Author: Emily

Another long day in the books! Honestly, my favorite thing about this trip so far has been how much longer my days feel vs. when I’m working at home – I could’ve sworn Binghampton was a week ago when it was literally yesterday! I started my day with the same continental breakfast of champions, and then it was off to Niagara Falls!!! 

I was VERY excited to go here because I love waterfalls and also one of my favorite TV episodes EVER was partially filmed here (Pam & Jim’s wedding episode in “The Office”). Overall it was great but I certainly faced a few pitfalls. The first was parking – the main two lots were full but I was NOT about to pay $30 to park in town!!! So I drove around for a while and then when I was justtt about to cave on the $30 option, I did some quick googling and found another free lot within the state park that was near the aquarium. Very proud of myself for being frugal and ending up in the free lot instead of paying (I know it doesn’t seem like much, but this parking ordeal took me an extra 30 minutes – an older version of me would’ve immediately folded on the $30 parking). 

The parking lot was a half mile from the actual falls so I got a STUNNING view of Canada + the water (probably my favorite view of the day). Then I headed over to the actual falls and boy was it busy! Probably because it was a weekend and also such a nice day out. However, as I discovered at Watkins Glen yesterday, other people = very annoying. I decided to forgo the “Maid in the Mist” boat ride because a) it was crowded and b) I want to save that for when I visit Niagara Falls with my (currently nonexistent and potentially never-will-exist) fiancé in order to emulate some of the magic of Jim & Pam’s relationship. So instead, I meandered around the different falls and took in all of the lovely views, including rainbows!! Then of course I went to the gift shop and secured a magnet + shot glass (both of which were very cool, which justified the expenditure). 

I spent a good 1.5-2 hours at the park before heading back to the car and mentally preparing myself for a 2.5 hour drive to my next stop – Erie, PA! I have decided to avoid highways as much as possible on this trip because yesterday I saw the aftermath of a deer-related accident involving a minivan and a truck – I think everyone was okay but the deer was sadly not and that was on a big major highway. Of course, if it adds an extra hour or something, I’ll do the highway, but I like the state roads anyway as they tend to be more scenic. So I ventured on the state roads all the way to Erie, catching glimpses of the lake in question which was very exciting as I’ve never seen any of the Great Lakes before. I listened to “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” by Bad Bunny which was straight fire. I didn’t really understand any of the lyrics but the instrumentals were great and I love Bad Bunny’s voice/cadence so it was a very enjoyable experience. 

Once I got to Erie, I went straight to Presque Isle to get a lay of the land. It was much bigger than I thought but very peaceful and cute. I stopped at the lighthouse and decided to head to the beach since it was still early in the evening. I honestly couldn’t believe I was standing at the shore of a lake!!!! It literally looks like the ocean, the only differences are the smell of the water and the type of sand on the beach. I stood there for a good 10 minutes just letting the wind blow around me and marveling at this giant lake – there’s a lot of peace to be found in just letting yourself be somewhere without having to get to the next place (I believe this is what meditation is all about…I feel sorry for all the years I disparaged meditating and said I hated it!). Then I headed into town for my first solo meal at a restaurant!!! 

I was quite nervous, but I got there around 5pm so it was thankfully pretty empty. I went to “Shoreline Bar & Grille” which was a cute restaurant facing Presque Isle Bay. I sat outside and baked in the sun although the breeze off the water made it a bit more tolerable. I read my book and got a whiskey sour made with local liquor and splurged on some salmon, potatoes, and asparagus. Honestly, the meal was more expensive than I intended but it was very yummy and nutritious so it’s all good. The waitress, named Kayla, was also super nice and overall the solo dining experience was quite pleasant! 

I walked along the pier after dinner and sat on a bench for a bit to contemplate life. Then I checked into my hotel and now here I am! Get hype for tomorrow because I’m going to a state I haven’t been to before!!!

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!

Welcome to my blog!!! I don’t know exactly what format to do for this (i.e. how long should the posts be, should there be a common theme like a song lyric per post or something like that, do I post even when I’m not travelling, etc.) but I figure I should just get started and let it evolve naturally. So here we go!

I am officially in Binghampton! Unfortunately, my trip got derailed almost immediately because I had to work way later than expected so I ended up pushing my departure back by a few hours. I got on the road in the late afternoon after saying goodbye to my family and went on my merry way. I pretty much exclusively listened to Taylor Swift today, including a full playthrough of “reputation,” “The Tortured Poets Department: Anthology,” and “Midnights” (The Til Dawn Edition, duh!). 

I stopped in Scranton along the way, which was much larger than I thought it was. Sadly, I didn’t get to see any filming locations for “The Office” since most of that was filmed in LA anyway and I didn’t have much time to wander around. I ended up at a Turkey Hill (THE superior gas station) near Scranton High School, where I caught bits and pieces of a football game – Friday Night Lights IRL!

Then I was off again to Binghampton, where I checked into my tiny hotel room. It was dark by the time I arrived so I haven’t seen much of the actual city, but I’m set to explore tomorrow. The drive wasn’t bad although my super red eyes say otherwise. It was honestly quite beautiful, with lots of trees and river views, a few big rocky hills, and the sun setting on a crystal clear sky. Not too shabby! I’m really excited to be embarking on this trip – this is a bit dramatic, but it all feels very magical and full of potential. Can’t wait to see what’s in store tomorrow!