I found three more pennies! Two in downtown Syracuse, New York on Friday and one in Skaneateles, NY on Sunday. I am now up to eighty-nine cents for 2023. <3
Pennies from the Weekend
Monthly Archives: July 2023
ISO Fish Fry – Phoebe’s
Presentation – This was the fish sandwich lunch – no coleslaw. Still, when the bartender put the plate in front of me, I said, “Wow!” On it was a huge piece of beer-battered fish and a good portion of chips (french fries). A separate plate held condiments.
Taste – I kept saying, “Oh my god, it’s so good!” I did not eat the bread or the bed of lettuce and tomato or the pickle slice, but I devoured the fish and even though I have this dieting agenda, I ate all the fries with ketchup. I did not feel remorse. I LOVED it.
Restaurant Experience – The hostess, waitress and bartender were so nice! They clearly enjoy working at Phoebe’s. I sat at the bar instead of at a table. It is such a beautiful restaurant.
I follow them on Instagram. They are often posting pictures of private parties, like for bridal showers, Those pictures make me want to throw a party here. It’s really a gorgeous place. I will definitely come back. The atmosphere, the visuals, the people and the food – everything is fantastic!
Location – Phoebe’s Restaurant & Coffee Lounge is located at 900 E. Genesee Street, Syracuse, New York 13244 (they have the Syracuse University zip code). It is directly across the street from Syracuse Stage. The Community Folk Art Gallery is in this area too, across Genesee.
Parking – I did the Hollywood movie parking thing, which is street parking right in front of the building. I was there at 4:30 pm on a Friday afternoon. It was meant to be a late lunch but I guess it was also an early dinner. There were only two other people sitting at the bar when I walked in and only one of them was eating. There is also a parking lot adjacent to the building. It is technically owned by Syracuse University but they do not have an attendant there unless there is an event in the evenings. <3
Downtown
The M & T Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival is back for the fifty-second year. This time around, I discovered new-to-me artists and revisited old friends.
There are about one hundred fifty artisans from all over the East Coast and Canada who are braving the heat and possible rain tomorrow in their small tents around E. Jefferson, E. Onondaga and Montgomery Streets in downtown Syracuse, New York to show and sell their wares. In addition, food trucks are there including Carvel DeWitt (yum!). Street performers and local ethnic dance troupes are strolling the grounds. Downtown Committee of Syracuse volunteers are making sure everyone is hydrated. And there is a sidewalk chalk art competition. All that and a bag of chips (literally, someone was handing out Pringles samples).
The event continues today, July 29, 2023 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and tomorrow, July 30, 2023 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Ataraxia Designs – partners Victor Field and Meghan Huston create thoughtful messages on brown clay incorporating Chinese calligraphy and florals. Field is the poet while Huston does the framing. The resulting work is so zen-thoughtful.
Find them on E. Onondaga Street right across from Columbus Circle.
Trittello – Michael Bonardi uses U.S. coin as his media transforming pennies, nickels and more into modern jewelry – bracelets, rings, earrings and pendants. I love money!
Find him on E. Onondaga Street.
DK Designs – Diane Kaylor is a fine artist who has come up with this magnet board art that is genius. There is a background piece in a frame and animal magnets that you can mix and match to create personalized interactive art. This is so incredibly fun!
Find her on E. Onondaga Street.
Ethan Lillemoe takes organically shaped porcelain slabs and affixes them to an adjustable welded steel base resulting in these fantastical wall sculptures that are interchangeable.
Find him on Columbus Circle.
Rose Hill Woodwork – Scott Porosky is a woodworker who uses laser precision to carve these wonderful items – coasters, wall hangings, cutting boards and more. I am now the proud owner of the clowns-to-the-left-of-me-jokers-to-the-right sign. I love it! (Thanks, Janine!)
Find him on E. Onondaga Street.
Barbara Conte-Gaugel – These handbags are a combination of new material with original prints and recycled goods such as army surplus items. Barbara is an accessories designer but she is also a painter who juggles exhibitions and festivals for all of her whimsical ideas.
