What I Did on My Summer Vacation
Aug. 2nd, 2004 10:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lillibetHaving been fairly pointedly told to leave Boston to the Democrats last week, we decided to take the MINI on a roadtrip to the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Despite having grown up not far from there, I had never really spent much time in the area and had been hearing good things about it. I've put up a very simple gallery of photos from the trip, if you're interested.
We drove out last Sunday morning, stopping in Clifton Park to have lunch with my parents. Our time together was too short, as always, but we were eager to get on down the road. The weather was lovely and we arrived in Skaneateles, on the northeast corner of the region, around 5pm and checked into the Mirbeau Inn & Spa, which was just as marvelous as it seemed from the website. I would highly recommend the place for a honeymoon or other special getaway--I've rarely been in a place that felt so romantic.
They have managed to create a very European oasis, with charming buildings set around a garden made to look like Monet's Giverny, complete with a bridge over a pond full of water lillies. Our room was in one of the separate cottages across the bridge from the main building. It was stunning and included a fireplace and a luxurious bathroom with a clawfoot tub big enough for the two of us. We explored the grounds and the spa, had a bath, and then went over to the main building for dinner.
We had drinks in their very comfortable lounge and then took our seats on the deck overlooking the gardens. Jason started with the wild mushroom risotto, while I had the seared fois gras over grilled pear and brioche. We were served an amuse bouche of lobster fritter and then moved on to our mains--baby rack of lamb with cassoulet for Jason and garlic-encrusted beef tenderloin for me. We finished off with a cheese course--Jason took the Lancashire with apple tart, while I had the Pont Astier bleu with pears, walnuts and endive. We washed it all down with a Babich Pinot Noir from New Zealand. Replete, we retired to our downy soft bed.
On Monday it was pouring. All day long, nothing but rain. Fortunately, we had planned an indoor day at the Corning Museum of Glass. We visited their extensive collection of glass sculpture and objects throughout the history of glass, including a special exhibit on the influence of the Venetian style. We saw their Hot Glass live show, in which a glassworker made a lovely yellow
vase while we watched. We interacted with the exhibits in the section on Innovations, which focused on glass ceramics, telescope mirrors, computer screens and windshields. We watched a movie about the nature of glass. And then we went into the studio and helped to make some glass--Jason made a clear-glass Roman-style bottle, while I made a red and yellow swirled ornament. It was really cool to get up close to the process and actually do a little of the blowing and glass manipulation. After that we tarried in their shops and Jason decided that we really needed one of the lovely tulip floor lamps.
Leaving CMOG, we made our way into downtown Corning in the rain and found the Gaffer's Grille on Market Street, where we shared a very tasty hot wing dip (cream cheesed based, with chunks of chicken,
flavored with barbecue sauce). I followed that up with a nice chicken piccata, while Jason took the house sirloin. We ate quickly and got back on the road, since night was falling and it was close to two
hours back to Skaneateles.
On Tuesday we had a leisurely breakfast at the inn--own-made granola for Jason and French toast with pears and blueberries for me--and then were picked up by Tom, our driver for the day. He took us to ten wineries around Cayuga Lake, an amazing total. It was another rainy day, but that was fine, since it meant that most of the places were deserted and we were often the only people tasting. We visited Long Point, King's Ferry, Americana, Lucas, Thirsty Owl, Goosewatch, Knapp, Lakeshore, Swedish Hill and Montezuma and tasted a wide variety of wines. They seem to go in for sweet wines much more than we're used to--we picked up a very interesting semi-sweet Cabernet Franc that was like nothing we'd ever tried, as well as many other interesting
bottles. Possibly our favorite tasting was at Lakeshore, where the tasting room is a low ceilinged old barn and we sat in old wooden rockers while we sampled their wares. We had a nice lunch at Simeon's On the Common in Ithaca as we rounded the bottom of Cayuga Lake before continuing up the west side. We were pretty wiped out by the time we got to the last place, but were glad we made it there, since they had a remarkable collection of wines from different fruits including cranberry, blueberry, pear, plum, peach and white grape.
Finally back at the hotel, we took a nap and then dragged ourselves out of bed for dinner at Rosalie's Cucina, next door. I had carpaccio and scallopine di pollo, while Jason had the fish choweder and a
wonderful shrimp and spinach in lemon sauce over orzo. Then we went back to the Mirbeau and crashed again.
