kindness!
"Flattery will get you everywhere ... maybe even a key to the city along with increased sales!"
"Quite clearly, Dan had been sampling his own home brew," said Mike Hudson, editor of the Niagara Falls Reporter in Niagara Falls, N.Y. – a paper very critical of the city's current condition. "He's a comedian though, and they do try to be funny."
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