Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for new york
A Revolutionary Victory in New York State
By Linda Tancs
Fort Ticonderoga, located in upstate New York between Lake Champlain and Lake George, is an iconic 18th-century star fort. Capturing the fort in 1775 provided the Continental Army with their first offensive victory of the Revolutionary War and the artillery needed to liberate Boston. Visit Mount Defiance (included with a general admission ticket) for a birds-eye view of Ticonderoga’s epic military landscape and discover how the summit shaped America’s history. A combination ticket gets you a 75-minute boat cruise on Lake Champlain.
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Railroading History in New York State
By Linda Tancs
The only steam engine train offering regular excursions in New York State, Arcade & Attica Railroad in Arcade is an authentic short line railroad with the distinction of being one of the last “common carriers” (running freight and passenger trains weekly). The journey to Curriers Station from Arcade takes approximately 40 minutes each way and runs every weekend from Memorial Day weekend until the last full weekend of September, along with special event rides and seasonal offerings. Be sure to visit the historic station in Arcade and view all the exhibits, from antique railroad lanterns to switch locks and even an old switch stand.
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Farming History on Long Island
By Linda Tancs
Long Island, New York, is a hub for industries like life sciences, advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense, construction and information technology. So it might be difficult to imagine it back to its family farming roots. Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead was created to preserve and interpret the history of farming on the North Fork of Long Island. It began with preservation of the 19th-century Hallock family farm, where descendants lived and farmed for over 200 years. The museum owes the name Hallockville to the number of descendants of Capt. Zachariah Hallock along Sound Avenue in Riverhead in the 1800s, causing locals to refer to the area as “Hallockville.” Guided tours of the homestead are available from May to October.
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America’s Oldest Aquarium
By Linda Tancs
The New York Aquarium is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States. Founded in Battery Park, Manhattan, it moved to Coney Island, Brooklyn, in 1957. Occupying 14 acres, it’s home to over 500 species of marine wildlife in addition to 18 sharks and ray species. Advance online booking for a timed ticket is required for entry.
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People’s Playground
By Linda Tancs
Coney Island is a neighborhood and popular entertainment destination located at the southern tip of Brooklyn, New York City, along the Atlantic Ocean. It’s famous for its historic amusement parks, the beach and the boardwalk. Although a popular summer spot, it’s also worth a visit in the off-season. Take a walk along the historic Riegelmann Boardwalk, stretching for nearly 3 miles. Along the way, gaze up at the iconic Parachute Jump, a defunct amusement ride comprising a 250-foot-tall, 170-short-ton open-frame, steel parachute tower. The Coney Island Museum (open on weekends) sells merchandise evocative of the People’s Playground, a historical nickname for Coney Island owing to its popularity among the masses since the late 19th century.
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Rural Ironworks in New York
By Linda Tancs
Operated from 1848 until 1903, Copake Iron Works was established at the base of the Taconic Ridge in Copake Falls, New York. Listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places, it has long been recognized as one of the most complete rural ironworks in the regional Litchfield Iron District. Now part of Taconic State Park, the historic district includes a rare stone blast furnace, the blowing engine house, a machine shop with equipment still in place, the ironworkers’ duplex, the Carpenter-Gothic style office building and the elegant residence of Isaac Chesbrough, one of the first ironmasters for the site.
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Treasures From a Golden Age
By Linda Tancs
The Allan Herschell Company, founded in North Tonawanda, New York in the early 1900s, was the fourth in a series of companies in the community which manufactured carousels and other amusement park rides. The company produced over 3,000 hand-carved wooden carousels and outproduced all of its rivals in the carousel industry. Of the 148 antique, hand-carved wooden carousels still in existence in the United States and Canada today, 71 were manufactured in North Tonawanda in one of the four Herschell companies. That makes the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum a beautifully preserved piece of history, showcasing the craftsmanship of elaborate Herschell carousels in their original factory setting. A highlight is a ride on one of the first carousels built by company, the 1916 “big” carousel, featuring 35 hand-carved jumping horses and two chariots.
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The American Experience in Corning
By Linda Tancs
Corning, New York, is known for its rich history in glassmaking, an industry chronicled at its famous museum of glass. But Corning is also the site of the Rockwell Museum, which reflects the American experience through American paintings, drawings, sculptures and photography as well as in artistic objects of material culture. The Smithsonian-affiliated facility on Cedar Street is housed in the Richardsonian Romanesque former city hall building.
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Long Island Charm
By Linda Tancs
Northport is a maritime village on the North Shore of Long Island, New York. Initially designated Great Cow Harbour by 17th-century English colonists, the area was officially renamed Northport in 1837. Main Street offers visitors a magnificent view of the scenic harbor and homes dating back to the 18th century. The picturesque village still bears the trolley tracks laid in the early 1900s as well as the family-owned vintage sweet shop operating since 1929. One of the town’s most famous residents was Jack Kerouac, a novelist and poet. The local historical society hosts a “Kerouac Crawl,” which offers a chance to explore the neighborhood where he lived.
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Basilica Hudson
By Linda Tancs
Originally a forge and foundry for steel railway wheels in the 1800s, the industrial building known today as Basilica Hudson in Hudson, New York, is a multidisciplinary arts center. Its offerings include music festivals, marketplace events, regular film screenings and an artist-in-residency program. The venue welcomes over 20,000 visitors each year, who no doubt appreciate its location on the Hudson River amidst the Catskill Mountains.
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