Find her on Montgomery Street.
Dale Rogers Studio – Cor-Ten steel is the medium and abstract geometry his jam for these impressive animal sculptures. Dale Rodgers is an advocate for public art. His work can be found all over the country! His sculpture display here is probably the best place in the festival for photo ops.
Find him front and center, that is, in front of the fountain on Columbus Circle.
Soflea Garage Sale
1 Sparrow Lane, Fayetteville, New York 13066 is the place to be for an enchanting burst of nostalgia. The sale was today from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm but will resume on Sunday, July 30, 2023 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Sophie Tashkovski is hosting an incredible garage sale. She is liquidating her shoppe at Antiques at Railway Commons.
There are so many treasures – furniture including two sofa sectionals, glassware, ashtrays, mirrors, baskets, trays, vases, and clothing and accessories. I bought a fabulous vintage leather belt and several record albums. I am so excited to revisit my 1970s records – okay, I got them for free because they were technically mine. Sophie is my sister.
I used to play Linda Ronstadt’s Simple Dreams and sing into a hairbrush microphone. When I was fourteen, I had a stereo in my bedroom that I bought for myself with my paper route money. And of course, how can I possibly forget seeing Grease with Mom and Kathy in 1978? Sophie was a baby then so she didn’t come with us. The theater was next door to the Pizza Hut on Erie Blvd. Neither is still there.
I guarantee that you will slide into your own reminisces as you wander through this sale on Sunday.
Sophie has great taste and a keen eye for finding treasures for resale. And her prices are very reasonable. Be prepared to find lots of things. I was going to say bring lots of cash but she accepts Venmo, so…enjoy! <3
The Powerful Legacy
If you need another reason to visit the Everson Museum of Art, Mara Baldwin’s work is there. But hurry, because the exhibition ends on August, 6th, 2023.
Mara Baldwin is an educator, artist and historian, studying the artwork of local female artists like Adelaide Robineau. Baldwin pays attention to the detail and intricacies of Robineau’s carvings and replicates the essence into fiber art that hovers the walls and leaps off into three-dimensional space in this tiny tucked-away-in-the-way-back gallery on the museum’s first floor.
The exhibit is part of a local artist initiative, which is a good thing, but really – why not put the museum store in that space? Tucked away would not be an issue because shoppers can sniff out a store. Everybody knows that.
It would be a shame if visitors missed this show. Mara Baldwin tackles personal and historical conundrums about life and the pursuit of goals, happiness and freedoms while weaving herself into the fiber of that history with modern aplomb.
We are all a part of that collective fabric. Just don’t blink and miss it.
Art Guild @ FFL
Through the month of July 2023, the North Syracuse Art Guild is having an art show and sale in the gorgeous Stickley Mission Oak-filled room at the Fayetteville Free Library, 300 Orchard Street, Fayetteville, New York 13066. What a beautiful place to spend an afternoon!
And if you haven’t yet been to the second floor to visit the Stickley Museum, it is open today!
Win-win!
81 + 5
I found five more pennies! Am up to eighty-six cents for the year. <3
The History of Suburbia
Back in the day, we all had a moment or two at Suburban Park. It was an amusement park located in Manlius, New York. The last time Kathy and I were there was the last time that she was taller than me.
The site is now an apartment complex called…wait for it…
Suburban Park.
There is a sweet exhibit of items from the defunct park on view at the Manlius Historical Society, 109 Pleasant Street, Manlius, New York 13104. The museum is only open on Saturdays from 11:00 to 3:00 pm.
Yesterday, I was greeted by Sue Collin, lifelong Manlius resident and volunteer at the museum. We talked about our concern that history may be lost on today’s youth and shared our mutual hope that schools will educate students on local history in addition to whatever social studies curriculum is mandated.
Much of Suburban Park has been lost to history. Rides were left to deteriorate and later demolished to make way for the apartment complex.
I belong to a Facebook group about Suburban Park where people reflect on their memories while sharing pictures and memorabilia. Truth be told, I don’t have memories of the place, just pictures that prove I’d been there. I was probably two years old, maybe two-and-a-half in these pictures.
