Clinton, New York

There's something about college towns... Clinton, New York, home to Hamilton College, is one of those lovely towns that take you away from the suburban jungle.

Hamilton College
Clinton, New York

Downtown Clinton is as lovely as can be. There is a park in the center of town with benches, a gazebo and memorials to soldiers of many wars.

There are interesting shops and restaurants in town, including Artisan's Corner, a store that sells artwork done by local artists (http://villageofclinton.com/merchants/artisanscorner).

I adore the pretty Stone Presbyterian Church (http://stonepres.org/1.html), where many of my ancestors were married.

Stone Presbyterian Church
Clinton, New York

Clinton Historical Society (http://www.clintonhistory.org), of which I am a member, is truly one of the best historical societies around.

Clinton Historical Society
Clinton, New York

If you love the arts, check out the Kirkland Art Center (http://www.kirklandartscenter.org), founded by Howard Chaney, my 2nd cousin 1x removed.

The houses in the area are well tended and historic.

After a day in Clinton, I was ready to move there. You'll love it too.

EBENEEZER’S CAFÉ AND CREAMERY, SHERRILL, NEW YORK

If you are ever in Central New York, please take the time to visit Ebeneezer’s Café and Creamery, 624 Sherrill Road, in Sherrill (http://www.ebeneezerscafeandcreamery.com).  This cozy restaurant has wonderful food, great service and a relaxing atmosphere.  I have blogged about this restaurant before on my genealogy blog: http://www.theartofgenealogy.com/2013/03/ebeneezers.html.

Ebeneezer's Cafe and Creamery
Sherrill, New York

Recently I stopped by Ebeneezer’s for lunch and had an enormous tuna sandwich. This is a link to their menu: http://www.ebeneezers.netdzyne.com/f/MAIN_MENU.pdf. I wanted to try the ice cream at their adjoining ice cream parlor, but I was too full. I love this restaurant because it has a Welsh motif, and my great grandparents were from Wales.  Here are some interior shots:

If you are so inclined, you can also purchase items from Wales, such as CDs and china. If I lived in New York, I would be visiting Ebeneezer’s every week.  

A DAY IN NORTHVILLE, MICHIGAN

Yesterday I visited Northville, Michigan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northville,_Michigan). It’s the perfect place to take a stroll, visit a bookshop, grab a sandwich, browse through art galleries, walk your dog or learn about history.

MILL RACE HISTORICAL VILLAGE

First we stopped at the Mill Race Historical Village (http://ci.northville.mi.us/Community/MillRaceVillage/OverviewMillRaceVillage.asp), a grouping of historic buildings—a grist mill, a blacksmith shop, cottages, a one-room schoolhouse, a general store and more. 

Near the Mill Race Village is lovely Ford Field Park with an elaborate playground for children, an old-fashioned clock, picnic tables and a ball field.

We entered the Mill Race Historical Village via a wooden bridge that went over a stream. I don’t know what it is about streams, but I just love them.

The Mill Race Historical Village has a strict policy about professional photography and, although I don’t consider myself a professional photographer, I am going to stay on the safe side and leave out pictures of the quaint historic buildings. Instead I will just share some of the lovely gardens you will see if you visit.

Here is a link that gives you photographs of the buildings:

http://www.ci.northville.mi.us/Community/MillRaceVillage/AboutUs/MillRaceVillagePhotos.asp.

We stopped at the general store and I almost bought a large wooden rooster.  The shop was filled with a variety of unusual items including vintage hats.  As we continued on through the village, we noticed that a wedding party was being photographed in the beautiful gazebo. It is a gorgeous setting for a wedding.

THE NEXT CHAPTER BOOKSTORE AND BISTRO

We left the Mill Race Village and continued a short way to downtown Northville.  I wanted to check out the Next Chapter Bookstore and Bistro located at 141 East Main Street (http://www.readnextchapterbooks.com).

