When I first came to the US in July of last year, my summer here was relatively relaxed. With just one course for the whole month of August, our days were spent having fun around the city, which meant going to the Ontario Lake Beach, exploring Costco for the first time, the usual. Rochester was a relaxed, fun place.
Things were about to change when I came back from New York City in September: grad school had become a whole new ballgame. All of a sudden, there were 4 courses with 2 deliverables each week. Going out would no longer be a common occurrence, unless it was to class, of course. In the midst of all the tests and assignments, the air was starting to get chilly and the leaves were changing color.
Luckily for me, I got some great sunset views from my apartment window on the days the skies were clearer. And on those evenings, it wasn't just the leaves that were being dramatic, but the sky was too.
Nonetheless, my friends and I found time to go out and explore the Upstate New York region on a few days off. These days were especially fun.
Fall-A road trip
It was towards the end of the semester Simon calls "Fall-A" when my friends from the MS batch and I decided to drive down to one of the Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes are 11 long narrow lakes in Upstate New York, relatively close to Rochester (you can drive to Canandaigua Lake in less than an hour!). On a Sunday evening early in October, my friends and I went to Seneca lake, which is one of the longest Finger Lakes, over 60 kilometers long!
We rented 2 sedans and took them out for a spin. You can drive in NY state legally with a foreign license. We all took turns to drive to Seneca Lake. Sadly, I didn't have a license at the time so I enjoyed the back seat.
The drive to Seneca lake is a very pretty one if you take the backroads. And you should, because highways are no fun if you're trying to enjoy the journey. If I ever get a Mazda Miata, I'd definitely drive to Seneca with the top down, probably in summer though.
There are plenty of vineyards along the banks of the finger lakes. We decided to make a stop at one, called Atwater Vineyards. I wasn't there to drink, I just wanted to take in the views. Being there around sunset time, there were plenty of views to enjoy. The air was crisp and chill, and we were all layered up for the breeze.
The view right across the lake wasn't the most exciting, I must admit. But the sky had a lot to show us that evening.
I took a few average photos as usual, to just get myself into the groove. I also photographed my friends. Over time, I've realized that it's the photos of people that are sometimes the most fun to look back at, and you don't even have to be artistic when your friends look good!
My dad lent me this jacket. I wonder why he bought it, living in Qatar where temperatures go up to 50+ degrees Celsius (122 F). I was still thankful as this jacket came in handy several times here in Rochester. It's 11 C here in Rochester as I write this.
As golden hour was coming to a close, I finally found some really good inspiration to work with. When my friends decided to do some wine tasting, I walked back to the parking lot and finally found my first subject in the Atwater Vineyard store. I still feel like the sky was the main actor in this frame though, with all its colors and vibrance. I think this shot is pretty good.
Just a 180 on the right and there this was the other great view. You can't shut me up from talking about the sky.
When evening set, we made our exit. Most of us were quite hungry by then. There is a village on the southern-most point of the lake called Watkins Glen. We stopped to have some pizza there. There is also an eponymous state park next to the Village of Watkins Glen - I'd visit it many months later.
We decided to grab some pizza and garlic knots from this place we found: Jerlando's Pizza. This restaurant was an interesting case. It had two sides, one was a takeaway style pizzeria (like 2Bros in NYC or any pizza place where you make a quick stop for pizza and leave) and the other side was a fancy dine-in restaurant; you don't get to see both styles in one restaurant too often.
After pizzas, Riddhi, Harshit, and I went to a Ben and Jerry's store nearby. What a cute town! Cute especially because places were open at 21:00 on a Sunday night. How rare!
We headed back to Rochester later that night as we had classes at 8:30 the next day.
Saptu!
Thank you for ornating our memories with these gorgeous photos. It was a beautiful day that I'll always revisit now through your lenses! Looking forward to more blog posts and wishing you more travels♥️
You have an amazing eye to capture beautiful moments! As I was reading this while I was taking a break from preparations for finals, you transported me to those places and my heart felt happy :)
I enjoyed the post and the gorgeous pictures. Keep em coming!
Those fall pictures are so lovely! Keep up the great work. It looks like you had a great time at Seneca. ☺️