voyages

last day in upstate new york = five stars

what, just cos the wedding happened, you thought my new york entries were over? i’ve still got a full day to cover! and although there’s no margarita machine, we managed to make our last day in new york preeeetty awesome.

henri and i pulled out of piseco around noon and headed back toward syracuse. i was glad we had plenty of time before our flight, cos there’s nothing i love more (ok, well, besides pie and babies and a few other things) than driving through unfamiliar landscape and stopping whenever i feel like taking a picture or getting a closer look. i mean, that sort of serendipity is the secret ingredient to any successful road trip, although the other ingredient is a companion willing to let you pull over every 2.3 minutes (props to henri and my previous partner, meredith, the two best road trippers money can’t buy).

driving up and down route 8 feels like a bent-up postcard, or maybe an old country song on a scratchy AM station. the landscape stretches for miles without any sign of habitation, and then all of a sudden, you’re in the middle of a “village” or a “hamlet,” which i guess makes them too small to qualify as actual cities or towns. sometimes it’s only two houses and a trailer, other times it’s several houses in a row with lawn ornaments and a few ATVS parked out front. as we sped by on the road, i tried to sneak a glimpse through the ruffled curtains as i wondered what it feels like to live here, in the middle of nowhere, and have it be somewhere, just for you and yr family.

for example, if i lived near this place, i would soooo be a regular.

here at the bear path inn, we only sell LEGAL beverages. so if you come in lookin’ for absinthe, forget about it!

if i was a local, i’d come down for a (legal) beer, then take my chair outside to the backyard:

yeah, THAT is what’s hiding behind the bear path inn. and THAT is exactly why i like to get out of the car and explore.

a little further down the road, we were able to check off “country church” on our Rural Landmarks list.

what’s hiding behind the church? same view as the bear path inn, but with a cemetery! bonus!

about half of the graves were pretty old. this one, with the clasped hands, was my favorite:

after a little more driving, we stopped by this creek (brook? river?) to listen to the water run over the rocks. it’s a loud yet gentle sound, a polite and playful thunder.

eventually we spotted utica on the horizon:

as you may recall, we stopped in utica on our way up to the wedding. when we told alyson and her sister, kristen, that we thought it was charming, they looked at each other and said, “oh, really? well, uh, i’m glad you think so. cos, it sort of has a… reputation.”

i’m guessing we didn’t really see the darker side, and you know, i’m glad, because it didn’t overshadow the delightful pieces we found.

see? there’s a little bit of sunshine in utica, a city that is “always reaching towards greater heights.”

we drove down genesee, the main street through downtown:

little did we know that it is a FIVE STAR MAIN STREET!

um, except it lost a star. i’m guessing someone’s dog pooped on the sidewalk.

as soon as we got out of the car, henri was swarmed by fans of the alamo drafthouse (yes, he is now a global celebrity). in fact, they were *so* honored by the presence of Drafthouse Henri that they handed him the key to the city!!!!

unfortunately, we couldn’t fit it in the trunk, so we had to give it back. which sucks cos we never got to use it, and i’m still dying with curiosity over where such a MASSIVE DOOR is located.

the townspeople* are really hoping that the alamo will open a location in this v. posh old theater:

*meaning, me

seriously, look at the decoration on those windows! isn’t it glorious?

at the edge of downtown, we spotted a sign for the utica zoo. WHAT WHAT? utica has a ZOO?! it’s actually big enough to house a cornucopia of exotic animals?

obviously, we had to go.

that is, we had to drive there, park in the lot designed to hold a maximum of 20 cars, and stare at the entrance while having this conversation:

henri: well, what do you think?

sarah: i dunno. i mean, we should go in, right?

h: yeah, i guess… although… it’s kinda small.

s: but it will be funny… right?

h: i guess?

s: i wonder how much it costs.

h: yeah i guess we should go.

s: oh, i was just thinking maybe we shouldn’t.

h: ok, let’s just go to syracuse.

s: no, you’re right, we can’t pass up this opportunity.

h: but what if it’s lame?

s: ok, you’re right. let’s go.

