New York state facts and trivia

List of New York Facts and Trivia

• Times Square is named after the New York Times.  Before New York Times moved to Times Square, this place was known as Longacre Square
• New Yorkers bite 10 times more people than sharks do worldwide each year
• Small crustaceans can be found in the drinking water
• Brooklyn Bridge is older than Tower Bridge in London
• The ice cream cone, pasta primavera and eggs Benedict were all invented in New York City
• Albert Einstein’s brain and eyeballs are kept in a safe box in the city
• There are more women than men in NYC
• New York City homeowners can request that a tree gets planted outside their homes for free
• The first American chess tournament was held in New York in 1843.
• More than 800 languages are being spoken in New York
• The 641-mile transportation network known as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway is the longest toll road in the United States.
• A brewer named Matthew Vassar founded Vassar College in Poughkeepsie in 1861.
• In 1979 Vassar students were the first from a private college to be granted permission to study in the People's Republic of China.
• Union College in Schenectady is regarded as the Mother of Fraternities because Delta Phi is the oldest continually operating fraternity and Kappa Alpha and Sigma Phi Societies were started on the campus.
• The Woodstock Music and Arts Fair was actually held in Bethel.
• Dairying is New York's most important farming activity with over 18,000 cattle and or calves farms.
• In 1807 The Clermont made its maiden voyage from New York City to Albany making the vessel the first successful steamboat.
• New York City has 722 miles of subway track.
• Power Mill Park situated outside Rochester has a house on Park Road shaped like a group of mushrooms.
• Oneida is home of the world's smallest church with the dimensions of 51" x 81".
• The first daily Yiddish newspaper appeared in 1885 in New York City.
• The "New York Post" established in 1803 by Alexander Hamilton is the oldest running newspaper in the United States.
• John Babcock invented both the indoor rowing machine and the sliding seat during the winter of 1869/1870.
• The first railroad in America ran a distance of 11 miles between Albany and Schenectady.
• The first capital of the United States was New York City. In 1789 George Washington took his oath as President on the balcony at Federal Hall.
• In November for Boy Scouts and in March for Girl Scouts, the annual Urban Camp-Outs are hosted at the Empire State Building.
• The Catskills are the home of the legend of Rip Van Winkle, brown trout and fly casting.
• The first presentation of 3D films before a paying audience took place at Manhattan's Astor Theater on June 10, 1915.
• Sam Wilson, a meatpacker from Troy who's caricature Uncle Sam came to personify the United States is buried at Troy's Oakwood Cemetery. During the War of 1812, he stamped "U.S. Beef" on his products which soldiers interpreted the U.S. abbreviation as meaning Uncle Sam.
• The Genesee River is one of the few rivers in the world that flows south to north.
• Rochester is known as both the Flour City and the Flower City. The community is home to the first abolitionist group, bloomers, marshmallows, Jell-O, French's Mustard, baby shoes, gold teeth, and the mail chute.
• Gennaro Lombardi opened the first United States pizzeria in 1895 in New York City.
• On July 28, 1945, an Army Air Corps B-25 crashed into the Empire State Building at the 79th-floor level.
• New York's largest lake, Lake Oneida, measures 79.8 square miles and is located northeast of Syracuse near the Great Lakes.
• New York's highest waterfall is the 215 foot Taughannock.
• The first Boy's Club was established by Edward Henry Harriman in New York City in 1876.
• European settlers who brought seeds to New York introduced apples in the 1600s.
• The Big Apple is a term coined by musicians meaning to play the big time.
• The first Eagle Scout was Arthur R. Eldred from Troop 1 in Oceanside. He was bestowed the honor in May 1912.
• Joseph C. Gayetty of New York City invented toilet paper in 1857.
• Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr. played against each other in Rochester vs. Pawtucket Red Sox in the longest game in baseball history. The game went a total of 33 innings.
• The oldest cattle ranch in the US was started in 1747 at Montauk on Long Island.
• Adirondack Park is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Olympic Parks combined.
• New York was the first state to require license plates on cars.
• Niagara Reservation became the first state park in the United States.
• Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh was the first publicly owned historic site.
• New York State is home to 58 species of wild orchids.
• New York has over 70,000 miles of rivers and streams.
• The first public brewery in America was established by Peter Minuit at the Market (Marckvelt) field in lower Manhattan.
• Horseheads is the first and only village in the United States dedicated to the service of the American military horse.
• Chittenago is the home of L. Frank Baum, author of the "Wizard of Oz". It features a yellow brick inlaid sidewalks leading to Aunti Em's and other Oz-themed businesses. Chittenago is the location of an annual Munchkins parade.

 

A Day in Toronto

This fountain in Berczy Park features 27 cast iron dogs, one scared-looking cat, a lone bone and the water is filtered safe for dogs and cats to drink.

