Road Trip - Day 1! (NY)

Let’s see...where should I start this blogging adventure…

I planned this trip last summer and spent a ton of time researching destinations, but then along came Hurricane Irene to cancel it. The trip was originally to take place after Labor Day 2011, which did create some schedule changes in my trip itinerary. Be advised that NPS sites very hours depending on the season. This road trip included destination visits to the following states: New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.   All expenses are based on 2012 rates.

May 26, 2012 (Saturday)

My husband, Mike, and I left home before 7am, but then quickly returned since we forgot to grab the “Hard Rock Rewards” and various hotel rewards cards. We cut through Canada, via Sarnia ($3.25 toll), to get to Niagara Falls, New York. We probably arrived to the bridge in Port Huron by 8am and had to wait about 15-20 minutes to get through customs. It was smooth sailing through Canada, very little road work. We crossed back into the USA at Rainbow Bridge ($3.25 toll). The customs wait at the bridge was less than five minutes. We were concerned about taking food thru Canada, but it appears that it would not really have been much of an issue.




Niagara Falls

 Rainbow Bridge provides excellent views of Niagara Falls. People are allowed to walk across this bridge ($0.50 toll). There are numerous parking lots and decks near the falls. We were able to find some on street parking that allows you two hours of free parking, which worked well for us since we only planned on taking some photos (we were in Niagara Falls, Canada a few years back). The Canadian side is much more touristy than the US side. There is a Hard Rock Café in Niagara Falls, so we had to make a quick stop so Mike could add to his Zippo collection. 



Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural NHS

 Once we completed our quick stop in Niagara Falls, we headed to Buffalo for another quick stop. Buffalo is an interesting place to say the least. Our main reason for visiting Buffalo was to go the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site.  Tours are offered at this site. There is a $10/per person fee for the tour, there are other fee options for families, senior citizens, students, and children.   The tour was very informative and interesting. Our tour guide guided us through the house starting with the Pan American Expedition exhibit, presented as it would have been when President McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz on September 6^th, 1901.  Roosevelt was requested to get to Buffalo as soon as McKinley was shot. McKinley initially appeared to be recovering from the bullet wound to the abdomen but then took a turn for the worse on the 13th and he died early the next morning. Roosevelt had headed back upstate after it appeared that McKinley would recover; only he had to return back once McKinley expired. The tour provides a short video of the previous mentioned events and additional information leading up the swearing in of President Roosevelt. The home at one point in history was converted into a restaurant. The home now has a few of the rooms restored to what they would have looked like during the inauguration, via photographs.  Other rooms in the home have been made into interactive activities. Photography is allowed throughout the tour. Allow at least one hour for this site.



City Hall - Buffalo, NY

 We picked up a walking tour guide at the NPS site that had a ton of walks listed, which showcased historical and architectural sites.  Unfortunately, I had run a half-marathon the previous weekend and was still recovering from tendonitis and had to limit my amount of walking. We did stop by a few places for photos. City Hall proves to be very good example of art deco architecture!

We had an afternoon snack at the place where “hot wings” were invented, the Anchor Bar. I am not a huge wings fan, but Mike had an order of the medium hot wings and said they were the best he has ever had. There were about double the size of the wings that you get at most places. I opted for a Caesar salad, which was good, other than it had a bit too much dressing and no cheese. The Anchor Bar also has a gift shop where you can buy all sorts of merchandise and sauces.



Letchworth State Park - Upper Waterfall

 After our yummy snack, we headed to Letchworth State Park. It was $8 to enter the park. The park has many picnic areas, overlooks, rafting opportunities, hiking and waterfalls. There are 3 waterfalls – lower, upper, and middle. The upper falls require you to go down about 130 steps to get a good photography. There is a hiking trail that connects all three waterfalls. There is parking available at each of the falls areas.



Watkins Glen State Park

 Our last destination for the day was Watkins Glen State Park. The falls at this park are much smaller than those at Letchworth State Park. The falls at Watkins Glen flow through some very interesting stone formations. The trail goes through some rocks and has stairways. The trail was a bit muddy (slippery) in places. The park offers an option that you can hike the entire trail length and take a shuttle bus back to your vehicle for a small fee.  We were at this park after 7pm, so it was not very busy and the shuttle was not running that late.

Our biggest challenge of the day was finding a place to stay! It was a holiday weekend, and since we did not make reservations prior to our travel we had to call about 15 hotels to find a place for a reasonable price. It was graduation at some nearby colleges – prices were like $300 a night at some places!! We had hoped to stay someplace near our destination for the next day, but of course hotels around there were booked too!  We ended up staying at the Holiday Inn in Elmira, NY. The hotel was GREAT!  It was definitely one of the better ones that we have stayed at. The carpet was very clean and everything looked relatively new.  Being a Priority Club member, we received our welcome bag at arrival and we also received a $20 voucher for breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Score!