After Chicago, we headed for Michigan to see Richard and Shannan, and their baby boy Evan. We had a nice time there, and did visit-y things - went out for dinner, met Richard's parents, etc - but really nothing touristy.
From there, we went to Indiana to visit some other friends that I'd known from high school days. There, we also did visit-y things - went for dinner, etc. etc. Again, nothing touristy.
In each state we were in, I tried to buy a postcard for my scrapbook. (This was before the days when on-line photobooks were convenient ~ but not THAT long ago!! Don't get sassy!)
So, as we were leaving Indiana, and headed for Ohio, I suddenly realized I had no postcard, so we pulled over at the first available gas station.
I ran in to check out the postcard supply (the gas station was on the interstate, and just passed Indianapolis, so I thought it'd be a successful search.)
The gas station attendant, missing at least one tooth, dressed in overalls, with the classic one-broken-strap, and covered in...oil? Very friendly and helpful, he said, "How kin ah hilp yeh?" (I'm sorry, Indianans (er Hoosiers?) - this is really what he said.) I said, "oh! Actually, I need to buy a postcard that represents Indiana."
He steered me to the postcard display, and picked out a postcard OF the gas station.
I wasn't completely certain that THAT was the postcard I had in mind, until he said, "This par-TICK-ular pick-chur's of this here gas stashun frum wee-in it first opened up."
Oh! That IS interesting! It was all faded and worn out, and looked like those postcards from 50's, so I said, much more intrigued! "OH! Wow! Ok! I WILL buy that postcard. When did the gas station open?"
He said, "See-ix munce agoooo".
He said, "See-ix munce agoooo".
Oh goodness! Best part of my day! I will NEVER forget this!
We spent a night in Dayton, Ohio, with some friends, and then headed off towards Buffalo, New York.
We drove along Lake Erie for about 3 hours. I meant to stop in Hamburg for a hamburger.. (technically, "hamburgers" are said to originate in Hamburg, Germany, but Hamburg, Pennsylvania, is named for Hamburg Germany, sooo, having a hamburger there seemed appropriate.)
But, we were heading for the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, which was only 26 miles away - so...I forgot about Hamburg, until we were long passed. (While we're talking about places to which we didn't go, we also didn't go to Niagara Falls, even though we were only about 1/2 an hour away. BUT, that is because 1) we had to be to Maine in time to catch our ferry to Nova Scotia, and 2) we'd already been twice (future blog) (although it's definitely worth seeing over and over!!) so it was easier to not go...if we hadn't been there, we would've gone FOR SURE!! (and so should you, if you haven't been before.)
The Anchor Bar is the place where Buffalo Wings were invented (in Buffalo), by Teressa Bellissimo, in 1964. She happened to have some chicken wings that she was, it seems, going to be used in soup, but her son, the bartender, Dominic, and a bunch of his friends were hungry. So, Teressa threw together some ingredients and deep-fried the wings, and Voila ! Buffalo Wings!
Of course, lots of places claim to sell "Buffalo wings". But, as always, it's pretty tricky to compete with the original. Frank and Teressa's wings apparently hold the title "Best Wings in the World." And that's how it should be.
Since their recipes are a "closely guarded secret", there is the option to buy their sauces. (Currently, anywhere in the Continental United States, the shipping is a flat rate of $9.99, but they also ship to Canada and some other countries - you can contact them for additional costs for each country.)
Their site also includes recipes people have sent in, with meals that include their sauces.
Delicious and yummy. The ambiance was fun – exactly as it should be. The owners were mingling, the regulars were dressed up in velvet suits, and wearing hats (one even with a feather) like from the 1970′s….if you are getting the mental picture…
We camped somewhere east of Buffalo, and spent the rest of the evening counting Fireflies!
Wednesday, on to Boston.
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