I'm not from New York, but Niagra Falls is definitely on my bucket list for places to visit.
I actually had a really good time there. I went to the Canadian side which was a lot better since I was 19 or 20 at the time so couldn't drink in the US, plus the beer there has a higher alcohol percentage (I got some Molson XXX which already has a high alc % in the US, but it's even higher there) which meant being able to spend less to get drunk. I drove there while my parents took their car, so I had my own car to drive around aimlessly in and buy some alcohol to enjoy in the hotel room that overlooked the falls. I randomly ran into one of my siblings friends who happened to be staying at the same hotel as us, so we all went out one night and had a good time. She was with her boyfriend and his cousin, so we started out at a Karaoke bar and chose the song "New York, New York" and basically boasted about being from NY and not Canada.
After that me and the cousin went to a strip club which is fully nude there as are the lap-dances. I ended up talking to as stripper and telling her I would give her a lap dance. I was also making up some b.s. about being a stripper in NY and telling her to come and work with me there and that she could make a lot more money with me since I was in the biz. When I started giving her a lap dance she was confused since apparently there was a misunderstanding, plus she said that security wouldn't be to fond of that. We ended up making out (I know....) and when she asked to get paid I told her I didn't have any money and that I didn't think it was a problem since I was dancing for her. She was cool about it and settled for the remainder of my pack of cigarettes, and even gave me a couple back so I could have them for the walk back. The cousin on the other hand apparently got a hand-job or something and his credit card bounced, so security was roughing him up a bit until he was able to come up with a few hundred dollars. I on the other hand spent a grand total of 25 dollars, and some cigarettes. I was a smooth talker back then and apparently gave a decent lap-dance, so all was well.
Come to think of it that was probably my best vacation. Even with how crazy that night was I wasn't too drunk so there weren't any problems, and I was able to drive home the next day without a 'wicked' (as they say in western and upstate NY, not just a Boston/New England thing) hangover. Another awesome thing I did there was go on this
jet boat ride which was so fast and a really cool and different thing. Then of course there are the big boats that take you right by the falls and get you soaked, so that's a lot of fun too. So yea, I highly recommend going there, but if you go you should go to the Canada side and in the Summer so you can enjoy the activities on the water.
Welcome!
welcome, you will definitely fit in here perfectly 
