Finger Lakes Wineries Trip

Friday, 10/02 Drive to Syracuse

Ed organized a 3-day wine tasting trip to the New York Finger Lakes. We left Friday morning in a rental van from Dennis' house in Titusville, NJ. With Ed and Mark doing the driving, we went up the Jersey side of the river through Frenchtown and Milford, and crossed over into Pennsylvania at Easton. Then we went on RT 22 to RT 33 North and our first winery. Of course, we're not very near the New York Finger Lakes yet, but the Cherry Valley Winery is real close to RT 33 and we needed a break about that time. The vineyard is Cherry Valley, the Wine is Sorrenti. It was good to do a Pennsylvania winery with mostly vitis labruscas and French hybrids to contrast with the mostly viniferas from New York.

First Stop.   We've Seen Their Signs Driving Up and Down RT 33 Many Times Before.   Dick, Lisa & Pat by Our Van.   What's In That Box on Top?

Yes, They Make Sangria, But Not Today	Free Plastic Thimbles, But Everyone Did This	Free Tasting, Mostly Labruscas & Hybrids

It was a little rainy all day, and we headed back onto RT 33, then I80 and I360 into Scranton in time for lunch at the Radisson Lackawana Station Hotel. Pat and I had taken a steam train excursion ride from the Steamtown National Historic Site adjacent to the hotel, a number of years ago. The hotel restaurant was very nice with a buffet lunch which was also very nice. The waitress suggested their house Chilean Malbec, so we ordered two but they hadn't arrived yet, so we settled for a d'Oc Pinot Noir and a Rhone.

The Radisson Lackawana Station Hotel is a Restored 1908 Train Station Adjacent to Steamtown National Historic Site w. Museum and Train Rides

Out of Scranton on I81, we still had a gloomy day but only intermittent light rain. Past Binghampton, NY, we veered off the interstate to the first winery, Six Mile Creek just south of Ithaca, although it is not on a finger lake. There was a $2 charge for your choice of six wines, typical of all the other New York wineries. Also typical, was an offering of 8 or 10 wines to choose from with many viniferas included. Two other things were common i.e., most were decent (better than 25 years ago when Pat and I were last here), and all bottle prices are a little high, i.e., $15 to $20.

The First N. Y. Winery, But Not On A Finger Lake	Question!	Most Wineries Had a List We Checked

Our First N. Y. Winery is Not On A Finger Lake	But a Nice Location Nevertheless	Not Many Others Around, As it is a Friday

From here, we went into Ithaca and Cornell University. Cornell is located at the southern part of Cayuga Lake and Ed remembered nice views of the adjacent area. We rode around the campus, but were disappointed with the gloomy weather and the university's building boom combining to obscure the vistas. We didn't stop except at the entrance security gate to get a (non-parking) pass, so we made a quick loop before continuing North on the East side of Cayuga Lake to the small town of King Ferry.

King Ferry is the Name of the Town, Treleaven Was the Previous Farm Owner's Name		Most Facilities Were Hidden, An Open Door Here

There Were a Few Others Tasting Here	The Friendly Pourer Volunteered to Snap Our Picture

Just a couple of miles up the East side of Cayuga Lake is the Long Point Winery. Throughout the trip, we stopped at some wineries without a plan, and we didn't find any not open for tastings.

Truth and Barrels	The Owner Was Very Friendly	This is Also On Cayuga Lake.   Too Bad it is Overcast

We Had The Place To Ourselves, Tomorrow (Saturday) Will Be a Different Story!

By now, we were running a little late, so Ed telephoned ahead as we are meeting three of his friends in Skaneateles for dinner. It was a great place and we had a private room, although the down side was the service (or maybe the kitchen) as it took well over three hours for the meal. Some people were not too happy with the food also. Ed had been here a few times before and was disappointed this time.

Dinner in Skaneateles.   Private Room.   L to R: Lisa, Dick, Art, Pat, Adam, Tina, & Disappointed, Apologetic Ed			Nice Cruvinet!

We arrived at the Jefferson Clinton Hotel on Armory Square in Syracuse, called the "Salt City". Both Sicily's Siracusa and Syracuse, NY had salt water springs, and although our Syracuse had many other names through the years, the salty similarity between the two places appears to be the major the reason for the present name. The Stahls and Cantrells were scheduled for a suite with Dick and Dennis in nearby rooms. When we entered the suite, it was very nice and roomy, but with only a single bedroom and a pullout bed in the living room and a single bathroom, definitely NOT intended for two different families. There had to be some serious miscommunication between the hotel and Ed while he set this up, but a trip back to the lobby secured very nice separate rooms for both couples.

It was pretty late by now, and Ed, Mark and Lisa went out for a drink before Ed left for Tina's house on Oneida Lake about a half hour North.

