It rained throughout the night but had stopped by morning. The skies were grey and the air chillier but it wasn’t raining any more. We got up, made coffee, I went for a shower since I hadn’t gone in the rain the night before. The floating dock was much higher than it had been the previous day and the water in the canal was raging past as I returned from my shower. Jim had gone to return the keys and we were making preparations to get underway when another boater walked up the dock and told Ken that he had just received an alert to mariners that the Locks 7 through 17 were closed due to the rain and flooding. We were stuck in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam burgeoned when the Mohawk Turnpike, Erie Canal and railroad all converged in rapid succession. The town, named in honour of earlier Dutch settlers saw a rapid influx of immigrants and New Englanders seeking new opportunities. Mills and manufacturing lined the river and construction and commerce boomed making Amsterdam the 7th largest city in New York state.
Although the mills survive the depression and see a resurgence in WWII, ultimately they begin to close finding cheaper labour and taxes elsewhere, literally pulling the carpet from under the city’s feet!
The city dock is severed from town by the railway line. A bridge provides access for boaters to the town however, there isn’t much downtown. We are recommended by other boaters to try Emmy Lou’s Diner so we head out on foot in search of breakfast. After taking the circuitous/scenic route, I ask a lady in a parking lot the way to this place. We only had to walk through one more alley and we were there.
Wow, this place is a throw-back…you only need to look at the photos on the wall from when it opened to prove that nothing has changed. Our waitress, one of three sisters refers to mom in the kitchen as her two teenage girls sit at the counter listening to music on earphones. Ken and I have a wonderful breakfast of eggs and fat sausage, while Jim opts for hash (mystery meat mixed with potatoes and onion). Jim also reaps a windfall as Ken and I foist the much reviled cantaloupe from our plates to his.
Back to the boat and I readied the laundry and then spent some time updating the blog while Ken took the laundry up and used the free WiFi where the signal is stronger. I also made a big batch of pasta sauce and a pumpkin cake.
After lunch Ken and I grabbed a cab to the grocery store ($5.50 to anywhere in town and an extra $1.00 per extra rider). I’m not sure whether I’m happy or insulted but the driver gave us the senior’s discount rate! We stocked up at Price Choppers forgoing the more overwhelming Walmart experience and I popped over to the liquor store next door while we waited for the cab and grabbed a bottle of Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo to drink with our pasta.
We may just take a cab to Russo’s just for old time’s sake. We are taking a pass on the Professional Wrestlers Hall of Fame and haven’t seen Kirk Douglas (a past resident of this town) around either on our outings.