When I think back to our time in NY, it surprises me that we were only there for 13 days. We had so many adventures, and I still don’t think I saw everything that I wanted to see.
Confession time. For some reason, I’d never seen It’s a Wonderful Life. I have no idea why. I love Christmas – ask anyone who knows me. It’s my favorite. I also really like Jimmy Stewart; I’ve seen The Philadelphia Story more times than I can count. In college, I did the scene about lassoing the moon for a speech class. So, I did things backwards – I went to the city that inspired the classic story of gratitude and giving before I watched the film.
The plaque reads: “The Village of Seneca Falls may have inspired the hometown look of Frank Capra’s 1946 holiday film classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Mr. Capra is known to have visited here in the mid-1940s at the time the screenplay for the film was being developed. Many similarities exist between Seneca Falls and the fictional “Bedford Falls.” Among these are the design of the Bridge Street bridge, the use of several place and personal names, and the village’s geographical location.”
The gentleman on the right is the person who took the picture in my magnet. He was handling the purchases in a movie-themed gift shop and shared that it was his photo on the magnet. I told him I wanted a picture of him with it, and he couldn’t believe it. He was a delight; his shirt even matches the magnet. And, since my visit, I have finally seen It’s a Wonderful Life.
Seneca Falls is also the home of the very first women’s right’s convention where the women (and some men) gathered debuted the Declaration of Sentiments. They have preserved the building where they met, and there’s a museum adjacent to the building. There was a park ranger who gave a talk that afternoon as well. Read more on their website: https://www.nps.gov/wori/index.htm. I didn’t realize this was also in Seneca Falls when I decided to visit – what a powerful surprise.
Left – The hall. Right – The water feature and mural on the side of the museum.
I am so prepared and still laughing. 😉
Next time – one last post about our time in New York.
The Adventures of Ms Haps & Arthur 