The HOF Road Trip--Jamestown and Lucille Ball

 

The Professor costume

This October weather was just unbelievable. Hard to remember when we've had such a long spell of perfect sunny days with so much color to enjoy. Enjoy we did as we left Cooperstown for Jamestown, NY, the town where Lucille Ball grew up.

The Doubletree Hotel we had reserved was within walking distance of both the Lucy Desi Museum and the National Comedy Center. After checking in, we set out to see where the two museums were. There are some places where I get a very uncomfortable feeling and this area was one of them. It felt a little sketchy.

After finding the museums which were only a ten minute walk toward the Chadakoin River, we tried to find some landmark parks. We walked through a neighborhood of homes that were a bit depressed and a few had household goods, furniture, etc. spilling out and filling up the front porches. We turned around and walked back toward the riverwalk which looked like a little better area. 

I Love Lucy set

On a bench we sat and looked for a place to have dinner. We found a restaurant, the Landmark, with lots of good recommendations that was not a long walk from our hotel. It was perfect. Great food. Nice atmosphere. We finished before it got dark so that we felt more confident walking back to the hotel. In some ways, I think I may have misjudged the area a bit but I always trust my gut and it was telling me to be careful.

Seinfeld's Puffy Shirt

The hotel did not offer breakfast and the restaurant in the hotel had a $15 breakfast buffet. We can't eat that much for breakfast but I asked Chat GPT for an inexpensive breakfast restaurant in the area and found Lisciandro's. The best description I can give is that it is a neighborhood place. Everyone seemed to know everyone else and the breakfast was great and as promised, inexpensive. We enjoyed the atmosphere so much we went back for lunch later.

Well fed and feeling good, we walked around the corner to the Lucy Desi Museum. Our tickets (purchased online at a discount and for both museums) were timed for 10 am when the museum opened. We arrived as the doors were being unlocked.

I have to say, I really don't enjoy museums that much but this was special. I mean, who doesn't love Lucy? It is well organized and features many of the costumes and paraphenalia she used in her skits. Lucy and Desi's children have done a great job of making sure their parents are remembered and honored for their accomplishments.

The Golden Girls

What I didn't expect to find was how important Desi Arnaz was to the whole production of I Love Lucy. He came up with several novel ways of staging and filming the show which included a new system using three different cameras, something very advanced for the times.

Watching short video clips of some of the shows made me want to be sure to look for the full shows on some streaming channel when I got home. Loved the memories of laughing back then and enjoyed the laugh they elicited now. 

Lucy's Grandparents' Home

The National Comedy Center was pretty big. When you first go in, you receive a wrist band that has a chip in it and it is your key to the interactive stations (of which there are many). 

There were a lot of videos to watch, some geared to your favorites that you listed when you first went in and established a profile. I think you could spend days in there if you watched everything and engaged with all the interactive stuff. We enjoyed some of the videos and certainly some of the memorabilia. There was a huge filing cabinet of all of Joan Rivers jokes and the Puffy Shirt from Seinfeld and some costuming from the Golden Girls. 

We tired of the museum and after we'd at least wandered through all the displays, we left. There were several places on a map we had from the Lucy Desi Museum that showed where the family lived when she was born and where she lived with her grandparents as well as where she was buried. A pathway of hearts painted on the road in the cemetery leads you to her grave.  There was also a park by Lake Chautauqua with a statue dedicated to her. 

 Jamestown truly embraces Lucy.

The HOF Road Trip--Fly Creek Cider Mill

Our exploration of the National Baseball Hall of Fame finished, we decided to find someplace for lunch. It didn't have to be much. We had eaten quite a bit for breakfast at the wonderful buffet at the Inn at Cooperstown. On our way into town we had passed the Fly Creek Cider Mill so we thought that might be a good place to grab a bite to eat and explore the market and mill.

The mill isn't more that ten or fifteen minutes out of town and was as busy as our local farm markets back home with all the fall pumpkin buying and of course, their apple cider time. 

Lunch was a hot dog each with a glass of cider. The dogs reminded me of the Costco hot dog, big and fat, but cost a little more. The yellow jackets were celebrating autumn as well and were a bit annoying. Where in the world do they all come from when the weather gets cool?

We wandered away from the picnic tables with our cider to finish it. Thankfully the yellow jackets didn't follow. Behind the cafe and the market was a large pond with the biggest variety of ducks and geese I have ever seen. We found two Adirondack chairs, sat and sipped and watched the fun as people got corn from some dispensers and fed them.

The frenzy over and the cider consumed, we went into the mill area to see if we could see some cider being made. Unfortunately they were done pressing for the day but we did manage to find a video playing of the process. I attached it below if you're interested.

