I've been subscribing to Life in the Finger Lakes for at least a couple of years now. If you've never picked up a copy of this magazine, you are truly missing out on something special. So, without further ado, please check it out right now at: http://www.lifeinthefingerlakes.com/
That said, I'm always thrilled to find the latest edition in my mailbox and I tend to leaf through it right away just to get an idea about the topics that are featured and to check out the photographs, which are always gorgeous. Then, I truly enjoy keeping the most recent copy by my reading chair or my bedside, and taking my time reading the articles, checking out the book reviews, noting the travel tips and yes, even perusing the advertisements.
The holiday season is upon us and, to quote my long-lost friend, Gary, "...<f>or the small but tidy sum of..." only $14.95 per year, you can share this fine publication with people you know who love the Finger Lakes (and either live here or wish that they did) and/or people who you want to turn on to our gorgeous corner of the world. Life in the Finger Lakes is published 5x per year and, according to the website, it is, "The magazine that re-introduces its readers to this special New York State region each passing season." Yes it does! C.Cat, 12.6.11 @ 11:37pm.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Finger Lakes Museum Underway
At some point within the last couple of years (I think!), I was excited to learn that that plans were afoot to identify a site for a proposed Finger Lakes Museum. Of course I was rooting for it to be located in or near Ithaca, NY where I live, or at least on Cayuga Lake. This area was considered but ultimately, the powers that be chose Branchport, NY on Keuka Lake, which is a spectacularly beautiful area. The Museum's website (www.fingerlakesmuseum.org/) indicates that in 2010, the Board of Trustees selected an interim location at the former Branchport School and will ultimately develop Keuka State Park as the permanent location. Further, the grand opening of the Museum will be in 2014/2015.
The Museum launched its inaugural program series this summer entitled, "Back from the Brink." The series focused on the success of an effort to reintroduce the bald eagle to the Finger Lakes Region, starting over on Canadice and Hemlock Lakes. A couple of friends and I had the good fortune to attend one of the programs that was held at The Finger Lakes Wine Center in downtown Ithaca. (237 S. Cayuga Street/wwwfingerlakeswinecenter.org/, closed Monday and Tuesday) The event consisted of some excellent speakers and a guest appearance by a live bald eagle, which was simply amazing. Not to offend any of the speakers, but seeing that majestic creature really was a highlight for us. (Of course the wine tasting, reception and socializing that followed wasn't too shabby either! We even got to speak with John Adamski, the Executive Director.)
There's no question about it: The Museum has gotten off to a great start and you can help. For a minimum donation of $100, you can become a Founder. I decided to put my money where my mouth - er - blog is and finally sent my donation in today. I hope that you'll consider it and please do help spread the word! (C.Cat, 12:55am, 11.23.11)
The Museum launched its inaugural program series this summer entitled, "Back from the Brink." The series focused on the success of an effort to reintroduce the bald eagle to the Finger Lakes Region, starting over on Canadice and Hemlock Lakes. A couple of friends and I had the good fortune to attend one of the programs that was held at The Finger Lakes Wine Center in downtown Ithaca. (237 S. Cayuga Street/wwwfingerlakeswinecenter.org/, closed Monday and Tuesday) The event consisted of some excellent speakers and a guest appearance by a live bald eagle, which was simply amazing. Not to offend any of the speakers, but seeing that majestic creature really was a highlight for us. (Of course the wine tasting, reception and socializing that followed wasn't too shabby either! We even got to speak with John Adamski, the Executive Director.)
There's no question about it: The Museum has gotten off to a great start and you can help. For a minimum donation of $100, you can become a Founder. I decided to put my money where my mouth - er - blog is and finally sent my donation in today. I hope that you'll consider it and please do help spread the word! (C.Cat, 12:55am, 11.23.11)
Monday, November 14, 2011
Finger Lakes Shout Out in USA Today!
