Finding the Finger Lakes
Posted July 16th, 2008 by Antonia Malchik
When I first moved to New York state, I was prey to all the assumptions and stereotypes that pop to mind when the words “New York” end up in a sentence. “New York … that’s city, right? No trees, no open space, no peace. Just city.”
Well, I was wrong then and was a little ashamed last 4th of July weekend to find myself wrong again. Where I live, 60 miles north (and slightly west) of Manhatten, there’s still a country look to the place, but it’s being eroded pretty quickly by exurbia, that rural bastardization of suburbia. (Note: For a discussion of the definition and lifestyle of Exurbia, visit the Exurbitude blog — today, as a bonus, the author has a very funny description of trying to move the goat paddock at my house last weekend. Let’s just say none of us are born herders.)
So when we drove out the whole three hours to the university town of Ithaca in the Finger Lakes region of New York, I expected to find something pretty similar. And did I? Nope. Of course not. Because wherever I go, what I find is not what I expected. With its vast lakes, wide farmlands and winery fields, and air much less humid and much more cool than it is where I live, I could have been in a different country. My surprise came despite the fact that I’ve long been an admirer of Ronda Roaring’s Web site, I Love the Finger Lakes.
And how I do! I’m a convert. As opposed to the dusty, hot unpleasantness of Napa (relive my experience here), the Finger Lakes wineries boast cool breezes, sweet wines and some unusual merlots, and unbeatable views down to massive lakes. Looking down to Cayuga Lake at the Lamore Landing Winery, we could have been back in Scotland.
We only had three short days in the Finger Lakes, but I’ll be going back. To visit the bird sanctuaries at the Cornell University lab, to shop again at the Ithaca farmer’s market, to hike the umpteen trails through hidden woods and quiet hills.
More people should see the rest of New York state. Because that smidgeon of an island, that little city-state of New York City that enthrals so many, is simply the back door to places far more beautiful, restful, and worth seeing.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
My favorite road in the country goes right through the Finger Lakes region. The Southern Tier Expressway runs right across the bottom of New York and takes you to fantastic places like Horseheads and Salamanca. I drive it every time I go to my parents house in Illinois. So much better than the Thruway. The Finger Lakes region is what kept me from going mad when I was trapped in Westchester.
July 17th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
If only I’d known before! Amy, I’m going to have to turn your rich brain inside-out to help me figure out how to live more happily in New York.
That Expressway is going to have to be my next trip, especially if it leads to a place called Salamanca. What a great name.
But Ithaca just wins my heart. So many breastfeeding mothers at the farmer’s market! So many people had actually been to Montana! (Most people where I live think it’s somewhere … west … maybe in Canada?)
July 18th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Every time I drive to Illinois I stop in the exact same rest area to sleep, and one time as I was peacefully slumbering in my crappy Subaru, a lovely State Trooper woke me up and informed me that the rest area was flooding and that I had to leave IMMEDIATELY! I, quick like a bunny, jumped out of the car into way too deep water and drove, quick like a cheetah, out of the rest area with a police escort. What followed was an amazingly terrifying three hours of driving up, then down, then up, then down, all the finger lakes. I highly recommend taking any of the roads that run up and down the lakes. They are beautiful. Not so much in the middle of the night during a flood, but I did retrace my steps the year after, because in the dark and the rain it all looked so magical. At the end of my three hour detour I came to a stop in the town of Horseheads, where the tiny bit of late night traffic was at a complete standstill because of a GINORMOUS tree down across the interstate. We all sat there at three in the morning milling about our cars, completely befuddled as to what we should do. Out of the mist and the rain came this 9 foot tall man in a flannel shirt with a knit cap and a chainsaw, who started cutting into the tree. People started going up to the tree and carrying off big huge circles of it, and at five am we all started driving away, waving and smiling. It was one of the most magical moments of my life, and I swear that man was Paul Bunyan. I heart the Southern Tier Expressway.
July 21st, 2008 at 6:00 am
Amy, that story could only happy to you. Where’s your book?
August 9th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
The Finger Lakes is a really interesting region historically too — and much more than Cayuga Lake and Ithaca. There are loads of wineries, restaurants, and a good reminder that NY State is an agricultural state.
For more, check out my site, Cooking with Ideas which sometimes has a Finger Lakes focus
September 25th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Thanks, Bibliochef! Living in the area, I’ll definitely be checking in on your site regularly.