Central New York Fall Riding

[SuziQ07]

Had a beautiful fall ride today through the Central New York Fingerlakes. Just me on my Kawasaki Vulcan and my dad on his Harley. After a stressful work week....this ride really cleared my head. The leaves were beautiful and the air was crisp. Hope other forum members are having a nice weekend and getting a chance to ride! :2tup:

[Water Warrior 2]

Good for you and Dad. Looks like a great day for a ride. We are starting our cooler rainy season here but hopefully we will get some nicer days to ride and enjoy the weather.

[alanmcorcoran]

Near my old haunting ground (Ithaca.) "high above Cayuga's waters..." Spent some time on Seneca and Cazenovia lakes as well. Sister in law had several houses in Cazenovia. Got one of my first speeding tickets in Watkins Glen (south end of Seneca.)

[SuziQ07]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Good for you and Dad. Looks like a great day for a ride. We are starting our cooler rainy season here but hopefully we will get some nicer days to ride and enjoy the weather.

Your weather sounds a lot like ours...cool and rainy here now. Next week we're supposed to have a couple of days around 72 degrees however! I'm hoping to ride to work at least once and give the bikes a real good bath. I wondering when my official last ride will be before the GZ and Vulcan take their winter naps. :yawn:

[SuziQ07]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Near my old haunting ground (Ithaca.) "high above Cayuga's waters..." Spent some time on Seneca and Cazenovia lakes as well. Sister in law had several houses in Cazenovia. Got one of my first speeding tickets in Watkins Glen (south end of Seneca.)

I forgot...did you say you went to college at Cornell?? Ithaca is wonderful place...I love the Commons for lunch and shopping. You gave me a great idea...ride out to Cazenovia Lake on the motorcycles...I haven't done that yet. They have a nice little village with cool shops and cafes.
You never forget your first speeding ticket! Got mine in a cage on an isolated road way up in the Adirondack Mountains several years ago. :blush:

[alanmcorcoran]

Originally Posted by SuziQ07

Ithaca is wonderful place...I love the Commons for lunch and shopping.

Was a long time ago (in a faraway place, etc.) When I first got there The Commons was still a road you could drive down. A lot of the merchants were pissed when they made it pedestrian only. So were a lot of the people. I don't know how it's doing these days, but it was built as an overreaction (fear of other malls - first a wegman's, then the unsightly Pyramid Mall [where I was ultimately employed, as was my wife - but that's another story.]) Many of the "meat and potatoes" stores went under, either immediately or eventually and were replaced by various t'shirt and incense type places - which also eventually went under. Rothchilds, Woolworths, CVS, Mcdonald's - all tried to make a go of it and all eventually closed. In the 1990's there was talk of throwing in the towel and un pedestrianing it and making it a street again, but the last I heard, it's coming back, anchored by a... (wait for it) Starbucks.

I didn't miss much of the merchants, they were mostly probably doomed anyway, but one fatality, The Rosebud, hit hard. Was one of those no-frills blue collar diners where you could get a decent breakfast for a couple bucks. Last time I was there (05?) it was gone - replaced by some chi-chi sushi place.

Anyhoo, I enjoyed some good times in Upstate New York but I couldn't handle the rough economy or the tough winters and I left in '83.

[SuziQ07]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Was a long time ago (in a faraway place, etc.) When I first got there The Commons was still a road you could drive down. A lot of the merchants were pissed when they made it pedestrian only. So were a lot of the people. I don't know how it's doing these days, but it was built as an overreaction (fear of other malls - first a wegman's, then the unsightly Pyramid Mall [where I was ultimately employed, as was my wife - but that's another story.]) Many of the "meat and potatoes" stores went under, either immediately or eventually and were replaced by various t'shirt and incense type places - which also eventually went under. Rothchilds, Woolworths, CVS, Mcdonald's - all tried to make a go of it and all eventually closed. In the 1990's there was talk of throwing in the towel and un pedestrianing it and making it a street again, but the last I heard, it's coming back, anchored by a... (wait for it) Starbucks.

I didn't miss much of the merchants, they were mostly probably doomed anyway, but one fatality, The Rosebud, hit hard. Was one of those no-frills blue collar diners where you could get a decent breakfast for a couple bucks. Last time I was there (05?) it was gone - replaced by some chi-chi sushi place.

Anyhoo, I enjoyed some good times in Upstate New York but I couldn't handle the rough economy or the tough winters and I left in '83.

Thanks for the historical perspective on the Commons. I didn't know much of what you said. Gotta love Wegman's though!
Yes, the winters can be tough. For me however, harsh winters mean snow days, and I don't have to teach!!

[Water Warrior 2]

Snow Days ! Must be something I would have loved growing up in the Canadian Prairies. We went to school no matter what the weather dished out. After school it was my job to shovel snow no matter how much fell.

[mole2]

Originally Posted by SuziQ07

[
Thanks for the historical perspective on the Commons. I didn't know much of what you said. Gotta love Wegman's though!
Yes, the winters can be tough. For me however, harsh winters mean snow days, and I don't have to teach!!

Sometimes when you talk, Suzi, you make me homesick for NY. Then I walk out tonight and it's 75 at 3 am. It was in the high 70's today for my ride around N Myrtle Beach. It's hit as low as 52 in the middle of the night here this past week but the days are in the high 70's. I don't miss shoveling snow...yech. :shocked: The foliage must be lovely by now. sigh. By the way I lived on Long Island for 57 years - not up by you. But trips to upstate for the foliage were common.

[SuziQ07]

Originally Posted by mole2

Sometimes when you talk, Suzi, you make me homesick for NY. Then I walk out tonight and it's 75 at 3 am. It was in the high 70's today for my ride around N Myrtle Beach. It's hit as low as 52 in the middle of the night here this past week but the days are in the high 70's. I don't miss shoveling snow...yech. :shocked: The foliage must be lovely by now. sigh. By the way I lived on Long Island for 57 years - not up by you. But trips to upstate for the foliage were common.

Long Island winters are very mild in comparison to what we have here. Your weather sounds fantastic; I'm jealous. I will say that it was 75 degrees here today however! I couldn't get out of school fast enough today to go home and hop on my bike. Would have ridden it to school in the morning, but the roads were still really wet from a heavy rain last night. Must be pretty neat to ride around N Myrtle Beach...I can only imagine.