I have often found the opportunity in places far away from home to connect with something that resonates deeply with my life. That was the primary motivation for my recent extended weekend road trip to Jamestown, NY, the birthplace of my favorite actress, Lucille Ball.
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| Greetings Mural at the Lucille Ball Little Theater in downtown Jamestown, NY |
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| Sign along Main Street, just south of the I-86 interchange |
I credit my Grandma Dottie for introducing me to Lucy and getting me hooked on the TV sitcom I Love Lucy. My Grandma's passing got me thinking anew about our relationship and what we experienced during our times together. As a way to connect with that aspect of our relationship, I decided to visit Jamestown, NY, and do Lucy sightseeing.
Shortly after 11 AM CDT on Friday, August 26, I loaded into Avila and headed east. It would be a day's drive of about 500 miles to reach Jamestown, mostly on I-90. (Please note that most of the times stated in this post are EDT, unless otherwise noted.)
I stopped in Indiana to visit Portage Beach, which is in the photo below, walking around and taking in the views, while feeling the strong northerly winds sweeping off Lake Michigan. (Please note, as typical with my posts, all photos are mine unless otherwise stated.)
Around 2 PM CDT, I got lunch at Wendy's near downtown LaPorte, IN, including the new Strawberry Frosty.
From there, I got back on the Indiana Tollroad and continued east. I played an audiobook version of America: Imagine a World without Her. Upon reaching Ohio, I drove the Ohio Turnpike. Around 7 PM EDT, near Elyria, I left the Turnpike, and upon reaching the first exit past leaving the Turnpike, I got off I-90 and had dinner at Bob Evan's, a nice restaurant chain I always associate with road trips. My server was on her first day of the job.
From there, I continued on I-90, and soon drove through Cleveland, with great views of the skyline in the fading daylight. I drove onward in the nighttime darkness, crossing into northwestern Pennsylvania. Just past the exits for Erie, I switched over to I-86, and headed due east. Around 10:30 PM EDT, I entered the state of New York. I realize it was my first time in the state of New York since our family drove through the western part of the state on the way back to Oak Park from vacationing in Niagara Falls, which was in the final year of the 20th Century.
Around 11 PM, I reached the exit for Main Street in Jamestown. I wound around town and then arrived at my AirBnb lodgings, a couple of miles east of downtown. Once settled in, I went to sleep.
The next morning, on Saturday, August 27, I awoke around 8 AM. I had breakfast and I also took a short walk around the neighborhood. Jamestown is a small city, but has a prominent feel as the largest city in Chautauqua County, the westernmost county in New York.
Shortly after 10 AM, I set out for my day full of Lucy sightseeing.
First, I drove to the home where Lucille was born on August 6, 1911, which is in the photo below.
From there, I drove to downtown Jamestown to visit the Lucy-Desi Museum. Below is a photo showing the outside of the museum with the east gallery.
It has an East Galley, focusing on the I Love Lucy Show, and a West Gallery, focusing on the lives of Lucy and Desi.
The East Gallery begins with a display about the radio show Lucy did before I Love Lucy. Then came a real highlight for me, seeing a recreation of the set for the Ricardos' second apartment, with both the living room and the kitchen. Below are several shots.
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| A fellow visitor got the photos of me above and below posing with the set in the background. Above is the kitchen. Below is the living room. |
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| View of the living room |
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| View of the living room looking toward the kitchen |
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| View looking from the kitchen toward the living room |
Nearby were displays with lots of other props, like Lucy's floral hat she wore in Paris, a dress made from a potato sack that Ricky fooled her into thinking was a Parisian designer dress, and instruments.
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| This display case shows a variety of props, including the fake designer dress to the far right, and an outfit Lucy wore when posing as a Martian, appearing in the middle. |
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| Lucy's floral hat |
Continuing along in the exhibit was a recreation of the Ricardos' hotel room at the fictional Beverly Palms Hotel, when Ricky was out in Hollywood for much of season 4 and a little bit of the beginning of season 5--please see the two photos below.
I was also intrigued to see a diorama of the sets where they filmed the show, complete with the bleachers for the live audience--please see the two photos directly below. I'm sure that was quite an experience to be present for a live filming of I Love Lucy. One of the people on the production staff, as quoted in a display, said he would walk alongside the bleachers to listen to the laughing.
