" Shuffle Off to Buffalo is a song written by Al Dubin and Harry Warren and introduced in the 1933 musical film 42nd Street. The lyrics talk about going by railroad ‘to Niag'ra in a sleeper’ for a honeymoon. Niagara Falls near Buffalo, New York, was long a popular honeymoon destination.” That was our western most destination & something we always wanted to experience. But, instead of in a “sleeper", we drove in our Hyundai rental. Niagara Falls next but first The Finger Lakes to Rochester & off to Buffalo.
After taking the NYS Regents history exam decades ago, I had always wanted to see the Erie Canal. It wasn’t disappointing for either of us. In fact, it was more fun & informative than imagined.
The Mohawk Valley was beautiful and the workings of the Erie Canal & it’s contribution to stupendous economic growth of the northeastern USA & especially NYC were incredible. It cemented NYC’s place as an economic center of the world.
Many sites we had planned to visit in advance but some were decided upon during the trip. We had read about Barge Canal Lift Lock No. 17, one of the highest lift locks in the world. How could we resist a visit? In the tiny town of Little Falls, we met Tom. He told us how to drive to the lock. When we got there, he showed up. He had wanted to make sure that we found it. He filled us in on the local lore. He had been the DJ on the Little Falls’ radio station. The lock mechanism was amazing & operated by a boy who looked no older than 15.
We stayed at the Driftwood Inn, on Sheldrake Point in the middle of the western shore of Cayuga Lake. On the upstairs landing was a bible opened to the day’s reading from Corinthians. Our hosts were lovely & the breakfasts delicious.
We had heard about hiking to Taughannock Falls, on the SW end of Cayuga Lake near Trumansburg. The State Park's namesake waterfall is billed as one of the outstanding natural attractions of the Northeast. Taughannock Falls carves a 400 ft. deep gorge through layers of sandstone, shale and limestone that were once the bed of an ancient sea. At the visitor center, we were told of a perfect hike. Trumansburg is near Ithaca and we encountered many international folks who had immigrated to the area because of the proximity of Cornell U.
The Finger Lakes had pleasant, easy to drive roads, acres of corn growing, vineyards, beer, cider, ice cream sandwiches & very friendly people. Some towns were quite depressed.
A huge surprise was the spur of the moment decision to stop at the U.S. Naval Training Center in Sampson. It is now a park and museum. The museum was closed but there was still lots to see.
A fellow we met at Tanglewood told us not to miss the George Eastman Museum in Rochester. We had not planned on it but the timing was perfect for a visit & lunch break.
Buffalo was next. Another surprise. It was a most enjoyable city where we spent two nights.
