A view of daily life, travels and other interests.
The Breakers, Newport, Rhode Island:
The amazing summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Just insane inside. Almost hard to believe people ever lived like this. A truly amazing mansion. And to think Cornelius only spent one summer in this place as a well man. This photo was taken from the Cliff Walk.
Masai Giraffe:
Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence, Rhode Island.
Day 8, the final ride into Albany:
What a great trip. Finished early today. 432 miles this week. Amazing journey across the Erie Canal on bicycle. Back to NYC tomorrow. Legs a bit weary but feeling great.
Day 7, Eating Thai food in Schenectady:
Hit the 400 mile mark today as we rolled up to the Stockade Inn. One more short ride into Albany tomorrow. Today’s trail was greener than the normal stone we’ve been riding on.
Day 6, St. Johnsville for the evening:
After a few less miles than our usual days have been we arrived in St. Johnsville today. A few washed out portions of the trail on the way around Lock 16 made for some rough riding. Photo is from a great tour we had of General Nicholas Herkimer’s Estate just off the old Erie Canal. Herkimer is a famous Revolutionary War general who is best know from his efforts at the Battle of Oriskanky in 1777 (often referred to as the bloodiest battle of the Revolutionary War)
Day 5, off to Utica!!:
Almost 60 miles of hard gravel today. Nice and dusty. Drinkin’ a Utica Club right now across from the Saranac Brewing Co. Photo shows lock 23 on the Erie Canal.
Day 4, Seneca Falls to East Syracuse:
What a day!! Rolled past Lake Seneca with mist still hanging over the lake. Visited Montezuma Nation Wildlife Refuge. Amazing bird sanctuary. Photo is from one of their wetlands. Had to ride from the west side of Syracuse, thru downtown to the east. IT SUCKED!! Not a town for biking…
Day 3, to Seneca Falls, NY:
Great day of riding. Lots of changing scenery as we rolled out of the canal basin and into a bit of the Amish country side. Dinner at Divine in the Hotel Clarence, Seneca Falls.
Day 2, Erie Canal Bike tour:
Albion to Bushnell Basin, NY. Bridge crossing the canal near Pittsford, NY. 120+ miles in the bag.
Day 1, Buffalo to Albany Ride:
Near Albion, NY on the Erie Canal. 68 mile day. Not bad really once we were out of downtown Buffalo. Just 350 miles or so to go.
Blue Hill at Stone Barns:
Friday evening we took a trip up to Blue Hill at Stone Barns (see earlier post on Stone Barns). Blue Hill is an amazing restaurant that focuses it’s menu on seasonal, locally grow and naturally produced foods provided from the Stone Barns center as well as other local farms. There is no menu at Blue Hill. You simply choose between a 5 course tasting menu or an 8 course dinner menu.
When you are seated you are presented with a list of over 100 of their current ingredients which change daily. Your servers asks if you have any food issues or aversions. I am unable to eat fish and my wife does not eat meat of any kind. After passing that info along the chefs get to work preparing you a special menu from what’s in house. It would be an understatement to say that the food was simply amazing. It was one of the most memorable dining experiences I have ever had.
Some of the dishes included:
Grilled Zucchini w/ toasted sesame seeds and panchetta.
Summer Salad of greens, red/yellow/green tomatoes with grilled peaches and homemade goat cheese.
A red whole grain Brioche with a summer veggie puree served with seasoned salts and bowl of warm homemade ricotta cheese.
Slow cooked purple onion roasted all night in the smoldering grill coals served with beet caviar, poached blueberries, olive tapenade and pickled green peas.
Soft cooked farm egg served over a colorful curry sauce with beans, peanuts and summer green vegetables.
Always around were homemade bread, fresh turned butter, tomato salt and shiitake mushroom salt.
For dessert we had cocoa dusted almonds with strawberries and raspberries served with a roasted corn ice cream.
And this is just part of the menu! The portions were all of modest size so putting down 8 courses wasn’t a real challenge. I highly suggest you make an effort to dine at Blue Hill for your next special occasion (it isn’t cheap so leave it for a special time!)
For more info on Blue Hill at Stone Barns visit their website:
Stone Barns:
The morning after my wife and I had an amazing dinner at Blue Hill, we took a livestock tour to see where most of our food had come from the night before. Stone Barns is a non-profit farm and education center located on 80 acres, about 25 miles north of New York City. The farm grows vegetables and raises livestock that include chickens, pigs, sheep, bees and turkeys. For “city folk” Stone Barns serves as a great place to get up close and personal with the natural process of producing food. The farm is open to the public and includes several types of tours if you don’t want to explore the property on your own. We took a livestock tour and had the opportunity to see each of the animals they raise on the farm. They also offer a tour where you have the chance to collect eggs from their laying hens. They have a farmers market as well where you can purchase food produced on the farm. We bought some incredible free-range brown eggs and tomatoes. Check out their calendar for events throughout the year. I hear their Harvest Fest is very cool. This year it’s going to be held on October 2 and will include workshops, hayrides, live music and a pie contest.
To learn more about Stone Barns visit their website:
Xtracycle Bike:
My new Swobo Dixon/Xtracycle bike being enjoyed by my brother and sister in law. Lots of fun. Even the kids took a ride. Can’t wait to get this bike back to NY somehow! My brother in law is responsible for the killer deal I got on this bike. Thanks again buddy.
To see more of Xtracycle’s unique product line, take a look at their site:
Yankee Stadium:
A classic rivalry at its best: Yankees vs. Red Sox. Good times!
Gnome-Scrapers:
It’s Friday, and well, I’ve had a busy and long week. Why not waste time photographing small gnomes stuck to my window? A friend recently sent me some plastic gnome figures in the mail to shoot in my travels. This morning I “traveled” to my dining room and thought the best use of my time would be to make this photo. I like that the gnome to the right is monitoring the SLOWEST construction work ever on Roosevelt Island. That’s it. Enjoy and a happy weekend to you all.