Hey fans of the Finger Lakes! There was an article entitled, "10 Great Places to Experience the Simple Life" in the Friday, November 11, 2011 issue of USA Today. Finger Lakes, NY was #4 on the list! Thanks to Kristin van Ogtrop from Real Simple Magazine and Sarah Sekula from USA Today for knowiing a good thing when they see it! They also mentioned Grand Teton National Park, Point Reyes National Seashore and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Wow! The Finger Lakes are in good company indeed!
-C.Cat, 11.14.11, 1:25pm
-C.Cat, 11.14.11, 1:25pm
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Flights of Fancy
The first time I ever heard of alcohol-affiliated "flights" was when Just A Taste opened on 116 N. Aurora St. in Ithaca, NY. This EXCELLENT restaurant features great tapas and, for me, my first ever wine bar. They currently advertise 40 wines by the glass. Even better, this restaurant introduced me to the world of wine "flights." Wow! A restaurant that lets patrons sample 4-6 tastes of different wines.
To the best of my knowledge, this type of sampling opportunity in this area of NYS is unfortunately rare. Being wine country, I would think that this is a concept whose time has come.
Fortunately, it does seem like this concept is catching on here in the Finger Lakes, with more and more places offering brew flights of beers/ales/porters/stouts/etc. If you've ever visited a brewery for a beer tasting, you know how enjoyable it can be to sample a series of 2-4oz. servings of several brews and compare the taste, color, clarity, aroma, hoppiness (is that even a word?!) and so on. I think that as we visit restaurants, we all need to start asking for this option. This is a great way to enjoy a pint - and taste 4-5 different styles of brewed beverages at the same time!
There is a growing number of breweries in the Finger Lakes Region and so far, by my tastes, every single one that I've been able to visit is doing a fantastic job! I'll be sure to highlight some great breweries soon. But tonight, I want to feature some restaurants that step up to serve tastings and/or flights of "brews."
Being based in Ithaca, I've found a few spots located near The Commons. The Ithaca Ale House is located across the street from Just A Taste, at 116 N. Aurora St. I've always enjoyed great meals at this establishment - a place that has a vary nice variety of appetizer and entree options. They keep a beer list on each table and at the very bottom they always feature one flight of 5 brewed beverages and often have a second flight that may be seasonal or inspired by a local event like the annual Ithaca Brew Fest (http://www.ithacabrewfest.com). They give a generous pour and I have found that a flight at The Ale House is too much for me, so I prefer to share it with a friend. I recommend sitting outside to people-watch when the weather permits or far in the back when it doesn't. The acoustics need to be tweaked elsewhere in the Ale House and I find that it can be hard to hear when it's busy - which is almost always.
There are several other establishments that have "hopped" on the bandwagon, pun intended. Which leads me to mention the Bandwagon Brew Pub located just off the opposite end of the Commons at 114 N. Cayuga St. (http://www.bandwagonbeer.com). They rotate their on tap house offerings during the course of the year, but their website lists an ambitious total of 14 options on their website - from the Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout (!) to the 9.5% abv Heavyweight 2x IPA and from the seasonal Pumpkin Ale to the Red Rooster Espresso Stout (made with Ithaca Coffee Company's Red Rooster Espresso). I tried a flight of the house brews on tap while my partner went for a flight of assorted NY selections. I suspect that they were having some temporary trouble with refrigeration on the night that we visited, as we both found our flights to be on the tepid side. Nonetheless, we'll definitely go back to see what's on tap and what's on the menu.
Vegetarian mecca, the noted Moosewood Restaurant, surprised us when we stopped in one afternoon and asked the bartender if he offered any beer tastings or flights. The answer was, "Yes!" and he sold us a flight of four brews from the locally based Ithaca Beer Company (http://www.ithacabeer.com). Moosewood (http://www.moosewood restaurant.com) is housed in The DeWitt Mall, at 215 N. Cayuga St. #70. (Note that the restaurant actually faces Seneca St.) I'm not sure that the flight option appears on the menu, but consider asking for it next time you stop in to have a great meal or purchase Moosewood cookbooks, t-shirts or other merchandise.