Royal Bank Plaza Towers are insulated for heat by having the windows covered with a very thin coating of 24-carat gold leaf.  The 41-and 26-story towers have a total of 14,000 windows, covered with 2,500 ounces of gold, valued at over $1,000,000.

The CN Tower (CN = Canadian National)

I have been pretty lucky with traffic heading South; the bulk of the bumper-to-bumper was heading North.

Union Station receives over 300,000 daily visitors; opened in 1927, Union Station was designated as a national historic site in 1975 and is considered one of the finest examples in Canada of the classical Beaux-Arts architecture style representing an era of expanding national rail networks and vigorous urban growth.

Some of the islands viewed from the harbor boat tour

It is interesting how the old buildings are protected, so the new skyscrapers are either add-ons or built behind the old building.

I thought this picture was interesting in how the old building is reflected in the glass surface of a new building.

Toronto skyline

The Flatiron

I know it's been awhile since I've been to a "big" city, but OMG, Toronto was a hive.  I arrived downtown during the lunch hour .... just one of the office skyscrapers has over 10,000 employees, so you imagine the number of people.

Driving is insane; gridlock, drivers are honking and shouting obscenities at each other; craziness.  They even have those people who wash your windshield while you're stopped.

This "scrambler" intersection crosswalk has over 60,000 people crossing it every day.





It was a pretty expensive sightseeing day in Toronto.  It was $32.00 to park for 7 hours, $42 for the CN tower just to get to the first level, $4.15 for a Diet Coke, $35 for the On/Off bus and $10 for a hamburger.

I couldn't afford a second day ....

Rogers Center

Toronto has lots of murals and sculptures throughout the city

Hopped back onto the QEW (like I could just move this behemoth in a blink of an eye) heading for the border and Niagara Falls.  (QEW = Queen Elizabeth Way).

Earning my Ontario sticker ..

Nottawasaga Bay with the Niagara Escarpment rising behind - in Meaford

It was recommended to me that a chip shop in Sturgeon Falls had the best Poutine in the province, so I was all set to "bite the bullet" and give it a try.  The shop was closed.  I missed out.

Walters Falls

Always something on the road ... I think someone's chickens got loose

 If I hadn't been driving slow, we'd have had Kentucky Fried for dinner ...

North America's Smallest Jail - Creemore

The Creemore Jail built in 1892, measures 15 x 20 feet on the outside and contains three small cells.  The story has it that the first prisoner was a cow and after that, it was used mainly by men who had too much to drink, until the 1940s.

 An 8.5-acre park is the final resting place of Canada's most famous dog, Beautiful Joe.  In 1983 he gained notoriety when Canadian author (Margaret) Marshall Saunders submitted his story of abuse and rescue to a contest in the US by the Humane Education Society and won.

Beautiful Joe Park, situated by the home and resting place of the dog made famous by Marshall Saunders's book.

When you are taking a coastal sightseeing tour on a Sunday, you better plan on the whole day!  And don't even think you are getting near the water without paying for the privilege.  I drove over 300 miles looking .... Oh, and every one of the towns had a curling club.

Wagasa Beach - world's longest freshwater beach

The Big Nickle / Dynamic Earth

The largest coin in the world, The Big Nickel is a replica of the 1951 Canadian five-cent coin, built in 1964.

Dynamic Earth is an interactive science museum focusing on the geology of the earth.  It also has an underground tour (7 stories below the surface) of mining changes during the past 100 years.

Lake at McRae Provincial Campground

I managed to find 3 days mid-week available at this campground.  I was feeling really tired and just needed some "veg" time.  I watched some movies, read a couple of books, did some housecleaning and now I'm ready to hit the road again.

Well, I bought some extra hot spot time and managed to be current with my blogs.  Thanks for your patience.
 

My next stop is Toronto and Niagara Falls.  I'm pretty excited as this will be another bucket list item.  I've never been to the Falls before.

Manitoulin Island

OK, I took the ferry across the bay from Tobermory to Manitoulin Island.  It was an experience, cheaper than driving around, and a lot quicker.  If you are curious, it was $225 Canadian for my coach, Jeep and myself and just short of a 2-hour ride.  It was a comfortable ride ... a little early as I was on the first ferry (in order to stay the previous night in the parking lot) so we started to board at 6:30am.

Just like on an airplane, when the announcement came to return to your vehicles the announcer made several statements to NOT start your vehicles until the crew directed you to do so.  Everyone started their engines as soon as they got in their vehicles.  The poor crew breathing all those fumes!   It was an odd sensation to sit in the coach and feel the boat rocking underneath, especially the movement when we were docking.

