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S U M M E R I T H A C A 2 0 2 1 All Aboard

EXPERIENCE THE FINGER LAKES FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE

By Hannah Fitzpatrick

The Finger Lakes Region is not only known for its beautiful scenery, but also for its rich and unique history. For example, some parts of Seneca Lake were previously used as testing sites for submarines, while Ithaca’s very own Cayuga Lake was once used for commercial transportation for people, using freights and horse-drawn ferries to go up and down the lake. For those wanting to learn something new about the history of upstate New York while having the opportunity to relax and enjoy some photoworthy views, many boat tours, like Discover Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, Captain Bill’s Seneca Lake Cruises in Watkins Glen, New York, and Mid-Lakes Navigation in Skaneateles, New York will do just that.

DISCOVER CAYUGA LAKE

There is no shortage of boat tours in Ithaca, but once aboard the Teal, colorful paintings of animals native to Cayuga Lake and a warm welcome from the crew makes what seems like a normal boat tour into something memorable.

Discover Cayuga Lake, formerly known as the Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom, was founded in 2003 as a non-profit educational program for kids in the Ithaca area, during which they can experience hands-on opportunities to learn more about Cayuga Lake and its aquatic environment. Though the program hosts other tours in addition to their floating classroom, Astrid Jirka, director of tourism initiatives for Discover Cayuga Lake, said that education is still an essential aspect.

“We have another educational program called ‘The Trout in the Classroom’ that takes place in most elementary schools year round,” Jirka said. “We put trout aquariums with trout eggs in their classrooms in the fall, and they are responsible for raising the trout all school year. In the spring, we take the kids to local streams to learn how to determine if the stream is healthy to release the trout, and then they release the trout. So they kind of get this first experience into some of the ecology of the watershed.”

If romance is on the radar, Discover Cayuga Lake offers two tours that provide a memorable experience for couples. One of them is their public sunset cruise, where people can watch the sun go down on Cayuga Lake while learning about the lake’s history and ecology. Another one is a public nighttime sky cruise, during which passengers can look at the stars and learn about different constellations. The Teal can also be booked for private occasions, like weddings.

Booking is available online at discovercayugalake.org. Prices can vary depending on the type of cruise, but it is typically between $30-$40 for adults.

A resident and her dog receive their mail from a midlakes navigation boat. (Photo: Provided)

CAPTAIN BILL’S SENECA LAKE CRUISES

Located in Watkins Glen, New York is Captain Bill’s Seneca Lake Cruises, another iconic boat tour in the Finger Lakes Region. Since 1963, this family-owned business has grown into a popular destination for dining and sightseeing on Seneca Lake. Normally, there are two boat options — the 270-passenger Seneca Legacy for sightseeing and prix fixe dinner services, and the smaller, 49-passenger Stroller IV for sightseeing cruises. This cruise teaches passengers about the history behind Seneca Lake, including the Native American paintings on cliffs of the east shore, and Seneca Lake’s involvement in the salt mining industry. However, because of capacity restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Stroller IV will be replaced this season by a larger boat.

Acquired by owner Mark Simiele, Seneca Spirit is a 115-passenger boat with two levels — the top level completely open air — and a stateof-the-art acoustic system for narrated tours.

Simiele said that his favorite aspect of the company is how people can experience the Finger Lakes region from a new perspective through boat tours like Captain Bill’s.

“I don’t think you’ve really experienced the Finger Lakes truly until you get out on the water,” Simiele said. “Through our tours, we give people an opportunity to get out on the water and understand the history and the beauty behind it in a way that couldn’t be done any way else.”

Two riders enjoy an evening cruise on cayuga lake.

Booking is available online at senecaharborstation.com, or over the phone at 607-535-4541 for cruise reservations, or 607535-6101 for restaurant reservations. A regular

sightseeing cruise costs $21.75 per adult and $8 per child, but specific pricing for the dining cruises are listed on the company website. mail to the south end of the lake; 90 years later, and the Barbara still delivers mail to the south end at 10 a.m. every morning. Ben Eberhardt, one of the directors of Mid-Lakes Navigation,

A person takes in the view on a cayuga lake sunset cruise.(Photo: Provided)

MID-LAKES NAVIGATION

Skaneateles Lake may be part of the smaller bunch of the Finger Lakes, but its length doesn’t stop boat tours like Mid-Lakes Navigation in Skaneateles. In fact, this boating company offers three different boats for passengers: The Judge Ben Wiles, the Barbara, and the Stephanie. The Judge Ben Wiles, which seats up to 50 passengers, hosts two-and-a-halfhour cocktail and dinner cruises on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, during which people can enjoy a meal while experiencing breathtaking views of Skaneateles Lake. One of the smaller boats, the Barbara, also hosts public cocktail cruises, while the other smaller boat, the Stephanie, is reserved for private, wine tasting tours for groups of up to eight people.

