“There’s just something calming about being by the water,” Lobb said.
The plan was to take one of those vessels and spend a few days exploring the canal.
The perfect escape from the strangest year of our lives?
The lift bridge in downtown Fairport, New York, as seen from the Erie Canal.Credit: John Kucko
An hour later, Keenan stepped back onto the dock and wished us a good trip.
We’d been socially distancing for months, but suddenly felt very alone.
Before Zoom calls, before jets, even before Model Ts and railroads, travel was all about boats.
Erie Canal Adventures’ boats have cozy berths suited for families with kids or up to four adults.Jason Beaton
In 1848, Frederick Douglass moved to Rochester, where he founded his abolitionist newspaper.
After a couple of days aboard, we were getting the hang of theSeneca.
We started to feel a tiny bit like boat people.
Brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and chicken at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, in Rochester.Brent Herrig/Courtesy of Dinosaur BBQ
Could we live on theSeneca?
I wondered aloud one morning.
Not likely, my wife deadpanned.
That evening, we approached another red-and-green boat docked at a bend in the channel called Bushnell’s Basin.
Though we’d met only briefly, it felt like a reunion with old friends.
Amazing what can happen when you take a moment and just slow down.
Boats come fully fueled and equipped with linens, kitchen gear, and water.
Book throughAtlas Obscurafor more perks, plus a concierge who can make restaurant reservations and provide hyper-specific sightseeing tips.
A new 15,000-square-foot spa opened in June.
Atlas Obscura and Erie Canal Adventures provided support for the reporting of this story.
