EllisIslandLoop: Wednesday, June 14 - Explore, Pedicure, and Docktails

Wednesday, June 14 - Explore, Pedicure, and Docktails

Since we spent most of the day yesterday provisioning and dripping with sweat (did I mention is was 88 degrees and very humid?), we decided to stay another day and explore a little, get a pedicure, and go back to the wine store to get more Avia.

In their book about The Great Loop, Pat and George Hospodor mentioned a diner in Waterford where they ate breakfast twice. If it was that good, we had to try it. So we biked down Main Street Waterford in search of Don and Paul’s Diner.

It is definitely a diner not a restaurant, and there is almost as much space designated for lotto cards as there is for food. As we headed for a table, one of the local men at the front table grabbed my hand and told us we didn’t want that table - the seats were too high. Love it! Breakfast sandwiches on hard rolls was on the menu. I think I could get used to eating that every morning!

We asked the waitress about a nail salon, she asked her friend, and they came up with one across the bridge in York. It is way past time for us to get a pedicure. Most of my polish is gone! TMI. So we bike across the bridge again.l. Turns out Troy, NY is the home of Uncle Sam. Who knew?

Sam Wilson was a local meatpacker and meat inspector who stamped every barrel he approved with “US/EA,” his initials and those of the contractor, who bought for the Federal Government. His nickname around town was Uncle Sam, so dockworkers, many of whom later consumed the meat as soldiers in the War of 1812, started the joke and it stuck.

Biking back across the bridge we saw this little park. “New York” was on the north side of the bridge, but I couldn’t get a picture of that. Cute, huh?

We picked up the backpack and rolling crate from the boat, and took the bike trail again, headed for the wine store. The bike path is more level, the main road is uphill almost all the way. Coming back down the hill is fun! And look at this great house we passed.

The wine store was closed when we got there, and it was almost noon. As I was trying to find the phone number, the clerk who had waited on us yesterday pulled up all in a huff. The morning guy hadn’t shown up! Thank goodness he got there when he did. I would have been one disappointed girl. We bought all the Avia Chardonnay they had, plus a couple of bottles of other varieties. I should be set for a while. And we made it back to the boat without breaking a single bottle.

This is the office building for the Waterford City Dock. At least part of it is the office. It is staffed with volunteers who were always willing to answer our questions.