We parked on the Canadian side and walked over the Rainbow Bridge (you'll need fifty cents each for the pedestrian turnstile). There was a lot of very slow moving traffic on the bridge so I'm glad we didn't drive across.
On the bank statement question - I don't know about recent transactions, but I do know that it needs to be dated within the last month or so. Taking an old statement probably won't satisfy the agent.
On the subject of agents - they did point out that they are not CIC, so have never seen an applicant's documents and might need to take a look for themselves. Which is why I'd recommend taking your key documents with you when you leave / land.
As I type, I realise that our approach (a day-out with a nice walk across the bridge and an hour waiting to be processed when you land) might be less practical for groups or families, so maybe bear the needs of younger kids or older family members in mind if you do the same thing.