Seneca Lake and Geneva, NY

Our latest travels took us to an overnight stay to Corning, NY, in Steuben County in southern New York State. On our way there from Utica, the big news of that day (Sunday) was a huge lake effect snowstorm pummeling areas just north of Syracuse, NY. Oswego County was buried under 3 feet of snow. The city of Fulton declared a snow emergency as visibility dropped to zero and multiple accidents closed roads.

About 20 miles south of all this activity, we we driving along the Thruway, and it looked like this:

Not a snowflake in the air. Absolutely frigid cold temperatures, and the wind was wicked. We could see the clouds to the north– the lake effect clouds blasting the area north of us. Lake effect is so strange and so fickle! As we continued to drive west, we could see dark blue clouds broiling in the horizon. They were white and puffy on the top, but underneath, they were gray and blurry and looked like they were shooting down toward the land. It was like someone with a great big thumb came and smudged the clouds down to the earth. It was the lake effect at work, far, far away to the west over Lake Ontario. We could see it forming and watch it crashing down, but we never experienced a snowflake. I so wished to get a photo of the clouds, but we were traveling too fast. We sped westward.

Geneva, situated at the northern tip of Seneca Lake, is a lovely little city. It reminds me somewhat of Little Falls, but the buildings and streets aren’t as crowded. Population is under 15,000. Geneva is the original site of an old Seneca Indian village. The site is beautiful. The city sits on a slope, and the houses and roads clamber up the hill from the lake. Between buildings, you can see the lake glittering below.

Geneva is part of an area renowned for its great political and social movements. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate from a medical school, studied in Geneva, because it was the only place that would allow a woman to study medicine. Seneca Falls (haven of the suffrage movement, teetotalers, and abolitionists) is nearby.

Geneva is a well-established, wealthy city. I love the architecture. Here are some photos of the local rowhouses.

They are painted so vibrantly and have been maintained so well.

Below is the old Geneva Hotel, established in 1796. The street is brick.

Here’s the Presbyterian Church. It’s newer than many of the buildings, but the architecture is so clean and pristine.

Seneca State Park runs along the northern brim of the lake. I thought it would be great to venture out on the pier and take some photos out toward the center of the lake. Everyone else was silent and looked at me strangely. The temperature had risen to a balmy 11 degrees, and the wind was whipping wildly. I begged the boys to come with me, and, being the devoted boys that they are (plus risking being grounded for life), they came along.

It was f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g. Almost unbearable. My camera was freezing up and my hands were red and painful. We did run out to the pier to snap a few photos, and ran right back to the waiting van. Brr! See what the New York Traveler does for a blog photo-op?

The photos turned out rather nice, considering the overcast skies.

Here, the Episcopal Church towers over this section of the city. It looks like a castle, doesn’t it?

Geneva was beautiful. We’d wanted to see some of the historical homes in the area, but they were all closed for the winter. I guess heating those old beasts is too difficult. I wouldn’t have minded walking around in them without heat. Oh, well. Maybe someday.

We drove out of Geneva down Route 14 south. This route runs parallel to the western side of Seneca Lake, and the views are beautiful.

Seneca Lake is one of New York’s Finger Lakes– so named because they are long and thin and stretch across the state like fingers of a hand. Seneca Lake is the second-longest Finger Lake. Trout are abundant here. Because the lake is so deep, it has been used for submarine testing!

The Seneca nation of the Iroquois Indians lived here, until they made the mistake of siding with the British during the Revolutionary War (they lost). They were driven from their lands. The fertile land is now home to dozens of vineyards and wineries. The Seneca Wine Trail (something the Mr. and I hope to experience someday) is one of the larger tourist attractions in the area. The views of the vineyards drifting down toward the glassy blue water was exhilarating and left me breathless and trembling. Or, it might have been because it was 10 degrees. Whatever.

One of the finest views of the lake is at the Glenora Winery on Route 14.

None of the lake that we could see was frozen at all (save a tiny portion we saw in Geneva around some rocks and pamphas grass). The lake looked just as fresh and perky as if it was June. There was really no snow in the area from Harmony Beach (just south of Geneva) until Watkins Glen, and the southernmost tip of the lake. These slightly warmer conditions are favorable for grape-growing.

We drove to Corning (south of Watkins Glen), to a little hotel that I’d found on TripAdvisor. As you regular readers know, we do not stay overnight anywhere very frequently, as we prefer daytrips. However, we got a terrific deal on accommodations and sightseeing in Corning, so we made a night of it.

We stayed at the America’s Best Value Inn: Lodge on the Green in Painted Post, NY. I have my full review at my page on TripAdvisor.com. It was a wonderful place and the cost just couldn’t be beat– it was a fraction of what other places were asking. We enjoyed our stay and wish it could have been longer! If we decide to return to this area (no doubt we will), we’ll reserve another room at the Lodge.

I’ll be posting about our jaunts around the Corning, NY, area soon. I’m preparing photos and a few videos, so stay tuned!

Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, NY, Part One

The Erie Canal Museum in in Syracuse, NY. What a terrific Museum! My kids did not want to leave. We spent about an hour and a half enjoying the displays and numerous hands-on activities for the kids. New York State has an education program that teaches the history of the Erie Canal. The Museum is geared toward this; it’s very appealing to children. It’s pretty obvious that my own kids heartily enjoyed it.