Kilpatrick's Publick House (http://www.kilpatrickspub.com) is officially located at 130 E. Seneca St. but faces Tioga St. We dropped by one wintry Saturday and inquired as to the possibility of getting a tasting or flight. The bartender responded, "We do serve them, but no one's ever ordered one from me before! Let me check to see what we're offering." We went ahead and tried the selection of four brews that she offered. But, we hit the jackpot this fall when we decided to visit for another tasting. On this trip, the bartender (not the gal from the first visit) gave us a rundown of all of the brews that were currently on tap and let us choose four apiece. Needless to say, we each chose four different selections (which came on shamrock shaped tasting boards) and then shared the eight of them with each other. Yes! Kilpatrick's serves food too, by the way.
Finally, we felt that we'd hit the mother lode of brew flights while we were on vacation in July. We were staying in a cottage over on Lamoka Lake (See the CCat posting on 10.3.11 entitled "A Week On a Lake") and decided to head into Watkins Glen to check out the Rooster Fish Brewing selections offered at The Crooked Rooster Brewpub. The pub is attached to The Wildflower Cafe and together, they can be found at 223-301 North Franklin Street. I'd eaten at The Wildflower a few times over the years and wanted to see what the pub side was all about. The two-tiered tasting rack held eight samples and, for good measure, the barkeep added two additional samples! Mother lode indeed. Needless to say, we opted to share "just" one flight. I think that the price was $18 and the pours were generous. The website (http://roosterfishbrewing.com/brewery.php) lists eight of the options available: Firehouse Blonde, Cocoa Porter, Summer Sky Hefeweizen, Mad Monk Dunkelweizen, Dogtooth Pale Ale, Hop Warrior Imperial IPA, Dark Nut Brown Ale and Old Cascade Amber Ale.
I hope this wets your whistle enough to want to try a flight of your own some time!
(CCat, 10.18.11, 4:15pm)
To the best of my knowledge, this type of sampling opportunity in this area of NYS is unfortunately rare. Being wine country, I would think that this is a concept whose time has come.
Fortunately, it does seem like this concept is catching on here in the Finger Lakes, with more and more places offering brew flights of beers/ales/porters/stouts/etc. If you've ever visited a brewery for a beer tasting, you know how enjoyable it can be to sample a series of 2-4oz. servings of several brews and compare the taste, color, clarity, aroma, hoppiness (is that even a word?!) and so on. I think that as we visit restaurants, we all need to start asking for this option. This is a great way to enjoy a pint - and taste 4-5 different styles of brewed beverages at the same time!
There is a growing number of breweries in the Finger Lakes Region and so far, by my tastes, every single one that I've been able to visit is doing a fantastic job! I'll be sure to highlight some great breweries soon. But tonight, I want to feature some restaurants that step up to serve tastings and/or flights of "brews."
Being based in Ithaca, I've found a few spots located near The Commons. The Ithaca Ale House is located across the street from Just A Taste, at 116 N. Aurora St. I've always enjoyed great meals at this establishment - a place that has a vary nice variety of appetizer and entree options. They keep a beer list on each table and at the very bottom they always feature one flight of 5 brewed beverages and often have a second flight that may be seasonal or inspired by a local event like the annual Ithaca Brew Fest (http://www.ithacabrewfest.com). They give a generous pour and I have found that a flight at The Ale House is too much for me, so I prefer to share it with a friend. I recommend sitting outside to people-watch when the weather permits or far in the back when it doesn't. The acoustics need to be tweaked elsewhere in the Ale House and I find that it can be hard to hear when it's busy - which is almost always.
