Our first stop on Friday was in Syracuse, where Amanda was able to meet one of her online kidney mom friends in real life. Courtney and her husband took their four kids to a local elementary school playground, where they were able to hang out for an hour. I missed most of the get-together diagnosing a check engine light, refueling our van, and picking up lunch.
We enjoyed our subs at the park’s covered picnic tables, though the presence of a few honeybees gave the kids occasional anxiety. We had takeout from DiBella’s, a regional sub sandwich chain headquartered in nearby Rochester. The subs and salad were solid, but like last night’s hot dog stand, I’d probably try a different lunch spot the next time we’re in town.
We made a restroom stop on our way out of Syracuse at Wegmans, a legendary northeastern grocery store chain. Emmie was up for a photo outside to document our stop.
We drove another 90 miles on the I-90 thruway to Herkimer, New York, known for their diamond-like quartz crystals. Mining enthusiasts have the option to borrow equipment and spend a full day looking for their own diamonds, but with only a short timeframe for our stop, we opted to purchase a couple of the pre-filled sluice bags.
The mega bag yielded the most fun, sifting through pounds of dirt to find a number of gems, fossils, and artifacts. The largest find, included with every mega bag, was a large amethyst. Which child gets to keep the amethyst is still up for debate, with the current working idea to rotate its ownership on a monthly basis.
Dinner was at a place near New York’s capital city of Albany called Ted’s Fish Fry. The restaurant was a popular Friday night takeout spot, and it was clear most locals knew exactly what to order and how to order. I went with two of their “fish fry” specials, which featured long strips of cod on hot dog buns, a fish-n-chips plate, homemade onion rings, and a bacon cheeseburger for Noah. We found a picnic table outside to eat most of what we ordered.
The “fish fry” specials at Ted’s were served with a sweet chili sauce.
We grabbed a photo when we crossed the Vermont state line and managed to get to our Airbnb a shade before our planned 8:30 arrival time. It was dark, we were without cell phone internet service, and the marker on Google Maps was off, but after a few minutes of driving, we were able to find the place. We unloaded our luggage, got the kids set up in their cozy second-floor rooms, and eventually went to sleep.
We were greeted with fresh eggs, pancake mix and syrup at the Airbnb!