Saturday, 10/03 Syracuse

After a great full breakfast in the hotel lobby, Clay and Pat headed out for a short walk. On a table in the lobby were booklets titled "Historic Walking Tour of Syracuse, N Y." A quick perusal the previous evening got Clay's interest with photos and

Top of The Walking Tour Map Insert	A Portion Of the Walking Tour Map	Walking Tour Author Stephanie

descriptions of the sites, but it lacked a map! This morning Clay noticed that there was a map and walking directions included with the booklet, but it is a separate sheet and was missing from the copy taken the previous evening.

Stephanie, manning the desk this morning noticed Clay's interest in the booklet and mentioned that she wrote it and also took many of the photos. Clay and Pat started out and saw the first few sites and Clay completed the entire tour and took some photos of his own. The walk took about an hour and a quarter with plenty of stops, including the photo-ops, and with it being Saturday morning it was a great time for this, the weather being mild although a little overcast. There are 15 sites listed in the booklet with many details including the year built, original and present uses, and architectural features. Since the wineries are not open this early, we are not being picked up by Ed until 9:30, and that provided plenty of time.

Our Hotel, Named After The Streets on Which it Rests, Not After That William Jefferson Clinton!   Built in 1927, Reopened in 2001, Renamed in 2007		1874 Armory, Now a Science & Technology Museum	Tracks Elevated In the 1930s, Served Passengers Until 1978

First in Syracuse in 1974, Shot Clock "Saved the NBA"	1876 Crown Hotel - Now Upstairs Offices & Award-Winning Irish Pub Below	Art Deco Niagara Mohawk, Offices With External Lighting	(DeWitt) Clinton Square With Anti Slavery Monument

Originally Built By the Canal Workers for the Weighmaster's Office On the 1st Floor and Engineer and Superintendent Offices on the 2nd		Weighlock.   The Toll Was By Weight Only Surviving Weighstation.   No EZ-Pass?	A Mule Boy or "Hoggee", Necessary Child Labor!

Civil War Rallying Point, Pre World War 2 Buildings President Lincoln Gave an Address Here		Metropolitan Style Art Deco Office Building Tallest Building in Downtown Syracuse		City Hall, 165 Foot Romanesque Tower

Onondaga Museum, 1895 Now CNY Telephone Co.	County Public Library, 1902 Now an Alternative School	4th Onondaga County Court, 1904 Teddy Roosevelt Testified Here	Columbus Circle, Statue Sculpted in Italy

3 Tower Renaissance Hotel Syracuse, 1924 Some Rooms Being Converted to Condominiums		Landmark Theater, 1928.   First Great "Oriental Style" Movie Theater, Predating All Others First Year Showed Only Silent Films, Renovated in 1987, Now Hosts Concerts and Shows

As scheduled, Ed picked us up around 9:30, and we headed out of town North to the NY State Thruway. Ed brought his EZ-Pass transponder but couldn't locate it here,

Syracuse Grew Because of the Erie Canal	City Sponsored Cancer Walk Here the Next Day	Dennis Forgot His Camera

and a search of the moving van by everyone was also futile. Well, no sweat, Ed just took a ticket at the toll plaza and headed West a couple of exits and gave the attendant the ticket with the toll. The attendant replied "You have EZ-Pass", took the ticket but not the cash and said "You're good to go!" So we knew it was in the car and tore it apart in the first winery parking lot with no immediate success. Finally Pat asked where he thinks he put it, and Ed said "with my GPS" (which he never used). Pat looked in one of the compartments between the front seats and there was the GPS and the EZ-Pass! So, it doesn't have to be on the windshield!

Today, We're On the West Side of Seneca Lake.   We Thought We'd Be the First Here, But It Must Have Opened an Hour Earlier, and It Is Saturday

White Spring Winery, North On the Lake	Lots More Room and Less Tasters Here	This Pourer Was All Business

Many Awards!   Wine Must Be Good	Lake Across the Street, But Still a Very Nice View	We Only Saw Apples Near the Tasting Room!

We looked at a few stores on the way for something with which to have lunch at one of the wineries, but no luck. With perfect timing, we went in to Fox Run Vineyards who had a very nice deli with an extensive selection of sandwiches and other items, obviously very aggressive in this, illustrated by the many picnic areas and the people using them. There were people directing the incoming cars and the parking lot was very busy, especially with limos. It was perfect for us and we all ordered something, commandeered a couple of outdoor tables, snuck our wine and our Cherry Valley glasses (turned out they were good investments!) in from the van and had a nice lunch. While eating, a van pulled up and quickly set up a lunch with food they brought including wine in plastic cups. Just as quickly they were gone without purchasing anything, and they didn't even do the tasting!