There are several other establishments that have "hopped" on the bandwagon, pun intended. Which leads me to mention the Bandwagon Brew Pub located just off the opposite end of the Commons at 114 N. Cayuga St. (http://www.bandwagonbeer.com). They rotate their on tap house offerings during the course of the year, but their website lists an ambitious total of 14 options on their website - from the Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout (!) to the 9.5% abv Heavyweight 2x IPA and from the seasonal Pumpkin Ale to the Red Rooster Espresso Stout (made with Ithaca Coffee Company's Red Rooster Espresso). I tried a flight of the house brews on tap while my partner went for a flight of assorted NY selections. I suspect that they were having some temporary trouble with refrigeration on the night that we visited, as we both found our flights to be on the tepid side. Nonetheless, we'll definitely go back to see what's on tap and what's on the menu.
Vegetarian mecca, the noted Moosewood Restaurant, surprised us when we stopped in one afternoon and asked the bartender if he offered any beer tastings or flights. The answer was, "Yes!" and he sold us a flight of four brews from the locally based Ithaca Beer Company (http://www.ithacabeer.com). Moosewood (http://www.moosewood restaurant.com) is housed in The DeWitt Mall, at 215 N. Cayuga St. #70. (Note that the restaurant actually faces Seneca St.) I'm not sure that the flight option appears on the menu, but consider asking for it next time you stop in to have a great meal or purchase Moosewood cookbooks, t-shirts or other merchandise.
Kilpatrick's Publick House (http://www.kilpatrickspub.com) is officially located at 130 E. Seneca St. but faces Tioga St. We dropped by one wintry Saturday and inquired as to the possibility of getting a tasting or flight. The bartender responded, "We do serve them, but no one's ever ordered one from me before! Let me check to see what we're offering." We went ahead and tried the selection of four brews that she offered. But, we hit the jackpot this fall when we decided to visit for another tasting. On this trip, the bartender (not the gal from the first visit) gave us a rundown of all of the brews that were currently on tap and let us choose four apiece. Needless to say, we each chose four different selections (which came on shamrock shaped tasting boards) and then shared the eight of them with each other. Yes! Kilpatrick's serves food too, by the way.
Finally, we felt that we'd hit the mother lode of brew flights while we were on vacation in July. We were staying in a cottage over on Lamoka Lake (See the CCat posting on 10.3.11 entitled "A Week On a Lake") and decided to head into Watkins Glen to check out the Rooster Fish Brewing selections offered at The Crooked Rooster Brewpub. The pub is attached to The Wildflower Cafe and together, they can be found at 223-301 North Franklin Street. I'd eaten at The Wildflower a few times over the years and wanted to see what the pub side was all about. The two-tiered tasting rack held eight samples and, for good measure, the barkeep added two additional samples! Mother lode indeed. Needless to say, we opted to share "just" one flight. I think that the price was $18 and the pours were generous. The website (http://roosterfishbrewing.com/brewery.php) lists eight of the options available: Firehouse Blonde, Cocoa Porter, Summer Sky Hefeweizen, Mad Monk Dunkelweizen, Dogtooth Pale Ale, Hop Warrior Imperial IPA, Dark Nut Brown Ale and Old Cascade Amber Ale.
I hope this wets your whistle enough to want to try a flight of your own some time!
(CCat, 10.18.11, 4:15pm)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Greater Ithaca Art Trail Hosts Two October Open Studio Weekends
If you are going to be in the Ithaca, NY area on October 8-9 or 15-16, 2011, you may want to take the time to visit with some of our many talented local artists right in their own studios. The October Open Studio Weekends feature all 50 artists up close and personal. Details can be found at: http://www.arttrail.com/index.html. What a fabulous way to spend part or all of your weekend! - CCat, 10.6.11 10:50pm
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Blushing Rose B and B
I was lucky enough to stay at the Blushing Rose Bed and Breakfast in December last year. This is a nice, country kitsch style B and B located right in the heart of Hammondsport, NY. It's within walking distance to basically everything in the village. Located at 11 William St., my friends and I found it to be a perfect location from which to base our expeditions out and about HPort. The owners, Patty and Dick Leonberger, made us feel right at home and served up a wonderful breakfast. Our rooms were clean, charming and comfortable. We had the place to ourselves on the one weekend night that we stayed over and we enjoyed wine, music and good food in our rooms as well as in town at the Village Tavern. More on that soon if I can find my notes. What an amazing menu! You can get just about anything at this tiny unassuming locale in the Village! The staff members are great and menu and the drink list is endless. Frankly, I don't know how they do it! - 11:28pm 10.4.11 CCat
Monday, October 3, 2011
A Week on a Lake
Oh my. Last February I went on-line in hopes of finding a cottage on a Finger Lake to rent for one week. But the economy scared the heck out of me so, after putting out many promising feelers, I retreated. I truly regret not responding to some nice folks who were hoping I'd rent their places. I just didn't know if there would be funds to support this dream of spending a week on a Finger Lake during the summer of 2011.
