FALL
Sixteen years ago, I drove an over-packed car four hours via four interstates and two state routes to escort my then 17-year-old daughter to college. We were on a mission to get there quickly, ahead of the rush to unpack and settle before a day equally filled with orientation activities. Those well-worn highways and byways mark the passage of time.
As a child, my family frequently traveled NY Route 17, the Southern Tier Expressway (and yes, it was in a station wagon with wood-panel siding). I can recall each time a new section of the four-lane was added, and my parents had a clear path to speed down the “super duper” highway at an impressive 55mph. For years, we stopped in Salamanca for foot-long hot dogs and ice cream. Sometimes, it was in Cuba for cheese or soft-serve. When McDonald’s opened, that became the quick and convenient stop as expediency was a priority then.
The last western section of Route 17 was finished around 1998. A year later, it was designated Interstate 86. It took nearly four decades to build the continuous limited access highway. When complete, it cut our original travel time nearly in half.
These days, I prefer the more leisurely route when time allows, avoiding the on-ramp and plotting a course through town and village centers and on past vineyards, pastures and fields of corn and beans. Along the state and county roads, you can watch the nuances of the seasons changing, witnessing the cycles of planting, growing, harvesting and rest. You see when an abundance of rain has flooded the fields, or when several days of sunshine have greened them up. You see the landscape transform to a palette of colors as well as when leaves fall to the ground in piles of yellow and red. You observe where the local traffic is heading and where coffee shops and markets are popping up. You also see the empty storefronts and barns in disrepair. It’s a fuller picture of life in the region, one rarely covered in the news or posted on social media, and one invisible from the interstate.
Choosing byways was the inspiration for this issue in which we explore alternate routes and the iconic foods you might find along them. Maybe it will kindle a road trip this fall. Perhaps it will just be a reminder to slow down for a bit. Take a detour and dawdle on the way to wherever you are going. And, savor each moment you can.
Look for the fall issue at advertisers and partner locations throughout Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania as well as in brochure racks at major attractions, information centers and hotels in Chautauqua County.
LOOK FOR A COPY AT BROCHURE RACKS, INFORMATION CENTERS AND THESE LOCATIONS
Amherst
Bemus Point
Buffalo
Cattaraugus
I-86 Rest Area WB