The museum also has this bit of history on the development of Green Lakes State Park. Someone should write a book about this. I would love a coffee table book with all of these pictures. So amazing!
The Manlius Historical Society & Museum is small but it packs a punch. Thank you, Sue, for such a lovely experience. I enjoyed meeting you!
Call (315) 682-6660 for more information or email them at manliushistory@gmail.com. You can also visit the Cheney House Research Center located right next door. I believe they are open on Thursdays or you can schedule an appointment. <3
Lost in Translation
The premise (spoilers) for Episode 6 of Season 2 of Star Trek’s Strange New Worlds: Uhura hears noises then has scary hallucinations followed by nightmares. Finally, she realizes the imagery is, in fact, communication from an alien gaseous species telling her that the Enterprise is causing them harm. Since she is the communications expert, everyone on the ship trusts and believes her. Uhura extrapolates this narrative by verbalizing what she views visually and interpreting it all into a benevolent result.
So, that was pretty cool. I resonated with this because I am of the belief system that our surroundings are a reflection of our immediate thoughts.
In that realm, what does my experience in the Skaneateles Antique Center tell me?
I think I know. I have Shaun Cassidy on the brain. Well, I must. Allow me to illustrate.
Shaun Cassidy starred as Joe Hardy on The Hardy Boys TV show in the ’70s. Now he is a writer and producer of television shows.
Shaun Cassidy has been married three times. His first marriage was to former Playboy playmate Ann Pennington.
His second marriage was to character actress Susan Diol. She has appeared on episodes of the television shows Star Trek – The Next Generation and Quantum Leap.
His current wife is Tracey Turner. They have several children together. I think he has eight children in total? Something like that. Some are into writing and some into music and maybe one plays the violin. I know I did – short lived – when I was in the third grade.
He has taken himself back to the stage. He plays the piano, sings and also shares amusing anecdotes. You will find tour dates on his official website www.shauncassidy.com.
Shaun Cassidy lives on a ranch with farm animals, mainly chickens and horses, but still. He also collaborates with a winery that markets My First Crush.
Am I going to get burned by the trolls for my extrapolation? Lol – why don’t you take a drive out to Skaneateles today and get lost in your own translation? The Skaneateles Curbstone Festival is happening from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm today. Stop in to Skaneateles Antique Center (12 E. Genesee Street, Skaneateles, New York 13152) and tell me what you see.
Shaun Cassidy has an on-line presence on Facebook. Tomorrow at noon Pacific time, he will be interacting with fans. You can ask him if he’s been to any antique shops lately. Tell him I sent you.
Skaneateles Artisans
Retail space is at a premium at Skaneateles Artisans. This is the gallery on the lower level of the Old Stone Mill, located at 3 Fennell Street, Skaneateles, New York 13152.
Teresa Vitale is the owner. She is also a very successful artist who creates faux finishes on furniture and fireplace mantles in homes. Some of her work is on display in the gallery as well as paintings, ceramic and glassware, jewelry and trinkets created by over one hundred local artists and artisans.
It is a gift-giver’s paradise.
There is so much from which to choose. I was telling my friend Janine that I was so overwhelmed by it all that I would have to go through my pictures to really digest everything and I would probably see things in the pictures I didn’t remember seeing in person. In that regard, this gallery is a place one must frequent often. That and the fact that stock gets replaced often. It is a cash and carry business, unlike other galleries where the exhibit must conclude before one can take stuff home.
The Skaneateles Curbstone Festival continues today, July 21, 2023, from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. This gallery did not have an outdoor presence but over forty other vendors are sidewalk sale-ing it. In addition, there are magic acts, balloon animal makers, musical guests, sightseeing cruises on the lake and many fine dining restaurants to experience.
We visited yesterday and had such a wonderful adventure of discovery while shopping the numerous stores on Jordan Street and West Genesee Street, as well as Fennell, culminating in a watermelon and feta salad lunch at The Sherwood Inn followed by custard ice cream from Doug’s Fish Fry.
So fun! <3
