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Farmer’s Museum

Joe & Kathy — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:48:29 +0000

Today we awoke to pouring rain. Decided to sleep another hour. After breakfast at the restaurant, we decided to go for a drive around the lake. It’s 9 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide at it’s biggest point. Then, onto the Farmer’s Museum. We were quite impressed by the set up. They have 30 buildings on 120 acres that depict what life as a farmer would have been like in the mid-1800’s. Joe even got excited because they have the actual Cardiff Giant Hoax on display. After more pbj sandwiches for lunch, we drove across the street to the Fenimore Art Museum. The mansion that stands on this site now is the former spot where James Fenimore Cooper lived. It now houses artwork done by many different cultures. There is even a room dedicated to Cooper and the many stories that he wrote about the region around Otsego Lake (Leatherstocking Tales). Joe and I really enjoyed the Rome paintings. We found James Fenimore Cooper’s grave and monument at a cemetary right outside of town. Back at the hotel, it stopped raining. Went for another walk around town and then back for some reading in our adirondack chairs. Tonight we’re packing up for our return trip home tomorrow.

National Baseball Hall of Fame

Joe & Kathy — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:37:05 +0000

Ate breakfast this morning at the restaurant located at our Lakefront Motel. It was really good. Off to the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum as it opened. Enjoyed walking through the entire museum. Especially the stuff on the Orioles and Babe Ruth. Even Joe enjoyed himself. We found Cal Ripkin’s induction plaque (but not Harold Baines). Ha ha Dad! Walked back to the hotel (1 block away) for lunch- out of the car again. Then, we took a 1 hour boat cruise of Otsego Lake on the Glimmerglass Queen. Saw incredible views of the lake and surrounding areas.Very sunny today too. Thought we might get a tan on the boat. The Susquehanna River’s headwaters start in Coooperstown, and go all the way to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland (444 miles away). We walked over to the plaque that shows where the Susquehanna starts so Joe could get pictures. Walked around Main St. again and saw Doubleday Field. We drove out of town for dinner at a steak house restaurant. Not great, just local stuff. We’ve been spending our evenings reading out on the adirondack chairs by the lake. Tomorrow, we’re planning on the Farmer’s Museum.

Drive to Cooperstown, NY

Joe & Kathy — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:24:32 +0000

Left Toronto early this morning and drove about 5 1/2 hours to Cooperstown, NY. Now for those of you who aren’t as into baseball as I am, Cooperstown is where baseball was founded and where the National Baseball Hall of Fame is located. Growing up, all I heard about was baseball and the Orioles. I watched games with my dad and knew I could only talk during commericials. We had season tickets and I knew I could only talk at the end of an inning . I love everything about the game. Especially players like Cal Ripkin. He was my favorite. I’m looking forward to going to the hall of fame and seeing his induction items. Got to our hotel around 4:00. We decided to walk around Main St. which is a typical small town street. Most of the stores have baseball memoribilia that they sell. Today we just were window shopping. Ate dinner at The Pub on Pioneer St. Walked back to the hotel. We have a very, very small room. But it’s incredibly clean. Found out though that we don’t have internet service (it’s down in the whole town) and no cell service. Tomorrow, we’ll be going to the Hall of Fame!

Last day in Toronto

Joe & Kathy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:40:24 +0000

Up early again today. Did I forget to mention that there is a union strike here with the garbage people. The garbage bins have filled up and overflowed all over the city. It looks gross and smells even worse. Walked to the largest book store in the world (no kidding) this morning. This bookstore has 12 miles of shelves. Joe said they have an awesome history section. He found 3 books on Poland. I found the book that I’m currently reading and sat down and read about 100 pages. We didn’t leave there till about lunchtime, so we walked across the street and ate our bagged lunch at the mall. Then, hopped on the double-decker bus (our tickets were good for the entire time we’re here) and went to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). Not as impressive as the British Museum or the Louvre but still very interesting. Afterwards we walked about 45 minutes to Little Italy where we ate dinner at Fraschetti’s. Joe had spaghetti (they didn’t have meatballs) and a moretti (beer) and I got manicotti. Then, another hours walk back across town to our hotel. Relaxing now and getting ready for our trip to Cooperstown tomorrow. Back in the states- yea!

Our 3rd Anniversary!

Joe & Kathy — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:35:54 +0000

Woke up today to pouring rain. Decided to go the Eaton Center, which is a very large 4 story shopping mall. We just walked around and window shopped, but did stop in the book store for an hour and found some good books on tape for the car ride. After lunch we got back on the double-decker tour bus and went to Casa Loma. This is the biggest home in Canada (Biltmore in Asheville, NC is twice as big). Casa Loma has been in several movies including Cocktail, The Pacifier and most recently X-Men- It was the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. Back on the bus through the historic district and then to the entertainment district. Ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. This cafe was the first in North America (it was originally called the Roadhouse and was the first place Bob Dylan ever played at). It’s been there for 31 years. Our waitress was great and the food was awesome. Back at the hotel now. We’re going to see a movie tonight. Not sure what, but I’m taking Joe out to dinner and movie/popcorn for our anniversary. Not sure of our plans for tomorrow yet. More to come.