Inside I found a book I had to have:  Northville: The First Hundred Years by Jack W. Hoffman (http://www.ci.northville.mi.us/Community/MillRaceVillage/PublicationsForSale.asp). This a great place to grab a coffee, salad or hot soup.  Loved it!

GARAGE GRILL & FUEL BAR

By this time we were getting hungry so we stopped at the Garage Grill & Fuel Bar (http://www.garagenorthville.com), which had been recommended to me by a friend.  The restaurant is inside a restored 1940s-style gas station. 

The service was excellent and I enjoyed my meal: a perfect burger with sweet potato fries. Fortunately, we got there early, because the place was getting crowded as the evening progressed.

STREET SCENES

We finished our Northville visit with one last stroll down Main Street. The town is very dog friendly; there were water dishes spaced strategically along the street:

Here are some other photographs of views along Main Street:

Northville was an easy day trip. It satisfied the urge to roam without having to drive too far. It is definitely worth putting on your list of places to see. 

LOUNGING AT LEGS INN

Legs Inn (http://www.legsinn.com), a restaurant specializing in Polish food, is in Cross Village in Northern Michigan.  I visited there recently and highly recommend it. 

Because we opted for a table outside, we had to wait. This proved to be lots of fun. We got our drinks and went out back where there was a wonderful view of Lake Michigan. In addition, there were flowers everywhere. People were roaming around casually; others were seated at picnic tables. 

Although there are numerous Polish foods on the menu, such as Kielbasa and Pierogi, they have other choices such as fresh seafood. I chose the whitefish and it was perfect! Our waitress was a young lady from Poland, who spoke better English than many Americans.  For dessert we shared the Old Fashioned Polish Berry Szarlotka A ‘La Mode, which was truly amazing.

During dinner a young woman played the violin for everyone’s enjoyment.  After dinner, we took some shots of the setting sun over Lake Michigan:

On our way out, we stopped at the gift shop and admired the Baltic amber jewelry.

Dinner at Legs Inn wasn’t just dinner—it was a memorable dining experience.

MICHIGAN STATE FAIR

When I was a teenager, I would go to the New York State Fair in Syracuse, New York. Ever since then I have managed to miss the state fairs in whatever state I was living in at the time. Yesterday, I decided to check out the Michigan State Fair (http://www.michiganstatefairllc.com).

The place was packed. We had to park quite a distance away from the exhibit hall; fortunately, there were shuttle buses.

We entered the exhibit hall on the side where assorted vendors were showing their products. Much of it was the usual that you see at any big show: hot tubs, waterproofing, siding, etc.  I did find one booth selling unique hand-made jewelry, and I purchased earrings with peace symbols at a very reasonable price.

Guernsey Farms (http://guernseyfarmsdairy.com) was selling their fantastic ice cream so, of course, we had to stop for that. I chose Moose Tracks.

But the best part was yet to come: the animals. 

There were educational signs throughout the hall, such as:

If you look at the top right corner of the following picture you can see the famous Butter Cow display.  Until yesterday, I had never heard of sculpturing cows out of butter. Click on this link for more information on butter sculpture:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_sculpture

I got to pet an alpaca, whose fur was incredibly soft:

There were horses, including Clydesdales.

Clydesdale Wagon

I was amazed at how large the animals were.  Just look at the size of these cows and pig:

I liked looking at the little chicks:

Outside there was a midway filled with all the rides, food and games I remember from my childhood: 

Here’s the balloon pop. I was pretty good at that at one time.

And there was the duck game, which requires no skill, just luck.

We walked through the Beer Garden, where the Michigan State Fair Choir was performing.  Once we were inside again, we browsed the display of home made products that had won prizes, such as quilts and scrapbooks.

It was a good day. Agriculture is an important part of Michigan’s economy, as well as most of this country.  Living in the suburbs, I don’t see enough animals. I don’t see barns or smell that strong agricultural smell. It is important to be reminded about agriculture, a vital part of this country’s livelihood.