Though each boat has its own character, the Barbara has its own unique use as a mailboat for Skaneateles Lake. Mid-Lakes Navigation initially started as a boat company that delivered said that this piece of history makes it one of his favorite tours.

“It’s a real neat piece of American history,” Eberhardt said. “There’s people who come out and wave flags and they’ll give us cake and cookies, and we’ll drop off Tootsie Rolls and dog biscuits when we deliver the mail for people who have dogs. There’s just a lot of neat, fun stuff.”

In addition to Mid-Lakes Navigation’s own rich history, the company will be planning to host history during the Antique Boat Show during the weekend of July 23-25: the PAT II, one of the original boats that toured Skaneateles Lake has been fully renovated by the Finger Lakes Boating Museum.

Booking is available online at midlakesnavigation.com. The prices depend on the type of tour taken; a typical sightseeing cruise would cost $21 per adult and $15 per child, while a two-and-a-half-hour dinner cruise would cost $60 per adult and $49 per child.

S U M M E R I T H A C A 2 0 2 1 On The Go

CHECK OUT SOME OF ITHACA’S FAVORITE FOOD TRUCKS FOR A RELIABLY GOOD, AND FAST, MEAL.

By Ryan Bieber

With summer heat comes tasty treats and Ithaca’s food trucks are serving it up fast and fresh. If you’re in the need for a quick on-the-go meal or a more socially-distanced outdoor dining experience, look no further than the following:

SILO FOOD TRUCK:

Silo Food truck is a consistent favorite here in Ithaca, voted Best Food Truck by readers in the Ithaca Times’ “Best Of” issue. But don’t just take our word for it, Silo has won awards throughout the state, snagging top prize at the 2016 New York State Fair food truck competition and being crowned Central New York’s best food truck in 2017. The truck, owned by Katie Foley and chef Jesse Steve, serves up crispy fried chicken and creamy mac and cheese, usually with a unique fusion twist. Offerings range from classic items like fried chicken with cornbread and gravy, to the more adventurous green coconut curry, featuring the same signature fried chicken this time served over purple coconut sticky rice with house-made Asian pickles and local greens. Silo’s chicken is unique in that it undergoes a three day cooking process before being fried to order. The chicken is also partially roasted at one point in the process, giving it a unique flavor and ensuring a faster cook time when it comes time to fry. Silo may not be the lightest or healthiest option, but for good-down home comfort food with a twist, this is the place to be.

SIlo was started back in 2015, a year after

Steve and Foley first met. Steve aka “the Chicken Wizard’’ previously spent 17 years in the food industry, working at restaurants across central New York before shifting to the food truck lifestyle. After the first year of operation, Foley, who had a background in business and marketing, left behind her fulltime job at Ithaca’s Planned Parenthood to spend more time working on Silo.

“We both had the same values in terms of the kind of produce we wanted to source, the businesses we wanted to support and the quality of the food and ingredients we wanted to use,” Foley explained. “And I think that people really took to it, which is cool.”

Festivals used to be the name of the game for the duo, traveling as far as Florida for events. Now, in part due to the pandemic, Foley and Steve stay a bit closer to home.

This year Silo has added a second, larger truck into the mix, which is located outside of Liquid State Brewing Company, located on 620 West Green St. The truck is operational Wednesday through Sunday throughout the summer, late afternoon through evenings. Foley said the truck will offer an expanded menu at it’s Liquid State location, due to its larger size and greater holding capacity. The original food truck will continue roaming around Ithaca and the surrounding area throughout the summer. Every other Wednesday night, Silo will station at the Trumansburg Farmers Market. On the alternate Wednesdays, the truck will set up shop at the Pumpkin Stand at Mount View Farms, located in nearby Ovid where Steve and Foley currently live. On Friday nights, Silo has teamed up with Seneca Lake Resorts.

ON THE STREET PITA

On The Street Pita is both a new-comer and an old-favorite in Ithaca. The food truck itself is a new addition, having come on the scene in early 2020, but this is only one of many iterations of the food chef Brian Horvath has been serving up for decades. The fare as it stands features fallafel, souvlaki, gyros, greek salads and rice bowls among others. Most plates are topped with homemade Tzatziki sauce, tahini or hummus, served alongside warm pita bread.

Horvath originally set up shop at the Ithaca’s Farmers market for six years before transitioning to a brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2012. After five years of that, Horvath took a hiatus before returning on the scene with his food truck featuring the same menu items the restaurant previously offered. Although Horvath is not a trained chef, he spent plenty of years honing his skills, dating all the way back to 1988, when he started vending French Bread Pizza to finance his trip following the Grateful Dead on a summer tour. Necessity proved the mother of invention and the rest is history.

“I never really knew what I wanted to accomplish, I never had any set goals and it kind of all happened organically,” Horvath said. “I put out to the universe that I wanted a food truck and the universe gave me one.”

Whether it was divine intervention or not, Horvath said all in all he prefers the food truck lifestyle.

“You’re more connected to the people that you’re serving,” he said. “You’re face to face with