Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: Roaming the Rust Belt (2017)
On the FLW trail to Pennsylvania
Having had a rather perfunctory breakfast in the Holiday Inn Express, we decided to get the luggage packed and then pop out for a 'proper' coffee in a local, independent coffee shop. Then, after checking out, I took the wheel for what was going to be a lengthy day of driving: over 300 miles, which admittedly isn't huge by American standards. It started gently, with an easy 30 minutes or so along the shore of Lake Erie to Derby, NY. I was intrigued to see that this was designated a hamlet, possibly the first time that I had seen that term used in the US, where a "city" can sometimes be no larger than a village elsewhere.
Our objective was the next stop on our Frank Lloyd Wright pilgrimage: the Graycliff Estate. This had been built as the summer home of the Martin family, whose main residence we had toured the previous day. We were part of a smaller group for this tour, and a further difference was that this was classed as an 'in-depth' tour. One consequence of the latter point was that there were no restrictions on non-flash photography for personal use. We were surprised and delighted when our guide once again turned out to be Kathy, whom we had met in Parkside the previous afternoon.
Graycliff was developed between 1925 and 1935. It showcases Wright's commitment to 'organic' architecture, which attempts to achieve a sense of harmony between buildings and their natural surroundings. The architect certainly had a prime site to build on, featuring views across Lake Erie to Ontario. (Sadly, weather conditions during our visit did not allow these to be seen at their best.) We spent an excellent couple of hours exploring the property and learning about what we were seeing, and it was a real bonus to be able to take photos in all areas. The property served as a private school for nearly forty years after the Martin family gave it up and before it entered preservation, and our guide explained what impacts this had had on the property, and how it was now being progressively returned to its original condition.
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After the tour, we set off on the long drive to Uniontown, Pennsylvania, initially on picturesque, rural roads in upstate New York. Our lunch stop was at Jamestown, NY, the main claim to fame of which was that it brought Lucille Ball into the world. Unfortunately it proved unexpectedly difficult to find a venue that we liked the look of, and we ended up having some Chinese food that would most kindly be described as entry-level. (Oh dear, that made two meals out of two so far today!)
On resuming our journey with the realisation
that time was getting on, we decided to switch to using interstate
highways as much as possible, first crossing into Pennsylvania and
going west towards Erie, then south to Pittsburgh and finally
southeast to our destination. We easily found the Holiday Inn
Express, despite the darkness. In complete contrast to the Buffalo
property, this seemed to be brand new, showed some sense of style,
and was blissfully quiet - nearly empty, actually! What's more, it
had cost a paltry 5,000 points in the latest IHG PointsBreaks
promotion.
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It intrigued me to realise that we had driven
practically the full north-south extent of Pennsylvania. Our new
location was directly west of Philadelphia, albeit 300 miles away,
and we were close to both West Virginia and Maryland. Rather nearer
at hand, we walked to the local Applebee's for cocktails and a
relatively light dinner. Thankfully, our third meal of the day was
perfectly enjoyable.