A few months later, I woke up on a Sunday morning. Way too early, by the way, but once up, this hyper gal had to do SOMETHING so, I went on-line. I decided that a cottage might very well be in the budget for the summer. After exploring my February links and realizing that most were already rented, I expanded my search and found an adorable location on a small lake. Once my partner woke up, I showed her the site. We rented it right on the spot. Dear friends, my partner and I and all of our friends and family who visited, are now enamored by the experience.
So, I don't want to share the location. I KNOW. That's just not fair! It's a best kept secret and we are under this location's spell. I'll think about this in terms of posting the location in the future, but for now, what I will share is that this experience was SO amazingly positive, I now want to sell my house and move over to the lake. At minimum, we want to rent for a week again next year (which is more realistic).
We were fortunate enough to stay in a place that was a few steps from the water. There were no steps leading down to the water. The water was WARM -- bath water warm. We went for walks. We went swimming. We went running. We went bird watching. We went kayaking. We went bicycling. We visited with friends and family and met the locals. It was life-changing and we are grateful for the experience...and we are saving up for next summer and ... retirement. It was ... heaven. I can't wait to go back. CCat 10.3.11, 9:08pm.
A few months later, I woke up on a Sunday morning. Way too early, by the way, but once up, this hyper gal had to do SOMETHING so, I went on-line. I decided that a cottage might very well be in the budget for the summer. After exploring my February links and realizing that most were already rented, I expanded my search and found an adorable location on a small lake. Once my partner woke up, I showed her the site. We rented it right on the spot. Dear friends, my partner and I and all of our friends and family who visited, are now enamored by the experience.
So, I don't want to share the location. I KNOW. That's just not fair! It's a best kept secret and we are under this location's spell. I'll think about this in terms of posting the location in the future, but for now, what I will share is that this experience was SO amazingly positive, I now want to sell my house and move over to the lake. At minimum, we want to rent for a week again next year (which is more realistic).
We were fortunate enough to stay in a place that was a few steps from the water. There were no steps leading down to the water. The water was WARM -- bath water warm. We went for walks. We went swimming. We went running. We went bird watching. We went kayaking. We went bicycling. We visited with friends and family and met the locals. It was life-changing and we are grateful for the experience...and we are saving up for next summer and ... retirement. It was ... heaven. I can't wait to go back. CCat 10.3.11, 9:08pm.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Hydrilla Alert!
Sunday, October 2, 2011.
I can't believe it's been SO long since I last posted on this blog. Lots of adventures to share but I must begin with some news of major concern to those of us who love the Finger Lakes Region.
Hydrilla, a highly invasive water plant, has been found growing in numerous locations in the Cayuga Lake Inlet and Cascadilla Creek in Ithaca, NY. DEC and NYS officials are warning that something must be done immediately or the plant could render the inlet and southern end of Cayuga Lake toxic within three years. The Ithaca Journal has written several articles about this scourge of the water and the Fall Creek listserv has had some correspondence as well. Thanks to Kathy Luz Herrera for her Fall Creek Listserv post offering a link to an article on the Cornell Cooperative Extension Website re: hydrilla: http://ccetompkins.org/environment/invasive-species/fighting-hydrilla#hydrillataskforce
I live one half block from Cascadilla Creek - my closest kayak access point to the lake. All boaters have been asked to refrain from activity in the creek and the inlet. Fortunately, my partner and I have not put into the creek at all this season and we will honor the call to stop boating in the area immediately -- and thereby not risk spreading the plant species. I encourage all others to do the same.
