Mia and I had hoped to spend our Thanksgiving with our families and friends, but this is 2020. First we were thinking about traveling South (e.g. Virginia), but the driving would be just too long for us. Then we thought about going North and we both agreed that the Finger Lakes region beckoned to be discovered by us.
For this trip, Mia suggested bringing our road bikes and I just could not say no.
We found a very affordable Airbnb in Auburn, upstate NY. Driving there was not that long (~4.5 hours) but because we were not in a hurry, we came to town in the evening - Thanksgiving evening. We naively thought that we could get dinner in town, so after we checked in our Airbnb, we drove downtown. Surprise, surprise - everything was closed.
Luckily, Mia packed frozen gluten-free pizza, avocados, apples and other food so our Thanksgiving was saved! Our apartment had a stove, oven and microwave oven and we could prepare meals for the evening and for our whole stay in Auburn.
Next day we chose to relax and explore the town. Our Airbnb was in a historic district with old brick and wooden houses / mansions.
Unbeknownst to us, Auburn is actually a little hidden gem rich in history. There is a NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center, Harriet Tubman Home, Seward House Museum and other interesting places. For example, the first ever execution by electrocution (electric chair) was carried out at the Auburn Prison. We chose to visit the Seward House Museum, because it was literally a 5 minute walk from our apartment.
William Henry Seward served as governor of New York, a United States Senator and he was also United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln. His mansion (built about 1816) was well preserved and our tour guide was fantastic.
After the museum we had dinner at Moro's Table and later that night we had dessert at Rudolph’s Ice Cream. Both were delicious. As usual, right after Thanksgiving, people got creative and decorated their houses and stores for Christmas.
Saturday was our day for biking. Since we wanted to visit Ithaca, our bike ride would start and end there. It was a 40 minute drive from Auburn. But before we hit the road, we had to visit cafe Cafe 108 for coffee. We found this spot yesterday and simply put, we had to come again. This cafe opened just a few days ago and we were fortunate enough to meet the very nice people who started this business.
Our ride started in Cass Park in Ithaca. The weather was not great but also not freezing. We managed to dress for the occasion.
Our ride was on Road 89 until we came to Taughannock Falls State Park. Then we walked with our bikes on a muddy trail through a spectacular gorge.
We expected to see the waterfall behind every meander, but at the end we were not disappointed. The waterfall was stunning.
On the ride back to Ithaca, we chose different roads: 144 and 140. There was less traffic and nice views. Mia had her moment when she enjoyed herself in the field.
After biking, we drove through Cornell University’s campus. Everything was closed due to COVID-19, almost no people around, but we got a feel for how large and beautiful the campus is.
In the afternoon, we were ready for a nice hot cup of coffee. The internet revealed a coffee shop called “Nothing Nowhere” downtown and that’s exactly where we went to get coffee. The barista in the shop recommended dinner at The Rook. So we went there.
The restaurant offered dining outside only but their heating devices looked warm enough so we gave it a shot and had a good time there.
COVID-19 obviously affected life in this student town. We could only imagine how bustling Ithaca would be this time of year (not exactly during Thanksgiving, but before Christmas / end of winter semester).
On Sunday morning we had almost no food in the fridge, therefore we found a little family owned restaurant, Willow Glen (3981 Jordan Rd, Skaneateles, NY 13152). Mia and I love these little places and this one was special because of the ads on their mugs. In case you are thinking about a septic tank service while enjoying your breakfast, drink your coffee and write down the number:
On our drive back to NYC, we got breakfast nr. 2 at Denny’s in Pennsylvania. It was one year ago when Mia’s family and I had our first meal in Denny’s in California and I’ve liked this restaurant chain since then. And the food was pretty good, too!
For the record, we barely eat so much carbohydrates. This was a special treat for us.
Well fed and over caffeinated we drove safely home and were already looking forward to planning our Christmas holiday!
For this trip, Mia suggested bringing our road bikes and I just could not say no.
We found a very affordable Airbnb in Auburn, upstate NY. Driving there was not that long (~4.5 hours) but because we were not in a hurry, we came to town in the evening - Thanksgiving evening. We naively thought that we could get dinner in town, so after we checked in our Airbnb, we drove downtown. Surprise, surprise - everything was closed.
Luckily, Mia packed frozen gluten-free pizza, avocados, apples and other food so our Thanksgiving was saved! Our apartment had a stove, oven and microwave oven and we could prepare meals for the evening and for our whole stay in Auburn.
Next day we chose to relax and explore the town. Our Airbnb was in a historic district with old brick and wooden houses / mansions.
Unbeknownst to us, Auburn is actually a little hidden gem rich in history. There is a NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center, Harriet Tubman Home, Seward House Museum and other interesting places. For example, the first ever execution by electrocution (electric chair) was carried out at the Auburn Prison. We chose to visit the Seward House Museum, because it was literally a 5 minute walk from our apartment.
William Henry Seward served as governor of New York, a United States Senator and he was also United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln. His mansion (built about 1816) was well preserved and our tour guide was fantastic.
After the museum we had dinner at Moro's Table and later that night we had dessert at Rudolph’s Ice Cream. Both were delicious. As usual, right after Thanksgiving, people got creative and decorated their houses and stores for Christmas.
Saturday was our day for biking. Since we wanted to visit Ithaca, our bike ride would start and end there. It was a 40 minute drive from Auburn. But before we hit the road, we had to visit cafe Cafe 108 for coffee. We found this spot yesterday and simply put, we had to come again. This cafe opened just a few days ago and we were fortunate enough to meet the very nice people who started this business.
Our ride started in Cass Park in Ithaca. The weather was not great but also not freezing. We managed to dress for the occasion.
Our ride was on Road 89 until we came to Taughannock Falls State Park. Then we walked with our bikes on a muddy trail through a spectacular gorge.
We expected to see the waterfall behind every meander, but at the end we were not disappointed. The waterfall was stunning.
On the ride back to Ithaca, we chose different roads: 144 and 140. There was less traffic and nice views. Mia had her moment when she enjoyed herself in the field.
After biking, we drove through Cornell University’s campus. Everything was closed due to COVID-19, almost no people around, but we got a feel for how large and beautiful the campus is.
In the afternoon, we were ready for a nice hot cup of coffee. The internet revealed a coffee shop called “Nothing Nowhere” downtown and that’s exactly where we went to get coffee. The barista in the shop recommended dinner at The Rook. So we went there.
The restaurant offered dining outside only but their heating devices looked warm enough so we gave it a shot and had a good time there.
COVID-19 obviously affected life in this student town. We could only imagine how bustling Ithaca would be this time of year (not exactly during Thanksgiving, but before Christmas / end of winter semester).
On Sunday morning we had almost no food in the fridge, therefore we found a little family owned restaurant, Willow Glen (3981 Jordan Rd, Skaneateles, NY 13152). Mia and I love these little places and this one was special because of the ads on their mugs. In case you are thinking about a septic tank service while enjoying your breakfast, drink your coffee and write down the number:
On our drive back to NYC, we got breakfast nr. 2 at Denny’s in Pennsylvania. It was one year ago when Mia’s family and I had our first meal in Denny’s in California and I’ve liked this restaurant chain since then. And the food was pretty good, too!
For the record, we barely eat so much carbohydrates. This was a special treat for us.
Well fed and over caffeinated we drove safely home and were already looking forward to planning our Christmas holiday!
You're becoming an American! "... it was *literally* a 5 minute walk ..."
ReplyDeleteMia edited the text as well :)
DeleteAlways enjoying reading about all your trips!
ReplyDeleteThat's great to hear Lenka :) Thanks
Delete