What a (long) day! Woke up and got myself some continental breakfast, then I got ready and headed over to Binghamton University. I drove around campus and saw all the little freshman doing orientation stuff, which made me miss college a bit. Then I drove through the actual town of Binghampton which was alright, nothing too special (no offense to anyone from Binghampton).
I hit the road for about an hour and then stopped at a little deli called “Soprano’s Market” for lunch. I went to Waverly Glen to eat – it took me a bit of time to figure out where to sit because there were a lot of different areas and I also didn’t want to bother anyone, so I looked at the trail guide and wandered over to a picnic bench near the waterfall within the park. I also realized that I shouldn’t care about bothering people because it’s literally a public park and all I was gonna do was quietly eat my sandwich. Personal growth! I got settled at a picnic bench and it was quite lovely although some bugs tried to kill me (aka eat my sandwich and randomly attack my water bottle). Then I went on the nearby swingset because why the heck not? It was such fun, I haven’t been on a swing in ages.
After that, I was off to Watkins Glen State Park, which I found through TikTok. I was VERY excited to go. It was 100% breathtaking and SUPER cool geologically but unfortunately there were about 10 million people there who had no regard for personal space and seemed to delight in taking up the entire trail and walking very slowly. I would love to go back on a less crowded day, ideally when it’s cloudy and/or rainy since I think that would really add to the park’s ambiance. It was still quite stunning though, with interesting rock formations and little blue pools that looked quite refreshing. I wandered around for a few hours, first down through the gorge and then on the upper path near a cemetery. LOTS of stairs! Of course I had to stop at the gift shop to get a magnet and shot glass, and since I wasn’t completely in love with the selection, I decided I should only get a magnet and/or shot glass if I REALLY like it – if I get both in every location I visit, I’ll be broke by the end of this trip!
After that, I was off to Buffalo. I listened to a lot of Role Model, COIN (rip), Noah Kahan, and Hozier today, which was a fun vibe (and by fun I mean angst-ridden). Then I checked into my hotel right next to the airport. I was honestly wiped out at this point so I debated what to do for dinner and ended up driving all the way across town to “Anchor Bar,” a cool motorcycle-themed restaurant, before deciding to go back across town to get McDonald’s and eat in my room. Part of this decision was admittedly fueled by social anxiety, but a bigger part was fueled by the fact that it was already 9pm and I was about to fall over from exhaustion. I will conquer my fear of eating alone tomorrow! Anyway, my McDonald’s was very enjoyable. I am off to bed but very VERY excited for tomorrow!