A New York Day
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Day 3: June 8, 2021 A New York Day Comment via blog |
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This is the real reason I spent last night at the Theater Motel. When I
drove through Westfield and past the
Main Diner, I knew I wanted to eat breakfast there
again. In the motel, I reviewed the journal entry for
my first visit and
realized that yesterday was not the first time I encountered a
"Liar's Counter". When I pulled up this morning, the
"OPEN" sign was lit but the place looked so quiet I had to tug
on the door to convince myself it really was open. I entered to find
myself the only customer. However, the friendly waitress made the place
seem as welcoming as I remembered and a few other customers eventually
arrived including a collector of Case knives who had been part of the
group that occupied the counter back in 2015.
My meal arrived before those customers
did so I did not fear being ostracized for phood photography.
I learned that the diner had shut down completely when the pandemic first started. After a few months, it began opening on weekends. Over the next year they slowly added days to the schedule until the diner is once again a seven days a week operation. Tuesday was the last day to be added and today marked just the third Tuesday it had been open in more than a year. They were busy on other days but people weren't yet quite sure of Tuesdays and were only slowly returning. I got lucky. |
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This is wine country, and sometimes the grape stomping gets really
serious.
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Brad Anderson, the creator of Marmaduke, was born in nearby
Portland, NY, in 1924. Sculptor Sottlie met with the cartoonist before his
death in 2015 so that Anderson was able to influence his own statue.
Sottlie's work was unveiled in July 2016.
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Pictures of a bypassed older alignment near Silver Creek, NY.
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It looks like they sell some pretty big gifts here. I wonder how big the
candy is.
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East of Irving, NY, the current US-20 continues on a straight northeast
path that closely parallels I-90. The original was less straight and MUCH
nearer the lake shore. Sometimes the lake is hidden by a wall of trees and
sometimes it's not.
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In following the older alignment, I turned away from the lake near Big
Tree and joined the current US-20 ever so briefly. After about a
quarter-mile on the current main route, I turned off on what is now signed
US-20A. In my experience, 'A' routes are often more interesting than the
primary route. I don't recall regular US-20 being boring so I can't say
whether or not that is the case here but I can say that US-20A is most
definitely interesting -- and scenic. Just beyond Leicester, where the
National Hotel is, the alternate Twenty turns north to meet the regular
Twenty. I really wanted to check out the National's restaurant or tavern
but they are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only.
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About five miles west of Geneva, NY, there is a very short but interesting
bit of old alignment now signed Sand Hill Road. I stopped because of the
unusual line of trees then briefly wandered into the cemetery just beyond.
I was unable to make out any of the dates on the stone markers I looked at
but I did spot a modern metal plaque on the grave of a Revolutionary War
soldier who lived from 1758 to 1840. It's obviously a quite old cemetery.
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I don't know when or how I learned of Mac's Drive-In but it was in my list of POIs for this
trip. Although it was a bit early, I decided to make Mac's today's dinner
stop. My car is parked under the curb-service awning in the second
picture. I had to hold the camera above my line of sight to avoid the
car's side mirror and capture the car-hop door. A practice shot turned out
great and even the real shot is framed OK. It's the timing that's awful.
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This off-route excursion is courtesy of friend and fellow back road
traveler Mike Curtis. Mike's the guy behind the
2 Lane Traveler
website. Almost exactly a year ago, Mike posted some pictures and
information about this garage on Scorpioville, NY. Mike's Dad and another
fellow bought the garage in 1955. It had been operating since 1917. Mike's
Dad sold his share after a couple of years but the other fellow, Bill Cox,
is still there doing oil changes and minor repairs.
Bill wasn't there when I stopped today. That was a disappointment, of course, but I did get to peek through the windows of a place that has been in business since shortly after dawn of the automotive age; 104 years and counting. There's a great 2017 video here. |
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