My trip to New York began with a red-eye flight out of San Diego bound for Washington Dulles. As I boarded and made my way to my assigned seat, I found a young woman comfortably settled into my window seat. I politely informed her that she was in my seat. She replied, "OK," and immediately went back to texting on her phone.
After waiting a
few seconds, I asked if the texting could wait until she got out of my seat. It
finally dawned on her that she might actually be in the wrong place. With some
assistance from her friend—who pointed out that she was in an entirely
different row—she realized her mistake. Fortunately, the flight was fairly
empty, and both of them relocated elsewhere. The remainder of the journey was
thankfully uneventful.
Letchworth State Park
On Wednesday
morning, Bill and I headed south toward Letchworth State Park. We took the
Thruway to the Canandaigua exit, where we stopped for coffee, tea, and a pastry
to share. Afterward, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through town.
The weather was
cool and threatening rain, but we pressed onward toward Letchworth. Somewhere
along the way, Apple Maps and Google Maps decided to offer competing opinions
about how to reach the north entrance. After some confusion and a few wrong
turns, we finally found the correct route.
When we arrived
at the park entrance, the gatehouse was empty and signs indicated it was
closed. However, the road ahead appeared perfectly open, so we continued into
the park.
A light mist was
falling, and the temperatures remained chilly. As it turned out, the weather
worked in our favor. The rain seemed to keep most visitors away, giving us the
park almost entirely to ourselves.
Letchworth is
laid out along the Genesee River, with numerous overlooks providing spectacular
views of the gorge and waterfalls. We stopped at the dam and several scenic
viewpoints. At most stops there was only one other vehicle, if any at all.
At one overlook
near the end of our day's exploration, Bill and I found ourselves completely
alone. We listened to birds chatting in the trees while the Genesee River
tumbled through the gorge far below. Low clouds drifted through the valley,
sprinkling occasional drops of rain across the landscape.
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| CBS Sunday Morning video |
I turned to Bill
and said, "This is one of those CBS Sunday Morning closing video
moments."
Neither of us
wanted to leave.
We intentionally
skipped a few overlooks because our goal was to reach the Glen Iris Inn before
sunset. We made note of where we stopped, planning to resume our exploration
the following morning.
An Evening at the Glen Iris Inn
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| Glen Iris Inn |
About thirty minutes later, we arrived at the Glen Iris Inn. The inn occupies one of the most spectacular locations in the park, overlooking the magnificent Middle Falls.
After checking
into our room, we wandered outside to stretch our legs and admire the falls.
The mist from both the rain and the waterfall combined to create an atmosphere
that felt distinctly Letchworth.
Dinner was at the
inn, largely because there weren't many other practical options without a
lengthy drive.
Later that evening,
we enjoyed a few medicinal doses of what I like to call "poison"
before taking another stroll outside. Eventually, the cold drove us back
indoors, where we spent time in the charming Letchworth library located within
the inn.
During our stay,
Bill noticed that several park features, benches, and kiosks were dedicated to
someone named Caroline. Curious, he began asking staff members who Caroline
was.
The answer:
Caroline had been William Pryor Letchworth's much younger personal assistant.
She was not his
wife.
Draw your own
conclusions.
More Letchworth and On to Ithaca
The following
morning, we checked out and returned to the point where we had ended our
sightseeing the previous day. We spent several more hours exploring additional
overlooks and enjoying views of the Genesee River carving its way through the
gorge.
The scenery was
simply stunning.
From there we
continued southeast toward Watkins Glen. Upon arriving, we walked through town
and stopped at the visitor center. Conversations with the staff quickly
revealed why the area seemed unusually crowded: NASCAR weekend had arrived at
Watkins Glen International.
Suddenly the
influx of campers, RVs, and race fans made perfect sense.
Bill and I took
one look around and decided that NASCAR weekend was not part of our itinerary.
We moved on to Ithaca.
Returning to Cornell
Finding our
Airbnb proved slightly more challenging than expected. Between street names and
navigation apps, we experienced another round of map-induced confusion. Once
sorted out, however, the place was easy to find.
Our host, Bob,
operated a hair salon on the first floor and seemed eager to chat. While
friendly, Bill and I were anxious to get settled and begin exploring. We
eventually managed a graceful exit from the conversation and checked into what
turned out to be an excellent Airbnb.
The downtown Commons
was only a block away, making it an easy destination for an afternoon walk and
dinner.
We had
intentionally scheduled two nights in Ithaca so we could spend a day revisiting
Cornell University.
Rather than
tackling the entire uphill climb on foot, we wisely drove partway onto campus
and found parking. Our first stop was the Big Red Barn. By fortunate timing, it
happened to be the final day before summer shutdown, so activity was minimal
and staff seemed mostly occupied with closing procedures.
From there we
wandered through campus, revisiting familiar locations while also exploring
some newer facilities. We found our way into the nanotechnology building, where
we could peer into laboratories occupied by researchers dressed in full bunny
suits.
One gallery and
library space featured artwork that neither of us found particularly memorable,
but the panoramic view from the upper floor was exceptional.
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| Library Top Floor View |
Naturally, a
visit to Cornell would not be complete without a stop at the Dairy Bar. While
enjoying our ice cream cones, we overheard what appeared to be a graduating
student treating members of his research group to one final gathering. He
thanked them for their work and asked about their summer plans. It felt very
much like a farewell moment and a fitting reminder that the academic year was
ending.
That evening we
returned to the Commons for another pleasant dinner downtown.
Skaneateles and Doug's Fish Fry
The next morning
we checked out and began the drive back toward Liverpool. But before
leaving Ithaca, we stopped at Ithaca Falls.
As usual, our
route took us through Skaneateles. With the rain finally gone, we were able to
enjoy a leisurely walk through one of the prettiest villages in Central New
York. The lake was beautiful, the town was bustling, and the weather had
finally decided to cooperate.
No visit would be
complete without lunch at Doug's Fish Fry.
Bill and I split
a fish plate. I added a beer while Bill opted for a Pepsi. After successfully
increasing our grease content, we continued on toward Liverpool.
Bill was eager to
get back. Madcatter season was approaching, and he anticipated that questions,
issues, and assorted sailing-related matters would soon begin demanding his
attention.
For my part, I
was content. We had spent several days exploring waterfalls, gorges, college
campuses, and small towns while avoiding crowds, enjoying good food, and
sharing plenty of laughs along the way.
Not a bad way to
spend a few days in New York.
