We enjoyed our stay at Black Bear Campground in Florida, NY. Florida is in a farming area known for the vast onion fields in its black dirt area.
Florida NY was the home of William H. Seward. You remember him......the man who served as Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln. William H. Seward agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. ... At the time, critics thought Seward was crazy and called the deal "Seward's folly." There are some today who contend that the financial return from the purchase has still not been a success but speaking as someone who has seen a bit of that beautiful state I am glad it is part of the U.S. This is the house he was raised in and they are in the process of restoring it.
Florida was settled by many Polish immigrants and a large portion of the population (2,900) today is Polish. This Polish Restaurant is owned by a beautiful young Polish woman named Barbara. The food is delicious and reminded me of food my Mother made since she was Czechoslovakian and it is similar. We had stuffed cabbage, peirogi, pan fried sauerkraut, kielbasa, and for dessert Sernik which is their version of cheesecake. The cheesecake is made with fresh cheese and is creamier than the version we are used to. DEEElicious. We met several interesting people. Some local and others that travel for miles to partake of the unique food. One that stood out was an older than us gentleman that when he found out we were from Arizona told us that his father was one of the original Buffalo Soldiers stationed at Fort Huachuca. “Buffalo Soldier” is the collective nickname given to the first African-American members of the U.S. Armed Forces. A memorable lunch.
I am so impressed by how old buildings are restored, configured to new uses, and live on in the east. The use of local materials were the original "green buildings."
Leaving New York headed to Pennsylvania again took us on winding, rural back roads.
Uh oh! That winding back road has a bridge with a weight limit and we are are over the limit. I have been worried about height limits on underpasses and we did have one issue with that but never thought about bridge weight limits. The guard on the gate said we weren't the only ones this happened to. He stopped traffic for Walt to turn around and directed us to the toll road that would get us on our way. He said the toll would be $28 but when we pulled up to the booth the lady charged us $3 and wished us a good day.
You can't win 'em all. Our 5 day stay in Quakerwoods Campground in Quakertown, PA wasn't the prettiest or the most comfortable but it was close to Philadelphia and in Bucks County so that is what counted.
There were pretty woods around showing off their fall colors.
Headed into Philadelphia the first day we were surprised to find such a scenic route.
It seems that going the back roads it is really rural until all of a sudden you are in the city.
Philadelphia is the 6th largest city in the U.S. and was founded in 1682. 1682.........that is a long time ago. William Penn, an English Quaker, founded the city to serve as capital of the Pennsylvania Colony. Narrow streets accommodated those horses and buggies but today they are barely wide enough for the Navigator.
Normal garbage trucks don't fit down these narrow streets. The garbage pick up is done manually and no garbage cans are provided so most garbage is put out in boxes and bags. Why am I focusing on this? I am not sure. Just being thankful for the clean suburbs I have always been able to live in I guess.
If you lived in this apartment building it wouldn't be hard to give directions to your house.
The spired tower is One Liberty Place. The non spired tower is Two Liberty Place. They broke the "gentleman's agreement" to not build any buildings taller than the William Penn statue on top of Philadelphia City Hall. They stood as Philadelphia's tallest buildings until the 58 story Comcast Center was completed in 2008.
There is a majestic Latter Day Saint temple right in the city center that was completed in 2016.
The tall building on the left is the Comcast Center. Philadelphia's tallest.
I don't remember what church this is but I love the stunning door surround.
This is the former Philadelphia Inquirer building that I understand the police department has now moved into.
Interesting street art. There is so much to see in Philadelphia. We have just begun.