Travels in the 2nd half

Fall colors along U.S. 20   The longest road in the United States is U.S. 20, which goes from Boston, MA, to Newport, OR. This week we continue to explore its passage through New York State. Abandoned Garage, Guilderland, NY Last week, we traveled along U.S. 20 and got as far as the point where it switched from Madison Ave to Western Ave in Albany, NY. As we drove west from there, we passed the campus of SUNY Albany, one of the state’s four flagship universities. SUNY Albany Our trip continued through Albany’s western suburbs of Westmere and Guilderland. In Guilderland I spotted the John Schoolcraft House. This gingerbread style home was built in 1835 for John L. Schoolcraft (1804-1860), a U.S. congressman and banker from Guilderland. Today the house, with the town is refurbishing, serves as a historical museum and cultural center. John Schoolcraft House, Guilderland, NY U.S. 20 passes through the town of Duanesburg, where I noticed Joseph J. Merli Manufacturing. Established in 194...

  I love to travel the “blue highways.” Off of the interstate I have the opportunity to explore the country instead of whizzing by at 65 mph. In October I started a series of blogs about traveling along route U.S. 20, the longest road in the country. This week I continue this trip, starting to explore this old route as it crosses New York, from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania. Blueberry Hill Market Cafe by Alan L. via tripadvisor Flea Market from the New Lebanon Flea Market Facbook Page U.S. 20 comes west from the city of Pittsfield MA, and into the town of New Lebanon NY. In the summer this valley is home to weekly flea markets at Meisner’s Auction Service. A great place to stop for lunch or snack is the Blueberry Hill Market Cafe . They serve excellent sandwiches, salads, and baked goods. West of town is the Lebanon Valley Speedway. This half-mile dirt track and drag racing strip offers races all summer long. The road climbs out of the Lebanon Valley and up to the town of Nassau. N...

  October is when the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City, opens its winter exhibits. With shows large and small, the museum always offers a great selection of art on display. Here are four of the Met’s exhibits this winter. Man Ray: When Objects Dream (through Feb 1, 2026)   Photographer Man Ray (1890-1976, b. Emmanuel Radnitzky) is well known for work that edges into the surrealistic. What I found fascinating about this exhibit, which focuses on his work from the 1920’s and 30’s, is that it delves into his efforts to bring other art forms into photography. By the 1920’s Man Ray had moved to Paris, and he had become friends with many artists there, including Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Picasso and Braque were at the forefront of the movement developing the genre of cubism, and Man Ray started working to bring that movement into photography. He adapted a process of creating photograms, the placing of objects directly onto photosensitive paper, and exposing them...