Chatauqua and the "Big Ass Fish Fry"

We drove just a bit to get to the far western part of NY State and Chautauqua. John had spent time here in his youth at the Chautauqua Institute and we decided to check it out. Our campground was clean and orderly-with a rule-bound camp manager. When we checked in, each and every rule was reviewed before we could head to our campsite. We dubbed the camp, “Stalag Chautauqua”. The weather wasn’t cooperating for bike riding (afternoon showers every day), so we explored the area by car. We stopped for lunch in Jamestown, the home of Lucille Ball. (Photo courtesy of Flickr.com) The town is awash in Lucy memorabilia- shops, a Lucy and Desi theater, and a museum.

We spent one afternoon at “The Institute”. It was actually quite lovely- Victorian homes and cottages surrounding the lake, a library and shopping and a very interesting catalog of courses available during their 9 week season. It was founded in 1874 by a Pennsylvania Methodist minister as a vacation school for Sunday-school teachers. Eventually, it became a place for education and discussions of religious, social and political issues for anyone with enough money to visit. It was, however, a bit too rule bound.

After an afternoon with the elite, we decided to have dinner at the local bar and the “Big Ass Fish Fry”. John talked to the manager, Josh, and even though the fish fry wasn’t until Friday, he set aside a huge amount of fish just for us. It was a true local dive. The locals were none to fond of the Institute people, calling them “the rich people”. The only good thing that they could say about “the season” was that the local convenience store stayed open later so they could get chips and cigarettes anytime. Next time, we’re going to try to stick around for another Big Ass Fish Fry and for the entertainment, “Harold and the White Boys”.