We spent Wednesday morning at the spa, having side-by-side massages. Their waiting room has a warm pool in the center where you can sit and soak your feet while you relax and wait for your treatment to start. Or you can lie on a comfy chaise longue--I fell asleep again while we were waiting. After our massages we had lunch out on the deck again. I had a bowl of miso soup and a wild salmon blt, while Jason did a "tasting menu" of salad, beef tenderloin and more of the mushroom risotto. I did not order the burger served with bearnaise and a red
wine veal reduction and topped with fois gras--that seemed too over the top, even for me.
After lunch we walked down into Skaneateles. It was not raining, so we took an hour's cruise on the lake, with the captain pointing out the lovely homes of local luminaries. The Clintons have made a big impression in Skaneateles--apparently they've been coming to the State Fair in Syracuse for the past few years and staying locally. We saw the house where they stayed four years ago and at Rosalie's we saw their signatures on the wall.
We strolled around Skaneateles for a bit and then Jason hiked back up the hill to the Mirbeau to pick up the car while I looked into a few of the cute little shops. He picked me up and we set off to take a scenic drive. We quickly ran into the rain that was just a bit to the south--very heavy downpour--so we cut our drive short and went back to the hotel for a nap. In the evening we had fish & chips at Dick's, in town, and then drove over to the cinema in Auburn, where the best option was Catwoman, so we saw that. There were some fun things about it, but it was just about as bad as we had expected, overall.
On Thursday the weather was finally clear and we set out to enjoy the day. Our first stop was at the Willard Memorial Chapel in Auburn. It is the only complete chapel designed by the Tiffany company that survives today. Not only the windows, but the ceiling beams, the light fixtures, the pews and the pulpit were all designed as a whole. We weren't able to stay for the tour at eleven, but we were able to watch a video giving the history of the chapel and to look around on our own for a few minutes.
From there we headed south, stopping for lunch along the way at the Skyland Farm. We had tasty sandwiches at this lovely place that also offers a wide variety of local crafts for sale. After lunch we continued down to Watkins Glen, a hanging valley where a stream has carved a canyon through the slate cliffs on the way down to Seneca Lake. We hiked up the Gorge Trail, right along the water, past and around and sometimes behind the series of nineteen waterfalls along
the way. We came back down the Indian Trail, at the top of the canyon. It was a hot day and the cool water sprinkling on us felt lovely, although climbing muddy steps for an hour was sometimes tricky.
That took less time than we had planned, so we decided to stop in at a few more wineries on the way home. We visited Hazlitt 1852, Standing Stone, Wagner and Lamoreaux. The latter is built in the Greek Revival style, but out of redwood, so it makes an imposing image overlooking the lake. We found some more tasty wines and added them to our accumulation. Jason had said that he feels as though we've got a bunch of wine that we're aging, but not much for drinking right now...I think we've solved that problem!
Back in Skaneateles we dropped by Valentino's Pizzeria and had a very nice pie before going back to the Mirbeau. We had scheduled our last spa treatments for the last timeslot of the day, so at 8pm we were
back in the meditation room, soaking our feet and chilling by the fire. Jason had a reflexology massage, which used hot stones, while I had an "orange parfait" herbal wrap that left my skin amazingly soft--three days later my elbows are still smooth! We watched John Kerry's speech to the DNC and then turned in for our last night at the Mirbeau.
On Friday morning we had a quick breakfast and then got on the road. Despite leaving a bit later than we had hoped, we made it to Jack & Alice Cannon's in Hudson right at 1pm. They took us to Ca' Mea in downtown Hudson for a wonderful lunch and we had a great time hearing stories of their theatre days and telling them about our new adventures in community theatre. We were sorry to leave so soon, but we were hoping to make a 6:30 curtain, so we sped home. Traffic was heavy but fast on the eastbound Pike, and we were very glad not to be
headed in the other direction--the road was clogged with all the DNC-related traffic trying to get back to New York.
We made it home just before six, switched cars and went into Davis Square to see Lion in Winter, performed by an group of MIT-associated folk at one of the other churches on College Ave., a block down from
our performance space at First Church. College is really turning into a theatrical hotbed! Lion is a great play--so many good lines!--and the Occasional Players did a fine job of it. Their Eleanor was
particularly good and we were very glad to be able to see it.
