Jamestown, New York
The drive from Syracuse, NY was beautiful. Colors were still brilliant in the valleys and near water.
On the way we stopped at Salamanca Mall Antiques, 100 Main Street, Salamanca, NY 14779. We love antique browsing. This was a great find! It is one of the largest most diverse antique shops we have browsed.
Not to miss – National Comedy Center, 203 W. 2nd Street. It is one of the best interactive museums we have seen. Personalized programs, a rich history of comedy as entertainment as well as catalysts for cultural change, and many retrospective clips that had us laughing. We drew cartoons, did a joke playoff (Paul won of course), and did a buddy film reading a prompter (Painfully bad!) but fun! Comedycenter.org.
Buy a combo ticket to also see the Lucy Desi Museum, 2 W. 3rd St. Lucy was born in Jamestown and the museum does a professional and fun tribute to them both. What a fascinating love story and business partnership they had! History, video clips, movie clips, stage sets, and costumes are well presented. LucyDesiShop.com
Drive the town with LucyTownTour.com on your mobile device.
We stopped for an Italian homecooked meal at La Cucina Della Nonna, 718 W. Third St., Jamestown, NY 14701
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
On the way to Pittsburgh, we drove along Lake Erie through wine country. Be sure to visit 21 Brix, 12073 East Main Road, North East, PA. They go all out for seasonal celebrations.
We also enjoyed Lakeview Wine Cellars, 8440 Singer Rd. and Mazza Vineyards, 11815 East Lake Road.
In Westfield, NY, we happened upon Johnson Estate Winery and Landmark Acres Antiques located on the first farm settled in Chautauqua County – 1802. 8419 US Route 20 West. They have been collecting there for decades so take your time and browse. They take great care with informational signs about special items. They also have a vineyard on the property.
In advance of our trip we got tickets to Noises Off at the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave. Noises Off was a hilariously entertaining show. The O’Rielly Theater was perfect for it with its audience on three sides and state of the art technology and staging. There are several theaters in Pittsburgh, so be sure to look at your options.
Our hotel was a Drury Plaza Hotel constructed inside a historic Federal Reserve Bank building. It was centrally located and made exploring downtown easy. The generous breakfasts and happy hours provided a complete stay experience. 745 Grant St.
Not to miss are Mount Washinton, Little Italy, the Market in the Strip District, and Market Square. One of our favorites was Randyland, 1501 Arch St.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Our hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott/The Phelps, 506 East 4th St., was perfectly located walking distance from everything we wanted to see.
In advance of our trip, we booked seats at the Taft Theater for Herby Hancock. What an amazing show. The historic Taft Theater was beautiful.
We were able to walk there and to the Taft Museum easily. In addition, we were close to the major sporting venues as well as several excellent restaurants.
The Taft Museum was outstanding. What a great collection of art, furnishings, and historic treasures. Highly recommend.
The Antique find was Riverside Centre Antique Mall, 3742 Kellogg Ave.
Sotto, 118 East 6th St., and Prime Cincinnati, 580 Walnut St., were excellent choices.
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Towering above Chattanooga is Lookout Mountain. There is a Incline Railway that will take you to the top but we chose the winding road to the top. The views are dramatic. History became real seeing where Civil War encampments and battles took place.
Rock City and Ruby Falls are must sees while visiting the mountain.
Chattanooga Market, 1801 Reggie White Blvd. and Vinterest Southside, 2121 Chestnut St., were worth the visit. The Chattanooga Market had live music, educational booths, as well as arts, crafts, and foods.
The Refindery was a fun antique store to browse.