There was a tasting room where you could get samples of all the liquid apple products they make, pure cider, hard cider, apple wine and everything inbetween. We passed. One glass of cider was enough.

There were lots of products using apples as well as other gifts items in the market place and a large cool room where they sold their apples. I could not believe how many different varieties of apples they had. If we had been closer to home, I may have been tempted to get some.

It was late afternoon when we returned to the inn. Bob got a cup of coffee and enjoyed the warm sunshine and fresh air on the large comfortable porch. I needed a refreshing shower and perhaps a little shut-eye so I climbed the stairs to our room, laid on the bed and promptly fell asleep. 

Later we had a nice leisurely dinner at a place called Mel's about a five minute walk (if you had to wait for the light to change at the corner) from the inn. It was Taco Tuesday although it was not really a Mexican restaurant. The price was right and there was really a lot more food than we could eat. We took our time though as we knew there would not be much to do after dinner than to watch TV or perhaps play one of the games in the sitting room. 

Morning arrived with glorious sunshine again and we sat down to a great breakfast before hitting the road. 

Next up: I Love Lucy!

Cider Making at Fly Creek

The HOF Road Trip--National Baseball Hall Of Fame

The fireplace was a welcome sight as it cheery flames warmed the breakfast room. The buffet breakfast at the Inn at Cooperstown was small but delightful. There was fresh mixed fruit, raisin bread, spinach and egg frittata or sausage and egg frittata and the offer of fresh baked muffins along with hot drinks and juices. 

One of the best things I love about traveling is meeting new people. We sat and talked with a couple from North Carolina about their travels and their plans for future trips. Of course we shared some tips about some of the places we had been to that were in their plans. Another cup of coffee and we were off into the wonderful sunshine albeit chilly air. 

A ten minute brisk walk and we were entering the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Upon entering, we were greeted by a guide who asked us where we were from and who our favorite baseball team was. Again we were sympathized with as the Guardians had just lost their opportunity to continue to the World Series. We were handed a list of significant pieces of the history of the Indians/Guardians team and where we could look for them. 

Trying to take in the history of so many amazing players from the past was overwhelming. It was fun to see Babe Ruth's uniform and read his history, see the pictures and articles on the walls and some of the videos (or rather films) from the past. 

The same was true of many of the other featured players from the past. The museum is divided up a bit strangely. There was one section that featured black players and highlighted the black baseball leagues of the past and of course the players who opened the doors to integrating those players into the teams we have today. Players like Jackie Robinson and Larry Dolby instrumental in opening doors for others and of course both having a Cleveland connection.

As we wandered from section to section, we came upon lots of items related to the Indians. We found old uniforms, gloves (hard to believe they could actually catch a ball with some of them), old bats and some not so old (one was Jim Thome's) and lots of trophys. 

 The videos were all interesting and I think you could spend more than a morning if you watched them all the way through. We lingered by the ones we were most interested in. One of the things we smiled at was a video of kids playing I believe in the Dominican Republic with makeshift gloves made from cereal boxes.

 There were also examples of souvenir and fan wear. I loved the apron with the old chief on it.

 In the area that featured players of today, we found the Jose Ramirez helmet and several other items in a lockerroom display that was sectioned off with one locker for each of the MLB teams. 

 And then there was the Gold Glove award. It really is a gold glove! Painted I'm sure.

 Once we were finished with the museum part of the hall we went to the actual Hall of Fame whcih is quite impressive when you enter it--almost like a Greek temple. The plaques of the hall of famers are organized by years in sections along each wall and in the back of the hall. It was fun looking at all of them and remembering some of the players from years past and the historical players who had set some of the records that still stand today. 

 All together, we spent a little over three hours exploring the whole murseum and hall. Mark another tik off the bucket list for me.  But what would we now do with our afternoon? Hmmm.

 

The HOF Road Trip--On to Cooperstown

The trip from Hammondsport, NY to Cooperstown was to be only a little over three hours so we decided to take advantage of the beautiful morning to search out a few waterfalls in the area before we headed to Cooperstown.

The first was very easy to find. It was in the Village of Montour Falls, a short drive from Hammondsports. The large waterfall is called Shequaga Falls and you can see it as you drive down Main Street. At the end of the street is a nice little park and you can enjoy the falls close up. 

The falls is a 156 foot multi-tiered spectacle. The name comes from the Seneca word meaning "tumbling waters." We noticed that there were lights that probably light it up at night.

With a little more searching, we located Watkins Glen State Park where we saw there was a falls named Rainbow Falls. When we pulled into the entrance (we discovered later it wasn't the main entrance) we stopped to pay the $10 fee for the car. 

