Archive for March, 2013
The Bank Street Café in Geneseo: Where Breakfast Bears Notice
The view down main street from the cafe
Geneseo is a charming upstate town that enjoys preserving it’s history along with it’s sense of humor. Legend has it that Seneca Indians called it jo-nis-hi-yuh, meaning the pleasant or beautiful valley. This evolved into Genesee, the river which carved out the beautiful valley containing the town of Geneseo.
The bear holds a working lantern
In the center of Geneseo, right in the middle of the street is a large round fountain, with a bronze statue of a sitting bear, holding a lantern. This is the Wadsworth Fountain. It was built for Emmeline Wadsworth, an animal lover, and the fountain was intended as a watering trough for horses.
The Wadsworth brothers built their homes at either end of Main Street, then recruited others to move to the town and assisted them in building their homes.
The bear which remains remains the iconic symbol of the town, holding it’s $15,000 lantern — a working replica of the original — has inspired an annual teddy bear parade.
While visiting Geneseo stop for breakfast at the Bank Street Café and Grill.The Café is easy to locate — right across from the famous fountain bearing the Bear.
Most wonderful Blueberry Pancakes
The Bank Street Cafe & Grill is no ordinary eatery. Nothing at Bank Street has been pre-processed. Everything is home-made from scratch. Breakfast is served all day long, and I enjoyed the best (and biggest) blueberry pancakes ever. They are also known for their angus beef burgers.
The village is making a proposal to widen the sidewalks at the three sides of the Bear Fountain and create a small outdoor cafe spot with tables and chairs opposite his restaurant. That would give the town even more character.
The Bank Street Café is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays
48 Hours in Rochester
It is so nice to hear another voice praising my home town. Rochester is a great place to visit, but an even better place to raise your kids.
Nice summary of Finger Lakes Summery!
The Finger Lakes are a network of lakes in upstate New York, and on a map, they look like fingers. The area is also abounds with wineries — so what’s better when the two meet like in the above photo, of the sun rising over a vineyard. Happy Sunday, folks.
1922 Starkey House: A Mission-Revival Style Bed & Breakfast
Starkey House is located in the heart of Finger Lakes wine country along Seneca Lake. It is a genuine Mission-Revival-style home, built in 1922. The current owner, Cathy Moskal, has been lovingly restoring the home for the last 14 years.
Upon entering the house I noticed the beautiful hardwood trim (original America Chestnut, now extinct) and vintage stained glass windows in the dining room and living room. Cathy provided us a quick history of the area, and the Starkey House. What immediately impressed us was that this looked like a Roycroft-inspired home, reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts Period.
Finger Lakes Summer's Blog 