So, Christmas in upstate NY means a puff piece on the news about how Seneca Falls was the basis for Bedford Falls. That has me thinking about the bank examiner(?) wanting to drive home to Elmira for Christmas. What would that drive entail in December 1945? Today that is a 60 odd mile,80 minute drive over 55mph surface roads that drop to 30 through small towns with stop lights and such as there is no proper highway between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. I imagine the route would be fairly close but the changes would be road condition and the nature of cars of the era.
As a kid I spent a lot of time on Skaneatelas Lake. My Grandparents had a cottage on the lake. Things have changed dramatically since then, but then that was a long time ago. Now We spend a lot of time in the Catskills.
Isn't Skaneateles where Hillary set up camp to become a New Yorker?
Sorry, Wonderful Life is my second favorite movie of all time, also consider the cars. Big heavy Ford, flat six, mediocre heat, bias ply tires. But hey, got an angel on your shoulder, no problem!
In reply to 914Driver :
Hillary is down state, Chappaqua in Westchester. Skaneateles is close to Syracuse.
In reply to Brian :
Nice. That's a second Upstate New York GRM'er I've found recently.
During the Great Depression, my grandfather would have to drive a Model T truck from North Bay, NY to Albany, NY (About 130 miles) every 2 weeks to pick up my great-grandfather from his job on the canal and bring him home. My grandfather was 12 at the time and would have to brace himself against the door jam to work the pedals because he wasn't tall enough or strong enough to work them.
In reply to Brian :
I have family in Broome County. Also in Cortland. I'm a flat lander, down stater, but have a 25 acre spread in Delaware County, that we spend a lot of time in.
In reply to Wally :
Of the older movies, white Christmas is my preferred one. Im indifferent about wonderful life, but 34th street is a hard pass for me.
In reply to Brian :
It's funny how you end up relating to things in movies like thinking about this commute. I never really cared for Miracle on 34th St even though my mother made me watch it every year. Then through work I've been involved with some of the city planning that goes into the Thanksgiving day parade and developed an appreciation for everything the Macy's people go through to pull off the parade and then the rest of the holiday season.
Wally said:I never a big fan of It’s A Wonderful Life. I like White Christmas much better.
I wasn't a fan of It's A Wonderful Life until I changed how I watch it. When George gets to Pottersville and sees how it all went to hell, just turn off the movie. The story takes a darker turn. Now that George selfishly wished he'd never been born, everyone around him has suffered, but there is no going back and his choice has doomed them all. Fade to black....
A wonderful life indeed....
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