New York Traveler.net » Rome

The Erie Canal Village, Rome, NY, Part 3

Mrs. Mecomber — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 14:00:45 +0000

You can read Part 1 and Part 2 and my video post of the packet boat ride is here. We spent all day at the Village, and there was so much to discover! Our Packet Boat ride was set to begin. It cost us $6 per person, so it was very pricey. But I suspect that a lot of the ticket money goes toward the feeding and care of the horses, who draw the boat up and down this portion of the canal twice a day.

Here comes the team for the boat.

The line for the boat ride was rather long in the hot afternoon sun. There were a lot of people. We choose seats on benches on the top of the boat. After everyone was settled and a warning given, the horses started off. A young man with a thick stick pushed the boat back away from the bank and got the boat going.

The boat ride was lovely– we were going at an even pace, about 4 miles per hour. The crowd was quietly murmuring, all mesmerized by the gentle lull of the boat on the water, the very hot sun on our shoulders, and the buzzing insects in the tall grasses along the banks. If it weren’t for the sounds of car traffic on the nearby road, and the occasional power line peeking above the trees, you’d think it was 1825 all over again. I loved it.

I took a few videos of the ride. In the video are some clips of the “packet captain” who instructed us about the history of the canal. It is about 8 minutes long, and I have been thus far unable to upload it to YouTube on my weak DSL connection. I’ll keep trying and post it when I get it uploaded.

On our way off the boat, I snapped a few photos of the boat’s downstairs. The color of the wood is lovely. The kids liked being out of the hot sun for a few minutes.

The kids had never been on a boat ride before this, and had never seen horses so close. After the boat ride, we went to see the horse barn. We just followed the trail!

What lovely horses!

The miniature horses were cautiously friendly. They ate clover from our hands. What beautiful little creatures. We could have stayed there forever! But there was a blacksmith demonstration in the barn, so away we went. I got a video of that, as well, but again, I haven’t been able to upload it yet. More to come!

Woodstock 99, Rome, NY: So Glad It’s Over

Mrs. Mecomber — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:41:18 +0000

The local media is excitedly hailing the “anniversary” of the world’s worst outdoor concert event second-largest concert event, Woodstock. It was held here in Rome, NY, this week, ten years ago.

The further away this Upstate NY scourge gets from us, the better. What a disgraceful, ugly spot on the historical annals of an other wise noble city, Rome, NY. Once known as the area (in nearby Oriskany) of the fiercest battle for liberty during the Revolutionary War, it’s known today as the site of the lascivious psychedelic drug orgy for the nation. OK, I’ll be fair– there was music there, too. Woodstock– the foci of all that’s wrong with the Baby Boomers and the Gen Y generation.

Litter photo courtesy of osufan77 at Photobucket.

P.S. Aren’t these people the same that are always pushing everyone to “be green”?!

More on Rome Sports Hall of Fame

Mrs. Mecomber — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:24:17 +0000

Last week, I blogged about our visit to the Rome, NY, Sports Hall of Fame. For brevity’s sake, I didn’t post all the photos I’d taken. But the photos are interesting, so I’ll put some more up here for ya! Admission to the museum is free, and if you are a sports fan, this is THE place to go. Both NASCAR champs Richtie Evans and Jerry Cook were from Rome, NY. The museum has a lot of their memorabilia here.

Rome Sports Hall of Fame

Mrs. Mecomber — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:03:38 +0000

Central New York is most known for its historical significance, but this area is also very popular for sports attractions. The Boxing Hall of Fame is in Canastota, NY, (I have yet to see it), and the Rome Sports Hall of Fame is in Rome. We visited the Sports Hall of Fame the same day we visited the Erie Canal Village. The Rome Sports Hall of Fame is right next to the Erie Canal Village, and admission is free. I know almost nothing about sports, so I just wandered around and took photos.

There are multitudes of sports memorabilia, for local and national sports. Two of the most prominent displays are for Richie Evans and Jerry Cook, Rome natives and NASCAR champions.

Yes, that’s my son in the car. Kids are allowed to check it out.

Richie Evans died in a crash in 1985, racing at the Martinsville Speedway. His career was stellar; he was a local champ at the Utica-Rome Speedway, and climbed the ladder to be win the NASCAR National Modified Championships nine times.

Jerry Cook also started his career at the local Utica-Rome Speedway, and won the NASCAR Modified series six time. He is retired and lives in the area.

You can see a few more of my photos of the museum here at my Flickr page.

Rome, NY, is one of my favorite cities to visit!