Surprise Visit to Phil's Charpit, Quick trip to Niagara Falls

In the midst of a college visit, we had time for a (2 hour) detour to Niagara Falls. And, I remembered that an old friend and her husband had opened a restaurant in Clarence, NY. I still think of Lisa very fondly eventhough --until Friday-- we hadn't seen each other in more than 20 years. Our friendship has a lot of history -- our grandmothers were great friends, our mothers were often inseparable, and we spent so many of our first 18 years together!

So, Friday night around 7:30, we found Phil's Charpit in a great small town east of Buffalo. Phil immediately recognized me as we walked toward the front door, and I heard him call to Lisa in the back. It probably wasn't fair to surprise them in such a way, but it was terrific to see them both. The restaurant looks great. It's a fun family place. Katie and I enjoyed our sausage sandwiches the most! Fried dough, known in our childhoods as Pizza Fritte, brought back summer memories from our youth. The restaurant is filled with memorabilia from our childhood in the 60s, and even a little bit earlier. If you're in the area, be sure to visit for a family meal!

Eventually, we had to tear ourselves away, so that we could take Katie to the evening's destination, Niagara Falls. Believe it or not, we spent less than an hour at the falls, before we got back in the car for a 1.5 hour drive back to the hotel. And then to Cortland to see the grandparents.