However, I am quite concerned about the folks whose livelihoods depend on the recreational use of the waters at the southern end of Cayuga Lake. Puddle Dockers marked the final day of their season today. This little canoe/kayak business rents and sells these small boats and offers classes as well. They are located, for now, at 704 1/2 W. Buffalo Street on the inlet, next to one of my favorite local restaurants, Corks and More. Time will tell if this business will be able to continue to operate from this prime location on the water.
So too, what will become of one of our main attractions, MV Columbia cruises on the lake? The proprietor of Corks and More also runs Cayuga Lake Cruises, a business that draws many tourists and locals alike throughout the boating season. Leaving from the pier at 708 West Buffalo Street, the usual route for an MV Columbia cruise runs from the inlet and up to the Ithaca Yacht Club on the west side, with a return trip back along the east side of the lake. Senior Week at Cornell won't be the same if these cruises aren't offered in May 2012 and beyond. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Last I heard, officials are waiting for approval to use an herbicide that will kill the plants -- but not the roots. A stop-gap measure for the time being but at least it's something. Make no mistake, hydrilla cannot be permitted to spread in the Finger Lakes. Let's hope the best and brightest minds can come up with an ecologically sound solution as soon as possible. CCat @ 7:47pm on 10.2.11.
I can't believe it's been SO long since I last posted on this blog. Lots of adventures to share but I must begin with some news of major concern to those of us who love the Finger Lakes Region.
Hydrilla, a highly invasive water plant, has been found growing in numerous locations in the Cayuga Lake Inlet and Cascadilla Creek in Ithaca, NY. DEC and NYS officials are warning that something must be done immediately or the plant could render the inlet and southern end of Cayuga Lake toxic within three years. The Ithaca Journal has written several articles about this scourge of the water and the Fall Creek listserv has had some correspondence as well. Thanks to Kathy Luz Herrera for her Fall Creek Listserv post offering a link to an article on the Cornell Cooperative Extension Website re: hydrilla: http://ccetompkins.org/environment/invasive-species/fighting-hydrilla#hydrillataskforce
I live one half block from Cascadilla Creek - my closest kayak access point to the lake. All boaters have been asked to refrain from activity in the creek and the inlet. Fortunately, my partner and I have not put into the creek at all this season and we will honor the call to stop boating in the area immediately -- and thereby not risk spreading the plant species. I encourage all others to do the same.
However, I am quite concerned about the folks whose livelihoods depend on the recreational use of the waters at the southern end of Cayuga Lake. Puddle Dockers marked the final day of their season today. This little canoe/kayak business rents and sells these small boats and offers classes as well. They are located, for now, at 704 1/2 W. Buffalo Street on the inlet, next to one of my favorite local restaurants, Corks and More. Time will tell if this business will be able to continue to operate from this prime location on the water.
So too, what will become of one of our main attractions, MV Columbia cruises on the lake? The proprietor of Corks and More also runs Cayuga Lake Cruises, a business that draws many tourists and locals alike throughout the boating season. Leaving from the pier at 708 West Buffalo Street, the usual route for an MV Columbia cruise runs from the inlet and up to the Ithaca Yacht Club on the west side, with a return trip back along the east side of the lake. Senior Week at Cornell won't be the same if these cruises aren't offered in May 2012 and beyond. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Last I heard, officials are waiting for approval to use an herbicide that will kill the plants -- but not the roots. A stop-gap measure for the time being but at least it's something. Make no mistake, hydrilla cannot be permitted to spread in the Finger Lakes. Let's hope the best and brightest minds can come up with an ecologically sound solution as soon as possible. CCat @ 7:47pm on 10.2.11.
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