We drove out last Sunday morning, stopping in Clifton Park to have lunch with my parents. Our time together was too short, as always, but we were eager to get on down the road. The weather was lovely and we arrived in Skaneateles, on the northeast corner of the region, around 5pm and checked into the Mirbeau Inn & Spa, which was just as marvelous as it seemed from the website. I would highly recommend the place for a honeymoon or other special getaway--I've rarely been in a place that felt so romantic.
They have managed to create a very European oasis, with charming buildings set around a garden made to look like Monet's Giverny, complete with a bridge over a pond full of water lillies. Our room was in one of the separate cottages across the bridge from the main building. It was stunning and included a fireplace and a luxurious bathroom with a clawfoot tub big enough for the two of us. We explored the grounds and the spa, had a bath, and then went over to the main building for dinner.
We had drinks in their very comfortable lounge and then took our seats on the deck overlooking the gardens. Jason started with the wild mushroom risotto, while I had the seared fois gras over grilled pear and brioche. We were served an amuse bouche of lobster fritter and then moved on to our mains--baby rack of lamb with cassoulet for Jason and garlic-encrusted beef tenderloin for me. We finished off with a cheese course--Jason took the Lancashire with apple tart, while I had the Pont Astier bleu with pears, walnuts and endive. We washed it all down with a Babich Pinot Noir from New Zealand. Replete, we retired to our downy soft bed.
On Monday it was pouring. All day long, nothing but rain. Fortunately, we had planned an indoor day at the Corning Museum of Glass. We visited their extensive collection of glass sculpture and objects throughout the history of glass, including a special exhibit on the influence of the Venetian style. We saw their Hot Glass live show, in which a glassworker made a lovely yellow
vase while we watched. We interacted with the exhibits in the section on Innovations, which focused on glass ceramics, telescope mirrors, computer screens and windshields. We watched a movie about the nature of glass. And then we went into the studio and helped to make some glass--Jason made a clear-glass Roman-style bottle, while I made a red and yellow swirled ornament. It was really cool to get up close to the process and actually do a little of the blowing and glass manipulation. After that we tarried in their shops and Jason decided that we really needed one of the lovely tulip floor lamps.
Leaving CMOG, we made our way into downtown Corning in the rain and found the Gaffer's Grille on Market Street, where we shared a very tasty hot wing dip (cream cheesed based, with chunks of chicken,
flavored with barbecue sauce). I followed that up with a nice chicken piccata, while Jason took the house sirloin. We ate quickly and got back on the road, since night was falling and it was close to two
hours back to Skaneateles.
On Tuesday we had a leisurely breakfast at the inn--own-made granola for Jason and French toast with pears and blueberries for me--and then were picked up by Tom, our driver for the day. He took us to ten wineries around Cayuga Lake, an amazing total. It was another rainy day, but that was fine, since it meant that most of the places were deserted and we were often the only people tasting. We visited Long Point, King's Ferry, Americana, Lucas, Thirsty Owl, Goosewatch, Knapp, Lakeshore, Swedish Hill and Montezuma and tasted a wide variety of wines. They seem to go in for sweet wines much more than we're used to--we picked up a very interesting semi-sweet Cabernet Franc that was like nothing we'd ever tried, as well as many other interesting
bottles. Possibly our favorite tasting was at Lakeshore, where the tasting room is a low ceilinged old barn and we sat in old wooden rockers while we sampled their wares. We had a nice lunch at Simeon's On the Common in Ithaca as we rounded the bottom of Cayuga Lake before continuing up the west side. We were pretty wiped out by the time we got to the last place, but were glad we made it there, since they had a remarkable collection of wines from different fruits including cranberry, blueberry, pear, plum, peach and white grape.
Finally back at the hotel, we took a nap and then dragged ourselves out of bed for dinner at Rosalie's Cucina, next door. I had carpaccio and scallopine di pollo, while Jason had the fish choweder and a
wonderful shrimp and spinach in lemon sauce over orzo. Then we went back to the Mirbeau and crashed again.
