Phase XXXV : New York

Tuesday, September 18th.  Our 4th leg consisted of New York and the New England area.  Our 4th leg also commenced on my birthday (I'm still considered young 40s).  We left the greater Newark area around lunch time, then stopped at Hoppin' Frog Brewery (Akron).  No birthday is complete, without a birthday brew.  We enjoyed a late lunch and tasty beverages.

Before this epic adventure even started, seeing Niagra Falls was a must.  Mer had never seen, and it has been 20 years since I had last visited.  Niagra Falls is composed of multiple water falls, and we would have the opportunity to view all from stateside.  Apparently, the best views are on the Canada side, but had we crossed the border, we would not have been able to come home, no bueno! (no tengo enhanced driver licenses or passports)  We arrived just after sunset, but still some daylight.  Horseshoe falls was much grander than I remembered.  The mist from the mighty falls hovered and gently fell upon us.  It seems cliche, but it was breath-taking.  Not just the views, but being there with my partner-in-crime (PIC) is something I will always cherish.  That night, we headed towards Rochester.  Mer let me pick out a pizza of my choice for dinner, so went with Supreme, deep-dish.

That morning, we headed towards Strong Museum, aka toy museum.  Upon first arrival, it seemed that it would be more child-oriented, but we braved it and entered this trip down memory lane.  There were two floors of engagement for the kid in all of us.  The first floor consisted of simulated Sesame Street scenes, Bernstein Bears, Marvel & DC heroes, and so much more.  But the best part of each area was that they had books to reinforce the reminder that creativity starts with a thought, starts with a story, starts with some pictures.  The second floor had an array of toys from 19th and 20th century.  It would take pages to itemize everything we saw.  Eventually, we wrapped it up by walking through the toy hall of fame, which consisted of both toys and individuals who have significantly contributed and had an impact on our childhood.  Enjoy:

Before heading out, we stopped at a local brewery, fifth frame, and enjoyed both beverage and cookies.  A sucker for both!  The menu has a beer called the the boom, boom, which is a beer with a shot of espresso.  You have the option of enjoying separately, but one should embrace the alchemist in all of us.  You will not be disappointed!  Off to the Adirondacks for some trails!  That evening, we stopped in Watertown for dinner.  With the trip wrapping up, our ambition for outdoor cooking has fallen to the wayside.  That's good and bad.  Good, because food is an adventure; bad because food can be expensive.  Nevertheless, we found a brewery buried inside a mall (Skewed BC).  I was skeptical, but the beer nor the duck wings disappointed.  Mer was also delighted in her barley concoctions.  

After re-supplying food and beverages at the local grocer, we headed towards Bonaparte State Forest for our free night of sleep.  I'm pretty sure we had the whole state forest to ourselves.  The next morning we drove towards Santanoni Preservation deeper into the Adirondacks.  The area was farmed many decades ago, but many of the buildings of the time still remain.  The hiking was minimal, because Mer started to experience a second wave of unfortunate illness.  She toughed out a couple miles, but rest was imminent.  We headed towards Vermont, but I stopped for one last hike before crossing the Champlain bridge.