July 8, 2004 -- Thick-leaved trees bend over the Erie Canal nowadays, making it look more like a Louisiana byway than the avenue of industry it once was. Villages cling to the canal's cozy sides, and wandering the towpath in the sparkling light lets you peer into backyards and check out private docks, without much of anywhere to be at any particular time.
The new ferryfrom Toronto to Rochester has left a whole lot of Torontonians asking why the heck they'd want to go to Rochester. Frommer's writers say the city itself is "surprisingly agreeable" and "extremely livable," but I was most charmed by the waterway along the city's southern edge, a welcome break from the metropolitan feel of both Toronto and New York.
I flew up from New York on JetBlue, the best possible start to any weekend away. Not only do they have spectacular legroom in the back of their planes, those famous seatback TVs even work during that dull taxiing and takeoff time when you're not allowed to use your iPod. Flights from New York to Rochester start at $98 roundtrip.
To check out the Erie side of Rochester, base yourself at the Del Monte Lodge in the nearby town of Pittsford. Much more village than suburb, but only a 15-minute drive from downtown Rochester, Pittsford is a collection of shops and restaurants on the Erie Canal with one classy hotel and a bunch of big old wood-framed homes.
The Del Monte Lodge has nothing to do with pineapples - it's named for its owner, founder of a Rochester-area construction firm. The hotel offers service good enough for a Ritz-Carlton, including a free shuttle that will take you to the airport, the ferry dock, downtown, or wherever else you want (as long as no other guests have a more urgent need.) The furnishings aren't quite Ritz, but they're more than comfortable, with a steakhouse, indoor pool and sunny patio. The Del Montes are developing a full spa in an old railroad depot next door; it'll be ready next year.
The Lodge is a five-minute walk from Pittsford's shops and backs onto the canal; you can wander down, get brunch at the popular canalside restaurant Aladdin's (8 Schoen Place, Pittsford; 585/264-9000) and take a cruise on the Sam Patch Packet Boat (www.sampatch.org) for the full canal experience. The Sam Patch wasn't running when I was there, so I cruised instead on the Colonial Belle (www.colonialbelle.com/new_york_state_tour.html), out of Fairport, another canal village seven miles down the line. The skipper of the family-run Colonial Belle explained how the canal was built, told the tale of when it nearly drained dry in an industrial accident, and took us into a lock - an amazing experience where the boat bobs up 25 feet so the canal can stay flat.
Staying in Pittsford gave me easy access to the Finger Lakes wine country, as well. One of the nation's largest wine-growing area, the region is described by Frommer's as "a dream marriage of Scotland and Napa Valley" - and it's only a half-hour drive from Pittsford. You may not have tasted Finger Lakes wine before, but that's only because the many small wineries easily sell out their yearly production without going far afield, through shops like Vintage New York in New York City (www.vintagenewyork.com/homepage.html).
The nearest winery to Pittsford and Rochester, Casa Larga (www.casalarga.com) makes 20 kinds of wines from 14 grapes, including an award winning ice wine - a bizarre and precious dessert wine pressed from frozen grapes that tastes of mango and papaya.
I got a lift to and from Casa Larga, and I needed it after touring the fermentation barrels and bottling area, tasting 12 wines, and discovering the difference between a red aged in American oak and one aged in French oak. (The French oak one is smoother.) If you want to hit the Finger Lakes' 50 wineries, bring a designated driver, use a chauffeuring service like Finger Lakes Winery Tours (www.fingerlakeswinerytours.com) or take an organized tour with Grapevine Country Tours (www.grapevinecountrytours.com).
Head out soon, and you'll be able to attend the Finger Lakes Wine Festival (www.flwinefest.com), running July 16-18 in Watkins Glen. An amazing 60 wineries will be offering their fares at the festival. If you don't have a designated driver, a $5 bus will take you to and from various inexpensive hotels in nearby Horseheads and Corning, NY.
I did dip into the city of Rochester for two excursions, and you don't need a car for either of them. Rochester's #7 bus takes you from Pittsford to Wegman's (www.wegmans.com), a vast gourmet supermarket that's basically a Whole Foods the size of a Costco, with a dozen different kinds of beautiful onions and its own restaurant, Tastings. I lunched in the grocery store itself, which has chef stations doling out freshly-made soups, salads and sandwiches.
I had to visit one location downtown, so I hopped on the #7 and went straight to the Strong Museum - and if you have kids, you should, too. The nostalgia of seeing Sesame Street episodes from the time I was born (featuring a bizarrely naked Ernie) nearly brought tears to my eyes, and the vast doll collection stretching back centuries will give me nightmares for days. (The dolls are arrayed in glass cases along long, narrow aisles, and they obviously jump out and dismember people after dark.)
However happy the museum made me, I couldn't compete with the seven-year-olds running around, making music on the interactive music-making exhibit, playing in the little post office, grocery store and airplane cockpit, and putting together cars on the mock assembly line. One omission: an exhibit on U.S. presidents who lost the popular vote says nothing about the election of 2000.
So, Torontonians - and New Yorkers, with your cheap JetBlue flights - why go to Rochester? Lazy walks by the canal with an ice-cream cone are one reason, as are the dozens of top-notch wineries and the world-class children's museum. So stop mocking that ferry. It's actually going somewhere cool.