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| Looking at the sets |
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| The bleachers appear toward the right |
The I Love Lucy show used a number of innovative and trend-breaking techniques. One example is how the crew filmed the scenes with multiple cameras. They later reviewed the tapes on a large machine--that someone called "the Monster" on first seeing it, which was a name that stuck--and compiled the show together from the best footage.
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| the "Monster" |
And I also learned the secret about Lucy's iconic red hair from this display, showing the various ingredients involved in creating that look:
The east gallery also had a set of Lucy and Ricky bedroom furniture, donated by the family of a local Jamestown resident. This furniture set was marketed during the 1950's.
And at the end of the East Gallery was a set where people could pose with Vitameatavegamin, as a fellow visitor photographed me below.
The West Gallery had two displays at the beginning that told about the youth years of both Lucy and Desi. He had a life of privilege in Santiago, Cuba, until Fulgencio Batista's rule began and his family lost much of what they had and fled to the United States. He eventually started a band. While growing up, Lucy went to see vaudeville shows, which piqued her interest in acting.
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| Above is the display for Lucy's youth, and below is the display for Desi's youth. |
In addition to I Love Lucy, she starred in several movies from the 1940's until the 1970's. One that I am familiar with is The Long, Long Trailer, which I learned was filmed during a summer break for I Love Lucy. I even found out she did a London TV special for CBS in the 1970's.
I was super intrigued to see her car on display in the west gallery--please see photo below.
At the end was a display with all her Emmy awards, as shown in the photo below.
In addition to visiting the exhibits, I took a look around at the market outside the museum, which took over a block of 3rd Street.
Once I was done perusing the two galleries, I walked a few blocks south, across the Chadakoin River, to photograph the mural of the scene when the I Love Lucy foursome start their journey to California--please see the photo below.
It was around 1 PM by this point, and I was ready for lunch. I ended up at a place called JWilly's Que and Cream, which was kind of like an outdoor food truck restaurant. I got souvlaki with lamb and a float with cream soda and peach ice cream.
From there, I made a visit to the Prendergast Library, the local public library, and looked around for a few minutes.
I also went back to the museum to take a look at a few areas that I wanted to see again and get some photos. Once I was done there, I walked around in downtown Jamestown to get photos of the other Lucy murals.
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| Here's the Vitameatavegamin mural. |
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| This postcard mural is appropriately right by the Jamestown post office. |
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| Here's the scene from Job Switching at the chocolate-packing conveyor belt, when the supervisor yells to speed up the belt. |
And then I drove to Lakeview Cemetery to visit Lucille Ball's grave--both sides are shown in the photo below. I had to wind around a bit to find the entrance where the path to her grave is marked by red hearts. Her grave is flanked by other relatives going back decades before her birth.
Subsequently, I went to St. James Parish to attend 4 PM Mass. As someone who is intrigued by church architecture, I was fascinated by the round shape of the sanctuary. And rather amazingly, for the first time in 2 1/2 years, I partook of the Precious Blood in the chalice.
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| Inside the sanctuary of St. James |
Following Mass, I lingered at the church for a few minutes.
Then I drove to the nearby village of Celeron. where Lucille spent part of her childhood. I photographed a house where she lived, on Lucy Lane, complete with the garage painted in the design of her famed polka-dot dress.
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| The house, with the decorated garage appearing to the left in the photo |
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| Here's the sign for Lucy Lane. Lucy's childhood home is the bluish house appearing to the left. |
Subsequently, I drove to Lucille Ball Memorial Park on the southeast shore of Lake Chautauqua. There used to be an amusement park there where she worked a summer job. The park has two statues of her.
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| Vitameatavegamin statue |
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| Here I am by the Lucy statue in Lucille Ball Memorial Park. I thank the fellow visitor who photographed me here. |
It was also peaceful to linger by the shoreline and listen to the gentle lap of the water--please see the photo below.
By 6 PM or so, I was at El Jarocho in downtown Jamestown for dinner. I ordered chicken and shrimp in a tomato-like chipotle sauce. It was a good dish.
Next, on my way to Tim Horton's, I stopped for gas while attempting to turn around to the right side of the street. (Despite the suspension of the state gas tax, it still surpassed $4, well over prices I saw in Ohio.) At Tim Horton's--please see photo below--I got a couple of baked goods, enjoying something that seems exotic because it's a Canadian-based company.
