Just a short one-hour drive east of Geneva is the city of Syracuse, New York. With a population of over 150,000 and a metropolitan area population of 600,000, it is the fifth largest city in the state. U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks Syracuse as one of the best cities of similar size to live. It scores high in quality of life (amenities, education and access to healthcare), affordable housing and low crime rates. It is also the home of Syracuse University which is ranked in the top 5% of all colleges and universities in the nation.
Once a year Syracuse hosts the Great State Fair of New York (that's the official name). In keeping with the tradition of high ranking, the Great State Fair of New York is ranked as one of the top state fairs in the country by Traveler Magazine. If you're keeping score, the Minnesota State Fair is ranked as the top state fair. For all my Texas friends, take heart, Texas is ranked second! As for Florida, well, it comes in at a respectable ninth.
The Great State Fair of New York
When we booked our place in Geneva we didn't know the Great State Fair of New York would be going on nearby. When we learned it, we quickly added it to our expanding list of "things to do" while we are here. The fair started it's thirteen day run last Wednesday (August 24). In the true spirit of state fairs, they will be serving up delectable fried everything through Labor Day. We weren't there when the gates swung open at 9:00 AM. However, by noon we had joined in the opening day crowd of around 49,000 and enjoyed several hours of wandering through the exhibit halls, barns and other attractions.
The fairgrounds were expansive, so in spite of the large number of attendees it didn't seem crowded. There were several unexpected and pleasant surprises about the Great New York State Fair. First was the admission price. The regular admission price for adults is a mere $3. No senior discount, no coupons, you don't have to donate a can of food or anything else. Three bucks gets you through the gate! Parking? It's affordable as well. Just $5 to park at any of the numerous large parking areas adjacent to the multiple entrance gates. For as great as the low parking and admission cost, the biggest surprise was the featured food and its cost. Yes, there was a plethora of fried food everywhere, it wouldn't be a state fair without it. However, the long-standing favorite food of the Great State Fair of New York is a baked potato! That's right, a baked potato! We've learned that on a typical day one particular location in the fairground sells over 4,500 of them. Why? Because the price is right! A baked potato or sweet potato from the New York State Potato Booth will cost you one dollar! It comes loaded with butter and sour cream. You can add extras such as cheese, chili, bacon or broccoli for fifty cents each. We each enjoyed a baked potato with a couple of extra goodies and two lemonade slushes for a grand total of eight dollars! We were so overjoyed with the cheap lunch that we splurged on a funnel cake before heading for the exit.
On our way to Syracuse, we stopped in the city of Auburn, which is located on the north end of Owasco Lake (one of the Finger Lakes). Auburn is home to the William Seward House Museum, which we didn't have time to visit. It was Seward who as Secretary of State in 1867 negotiated the purchase of the Alaska territory from Russia. Seward died in 1872 still being criticized for what most thought was a ridiculous purchase. I guess he got the last laugh even if he wasn't around to enjoy it. Auburn is also home of the Harriet Tubman National Historic Park and the Harriet Tubman House.
Harriett Tubman National Historic Park
Tubman's life was filled with incredible challenges and triumphs that have been documented in books and movies. We enjoyed visiting the park and learning more about this amazing woman. At the park her life story, and a tour of the grounds, was led by a gentleman whose passion for the past 32 years is to preserve the property and share her story. While she is most often remembered for her work as part of the Underground Railroad, as we learned, there is much more to her life story. She was born into slavery and as a child suffered many beatings by her various "masters". After escaping from slavery, she served first as a nurse and then a scout and spy for the Union Army during the Civil War. She then became the first woman to lead a combat troop on a raid that ultimately freed over 700 enslaved people. In her later years she settled in Auburn and devoted her attention to the women's suffrage movement and caring for the elderly. She passed away in Auburn in March 1913. Thankfully her legacy lives on, and thankfully we took time to visit the park and learn more about this incredible woman.
It was getting late in the day when we left the fair, but we still had a couple of items on the agenda. We made a short visit to Green Lakes State Park where we enjoyed a casual stroll on the 1.6-mile loop trail around the lake. Like the other New York State Parks we have visited, it was clean and well maintained. It offered lots of amenities such as swimming, hiking, boat rentals, picnicking, camping and more.
Before pointing the Silver Bullet back towards Geneva, we took in a few innings of the Syracuse Mets baseball game. The Syracuse Mets are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. It was a nice ballpark, and we enjoyed the game, but as we often do, we left before it was over. We agreed as we left Syracuse in the rearview mirror that the Harriet Tubman National Park, Great State Fair of New York, Green Lake State Park and the Syracuse Mets made for a Grand Slam of a day!
