Forgot about FDR! Between the finger lakes stop and my sister's place, we stopped in Hyde Park NY to see the FDR home and presidential library. We didn't arrive until afternoon and our time was limited, so we skipped the library and chose to take the tour of FDR's home. The library was undergoing extensive renovations, so this made the decision easy. The estate was lovely, though I felt the home was awfully dark.
We learned that most people had no idea that President Roosevelt was confined to a wheelchair and couldn't walk at all until after he died. He and his handlers made sure that he was never shown in a wheelchair. When visitors would come, he would be seated in a regular chair with his legs crossed, giving the illusion that he had seated himself and could move his legs. Apparently the press was in on this and never revealed his secret. Can you imagine the modern press doing this? While the tour was interesting, it was a bit nauseating to see the hero worship of this man who, while surely an effective leader, was the father of the modern welfare state.
While in Hyde Park, we had dinner at one of the restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America. The meal was cooked and served by CIA students. It was tasty, but expensive.
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