Travels in Trumansburg

Trumansburg, NY: This quaint village is located on the west side of Cayuga Lake and is just a short and scenic 15-minute drive north from Ithaca, NY.  Also known by locals as "Tburg", it may be best known as home of the annual Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance in July. But I'm not here to write about that four-day music extravaganza that raises money for the Southern Tier AIDS program. Nope. I want to share our experiences visiting a few local establishments in recent months.

We wanted to celebrate our anniversary and decided to get out of our hometown this past June - but we didn't want to have to travel very far. After checking out a number of websites, we settled on Morning Glory Bed & Breakfast located at 89 Cayuga Street in Tburg. Now, I've driven through Tburg many times over the years and have occasionally hiked nearby Taughannock Falls State Park, stopped in to have a beer or catch a band at the now-defunct but legendary Rongovian Embassy, and have enjoyed a meal at several of the several restaurants in town. However, this was the first time I was able to spend the night and explore the village a little bit.

Once we crossed the village line, we followed a short and somewhat circuitous route to Morning Glory B & B, which is located about one mile from the business district. To my surprise, the property was surrounded by a tall wooden fence that, on first glance, seemed almost fort-like. Not to worry! As we entered the grounds, we were delighted by the surrounding gardens and many private outdoor sitting areas. The wall simply adds to the privacy of the place. The gardens were nothing short of magical. Indeed, they struck me as enchanting! The care and attention to detail that went into creating this lovely outdoor space were evident. The gardens felt comfortable, rambling, and not at all fussy.

We were greeted by the charming host and owner, Laurie, who welcomed us and gave us a quick tour before taking us up to our room. We had expected to stay in Shiloh's Room but, because the B & B wasn't full on the night we stayed there, Laurie opted to have us stay in Seneca's Room instead - at the lower Shiloh's Room rate. She felt that we might prefer a room with an attached bathroom rather than having to leave our room to access a private bath. Much appreciated!

Laurie's former house has been lovingly transformed into a lovely bed and breakfast and, as mentioned on the website, she's been managing it for over 30 years. There is a huge, covered porch overlooking the property, replete with comfortable seating. We entered the front door into the large, warm, and homey kitchen. Each room in the Morning Glory is filled with artwork and antiques. The dining room, where we enjoyed breakfast the next morning, was ornate and lovely. The spacious living room, open to all guests, was filled with books to enjoy. Our room was beautiful, comfortable, and private. We were so grateful that we had an air conditioner, as it was a very warm that night.

After we got settled, we decided to walk into the village for dinner. Laurie cautioned us about the state of the sidewalks along the way and mentioned that they could be uneven - and, when made of slate, slippery when wet. We proceeded to enjoy a leisurely walk down Cayuga Street to Main Street. We loved the myriad, sprawling, and varied homes along the route and were struck by how quiet it was.

Once on Main Street, we opted to dine at Little Venice. The restaurant doesn't have a website, but you can download the menu by going online. They have a nice salad bar and the menu is fairly extensive. We kept it simple and decided to order and share a delicious fish sandwich with fries and a couple of beers. Plenty of food to keep us happy for the rest of the evening. The staff was welcoming and the place was hopping that Friday night. Clearly popular with locals!

We wandered back by continuing south on Main Street and then following the route that we had driven when we first came into town. There weren't always sidewalks to use on this part of our walk and, with the road being a bit windy, we kept on our toes, hoping not to surprise unsuspecting drivers. We made it back safe and sound and slept well.

One thing that I will mention is that there did not appear to be any televisions on site - not even in the living room. We had no problem with that, but I recognize that might be unexpected and viewed as a downside by some.

Laurie outdid herself with breakfast on Saturday morning. We joined the other couple staying on site and we all enjoyed the sumptuous feast Laurie had prepared for us: Fresh fruit, quiche, sweet breads, yogurt, superb coffee, juice, and more. We ate until we couldn't possibly have another bite and barely made a dent in the food offerings!

Bottom line: We'd definitely stay here again!

(C.Cat, 12:50am, 9/16/19)

Back and Ready to Blog

I know that you've heard it before. I wait months - then years - to post on Cascadilla Cat, always promising that this time, it will be different. Well, moving forward, I am very optimistic that I'll be able to post on a more regular basis.

You see, I recently retired from a rather demanding 30+ year career in higher education. I've taken a few months off to recharge my batteries, started getting the house and garden in order, and worked - or at least started to work - on a number of projects that I've been looking forward to doing, but just haven't made time for...including this blog.

On a related note, I also got diagnosed with adult ADHD about a year ago. This helped to explain why I was able to succeed in a career that required some crazy hours, with lots of people contact, where no day was ever the same - or boring. But it also helps to explain the gaps in publishing this blog and why I have a tendency to start so many projects and have such a hard time finishing them. As I like to say: "Oh look! A chicken!" It doesn't take much to draw my focus away from the task at hand.

In any event, I'm looking forward to getting to spend more time traveling around the Finger Lakes and sharing some highlights and other insider information with you. I've had a few adventures since retiring and I'll be posting about them shortly. Really! Please stay tuned.

(C.Cat, 11:35pm, 9/15/19)