We spent Wednesday morning at the spa, having side-by-side massages. Their waiting room has a warm pool in the center where you can sit and soak your feet while you relax and wait for your treatment to start. Or you can lie on a comfy chaise longue--I fell asleep again while we were waiting. After our massages we had lunch out on the deck again. I had a bowl of miso soup and a wild salmon blt, while Jason did a "tasting menu" of salad, beef tenderloin and more of the mushroom risotto. I did not order the burger served with bearnaise and a red
wine veal reduction and topped with fois gras--that seemed too over the top, even for me.
After lunch we walked down into Skaneateles. It was not raining, so we took an hour's cruise on the lake, with the captain pointing out the lovely homes of local luminaries. The Clintons have made a big impression in Skaneateles--apparently they've been coming to the State Fair in Syracuse for the past few years and staying locally. We saw the house where they stayed four years ago and at Rosalie's we saw their signatures on the wall.
We strolled around Skaneateles for a bit and then Jason hiked back up the hill to the Mirbeau to pick up the car while I looked into a few of the cute little shops. He picked me up and we set off to take a scenic drive. We quickly ran into the rain that was just a bit to the south--very heavy downpour--so we cut our drive short and went back to the hotel for a nap. In the evening we had fish & chips at Dick's, in town, and then drove over to the cinema in Auburn, where the best option was Catwoman, so we saw that. There were some fun things about it, but it was just about as bad as we had expected, overall.
On Thursday the weather was finally clear and we set out to enjoy the day. Our first stop was at the Willard Memorial Chapel in Auburn. It is the only complete chapel designed by the Tiffany company that survives today. Not only the windows, but the ceiling beams, the light fixtures, the pews and the pulpit were all designed as a whole. We weren't able to stay for the tour at eleven, but we were able to watch a video giving the history of the chapel and to look around on our own for a few minutes.
From there we headed south, stopping for lunch along the way at the Skyland Farm. We had tasty sandwiches at this lovely place that also offers a wide variety of local crafts for sale. After lunch we continued down to Watkins Glen, a hanging valley where a stream has carved a canyon through the slate cliffs on the way down to Seneca Lake. We hiked up the Gorge Trail, right along the water, past and around and sometimes behind the series of nineteen waterfalls along
the way. We came back down the Indian Trail, at the top of the canyon. It was a hot day and the cool water sprinkling on us felt lovely, although climbing muddy steps for an hour was sometimes tricky.
That took less time than we had planned, so we decided to stop in at a few more wineries on the way home. We visited Hazlitt 1852, Standing Stone, Wagner and Lamoreaux. The latter is built in the Greek Revival style, but out of redwood, so it makes an imposing image overlooking the lake. We found some more tasty wines and added them to our accumulation. Jason had said that he feels as though we've got a bunch of wine that we're aging, but not much for drinking right now...I think we've solved that problem!
Back in Skaneateles we dropped by Valentino's Pizzeria and had a very nice pie before going back to the Mirbeau. We had scheduled our last spa treatments for the last timeslot of the day, so at 8pm we were
back in the meditation room, soaking our feet and chilling by the fire. Jason had a reflexology massage, which used hot stones, while I had an "orange parfait" herbal wrap that left my skin amazingly soft--three days later my elbows are still smooth! We watched John Kerry's speech to the DNC and then turned in for our last night at the Mirbeau.
On Friday morning we had a quick breakfast and then got on the road. Despite leaving a bit later than we had hoped, we made it to Jack & Alice Cannon's in Hudson right at 1pm. They took us to Ca' Mea in downtown Hudson for a wonderful lunch and we had a great time hearing stories of their theatre days and telling them about our new adventures in community theatre. We were sorry to leave so soon, but we were hoping to make a 6:30 curtain, so we sped home. Traffic was heavy but fast on the eastbound Pike, and we were very glad not to be
headed in the other direction--the road was clogged with all the DNC-related traffic trying to get back to New York.
We made it home just before six, switched cars and went into Davis Square to see Lion in Winter, performed by an group of MIT-associated folk at one of the other churches on College Ave., a block down from
our performance space at First Church. College is really turning into a theatrical hotbed! Lion is a great play--so many good lines!--and the Occasional Players did a fine job of it. Their Eleanor was
particularly good and we were very glad to be able to see it.