The girl in the booth was so much fun. We paid our fee and she pulled out a map of the trails when we asked about Rainbow Falls. To our surprise, she said there were actually nineteen falls along the Gorge Trail. The map she showed us was more than we wanted to navigate, we just wanted to see the Rainbow Falls. She took that one back and handed us another to show where the falls was. Bob asked if the trail was wheelchair accessible. She laughed and said not really. He explained we were old and wanted an easy walk. She smiled sweetly and pointed to the map. "That is the easy trail. It's okay I'm used to working with an advanced generation." Advanced generation? What a clever way to say "old people."

The "easy" trail presented us with a slew of steps and then one very long stairway of stone before we could actually get to the Rainbow Falls. We turned around. The Gorge Trail goes up and down and all around through a gorge that has 200 foot sedimentary cliffs. It is very interesting and much more of a challenge than my knees were ready for. We enjoyed the scenery and made our way back to the car.

Again the day was sunny and the autumn colors absolutely at their peak. We passed through forest and farmland and small towns before arriving at Cooperstown and discovering that it was a quaint little place on a lake as well.

The Inn at Cooperstown was a recommended stay and it did not disappoint. The Inn itself is on the historic registry and dates back to 1874. It was originally an annex to a posh hotel, Fenimore, that was located across the street. As most historic buildings do, the inn went through many phases as a home, offices and apartments. In 1985, it was purchased and renovated to open as the Inn at Cooperstown. It received new owners in 2022 who say they are dedicated to preserving the inn and genuine hospitality for all who stay there.

The room was comfortable and the ensuite bathroom had a nice shower. The only bad thing for us was that we were on the third floor. It was a long climb. The host who checked us in carried our suitcase up for us with no problem. He said it was his way to exercise.

Downstairs in the main area were two rooms set up for breakfast and two separate sitting rooms, one which held games and books. The other sitting room had a nice big Keurig and quite an assortment of K cups, along with a hot pot for water for tea. 

Once we were settled, we set out to explore. It was said to be a short walk down Main Street to get to the Baseball Hall of Fame so we decided to explore along the way and get our bearings for the day at the HOF to follow. Before we knew it, we were at Doubleday Field. We were soon to learn that Abner Doubleday was not the founder of baseball. 

Abner Doubleday was a U.S. Civil War general who was falsely accredited by the Mills Commission with inventing it in 1839. It actually existed long before then in one form or another and had not begun to be organized until The New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club codified rules to the game.

We peeked into the field which is rather a small one and not a lot of seating for many spectators. There are ballgames played there by various organizations. The entry is certainly impressive though.

A little further down the road, we found the Baseball Hall of Fame and stepped into the entryway just to check it out. It was due to close in an hour and we were saving our time there for the next day. We did wander through the gift shop which was a bit pricey as is most MLB merchandise. I saw a T shirt but I wasn't about to pay $40 for it. Guess I'm cheap.

It was too early for dinner so we wandered down to the park by Otsego Lake and enjoyed the water views. On our map it showed a historical marker a little farther along the shore so we walked down some more side streets and found our way to Council Rock Park. It was a tiny little park but had a place to sit and rest. Out in the water was a smooth protruding rock called the Council Rock where it was said that the Mohawk tribes along with several others used the area as a meeting place. It was immortalized in James Fenimore Cooper's The Pioneers. 

By the way, Cooperstown was named for its founder, Judge William Cooper, who founded the town in the 1780s. He was the father of the author, James Fenimore Cooper. 

Why Cooperstown for the location of the hall of fame? Perhaps it had to do with Doubleday who attended school in Cooperstown. Another story we heard was that the Doubleday myth was a basis for securing the HOF in Cooperstown. The myth was built up and the town needed the economic boost because of the war. Whatever the reasoning and even though Doubleday has been "outed", the place is a perfect spot and a most enjoyable visit.

Unfortunately we would not walk into the HOF with a Guardians win. But we did receive a lot of sympathy.

The HOF Road Trip--NY Finger Lakes

 

Our spontaneous decision to start our trip a day early proved to be a good one. Our drive through PA into NY was beautiful. Orange, red, yellow, light green, brown leaves on oaks, maples, birches and then the deep green of evergreen trees were a backdrop to golden fields of corn all made more intense in color by the wonderful sunshine that graced our day. 

We arrived at our stopping point for that day earlier than the original plan because of our drive the day before. It had put us about two and a half hours ahead of schedule but now it was allowing us plenty of time to explore the lovely little town of Hammondsport, NY.

Hammondsport sits on one of the finger lakes of NY. What a perfectly relaxing atmosphere at least for this time of year. I imagine during the summer season it gets pretty busy. Lake Keuka acually resembles a long finger when you look at it on the map. It reminded me a bit of Lock Ness in Scotland. No monsters reported though.

We wandered two of the parks. The first was called Depot Park and featured an old station house that was now a souvenir shop with a place to get coffee and snacks. Bob got his afternoon coffee and we walked the short boardwalk along the shore. 

