Autumn, FLX Style

I think one of my favorite things about living in the Finger Lakes is having four seasons, all of which have something to celebrate.  But fall is my favorite season, probably because I love Halloween and Thanksgiving.  I also have a fondness for pumpkin pie, harvest spice Yankee Candles, and pumpkin chai from Dunkin Donuts.  Mostly though, it's because the fall leaves are so fabulous here.  I love driving along the lake, looking across, and seeing reds and yellows and oranges on the other side.  It's gorgeous!

 

Owasco Lake, October 2008

If the foliage in the Finger Lakes isn't sufficient, you also have the option of taking a short road trip to the Adirondacks.  It's such a popular destination in the fall that our local meteorologists discuss the levels of fall foliage every night on the evening news and give you the locations that are currently in "peak week".  You can even take a ride on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad.  The Halloween trip, where passengers are encouraged to wear costumes, is fabulous.

All in all, autumn is a wonderful time to be in the Finger Lakes!

~Sarah Jane

Sarah Jane Defines the Finger Lakes Region

I think that there are so many different ideas about what constitutes the Finger Lakes region that I need to clarify my usage of the term.  New York is broken up into so many random areas that many of the places I've lived or worked have been considered different regions.

Depending on where you are in the Finger Lakes, other areas may or may not be included in the region despite being located on a Finger Lake.  Growing up in Geneva, I was considered from Western New York.  Moving to Ithaca meant I was in the Southern Tier.  And living on Owasco Lake somehow means I am from the outskirts of Syracuse, and thus from Central New York.

It's difficult to find a map that encompasses what I define as the Finger Lakes.  Most exclude at least some areas that I feel are important to our region.  I was happy to find a map on Wikimedia Commons that includes all of what I identify as the Finger Lakes:

Michael J at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

~Sarah Jane

Welcome to We Heart the Finger Lakes

I suppose Tracy and I should introduce ourselves. I was born and raised in the Finger Lakes region of New York. In fact, I have lived here for all but the six years of my life spent on pharmacy school. I love it here for many reasons, and am 93% sure that I wouldn't move unless it was to live in a beach house in Hawaii.

Tracy, on the other hand, is a recent New Yorker, a transplant from Texas. She would probably argue that she isn't a New Yorker at all, and will die a Texan even if she spends the rest of her life with Yankees. Despite her southern roots, she has come to embrace a lot of what New York has to offer, and plans to stay here for the foreseeable future.

Which brings us to why we are writing this blog. It all started with a comment Tracy made at work, about starting a photo album with reasons her mom should move from Texas to New York. Reasons 1, 2, and 3 were obviously Tracy's children. Reason 4 was Tracy herself. But then the entire pharmacy team started throwing out reasons why New York is awesome and her mom should move here, and our blog was born. Hope you enjoy!

~ Sarah Jane