BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — All those anticipated visitors started to arrive in Western New York on Friday for Monday’s total solar eclipse.
7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley spent some time Friday at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and in Niagara Falls. Many are flocking to the region to get one of the best seats in the house for eclipse watching.
“I am over the moon. I have been looking forward to this for months. I am an eclipse chaser. I go everywhere there is an eclipse,” declared Cathy Green, an Atlanta resident.
Green had just hopped off a plane that arrived in Buffalo and now she is among the many tourists expected to visit our region to watch the eclipse on Monday.
“I am one of the one million, but I don't think any of those will be more excited than I am,” Green noted.
Green arrived with her friends at the Buffalo Niagara Airport ready to head to Niagara Falls. That's where preparations are underway along Old Falls Street for a weekend-long solar celebration.
“I expect this weekend coming up, leading into Monday, to be very similar to a Fourth of July weekend. That's our busiest weekend usually in the summertime,” replied Andrea Czopp, chief operating officer, Destination Niagara USA.
Czopp tells me there is “no doubt” in her mind that so many will be heading to the falls, one of the prime spots to watch totality.
“We took a couple of phone calls today, from visitors who were inquiring about any last-minute accommodations they might be able to get, because wherever they were planning to go for totality, now the weather isn't looking that great, and our weather is looking a little bit better, so they were on their way. They jumped in the car and they're heading to us,” Czopp remarked.
“We were looking for a place to watch the eclipse and among different options. Niagara Falls was a good option. I figured honestly if it's not a good day, at least something else to do in the area,” explained Felix Renta, a Florida resident.
Renta is headed to Niagara-on-the-Lake for his viewing and it's not his first total eclipse.
“Totality is — I don't know, indescribable,” described Renta.
“This is the spot, and everybody knows it. This is the spot — if you really want to see it, this is where you go,” Green replied.
I also met a woman who arrived from Washington, D.C. who came into Buffalo to watch the eclipse with her family in Williamsville.
“It's pretty wild. We have friends that are coming to meet us here from New Jersey, so that's definitely the place to be. We're super excited about it,” responded Caitlin Kenney.
Kenney, a Western New York native, arrived with her husband and three-month-old son Jack.
“And I think it's going to be pretty interesting and especially for this little guy,” laughed Kenney.
And whether you stay in your own backyard or head to the Falls, so many are excited to see totality in the Buffalo Niagara region, but at Niagara Falls Czopp says you get a double impact being at one of the ‘natural wonders of the world’.
“Where else can you experience a ‘wonder of the world’ and a wonder of the universe at the same exact time,” expressed Czopp.
All across Western New York, there are several eclipse-related events planned and 7 News has compiled the events we are aware of which you can find here.
If you're still in need of eclipse glasses, 7 News has compiled a list of places where you can get them, while supplies last. You can find that information here.
NASA will also provide a front-row seat for everyone across the world as it will livestream multiple events on NASA Television and YouTube starting at 1 p.m. EDT. You can read more here.