Curtiss Park was a short walk away but still on the lake bordering some wetlands. The park honors Glenn Hammond Curtiss who was the founder of the aircraft industry. He was born in Hammondsport and I'm guessig his middle name indicates his family heritage and the naming of the town. 

We found a picnic table to watch on Bob's phone the updated score of the the Browns game in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Another football game with a heart stopping Browns win.

As we explored the main town area, we noticed many places were closed for the season. It was going to be a challenge to find a place to eat that appealed to us. There were a couple on the lake but one was closed and the other adverised that this was the last day of the season for them. They were celebrating with a Buffalo Bills watch party. We decided to give it a shot.

The restaurant was listed as The Lakeside Restaurant and Tavern on Tripadvisor but turned out to be called Louie's Lakeside. I'm not sure what the dynamics of the whole thing were. There was a large white building with a nice restaurant facility inside but the only thing open was the patio bar on the large dock area. The weather was warm enough so that was fine and there were only a handful of Bills fans watching the game so it wasn't crowded.

When our food came, we found very large portions and wondered if they were trying to clean out the kitchen before closing for the season. My pasta was great with extra meatballs but way more than I could eat. The waitress was a little distressed when Bob ordered a smash burger but with only one patty instead of the two in the description. They were probably hoping to finish those off as well.

The lake was spectacular surrounded with all that color reflected in its smooth surface. I wished the day could have lasted longer to enjoy the sunshine and the trees and the fresh air but alas, the days were getting shorter, a signal that all of this would be covered in ice and snow in a few months or less. It was obviously a summer place more than a winter resort and I can imagine a wonderful place to spend more time. A place to return to sometime. 

The HOF Road Trip--Spontaneity

 Saturday's afternoon could not have been more beautiful. We had just finished watching Ohio State narrowly beat Indiana (a win is a win) and with the sun shining brightly and illuminating the rich autumn colors, we set out to take a walk through the neighborhood. The conversation went something like this:

"So we're all packed?"

"Yup."

"What are we going to do tonight?"

"I don't know."

"Is there any reason we shouldn't just start our road trip tonight?"

"What?!"

Now, you have to understand that the last time Bob had a spontaneous decision to start out a road trip early we ended up sleeping in the station wagon with three young kids at a rest stop between home and Erie, PA, because we couldn't find a hotel. (Years before the internet could have helped us.) Ever since that Niagra Falls debacle, I have insisted on knowing where I was going to sleep each night on a trip. 

I thought it over for a few moments. No kids. Just us. An iPhone to help us locate a place along the way. Why not? We did a quick about-face and quickly got our inflatible Brutus and the OSU flag put away, the suitcase thrown in the car and we were on our way. I must admit. There was a bit of an adrenaline rush. Spontaneity is not one of my best traits though.

We had decided when we planned the trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown that we would take the backroads rather than the highway. We wanted to enjoy the fall colors. And enjoy we did. The sun followed us until it came time to eat dinner. Just before the state border into Pennsylvania, I began searching for a place to eat. The closest place I could find was in Andover, OH, called the Town Tavern. I put it into the Google Map route and we found it easily enough.

There are places to eat you might call "a hole in the wall" (our son has a way of finding them) but they turn out to have the best food. This was one of them. It was a bar but rather quiet for the most part, not many people. We ordered BLTs on Texas toast. Best BLTs we've ever had. 

While we ate, we searched for our favorite inn--the Hampton Inn and there was one in Meadville, PA about another half hour or so from where we were. It was going to get dark soon and those beautiful colored trees would go gray in the dusk of nightfall so we booked a room and traveled on to our first stop on the road. 

Sometimes spontaneity isn't so bad.

Newly Released!!

 It's finallly here! And available in paperback and Kindle. Here's the description of the story:

Life is fragile, unpredictable, challenging. It can change in an instant.

It was a normal busy day for Skylar Jones, reading to youngsters at the library, picking up groceries at the store, wondering what her birthday celebration would bring and what she would wear for her dinner out with her husband. And then she opened the door to her home and time exploded.

Dr. Kolby Grayson, a skilled plastic surgeon specializing in reconstructive surgery built a team of doctors and nurses who worked well together repairing facial damage for those injured in tragic events in their lives. He was able to look at a patient and envision immediately the way he could work to restore normalcy to a disfigured face, that is, until his sight was lost.

Skylar and Kolby come together through the work of others who care for them. Skylar becomes Kolby’s reader for his medical journals and he, a safe harbor for her where the physical scars she fought to conceal could not be seen.

Could their life changing experiences that brought them together become the catalyst for healing and a more lasting relationship?  Was it all in God’s plan for their recovery? Would they see it as such?

Paperback link

Kindle link