The Erie Canal and other points of interest
The Erie Canal
On Monday morning we left Niagara Falls, NY, to head toward Lockport, NY, where Locks 34 & 35 of the Erie Canal are located. As most people know the Erie Canal was constructed in the early 1800’s to connect Albany to Buffalo – Hudson River to the Niagara River. It was a pleasant drive on a state highway. There are still some trees with different colored leaves. We were disappointed when we arrived in Lockport to find that the Visitor’s Center is closed until May 2007 (seasonal). However, we did find the walking tour alongside the canal and were able to get a feel for the workings of the canal which is now geared more toward recreational use rather than the historical commercial use. It is amazing to know that the canal was constructed without the use of modern-day machinery. Lockport is a small village which has maintained its historical look but just travel a couple miles from the town and there are fast food restaurants, strip malls, etc., that connect the town to Amherst just a few miles away. The First Baptist Church there was built in 1816. It seems that Catholics had the most churches in the early 1800’s.
From Lockport we traveled south on Route 78 until reaching HWY 20 to drive east for a while before heading south to Horseheads and Elmira. The drive took us through hills and trees with less leaves and wintrier look. We stopped in Warsaw for a late lunch at the Silver Lake Family Restaurant. The food was good and the server was very friendly. (Silver Lake is located just a few miles south of the town.)
We ended up on I390 south and stopped at the Corning Glass Museum in Corning. It was amazing to see examples of glass works since before the 3rd century B.C. Some of the pieces were magnificent. We started out in the glass sculpture room and saw some “interesting” pieces, interpreted by modern artists. We also saw some of the amazing things done with fiberoptics and other inventions. The glassmaking demonstration reaped a beautiful bowl. We learned that the “glassblowers” have a six-year apprenticeship involving 12,000 hours of hands-on work before the person is certified. Of course, the trip ended with a stop at the Glass Market where we could have bought some glass pieces. Actually, we bought a few cheap things! So many items were out of our price range!
After a little problems with directions to our hotel here in Horseheads we finally arrived and were pleased to have a nice, clean room. Supper was in front of the hotel at “Ye Olde Hickory House” which had a wonderful wood burning fireplace which added to the atmosphere of the room. The service was nice but “hovered” a little much. We were the only people in the restaurant side but the “lounge” had a crowd.
Today (Tuesday) we slept a little later than we had normally and had our breakfast in the room. I went up to the lobby and got it – a continental type - cereal and bagels. We then hit the road to drive to Elmira – about 10 miles to see the Mark Twain exhibit at Elmira College. All of his things have been donated to the college which by the way was the first women’s college in the USA that graduated women with the same degrees as men. We were disappointed that the exhibit was closed (season, again) but we could have seen it if we had called ahead. We walked around the campus and saw the statue of Mark Twain and then the study – gazebo type building – that had been moved from his summer home of Quarry Farm. The study was built on a knoll there and is where he wrote “Tom Sawyer” and many other of his books. His wife Olivia was a graduate of Elmira College. The college is small and reminded me a lot of Union College in my hometown of Barbourville.
We ate lunch at a nearby place and are now in the “Sweet Read Bookstore” in Horseheads where the wireless internet is free and the coffee is great, although not free! Maybe we can get caught up on our stuff here.
Tonight we are having supper with an old college roommate who is from this area and came back here to live after graduation from UK. She had gone to UK because of her love of horses. I am so looking forward to getting caught up with her and meeting her husband. We haven’t seen each other since 1968 when we graduated from college.
On Monday morning we left Niagara Falls, NY, to head toward Lockport, NY, where Locks 34 & 35 of the Erie Canal are located. As most people know the Erie Canal was constructed in the early 1800’s to connect Albany to Buffalo – Hudson River to the Niagara River. It was a pleasant drive on a state highway. There are still some trees with different colored leaves. We were disappointed when we arrived in Lockport to find that the Visitor’s Center is closed until May 2007 (seasonal). However, we did find the walking tour alongside the canal and were able to get a feel for the workings of the canal which is now geared more toward recreational use rather than the historical commercial use. It is amazing to know that the canal was constructed without the use of modern-day machinery. Lockport is a small village which has maintained its historical look but just travel a couple miles from the town and there are fast food restaurants, strip malls, etc., that connect the town to Amherst just a few miles away. The First Baptist Church there was built in 1816. It seems that Catholics had the most churches in the early 1800’s.
From Lockport we traveled south on Route 78 until reaching HWY 20 to drive east for a while before heading south to Horseheads and Elmira. The drive took us through hills and trees with less leaves and wintrier look. We stopped in Warsaw for a late lunch at the Silver Lake Family Restaurant. The food was good and the server was very friendly. (Silver Lake is located just a few miles south of the town.)
We ended up on I390 south and stopped at the Corning Glass Museum in Corning. It was amazing to see examples of glass works since before the 3rd century B.C. Some of the pieces were magnificent. We started out in the glass sculpture room and saw some “interesting” pieces, interpreted by modern artists. We also saw some of the amazing things done with fiberoptics and other inventions. The glassmaking demonstration reaped a beautiful bowl. We learned that the “glassblowers” have a six-year apprenticeship involving 12,000 hours of hands-on work before the person is certified. Of course, the trip ended with a stop at the Glass Market where we could have bought some glass pieces. Actually, we bought a few cheap things! So many items were out of our price range!
After a little problems with directions to our hotel here in Horseheads we finally arrived and were pleased to have a nice, clean room. Supper was in front of the hotel at “Ye Olde Hickory House” which had a wonderful wood burning fireplace which added to the atmosphere of the room. The service was nice but “hovered” a little much. We were the only people in the restaurant side but the “lounge” had a crowd.
Today (Tuesday) we slept a little later than we had normally and had our breakfast in the room. I went up to the lobby and got it – a continental type - cereal and bagels. We then hit the road to drive to Elmira – about 10 miles to see the Mark Twain exhibit at Elmira College. All of his things have been donated to the college which by the way was the first women’s college in the USA that graduated women with the same degrees as men. We were disappointed that the exhibit was closed (season, again) but we could have seen it if we had called ahead. We walked around the campus and saw the statue of Mark Twain and then the study – gazebo type building – that had been moved from his summer home of Quarry Farm. The study was built on a knoll there and is where he wrote “Tom Sawyer” and many other of his books. His wife Olivia was a graduate of Elmira College. The college is small and reminded me a lot of Union College in my hometown of Barbourville.
We ate lunch at a nearby place and are now in the “Sweet Read Bookstore” in Horseheads where the wireless internet is free and the coffee is great, although not free! Maybe we can get caught up on our stuff here.
Tonight we are having supper with an old college roommate who is from this area and came back here to live after graduation from UK. She had gone to UK because of her love of horses. I am so looking forward to getting caught up with her and meeting her husband. We haven’t seen each other since 1968 when we graduated from college.
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