Category: New York State

Here & There: Lakes and Trees

JWF 5 Comments

FINGER LAKES

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Skaneateles, NY, a charming village on the northern edge of Skaneateles Lake. We were there for my niece’s outdoor wedding at Frog Pond.  Skaneateles is one of the eleven Finger Lakes in central New York State.   These glacier-created lakes are long and skinny, deep, and cold.  Sixteen miles in length and ranging from 148 feet to 315 feet deep, Skaneateles Lake is considered the cleanest, most pristine lake in the state. It is also the source of Syracuse’s water supply. 

Skaneateles Lake with pier

The Finger Lakes run north to south, and from east to west their names are: Otisco, Skaneateles, Owasco, Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka, Canandaigua, Honeoye, Canadice, Hemlock, and Conesus.  The larger lakes, Skaneateles, Owasco, Cayuga, and Seneca, are the better known ones.

Lakeside at the yacht club (owascoyachtclub.com)

I grew up in Auburn located at the northern end of Owasco Lake.   My childhood summers were filled with picnics and swimming outings at Owasco Yacht Club, a family club on the lake’s eastern shore.   Spring fed, the lake was often still cold in early July.  My mother never went into the water until after July 4th.

Ithaca, home to Cornell University is at the southern end of Cayuga Lake.  The campus is famous for steep gorges. Waterfalls are also numerous in this area with Buttermilk Falls and dramatic Taughannock Falls whose water plunges 215 feet.

Taughannock Falls (fairy burger.com)

Seneca Lake, 35 miles long, is the largest of the Finger Lakes and the deepest at 630 feet.  It moderates upstate New York’s temperate climate and is home to the largest number of wineries in this region. It is reported that once a century Seneca Lake freezes over.  The last time was in 1912, and some folks claimed they skated 35 miles from Geneva at the northern tip to Watkins Glen at the southern end.  

The town of Seneca Falls on Seneca’s northern shore was the site of the 1848 Women’s Rights Convention.  Today you can visit the Women’s Rights National Historical Park and the National Women’s Hall of Fame here.  

This area of New York is rich in history, and beautiful to behold with much to explore.  Best to visit in the summer, however, as even late May, witness last weekend, can be chilly!

GHOST FOREST

On one of our last days in Manhattan, we ambled into Madison Square Park and were greeted by sculptor Maya Lin’s latest outdoor work.  Called Ghost Forest, it’s a stand of forty-nine white cedar trees looming upward, but minus any leaves.  The trees are from a dead area in the New Jersey pine barrens.  It’s a haunting site, yet at the same time inviting.  Lone individuals and couples with toddlers made themselves comfortable on the ground midst the trees.  These trees will be in place into November.

Family enjoying Ghost Forest

Ghost Forest builds on Lin’s earlier climate change projects. One, called What is Missing, presents sounds of nature and animals that are endangered or have disappeared.  Missing exists both online and in several locations  The first site is a giant megaphone, The Listening Cone, installed at the California Academy of Sciences in 2009.  A treat for the Chief Penguin and me was getting to know Maya Lin a bit and visiting her in her Manhattan studio. 

TRAVEL PARTICULARS

In Skaneateles:

  • For historic charm, stay at the Sherwood Inn (1807) opposite the lake.
  • For a casual lunch or dinner, dine at Bluewater Grill overlooking the water.
  • For continental dinner fare, make a reservation for a table on the porch at Sherwood.
  • For a hearty lunch on a rainy day, indulge in a Reuben in Sherwood’s tavern, or hop a bar stool at Lakehouse Pub for local beer, quesadillas, or that regional favorite, beef kummelweck.
Lunchtime regulars at Lakehouse Pub
  • For some good Mexican food for lunch or dinner (no reservations), show up early at the Elephant and the Dove.
  • On the outskirts of town and walkable (sidewalk all the way), book at the popular Rosalie’s Cucina for generous portions of Italian meatballs, fried chicken and braciole.
  • Lastly, by car, dine at Auburn’s most sophisticated eatery, Moro’s Table.  Dishes include mussels, scallops, and sushi, along with beef sirloin, short ribs, salmon, and sea bass.
Smiles all around at the wedding reception

Note: Unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Upstate NY: Finger Lakes & Capital District

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  1. SNATCHES OF UPSTATE NY.

We spent this past week getting together with old friends, family and former colleagues as well as visiting old haunts and new venues. Lots of great hospitality along the way.   From Bethlehem, PA, we traveled to Skaneateles and Auburn and then on to Albany and Saratoga Springs.  It was a whirlwind of activity and dining.  Here are some of the highlights, but not all in the order we did them!

