Chris again. Jillian’s back to driving on our way to Pittsfield, VT so I’m back up. Yesterday we traveled from Erie, PA to Corning, NY to visit some friends and explore the area with our incredible guides.

We started the day by leaving Erie a little later than normal at about 9am. It was an easy drive to Corning, only about 193 miles and took about 3 hours with stops.

We were there to visit one of my best friends James and his girlfriend Laurel. We arrived in Corning a little after 12 and headed out to get some lunch at a local cafe, Old World Cafe.

Their sandwiches were huge and delicious as well as the pasta salad. James also got a piece of strawberry rhubarb pie which he said was wonderful.

Corning really has a nice downtown area with plenty to do and you can tell there’s a lot for people visiting to do. It’s known for the Corning Museum of Glass which is actually where James works.

After lunch we decided to take a trip to Seneca Lake with their dog, Nukem, which is a beautiful lake with its south end in Watkins Glen surrounded by wineries and breweries.

We decided to stop by 2 breweries, Lucky Hare and Two Goats where we tried some of their own beers and even played corn hole.

Within the Two Goats if you look up at the ceiling there are hundreds of bills tacked to the ceiling. James told us it’s because they used to play a game where they would put a tack inside a dollar bill and then a pebble and crinkle it up with the tack facing out. You then throw it towards the ceiling to try and get it to stick. If it sticks the pebble will fall out and eventually the dollar bill will open back up over time.

After the breweries we stopped in and hung out at the local park/beach area for a little bit and put our feet in the water which was a little chilly at first but perfect on such a warm day.

On the way back we stopped at Walmart and picked up some Bad Mitton for the back yard. James and I set-up the net perfectly and we played bad mitton, a few games of stump, hung out by an attempted fire and got pizza for dinner.

Overall it was a fun day with great people and a nice rest for Subie in the afternoon. Both places, Corning and Seneca Lake are worth a visit if you’re ever looking for a weekend trip somewhere or just a vacation somewhere away from a city.

Tomorrow it’s visiting the Glass Museum in the morning and then off to Pittsfield, VT and visiting some family. It’s bittersweet to say we’re officially back in New England…

CGJ aka “Gem”