Cafe Open! Timing is Everything	We Tried to Avoid Places With Limos!	We Bought Lunch Here But The Wine Was From Other Places

Bachelorette Party Photo By Dennis	After Lunch Tasting, Very Busy Here Also	We Elbowed In.   Our Pourer Was Very Nice

"No Busses or Limos"   Turn Here!	Grapes Right Next To the Tasting Room	Not Only No Limos, We Were The Only Ones Here!

Still Only Down a Third of the Lake	All Have Nice Tasting Rooms	Wow, You Can Look it Up

Only Limo At This Winery, But This One's Enough!	Balloons To Scare the Birds	We Did Fox Run, Seneca Shore Next

Last One Heading Back Up Seneca Lake	Don't Pick the Grapes	Just a Hunch, But Probably Not Chardonnay	Weeds Between the Rows

More Awards, Nice Display	Pourers Were In Costume Here	A Model & an Admirer

We had a little time before dinner and there are two brewpubs real close with one in the direction of our dinner restaurant, so we walked a couple of blocks around the corner to Syracuse Suds. The place was a sea of orange as it was Syracuse University's homecoming weekend. We saw in the paper the next day that Syracuse lost to an inferior team with seven turnovers, but you couldn't tell that from the festive mood in the bar! We found a table, but when the server found out that we only wanted a drink, he said that it was cheaper to get it from the bar and ignored us. To make it worse, they were out of the Weisen & Pale Ale, two of their everyday brews, so Dick and I had to find something else.

A Brewpub a Couple of Blocks From Our Hotel			Dick & Dennis Left To Get a Head Start To Dinner

A Sea of Orange on SU's Homecoming Weekend.			A "Hip" Bar Across the Street

Somebody Went a Long Way to College	Full Moon, Watch Out!	Dennis Got the Jump on Us and Had to Wait

We walked another half dozen blocks or so to the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a Syracuse institution also in Rochester, New York City and on the campus of SU. Three bikers started a rib catering service in Syracuse, doing mostly motorcycle shows, fairs, and festivals on the east coast. It soon evolved into a rib take-out business and in 1990 converted into a restaurant and bar and are now also well known as a blues venue. They didn't have baby back ribs, so we got their best rib platter "Memphis-Style B-B-Q Pork." It was OK and you can't beat the atmosphere, but the ribs were a little disappointing.

The Place was Packed (and Always Is), But One Of Ed's Friends Works Here, So We only Had About a 15 Minute Wait For an Outside Table

We made one last stop at Coleman's on Tipperary Hill in the Western part of the city, the hill so named because it was settled primarily by Irish immigrants from Ireland's County Tipperary who worked on the Erie Canal. When the canal was completed, many of the Irish laborers stayed put in the village that became Syracuse. Coleman's started as a working man's saloon in 1933, soon tripled in size, and has reminders of Ireland everywhere. On the street nearby is the only Irish traffic light anywhere i.e., with the green above the red!

A Nightcap on Tipperary Hill, Started as a Saloon in 1933, Tripled in Size and is Another Syracuse Institution.			You're No Leprechaun Dennis!

Sunday, 10/04 Drive Home from Syracuse

We have the morning off as Ed is picking us up at 12:30 to go to Tina's for "brunch" before heading home.

Deserted Yesterday, Big Cancer Walk Today

Tocqueville Was An Admirer of America

Pat started out to attend early mass nearby but went in the wrong direction and joined Clay for breakfast when she got back. Pat later found where she went wrong and since we have plenty of time, attended a later mass. Clay went for another walk in the historic area, and hearing loud music on a Sunday morning found a walk for Breast Cancer assembled.

We were finally picked up by Ed and went to the Carousel Center, a mega mall near Lake Onondaga, as he he wanted to get a gift for Tina. We spent a few minutes shopping and met at Ruby Tuesday's for a drink before heading out to Lake Oneida and Tina's house.

Tourist Attraction Mall w. 100 Year Old, 42 Horse, Phila. Toboggan Co. Carousel, Installed in 1990.		Skating (& Skateboard) Rink Downstairs

Tina has a very nice place on Lake Oneida, not one of the North-South Finger Lakes, but running East-West above Syracuse and is the largest body of water entirely within New York State. The Erie Canal was South of here, but Lake Oneida is part of the current Barge Canal.

Ed's Friend Tina's House On Lake Oneida, 20 miles Or So North of Syracuse		L to R: Pat, Dennis, Dick, Tina, Gail, Art, Mark, Ed

A Last Drink On Tina's Deck Before Hitting the Road	A Local Malt Beverage	And We're Finally On Our Way

Ed got us going around Syracuse, and then Mark drove most of the way back uneventfully except for a bird flying into the front of the van, and a pit stop on I81. We passed through the Poconos, crossing the river at the Delaware Water Gap and down the New Jersey side to Dennis' home in Titusville. We then spent a while allotting the purchased wine before heading home around 9:30.

See the Wines Tasted on the Trip

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Created: 10/11/09 Changed: 04/04/11

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