We had lunch at this popular cafe not far from the Albany Capitol Building.  Very tasty!

From there we visited the Albany Institute of History and Art, a museum the Chief Penguin had never visited in all his childhood visits to the city.  We toured the extensive exhibit of Hudson River School paintings.

Twilight by Frederic Church

Mount Aetna by Sarah Cole

 

 

 

Two views in downtown Albany with a very prominent sculpture of General Sheridan of Civil War fame.  Not sure what his connection with Albany was.

 

Harriet Tubman’s modest home in Auburn.  Several families lived here with her, primarily after the Civil War.  No indoor plumbing.

In Skaneateles, there is a lovely gazebo at the foot of the lake where you can stroll.

  

For dinner, we dined at Skaneateles’ most elegant spot, Mirbeau Inn. The setting is simply exquisite, the food not quite the equal.

 

 

 

 

One day we drove through Stillwater, where the C.P. spent the early years of his childhood, checked out one of the many canal locks in that area, and then ended up in Saratoga Springs for lunch at the lovely renovated Adelphi Hotel.   Saratoga has become quite the happening place—a lot different from the somewhat sleepy town it was in the 80’s! 

 

All photos ©JWFarrington.  Header photo is Skaneateles Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

On the Road: North Country

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We left home several days ago and you might say we’re rambling through our past. By the time October has ended, we will have visited almost every place we’ve lived during our married life and then some. It’s a journey with many stops and numerous opportunities to re-connect with old friends and touch what once was.

First stop, a town we never lived in–Lake Placid, NY. This is in the North Country. In New York State, there’s New York City and, in the eyes of Manhattanites, everywhere else. For them, upstate NY begins at about Poughkeepsie. If you’re a true upstater, however, then you know that upstate means Albany and then proceeding west Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. That’s real upstate, complete with snow and cows. Farther north than upstate is the North Country, dotted with rugged small towns, little lakes, and the expansive and very protected Adirondack State Park.

Located within the park, the village of Lake Placid sits mostly on Mirror Lake and close to the lake whose name it bears. It was the site of both the 1932 and the 1980 Winter Olympics and we encountered Olympic memorabilia and reminders throughout the town. The architecture here with its emphasis on dark wood and heavy beamed ceilings made me think of Aspen, Colorado, although Placid is  a much more modest place.

A little jewel, Mirror Lake is ringed by boat clubs and tidy beaches, elegant homes, tasteful shops and restaurants, charming inns, and here and there an inviting park bench.   The lake is small enough that we easily walked the circumference in about an hour, keeping up a fairly brisk pace.

One day we drove over to Saranac Lake, dubbed the capital of the Adirondacks. This lake is pleasant enough, but sadly, the town has suffered economically and is marked by empty storefronts and not a lot of activity that would attract a visitor. At least not this time of year, perhaps during ski season.

Our next excursion was to Whiteface Mountain, about a 30-minute drive from Lake Placid. Whiteface has the distinction of being the 5th highest peak in New York State (just under 5,000 feet), but is the only one which has a special highway which takes you to just shy of the summit. Two enterprising men began lobbying the state government in the 1920’s for this highway and it was finally approved by then Gov. Franklin Roosevelt. Construction began in 1931, but the road didn’t officially open until 1935 when President Roosevelt dedicated it as a memorial for veterans.

IMG_7316

The Castle
The Castle

It’s a beautiful road with lots of places to stop and admire the views.  And, you could also say it has the grandest visitor center one could imagine. The Castle is made of granite (recovered from the construction work) and is an imposing presence there at the top. After we parked and briefly visited the Castle, we had the choice of doing the last 275 feet to the actual summit on foot over jagged and slippery rocks or by elevator. We chose the latter and walked down the drive and then into what was a long low tunnel (lighted, but somewhat claustrophobic for my taste) to the elevator.

The operator operator was a bit mechanical in manner,  but did share a number of facts about the conditions above and the best times to see the views. The ride was slow, up the equivalent of 27 floors, and we exited into an enclosed space. Going outside we walked around for views on all sides.

IMG_7317The sky was blue with a few high clouds and we could see not only Lake Placid and Mirror Lake, but also over to Lake Champlain and into Vermont. Lovely, despite being 48 degrees with a very stiff wind! It’s worth noting that Roosevelt wanted to ensure access for everyone (and he used a wheelchair at this point), hence the elevator.

 

 

 

 

Header photo:  Mirror Lake at sunset

All photos by the author, some rights reserved.