Day 1 in Toronto

Joe & Kathy — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:18:05 +0000

Today we drove 1 1/2 hours to Toronto. We arrived at our hotel (Hilton Toronto) around 11:00. We have to use public parking at $30/day. What a rip-off. After unpacking our junk we went on a double-decker bus for a tour of the city. We got off at the waterfront and went on a boat tour of the inner harbor. The boat tour was about 45 mins. long and we rode through the Toronto Islands. Much of the inner harbor islands are wild-life refuge. After returning to the mainland, we walked over to the CN Tower and rode to the top for dinner at the 360 degree restaurant. Joe got one huge slab of prime rib and I got chicken. Then, we went to the observation deck that has a glass floor looking into the Sky Dome. Scary! Until recently it was the highest freestanding structure in the world. Now the Dubai Tower passes it by approximately 1000 feet. Walked to the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Has the biggest lobby in the British Commonwealth. It looked amazing. Back at the hotel now. Our room looks out onto several different skyscrapers. Not as nice of a view as we had in Niagara Falls, but still pretty cool.

Last day in Niagara Falls

Joe & Kathy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:30:04 +0000

This morning we went to the IMAX theatre and went through the Niagara Daredevils Exhibit. It showcased all of the people that have gone over the falls and they even had some of the things they went over in. They had the original barrel that Annie Taylor (first person recorded to go over the falls) went over the falls in. They also had several of the steel drums that had gone over. Then, we saw the IMAX movie “The Mysteries of the Great Lakes”. This was by far the best movie that we have seen. After lunch, we walked along the river walk by the falls. We walked up to the Niagara Power Plant and saw “The Scow” (an old boat that has been shipwrecked in Horseshoe Rapids for 90 years). Then, we walked back and went on the Sky Wheel (a really large closed in farris wheel). We did 5 full rotations and got great views. Dinner was at the Hard Rock (on the Canadian side). Came back to the hotel and took advantage of the whirlpool tub in our room. Tonight we’ll be watching the light show from our hotel room. Tomorrow, we’re off to Toronto.

Hiking around Niagara

Joe & Kathy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:29:22 +0000

First stop today was Old Fort Niagara, NY a strategic French loss in the French and Indian War. While there, we saw the French Castle Niagara. We could also look across Lake Ontario and see Toronto 30 miles away. We also saw Niagara Point Lighthouse. Old Fort Niagara is approximately 10 miles from Rainbow Bridge on the Robert Moses Parkway which parallels the Niagara River. On the way back, we stopped at Devil’s Hole State Park. We descended hundreds of stair steps to the bottom of the Gorge. We walked approximately 1 mile upstream (South) along the riverfront to the Whirlpool. We passed the rapids that we were in yesterday in the Jet Boat. At the Whirlpool, we ascended several hundred more steps until we got to Whirlpool State Park. Then, a mile back to the car. Next stop was the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, where we saw how the Gorge has formed. Back on the Canadian side, we went to the Skylon Tower for dinner. We went up 520 feet to the top and ate at the revolving restaurant. Very romantic. Then, we went up 2 more floors to the Observation Deck. Back in our hotel room now getting ready for the fireworks display. Tomorrow, we’re headed back to the IMAX to see a movie on the Great Lakes. Also planning on going to the Sky Wheel and the Hard Rock Cafe.

Soaking Wet at Niagara

Joe & Kathy — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 01:16:31 +0000

Up early again today. We’ve been eating breakfast in our hotel room each morning. I packed a bunch of food for us to eat while we’re gone (lunch has been eaten out of the back of the car). I’ve got a big cooler with drinks and a rubbermaid tub of food in the back of the car. Our first stop this morning was Souvenir City, where we found a bunch of junky stuff that we really didn’t need. We’re just loading up on postcards. Next stop was at the Aero Cable Car that goes from one side of the Niagara Gorge to the other (connected to the Canadian side at both ends). The round trip was about 11 minutes. Next stop was the Whirlpool Walk. We took an elevator down to a boardwalk that goes along the rapids. The water is about 71 degrees and is moving at about 25 mph. The rapids are a class 5 (the highest is class 6- The only class 6 rapids in the world are on the Colorado River). After lunch we went on the Niagara Jet Boat. Before going on, you are given a poncho and a life-jacket and told that “you will get drenched”. We took a short bus ride to the drop off point. Once the ride began, they took us up stream to the whirlpool rapids. We went back and forth through the rapids 4 times. Each time getting more wet. When we got back to shore the water was just dripping off of us. Our clothes were “drenched”. We rode back to the hotel sitting on our ponchos. After showering and changing clothes, we walked to the Planet Hollywood for dinner. Great burgers! Then, we walked to the Welcome Center and saw the 4D movie Niagara’s Fury- The Creation of the Falls. The movie was more for little kids and then there was a short ride that made you feel like you were going through the creation of the falls (ice, melt, rain, falls, etc). On our walk back to the hotel, we stopped in the Casino across the street and blew $100. Oh well. Better luck next time. Joe said “not to worry- it’s not real money, it’s Canadian”. Tomorrow, we’re going to try to do some hiking on the Canadian and American sides down in the gorge.

Fireworks over the Falls

Joe & Kathy — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:09:22 +0000

We just watched the fireworks over the American Falls. Pretty cool with the falls in the background. Joe watched them naked. He said he just wanted to be able to tell people that he watched fireworks with no clothes on.