Cross-State Trip

Upstate New York is where I come from, not New York City. That basically means any part of the state north of NYC and it’s metropolitan area.  The first time I had to make this distinction was back in California introducing myself to my five roommates.  First I said I was from New York and of course they assumed NYC.  As there were three Andrews in the group we needed nicknames and referencing my introduction they decided to call me Harlem for the following three months.  While traveling through Europe I’ve noticed the same.  New York means NYC and Upstate New York means nothing.  Further explanation is required.  Occasionally I’ll get lucky and someone will recognize Ithaca but for the most part the only other landmark in New York State that I can mention in order to give people the idea of New York as a State and not just NYC, is Niagara Falls.  The “oh, I get it” light bulb turns on and I feel good because I just taught someone something new about the geography of my home state.  That being said, I felt it necessary to take my Romanian visitor to Niagara Falls for a visit. 

The plans were all pretty much set; I just had to make the reservation.  My brother was letting us use his car; we’d drive about 3 hours, check in at the hotel, and spend a day in Niagara, the next day in Buffalo, then drive home that evening.  It was pretty simple and straight forward until I received an unwanted notice in the mail.  Without getting into too much detail, the notice required me to surf the NYS bureaucracy as soon as possible.  I had to take copies of my diploma to the registers office of my University which is in Cortland, then they had to go to the County Clerk which was also in Cortland luckily, then finally to Albany before I had to send them out in the mail.  Suddenly an extra day and a whole lot more driving was added to the trip. 

The unwanted notice turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  Not only would I be taking my Romanian friend to Niagara Falls but we would also be visiting my old college town and the capital of New York State, seeing a whole lot of countryside along the way.  Plus, I had never really seen Albany or Buffalo before.  I’ve been in Albany for a concert but that was it, and though I’ve been to Buffalo at least five times I have never actually walked around the center of the city as I was always out by the University visiting friends there.  The extra day added to the trip allowed me the chance to see some parts of NYS that I haven’t gotten a chance to see yet. 

Day 1:  Stressful

     It started off early with a drive to Cortland where I had to office hop a bit for some signatures.  As I waited for the secretary to get out of a meeting and arrange the appropriate papers I took Mihai through Old Main and over to the library to show her a bit of the campus and the classrooms where I used to study.  School was not yet in session for, better or for worse, but it killed time until the papers were ready.  Luckily the process was fast both at the school and at the Clerk, putting us back on the road on our way to Albany. 

The road from Cortland to Albany took us on a back road for about an hour.  It was a road that I hadn’t yet been on, guiding through some beautiful countryside.  We saw the token red barn signifying farm after farm as we cruised over high rolling hills.  It passed through a couple beautiful small towns before spitting us back out on to the interstate for another hour and a half of boring drive until Albany. 

    Albany was a bit of a stress to drive in at first but the office was quick about the paperwork.  After sending the package of papers out, the 5 ton weight of stress had been lifted off my back and I could enjoy the rest of the trip.  That evening we walked around Downtown Albany admiring the bright lights on the Capitol.  The blue lights shining on the SUNY building at the bottom of the hill made me think of the magnificent Palace of Culture and Science that I saw in Warsaw just over a year earlier.  

Day 2:  New

Empire State Plaza

     For a number of reasons day 2 of the trip was new for me.  First, there was Empire State Plaza.  This enormous plaza, though it was finished in the 70s looks new as in untouched, like a toy that your parents may have gotten for Christmas back in the day but they didn’t take it out of the package until now.  The styles reminded Mihai of the communist architecture of Romania.  There seemed to be hardly anyone in the plaza but when we descended underground via The Egg, the place came to life.  Through the synthetically lit corridors we found our way to the Capitol and the free tour which brings me to my next “new” part of the day. 

     I have been a resident of New York State for over 27 years now and walking through the Capitol was a new thing for me.  The tour guide was great and he pointed out some very interested things about the building.  There are three beautiful sandstone staircases and the largest one is ornately carved with faces of famous Americans, unknown soldiers, and relatives of the sculptors.  The senate chamber was magnificent and the house chamber was active with politicians, media, and visitors.  We strolled through the portrait lined Governor’s Hall, a gallery of landscape art from around New York State, and the flag room where we admired the torn battle flags of Civil War regiments.  The Capitol is a must-see if you ever find yourself in Albany. 

Another new thing for me was giving up the rains on driving.  Mihai took over for the cross-state drive from Albany to Niagara Falls.  I had never done the drive all at once before and it ended up being about 5 hours long on a single road.  Not as painful as it sounds if you have a good travel buddy.

Day 3:  Powerful

     Stepping outside the hotel we could hear the power of 1,400 cubic meters of water slamming against rock each second.  After just a two minute walk we were in the park, another two minutes and we were at the river, the last two minutes brought us to the edge of the American falls where we could not only hear the power but we could also see and feel it.  Trying to get a better look we went up to the observation deck hanging out over the Niagara gorge below the falls.  The sky cleared up in the frigid morning over Canada where skyscraper casinos and restaurants hang arrogantly over the falls selling views from high above.  We proceeded to Goat Island, crossing the pedestrian bridge over the rushing waters of a Niagara preparing to fall.  I wasn’t the only one thinking power when I saw the falls, a statue of Nikola Tesla stands on Goat Island in front of the gateway to the first power plant built for the falls crediting the history and impact of Niagara Falls hydroelectric power.  Today, Niagara Falls is the largest energy producer in New York State while still remaining a park and geological marvel for tourists.  

     The second half of the day took us through downtown Buffalo.  It was there that we saw the insides of beautiful old buildings, the varied architectural features of downtown, and the entire city from the observation deck on the 28^th floor of City Hall.  From 28 floors up it is easy to see why they call Buffalo the best planned city.  Expressways run out to the distant neighborhoods at angles while areas closer to downtown present a carefully planned grid of side-streets.  We capped off our trip with a stop at Duffs for some delicious Buffalo wings.  What better way to spend a day in Buffalo.