[sit in car for five minutes]

h: i mean, it *might* be cool…

s: and it might not.

h: yeah…

s & h: ok, let’s just get out of here.

on the way out of town, i spotted a little indie coffeeshop. i swear, i have a radar for these things (i really do– the groundskeeper, in racine; muddy waters in minneapolis; i could go on and on).

isn’t it absolutely precious? and my latte was delish!

when we arrived in syracuse, we had no plans and a few hours to kill before our flight. so, we decided to head downtown to see if syracuse also boasted a Five Star Main Street.

and guess what? we didn’t find a Five Star Main Street, but we DID find a Festa Italiana (please click on that link, cos the website is awesome, not to mention the music).

festa italiana, we learned, is basically an excuse to wonder through some tents and eat a lot of italian food and… that’s it.

but really, what more do you need?!!! i can’t believe we don’t have one of these in austin! not to mention a Festa (Fiesta) Mexicana and a Festa Cupcakica! although we DO have an ice cream festival (note to organizers: lame name, losers! try festa ice creamana next time!). and i supposed wurstfest is basically just an excuse to eat sausage and fried things. so, yay texas, good job.

and guess who we saw at the festa italiana? JOEY’S!!!!! and who was working at the joey’s booth but our same waitress, she of liquor square fame!!!!

it all comes together, a magical circle of life under the white tents of festa italiana.

honestly, i can’t believe we lucked out and found this event. cos then we got to participate! by eating!

yes, that IS a bread bowl full of carbs. suck it, atkins!

i got the gnocchi, even though i never know how to say it right, with vodka sauce. TASTY BUSINESS!!!!!

after carbing it up, we headed over to the the Live Entertainment, a group called letizia & the z band.

y’all, letizia and her z band were AWESOME!!! they were everything you want a festival band to be. in fact, i can’t believe letizia and the z band were playing the festa italiana instead of headlining ACL. “oh, the white stripes have cancelled? B. effing D. we’ll just give our good friend letizia a call, and audiences will know what TRUE ROCK really is. bob dylan, shmob shmlyan.”

i mean, just LOOK at the beard (facial hair? tadpoles?) on that keyboard player. not only that, but check out how he’s holding the keyboard!! that is CRAZY!!! that is pure rock n roll insanity!

letizia was actually the best part (which is why her name gets to be in the front, i guess). i wish i could’ve recorded a piece of her show-stopping performance, but my camera was about to die. just trust me when i say that she is the combination of reba mcentire and taylor dayne that the american public has been waiting for.

in fact, you should do yrself a favor and check out their website, which features mp3s (!!!) and closer look at these musical legends:

ok, i’m sorry. this website is just too awesome. i have to share with you two more photos, just so you can *fully grasp* the power of this band.

here’s letizia, probably on her famous “Bustin’ Loose” tour:

and, a favorite among the ladies, bill, the guitar player! in silver plastic pants!

HOTT!

letizia and the z band’s musical message is so universal that it brings all generations together. take, for example, this completely adorable old couple dancing up a storm (the young’ns call it “moshing”) at the front of the stage:

I LOVE THEM! gah i really hope that, when i’m their age, i’m still dancing and attending food-centered festivals.

wait, who am i kidding? that’s ALL i’m gonna do when i’m old! well, that and dye my hair hot pink.

after our life-changing musical experience with letizia and the z band (SEE YOU AT SXSW!), we decided to poke around downtown syracuse. it’s actually really pretty! see?

we came upon a place called clinton square, which features fountains and lovely buildings. and lots of bums. in fact, see this picture?

nice, right? well, it cost henri 85 cents. i wanted to get just the right angle, so i walked across the pavillion, where all of the homeless people were sitting, and then henri had to follow me. a rather large (ok, huge) bum came over and asked henri for money, so he gave him his pocket change, 85 cents.

i think the picture was worth it, though.

a few blocks down, we stumbled upon the tiny “hipster” section of downtown. it’s actually really cute, although there weren’t many hipsters around. i think they were still over at the festa italiana, hanging’ with letizia.

at the end of the street, we found another coffee shop! and it has an awesome name!

ok, well, *i* think it’s awesome. and it made me wonder if this type of freedom is listed in the bill of rights. is it? cos if not, i’m going to make it a Serious Campaign Issue for the presidential race.

finally (finally!), it was time to head back to austin. even though i was glad to come home, i really really really enjoyed upstate new york– the nature, the people, the bonfires, the margarita machine. so i’m pretty sure i’m going to follow the advice on the back of the “welcome to piseco” sign:

tootle-loo! for now!

LINKS

i think richard kelly’s southland tales is FINALLY coming out in the u.s. and even though i’ve heard it’s terrible, i don’t care. i mean, just watch the new trailer. you’ve got SMG, mandy moore, justin timberlake, the rock… this is box office gold, people!

if all current events were phrased in teen mag speak, i bet a LOT more people would be more informed. and therefore, depressed.

and now for a moment of dorkalicious indulgence: the top ten star trek: the next generation episodes of all time! my only question is, what about the one where data gets to be sherlock holmes? that was awesome!

© 2007 Poshdeluxe.