Syracuse, NY
I finished up my northerly travels in Syracuse, about a two hour drive from Buffalo. One of my workmates grew up there and his immediate family still lives in the area. So he and his wife very generously suggested that I come and spend Thanksgiving with them. Even though the actual way that Thanksgiving started is regarded by many as pretty dubious (go look it up on Wikipedia), how it's celebrated now - amongst family and close friends - is a really nice tradition. Airports and highways are clogged around the last week of November, with just about everyone going to wherever home is, to spend the holiday with their loved ones. This time of year can also bring out the generosity that many Americans are capable of. On my last day in Buffalo, I was in a shop trying to find a beanie (aka tuke) for my grandpa, and a hoodie for myself. As is easy to do, I ended up in a long conversation with the shop owner. As I was leaving, he asked if I had somewhere to spend Thanksgiving, to which I replied that I was spending it with friends. He said that had I told him I'd be on my own, he and his wife would definitely have made me come over to their place.
Like Buffalo, Syracuse is largely working-class, but more sprawling in its layout, and bigger. On the Friday night after Thanksgiving, with pizza, buffalo wings and beer in our bellies, we ventured over to the Carrier Dome, to watch the Syracuse University basketball team play University of Virginia. It was a tight game (Syracuse won in the end), and as someone who's not a sports nut, one of the most enjoyable times I've had at a sporting event. On the photos you might notice a signature on the court - the court itself has actually been named in honour of the current Syracuse University coach - he's held the job for 30 years and is pretty much a legend in the college basketball world. An interesting bit of trivia I found out was that the coach's teenage son is one of the guys who mops up the court at half time, and has a nasty peanut allergy. As a consequence, no peanuts (a popular snack at most sports events) are sold at any Syracuse basketball games.
Years ago, the Syracuse team was originally referred to as the Orange Men (after the indigenous Indians), but since this is now seen as a derogatory term, they now go by plain old Orange. The Carrier Dome itself is also pretty interesting in that it's pressurised. I was warned about this when we entered, but by the time we were leaving, I'd forgotten all about it. On leaving the venue, as you walk towards the exits, you're virtually blown out amid a gust of warm air. It's also worth checking out the different levels outside the main auditorium itself for the massive photos of sports stars and musicians that have made appearances at the Dome in past years.
About 20 miles away from Syracuse is the quirky little town of Skaneateles (pronounced Skinny-Atlas), which sits on Skaneateles Lake, one of the five Finger Lakes of central New York state, so called because when viewed from above, they look like the five outstretched fingers of a person's hand.
During the Thanksgiving long weekend, a legion of truck drivers pretty much parked their vehicles in the main street of the town, in protest at demands that the truckers' route be changed such that they couldn't pass through Skaneateles anymore. Although we weren't there to see it, I can only imagine how it would have looked. This particular weekend happened to coincide with the Skaneateles annual Dickensian Christmas, where many locals dress up as characters out of Charles Dickens' novels. The truckers wouldn't have known what hit them. Funnily enough, the truck dispute apparently didn't harm the success of Skaneateles' Dickens weekend, drawing in even more people to the area than usual.
Like Buffalo, Syracuse is largely working-class, but more sprawling in its layout, and bigger. On the Friday night after Thanksgiving, with pizza, buffalo wings and beer in our bellies, we ventured over to the Carrier Dome, to watch the Syracuse University basketball team play University of Virginia. It was a tight game (Syracuse won in the end), and as someone who's not a sports nut, one of the most enjoyable times I've had at a sporting event. On the photos you might notice a signature on the court - the court itself has actually been named in honour of the current Syracuse University coach - he's held the job for 30 years and is pretty much a legend in the college basketball world. An interesting bit of trivia I found out was that the coach's teenage son is one of the guys who mops up the court at half time, and has a nasty peanut allergy. As a consequence, no peanuts (a popular snack at most sports events) are sold at any Syracuse basketball games.
Years ago, the Syracuse team was originally referred to as the Orange Men (after the indigenous Indians), but since this is now seen as a derogatory term, they now go by plain old Orange. The Carrier Dome itself is also pretty interesting in that it's pressurised. I was warned about this when we entered, but by the time we were leaving, I'd forgotten all about it. On leaving the venue, as you walk towards the exits, you're virtually blown out amid a gust of warm air. It's also worth checking out the different levels outside the main auditorium itself for the massive photos of sports stars and musicians that have made appearances at the Dome in past years.
About 20 miles away from Syracuse is the quirky little town of Skaneateles (pronounced Skinny-Atlas), which sits on Skaneateles Lake, one of the five Finger Lakes of central New York state, so called because when viewed from above, they look like the five outstretched fingers of a person's hand.
During the Thanksgiving long weekend, a legion of truck drivers pretty much parked their vehicles in the main street of the town, in protest at demands that the truckers' route be changed such that they couldn't pass through Skaneateles anymore. Although we weren't there to see it, I can only imagine how it would have looked. This particular weekend happened to coincide with the Skaneateles annual Dickensian Christmas, where many locals dress up as characters out of Charles Dickens' novels. The truckers wouldn't have known what hit them. Funnily enough, the truck dispute apparently didn't harm the success of Skaneateles' Dickens weekend, drawing in even more people to the area than usual.
posted by yossarian | 1:34 PM
2 Comments:
How was the atmosphere at the game yossarian? Did they have the college band playing courtside? They say it's usually better supported than the pros as they haven't yet been corrupted by money and a team with the same players is able to be supported for 4 years.
No costume for you on the Dickens weekend yossarian?
hiya jonno, thanks for stopping by! the atmosphere at the game was great - even more lively than at the baseball or football. no college band (which is a massive halftime spectacle at their football games) but still good fun! your point about the money is a good one, and because the scale of college sport is so huge here, you have to keep reminding yourself that these are still college kids!!
and no, sadly i didn't frock up for the dickens weekend, although i must admit i kind of wish i had ;p
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