I stayed on the island for 4 days at Stanley Park campground.  I was parked in a grassy field, but I had electric and water and I could empty my grey tank onto the grass.  They had a nice beach and the water was wonderful.  The island was pretty; lots of wildflowers blooming in the fields and alongside the road; cool breezes; beautiful clear water; few mosquitos.  It is a summer vacation island and the people are very friendly.  They have winter sports - ice fishing and snowmobiling as well.  Not many people stay year-round. 

They major recycle on the island, so all trash is sorted into various categories before they will take it.  Just like California.

This is Bridal Veil Falls.  As you can see, if you go down to swim, you walk back up. 😊

I drove 68 miles, including 7 1/2 of gravel, to get to the lighthouse.

On my way back from the lighthouse to the campground, I stopped in Gore Bay for gas ($75 Canadian) and some lunch.  I drove down by the marina and watched the boats while I ate from a food truck at Split Rail Brewery.   I really need to remember where I am more because I ordered a pizza, not thinking that their pepperoni and bacon are not the same as the US, and cheese is double or triple.

And when I was ready to leave the island, this is how I got off onto the mainland.

Bruce Peninsula

Before leaving London I toured the Fanshawe Pioneer Village.  The village spans 100 of Canada history and was very interesting.  They have weddings there as well.  😁  I didn't stay as long as I wanted because of the heat and humidity but found it well worth the stop.  As usual, there were docents in period costumes that enhanced the experience.

I picked up a few more segments of the Lake Huron Circle Tour on Hwy 21.

Instead of the usual deer crossing signs, this road has turtle and snake warning signs. 

On the way north I stopped in a little town Pine River.  I was actually looking for the lighthouse at Point Clark, but, as is the case with a lot of beach towns, it was hard to get the behemoth close enough to sightsee. 



Pine River has a historic district, as do most towns, but they did something a little different that I found cool.  They gathered pictures of the people standing in front of the buildings "in the day" and reproduced them to life-size figures and recreated the pictures.  I know that probably doesn't make sense, but if you look at the pictures I took, you'll get the idea (hopefully).

The next stop was Sauble Beach!

With seven kilometers of pristine sandy beach, Sauble Beach is the second longest freshwater beach in the world!

Can you see in the picture how clear that water truly is?    Awesome.

I obviously didn't take the picture at the right, but what a great place to visit. 

The water was cold but felt refreshing.


I lot-docked at Walmart for the night in Owen Sound because I had ferry reservation and an extra night before departure.  As I found out later I was 20 miles from Meaford, where I ended up going a week later.  I didn't realize and which I had as I definitely had the time to spare.  As it turned out, I ended up paying $15 to park alongside the road in Tobermory for 12 hours before I could park at the ferry terminal for my ride.

Tobermory was so packed I couldn't even get close to taking a boat trip in the harbor or visiting the Bruce Peninsula National Parks.  Wow.  This is where Lake Huron and Georgian Bay meet.

The Bruce Peninsula National Park is actually two parks; Bruce Peninsula National park and Fathom Five National Marine Park.  Fathom Five became Canada's first marine park in 1987. It protects nearly two dozen shipwrecks, three historic lighthouses, and 22 islands. I did not have reservations, so I missed out, but what a great place to spend time.  I couldn't even get into the parking lot at the visitor center.

This happens to be the only place in Canada that has snakes; rattlesnakes to be precise.  They also have dwarf iris unique to this area, and 48 orchids species not found elsewhere ... and flying squirrels.

 Worth a trip when the weather is cooler.

Ontario, again

My Michigan travels

I crossed the border at Port Huron, Michigan into Ontario, Canada and drove the QEW to Oakville on Lake Ontario.  I was hoping for some cooler weather, but it didn't happen., even with a drive along the lakeshore.



 The Provincial campground where I stayed had a day-use area with a pool.

You actually had to drive about 6 miles to the day-use area due to a ravine that you needed to drive around.  There was a cost for the pool of $4.00, but the parking was free if you had a campground pass.  The pool capacity was 2200 bodies.  Can you imagine?


One of the reasons for being in this area was to see the Royal Botanical Gardens.  I was disappointed some; I expected more from the title.  Don't misunderstand, it was a pleasant place, but I had different expectations.  My fault. 

The first garden area was a Mediterranean Garden.  It looked like Southern California and when I looked at the map, SoCal was indeed predominantly included.

They have 4 weddings each weekend in each of the five gardens!  They offer shuttle service on the weekends, but as I was there during the week, I had to drive from garden site to garden site.

RBG is the largest botanical garden in Canada, a National Historic Site, and Canada's plant biodiversity hot spot. RBG features approximately 42 living collections displayed in five major garden exhibition area.

