There's a lot of movement, a lot of chaos in our world, and our eyes can easily venture to headlines or the fastest moving hot-spots. Therefore, is it safe to say that some areas of our nation can fall out of our radar? I'm talking small rural towns and in this case, upstate New York specifically.
I'd say I'm fairly adaptable, but coming from the city of Memphis to, Big Flats, New York was an entirely different landscape (both literally because there are rolling hills and farmland as far as the eye can see, and metaphorically because the lifestyles and the atmosphere itself are so different). Small towns possess a certain relaxed while simultaneously attentive disposition. People are sincere in their interactions with one another, and true check ins take place.
The recipe for adventure in upstate New York is irresistible. Let's start with just driving through the area, through farmlands and towns and neighborhoods alike. Looking out the window sends the artistic-minded and the soaking-up-the-simplicity-of-it-all-minded whirling as the grandeur of sky uninterrupted by tall buildings and lush green that rolls carpets upon carpets into the horizon creates a peace that rushes to the soul.
Collections of small towns and neighborhoods are splattered all around, Corning, Elmira, Wellsboro, Watkins Glen, Keuka and often surrounding the Finger Lakes. Quality eats and strolling through downtowns that are small yet cherished is refreshing. Everything is very well taken care, the architecture is as old as the beginning of the towns themselves, and little details are looked after. The community pays attention to itself as a collective body that promotes the past and thrives in the present, in a mellow sort of way. The bustle is different - high energy is found in seeing someone you haven't seen in a while or in big farmer markets, or in community breakfasts to celebrate the town's history or in reaching the top of hikes, hills, vineyards or in gathering to support Elmira native Molly Huddle or in watching gliders soar high above.
Taking time to truly appreciate nature is a key aspect of life as well. I was fortunate enough to have a guided tour from "Elmira Mountain Man", Rattlesnake Bob, who is caretaker of a nature reservation and rendered me speechless with the bounties of natural life information, facts, and truths of our relationship with nature: everything we do being connected to the environment and vice versa.
In addition to the Thoreau senses, what adds such flavor to the body of these areas is none other than the intertwining of people and history. Everyone knows about everyone. Who owned what land, why she did what she did, where he'll be on Tuesday, what car they used to drive, on and on. And it's stacked upon and embedded in Native American, colonial, and civil war history, honestly the juiciest parts of these eras too - from Iroquois federation grounds to the underground railroad, there is an influx of stories. True richness is found in this, that all the people there have a certain focus on one another and on true appreciation for where they are, where they have come from, and the beautiful - the honest to God BEAUTIFUL land that they live in.
Exploring upstate New York sent me reeling with gratitude for the plethoras of walks of life all around us, and this city girl is itching for the plains again already.
