Long before cell phones, before 300 TV channels, before NetFlix and before personal computers, my family watched ships traveling the St.Lawrence Seaway Sunday afternoons.
It was our entertainment and our version of a road trip. My mother and father would pack the car with snacks and blankets and warm clothes and we would drive 25 minutes from Norfolk to the Massena locks. If we were lucky, there would be a stop at the A&W Root beer stand on Route 37 for fortification.
When we piled out of the car at the Seaway parking lot, there was a mad dash to see if there was a ship waiting to traverse the locks. A second story platform over the gift shop provided a bird’s eye view up and down the river to aid our search.
Sometimes the ships formed a line waiting for a chance to enter the locks so they could be on their way to another place. We waved like mad and yelled “hello”. We were American ambassadors welcoming foreigners to our land. We borrowed binoculars to get a better view and to see the handsome sailors. They were always handsome and mysterious. They also looked a little dangerous.
We would make up stories about each crew member and when the men waved back we were thrilled. I decided I would marry one of them and travel the world on a great ship. As a 9 year old, my love of travel was cemented on the banks of the St.Lawrence River watching mysterious ships go by on a perfect Sunday afternoon.
- Cathy Pircsuk
vice president & general manager, WWNY