I drove about 25 miles to the African Lion Safari thinking it was going to be a "drive-through" couple hour experience.  It turned out to be $40 and a full-on amusement park including boat rides, train rides, ride rides, etc.  I didn't come expecting to spend the day so I passed and went back to the campground.  Also, I have a small chip in my windshield by the wipers and they won't let you drive through the "safari" with a chip or crack in your windshield.  I'm assuming the cats climb on the cars?

One thing Canada has on the QEW is the highway centers.  I first encountered these on the turnpike coming back from Nova Scotia my first year on the road.  They are great, especially for me.  More than a rest stop, there are fast-food restaurants, truck lanes for diesel, convenience stores for drinks and snacks; it's great.  The biggest advantage for me is the diesel if I need it.  Quite the saver of having to get off the highway and finding truck lane fuel.

I returned to London before heading north and my ferry ride.  The Tree Truck Tour was not up to the recommendation.  It was in a bad part of town and the carvings weren't impressive.

I forgot it was a holiday weekend in Canada, so I spent the weekend at a Moose Lodge with no a/c and a whole lot of bikers.

And then onto the Bruce Peninsula ....

Unfortunately, I'm way behind in my blogs as I'm back to the country of no internet.   I have a halfway decent hotspot here (about an hour north of Toronto), so bear with me while I try to play catch up.

The last of Michigan...

I had one more National Park to visit in Michigan, River Raisin.  I have visited (and got my stamp) at 75 National Parks in the almost 4 years of being full-time in my RV.  That accounts for part of the zigzagging I do across the country!

River Raisin is a National Battlefield Park, commemorating the War of 1812 battles of Frenchtown on the Raisin River, January 18 and 22, 1813.  It was a big defeat with especially heavy casualties for the US, mostly Kentuckians.  The United States pursued a land war here because British ships ruled Lake Erie to supply their troops, militia, and native allies. 

You can walk around the grounds; there are plaques explaining the battles and what happened.  And there are exhibits in the visitor's center.
 
No trip to Michigan would be complete without a stop in Dearborn, and of course, I had to find some stuff to see along the way.

I found this really great bridge

The Uniroyal Giant Tire was created by the United States Rubber Company for the 1964 New York World's Fair, where it functioned as a Ferris wheel. Since 1966 it has served as a static display in Allen Park, Michigan

I drove by the Michigan International Speedway, but it was closed

In Dearborn, I took the Rouge factory tour (the plant was named after the river Rouge). Ford charges $6.00 to park in their lot, plus $20 for the tour.  Really??  You get a big welcome at the door to the plant, maybe to take the sting out of the price.  No cameras or recording devices are allowed.

The tour starts with two very different films, the first about Henry Ford and his vision, the second is a lazer-type show about development and production.  The actual factory tour includes six observation platforms along the catwalk, where you can watch the vehicles being assembled.  OMG mind-numbing work!  I was surprised there were no robots doing the work except the windshields, as I had heard Ford used them and I was excited to see them, but all this work was performed by men and women screwing in the same nuts as the frames moved down a conveyor belt.  When I inquired about the boredom, I was told that the workers are in "pods" of 10 and every day the employees decided what job each will do in their given department, so they do get to switch it up a little if they choose to do so, but still ....

I was very surprised to learn how much of the vehicle is glued in place before nuts and bolts are applied.   Also, no safety gear is required for the employees except glasses, which most of them weren't wearing.  It was loud, but ear protection was not required and if they were using headphones or earbuds, they had to have one ear uncovered all the time.  Also, any clothes, including shoes, were allowed.  No steel toes required.

The roof of the plant was interesting.  It is a living roof.  Also, those greenhouse-looking structures are actually sunroofs to provide natural light for the factory.  Ford recycles and uses solar as well; all water going to the river is "cleaned", even the rainwater runoff from the roof, and they have 1500 trees to help clear the air from the exhaust.

The last part of the tour is a nature walk through the trees.

I left Detroit at 4pm and was very glad I was traveling the direction I was on Hwy  94 because it was a solid line of cars for miles and miles; you couldn't see the end, traveling the other way.

As I think I mentioned before, Michigan was a different camping experience for me.  Because of the heat and HUMIDITY, I stayed in State Parks for electricity to run my A/C, instead of boondocking as I normally do.  Michigan State Parks are different from most state parks, as they "group camp" rather than provide separate secluded sites for campers.  A new experience is always nice.

The roads are no better/no worse than other states.  I think the entire county needs to revisit their transportation systems.  As usual, it is the construction season here, as everywhere in summer.

I head back to Ontario later this week.  I'm looking forward to my ferry crossing, Toronto, Niagara Falls, and meeting new friends.  I'm even going to try some of their "plant-based" meat they are so proud of.  I'll let you know if it really tastes like meat.