August 25, 2021: We do the tourist thing and have yet another great meal at yet another Dinosaur BBQ.
I woke before dawn to a beautiful morning. I took a walk to the restrooms, walking along the sea wall where I could look out over Lake Erie and came back along the marina path where I could look out among the boats with the city skyline behind them. I really enjoyed the walk, every time I took it but especially at night and early in the morning when there was no one else around.
I caught the sunrise as I walked back to Nano from the restrooms.
Capt Paul went for a walk, Dianne did her thing out on in the cockpit, and I sat at the table writing up the Day 12 blog post. We had plans to meet up at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, which we’d walked past the day before in search of lunch. There was a double decker bus tour that started there at 1 PM and Capt Paul had bought tickets for all of us.
Being Tourists
Dianne and I walked over to the plaza by the navy ships, which was crowded with people — a huge contrast from the day before (Tuesday) when everything had been closed. The restaurant and gift shop were there and there were kiosks selling ice cream and shaved ice.
The USS The Sullivans, as seen from the deck of the USS Little Rock.
The bus pulled up just as we arrived. I asked the driver if we could board and he said no. Okay.
Paul showed up then and we retreated into the shade to wait. A youngish guy in a London Police uniform — or what I imagine a London police uniform might have looked like sometime within the past 100 years — and addressed those gathered in an Irish brogue that I was sure had to be fake. (Later, I became sure that it wasn’t fake.) When 1 PM rolled around, he took attendance off a list on his phone and started the tour.
It began with a brief guided tour of the larger of the two naval ships parked there. We had to walk through one of them, the USS The Sullivans, to get to the other, the USS Little Rock. Our guide — and I can’t remember his name! — took us to two places on the ship where he told us stories about them and the five Sullivan brothers that the USS The Sullivans was named for. His style was full of jokes (where appropriate) that were a little corny (at times) for me, but were very much enjoyed by the dozen or so others on the tour. The visit to these boats was short; someone more interested in naval history would probably want to pay for a full tour of the boats.
Missiles on the aft deck of the USS Little Rock.
Buffalo’s County and City Hall. Completed in 1875, the building features statues of four women near the top; our tour guide claimed they all had the same face.
From there, we boarded the bus where we all climbed upstairs. I took a spot right up front. The bus proceeded to drive through various areas of Buffalo, where our guide told us about the history of the city and the work done there over the years. Eventually, he got to the downtown area where we saw a number of historic buildings that I tried (and mostly failed) to get decent photos of.
When the tour was over, they dropped us back off at the Naval Park plaza. It was after 3 PM and we were all hungry.
Dinosaur BBQ. Again.
Capt Paul really had his heart set on Dinosaur BBQ, which was about 1.2 miles away from the park. In better weather — I mean not so freaking hot and humid — I would have walked it. But that was not going to happen in weather where I was dripping sweat just standing in the shade.
So I called an Uber. Our driver was friendly and even let Dianne ride up front. She dropped us off in front of the Buffalo location of Dinosaur BBQ, and went on her way.
We walked up to the door. It was locked.
Turns out, the place didn’t open until 4 PM. It was 3:40.
I found some picnic tables in the shade beside the building — I guess it’s for outdoor dining or waiting for food to go — and we sat down to wait. I think I checked the door twice, just in case they unlocked it early. (Fat chance.) Finally, at exactly 4 PM, Paul got up and went to the door. It was unlocked.
For the third time on our trip, we enjoyed excellent BBQ. I had a sampler platter which included pulled pork and ribs. I ate only half; the other half made a great meal a few days later.
After lunch, I called another Uber. This one wasn’t so pleasant. First of all, the driver would not unlock the doors until all of us were masked, even though we were clearly putting on our masks when I tried the door. Second, once we got in, we found ourselves sitting behind a thick sheet of plastic that had been duct-taped between the front and back seat areas. It reminded me of a Dexter kill room. Then, when the driver started driving, he also started talking — and pretty much never shut up. I was glad when he dropped us off at the marina near where Nano was parked.
I also vowed that I’d never get into a cab like that again.
Evening
I can’t recall what I did that evening, but I’m pretty sure I napped because I know I missed the sunset. Honestly, the three of us spend a lot of time napping in the afternoon. It could be because we aren’t sleeping as well as we might in regular beds. (I know I’m not.) And it might be because of the heat and humidity sucking the life out of us. Or, on a day like that day, it might just be because we were pretty active.
I know I did wake up before bedtime and spent some time reading before making that very pleasant walk to the bathrooms along the sea wall and back along the marina.