I went on a photography blitz here, taking more than 60 photographs. There was just so much to see and do! Of course, I can’t possibly post all the photos and information in one article. I am breaking up our visit into two posts. Be sure to read each one to get a well-rounded virtual visit.

After the massive parking woes, we found a parking spot and piled out of the van. Here’s the landmark, in case you ever need to find the Museum. The Museum is across the street from this statue.

The Museum is housed in the old “weighlock building,” built in 1850 (during the Greek Revival days of Upstate New York). It is the only remaining weighlock building of its kind, in the world.

A weighlock building weighed the canal boats. Tolls were charged for every packet boat that used the Erie Canal, and these tolls were determined by a boat’s weight. Read more

Dubai: Eastern Hemisphere’s Wondrous City

Ever since the kids and I saw the astonishing Toothpick City in Syracuse, which showcased some of the world’s most beautiful buildings and skyscrapers all built from toothpicks (!), we’ve had an interest in world architecture. The architecture of the Far East (China, India, and the Middle East) is very strange and unusual to us.

I’ve seen a few photos of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, so I decided to look up a few more. Wow! I just have to share!

Dubai is the fastest growing city in the world. The architecture that is popping up out of the sands of this Persian Gulf coastal city are amazing.

They are building numerous man-made islands, in various shapes. Here are some in the shapes of palm trees. I suppose some of those islands are Arabic writing.

Dubai is expected to become the

largest waterfront and largest man-made development in the world. The project is a conglomeration of canals and artificial islands; it will occupy the last remaining Persian Gulf coastline of Dubai, the most populous emirate of the United Arab Emirates. It will consist of a series of zones with mixed use including commercial, residential, resort, and amenity areas. The vision of the project is “to create a world-class destination for residents, visitors and businesses in the world’s fastest growing city.”

This is the Dubai Towers. The building in the second photo swivels.

The “Burj Al Arab Hotel cost 70 € million and is 321 meters high. Located on an artificial island, is at the same time the highest hotel of the world and the only one having 7 stars (not the traditional classification).”

Dubai is still growing. They have plans to build a DubaiWorld mega-amusement park to challenge DisneyWorld, a huge underwater restaurant and resort called Hydropolis, with panoramic windows of the underwater Persian Gulf. Wow.

The world’s largest mall is in Dubai. So is the world’s largest acrylic panel, for the enormous aquarium there.

The Stanley Theatre, Utica, NY

The Stanley Theatre is a beautiful historic landmark, built during the “movie palace” era when the entertainment business was really rising in America (early 1920s); the Stanley is situated right in downtown Utica. I visited the Stanley in 1988, when I saw Carman in concert (what fun that was!). The kids and I took a short tour of it several years ago (before I had a camera). The Stanley was recently restored, and this was our first visit since then.

I’d called ahead and then spoken with the manager at the ticket booth. She said we could explore the theatre (she wouldn’t show us around) but we had to stay away from the back of the building where the landing dock is. Fine with me. I was mostly interested in the architecture. The manager and the ticket window clerk were rather cold and unfriendly, though.  Read more

Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, NY, Part Two

See Part One of our visit to the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse. This is Part Two.

After pulling the children off the packet boat and into the Museum, we wandered around the halls. There was a great deal to see and explore, and I wanted to soak it all in. From the packet boat display, we entered into the original 1850 building. I was overcome by the architectural beauty of the building.

The ceilings and walls were covered with elaborate pressed metal from the 1850s (I have some of it in my own house, still). There were several layers of paint covering it, which gave it a soft appearance. I’d never seen walls done this way. The trim was in wood. The lighting looked original, too; I later saw a photo of NYS engineers’ office from the 40s, and the lights were the same. Imagine– a canal weighlock building designed so beautifully! It’s funny, how such elegant buildings were built for such mundane or totally pragmatic functions. I’d recently seen photos of the Utica Psychiatric Building, which is the greatest example of Greek Revival architecture, but was built as a mental hospital and later became a place for alcohol and drug rehab. Amazing.

We wandered around a few rooms and enjoyed displays of everything from packet boat models to artifacts to office reproductions.

I was thrilled to see an entire section devoted to Elizabeth Cotten. How I used to love singing her old songs! I didn’t know she was from Syracuse until I moved away. Her song, “Freight Train,” was one of my favorites as a kid.

Libba Cotten’s Grammy and her SAMMY award were on display, too. There were displays about Syracuse’s salt mines, shoe manufacturing, and the lovely Syracuse China.

As if all this wasn’t enough, there was another floor to the Museum. We enjoyed our elevator ride up.

We entered the second-floor into a number of life-sized displays from the Erie Canal days, including a tavern, a general store, and a theatre stage. Elsewhere on the floor are an exhibition called “The Art of the Draughtsman” which featured original drawings of the Canal plans, and photographs. And there was a huge dress-up area with children’s tables, books, toys, bean bags, and puppets and a puppet stage. Needless to say, the kids LOVED every second of it.

I saw another hair wreath! I’d first seen one when we visited the Old Stone Fort in Schoharie. What weird things! This one was very intricate.

A curio cabinet displayed beautiful dishes. We found one with Utica on it!

The Utica plate information had me stunned. I never knew Utica was once “inferior to none in the western section of the state”! This is proof that Utica was thriving before the Italian mafia took over! Ha!

The kids had a blast in the children’s area, even the teenagers.

We had an absolutely wonderful time! I’m glad we decided to go!