And then I went back to my lodgings to unwind and retire for the day.
I was up between 7-8 AM the next morning. I walked a block away to get breakfast from the Coffee Cup, a small restaurant. I had French toast, which I brought back to my lodgings.
Around 9 AM, I had Avila loaded up and began my journey out of Jamestown. I swung by downtown to see some other sites on the Lucy driving tour I had missed the day before, and also one of her childhood houses a few blocks north of downtown. Then I drove north on Main Street to I-86, and headed west. I got great views of Lake Chautauqua while crossing over it.
Within the hour, I exited New York and entered Pennsylvania. As I rounded the curved ramp to enter I-90, I got a great view of Lake Erie.
I soon exited I-90 and drove through Erie, PA, to St. Joseph Parish, where I attended 10 AM Mass. There was a great sense of community at St. Joseph with all the many people gathered for Mass. Father Larry is a one-of-a-kind priest who is gifted in helping people encounter God. Many years ago, I accompanied my Dad and attended a Mass Father Larry celebrated in Chicago, followed by a talk on Eucharistic devotion. Dad has engaged with Father Larry's media for years, so it was meaningful to attend Mass at his parish.
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| Above is the inside of St. Joseph, by the altar, and below is the exterior. |
I lingered after Mass for hospitality. I had some nice conversation with a couple of parishioners, and I had the chance to reflect on my extended weekend excursion to Jamestown. I also got the scoop on a local doughnut shop, Mighty Fine Donuts, from which there were donuts for after Mass. When I mentioned my intent to eat at Cracker Barrel, one of the parishioners I spoke with was kind enough to offer me a Cracker Barrel gift card he had that he thought I could use more readily than him.
Following my time there, I drove to Cracker Barrel, near I-90. I had beef pot roast for lunch. Around 1 PM or so, I got back in Avila, and then got on I-90, driving west.
I pulled off at rest stops, and also got off in Cleveland to take some photos around the lakefront area.
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| Above is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with the waters of Lake Erie appearing to the left in the photo. Below is the Cleveland skyline, opposite from where I got the photo above. |
I continued with the Founding Mothers audiobook. Later, I joined my weekly friends' phone gathering for Bible study and fellowship as I passed from northwest Ohio into northern Indiana.
I arrived back in Oak Park around 8 PM CDT or so. I went to get dinner and Gina's dessert before arriving home.
This trip was touching in providing me a way to reconnect with my Grandma Dottie. While I no longer have the opportunity to fulfill my desire to return from a visit to Jamestown and show her photos from there, I still held strongly to my intention to visit Jamestown this past summer, knowing in the wake of her passing, it would be good for me to do personally.
One thing I appreciated about Grandma Dottie was having conversations with her that connected me with the way the world was decades ago. Given my strong interest in history, I liked being able to hear about the past through someone like her as she shared her lived experience with me.
The great thing about I Love Lucy is that it's still popular even decades after the show reached its conclusion. New generations can appreciate this wonderful show, just as I have, thanks to my Grandma.
Visiting Jamestown was an opportunity to acquaint myself with the context of Lucille Ball's life, and learn about the show from an insider perspective, especially considering its innovative and groundbreaking aspects. Seeing the exhibits with various props that were actually used on the show was a fascinating way to get up close and real with it, just like with the recreation of the sets, even as they gave whole new perspective by seeing them in color.
Throughout my sightseeing, I felt a sense of gladness, thinking about a wonderful show I enjoy so much, and also thinking about this aspect of my relationship with Grandma Dottie. I didn't necessarily feel sadness about her departure from this life, but rather a sense of joy for the good times we had together. Being in Jamestown made it come alive again, just as the museum and the nearby National Comedy Center seek to help people appreciate Lucille Ball and I Love Lucy and their contributions to 20th Century society in the USA.
Indeed, the love for Lucy persists, thanks to people like my Grandma Dottie who passed it on to me, her grandson, and to those at the museum who help the public appreciate a true classic that is timeless.
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| I thank the fellow visitor who photographed me by the I Love Lucy heart on display in a window by the west gallery of the Lucy-Desi Museum. |
