Over Vermont hills and through New York's valleys

We don't usually take our time to cross the Empire State, but doing so made all the difference

As a household managing three different school schedules it can be difficult to figure out the last part of the school year. My wife and I still had a week to go after our son was done so we shipped him off to his grandparents in Western New York and followed a few days later to spend time out there, and then bring him home. Since we weren’t on a strict schedule, my wife and I took our time getting across Vermont and New York, stopping at various attractions we’ve always meant to see.

A vintage postcard from Vermont’s Hogback Mountain on the Molly Stark Trail that hangs in my new podcast recording digs, called “Pop Shop.” We’ve passed by this scenic overlook several times, but parking looks too dangerous for my liking, so we’ve never stopped

Vintage Signage & Recycled Architecture

Thanks to working with Jeremy Ebersole and the Society for Commercial Archeology, not to mention the Retrologist and one of my favorite Instagram accounts, Recycled Architecture, I saw things along the way so much differently than all the countless times driving the same route. As the SCA puts it, there are so many clues about the past above the ground to look at, enjoy and learn about the past from. This idea is underscored by theirs and other IGs by showcasing these relics from the past that are hidden in plain sight. Here’s a few of my favorite shots from these categories:

I always wanted to stop at the Royal Diner outside of Brattleboro, VT when it was still open, but we are rarely hungry only two hours into our trip

Lil’s and became the Miss Albany Diner in a Jack Nicholson movie and is now Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar and on the National Register of Historic Places

Wimpy’s in Gates, NY was a Dunkin’ Donuts long ago, and is my favorite place in the greater Rochester area to get a Garbage Plate

Across the street from Wimpy’s is a Quaker State Oil and Lube turned into a Grill and Tap Room called MacGregor’s. They kept the checkered tiles!

It was fun watching a Red Wings game in the shadow of the famous KODAK headquarters and recognizable sign. Too bad the once great company is largely despised in Rochester for moving so many jobs out of the area it helped populate for over 100 years.

Like most plazas in the Rochester area, Ridgemont Plaza in Greece has a Wegman’s grocery store. Unlike most plazas in the Rochester area, this one has a great vintage sign left over from the 50s.

You’ll know where to get your car fixed…or placed on a smokestack at least…in Amsterdam, NY

Roadside America and Atlas Obscura light our path as always

My wife is an Atlas Obscura acolyte and has submitted more than a few roadside oddities to the site over the years, including one from behind her parent’s house on this most recent trip. We love visiting interesting spots along the roadway, many of which were not at all hidden gems when they were first built, but main attractions.

Saint Kateri Shrine, Fonda, NY

When it opened in the late 1930s, the shrine dedicated to a 17th century Mohawk woman named Kateri Tekakwith who converted to Roman Catholicism was well-publicized and attended. She wouldn’t become a saint until 2012, but her role in connecting Native American and Catholic American cultures has long been known. As the Northeast become more and more populated by Roman Catholics in the 20th Century it only makes sense that this site was created when it was.

Not only is there a still-active collection of religious structures on the campus, but sections of it are devoted to teaching about the Native American society that lived in what is now Fonda, New York. A museum is on the ground floor below the chapel and even though the initial exhibits about Iroquois people in the region are a bit dated, it appears that part of the shrine’s mission is to add to the interpretation periodically to try to keep it up to date.

Of course the Native American settlement and Kateri’s saga predate the Erie Canal by about 150 years, but the decision to make a roadside attraction like this is completely because of the roadways that were built to connect communities that developed because of the Mohawk River/Erie Canal and subsequent rail roads. It was built in the window of time after cars became popular but before the NYS Thruway, which we had to exit to visit the shrine.

There’s no place like Chittenango

Just outside Syracuse is Chittenango, the birthplace of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum. We stopped on the way back from our time in Rochester, and the All Things Oz Museum (who appropriately chose W.W. Denslow illustrations from the book to decorate) was closed. But we still got to enjoy the yellow brick road sidewalks of the little downtown and explore around at the local Salvation Army Thrift Store. I was really hoping to find Dark Side of the Moon on record, but no such luck!