Port Jervis and Upper Delaware River

Port Jervis and Upper Delaware River
September 18, 2010

When we moved to Middletown many years ago -- a city already out of range for many New York City commuters -- Port Jervis was just a town too far away it may as well be Alaska. It sits two stops farther away than Middletown on a train that doesn’t even reach New York City (you’d have to change trains in Secaucus, NJ) and on the edge of New York State that borders with Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To us with our sights looking inward toward New York City, anything beyond Middletown including Port Jervis was just backwater. Last weekend we found out how wrong we were.

Port Jervis was first settled in 1690 and became a city in 1856 when the D&H Canal -- a waterway used to ferry coal from the Pennsylvania mines to New York City -- brought development and people there. Many small towns in America declined in growth when coal was replaced by oil as the choice energy resource, but not Port Jervis. Somehow it managed to even thrive. In fact, Port Jervis was named #1 coolest small town in the U.S. by Budget Travel in 2008.

There’s plenty to do in Port Jervis. You can drive up the Elks-Brox Memorial Park for a bird’s eye view of the city, walk the six-mile Heritage Trail along the Delaware River, tour one of the oldest glass factories in America, visit a historic stone house, throw yourself back to a time when steam rail engines had to be rotated on a turntable to change directions, or simply walk around town.

If that’s not enough, Port Jervis acts as gateway to the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, a 70-mile highway that hugs the side of a mountain as it runs alongside the Delaware River. Its most famous attraction, Hawk’s Nest, features a 100-foot plunge into the river valley below where kayaks, canoes, rafts, and tubes can be seen floating on the Delaware. The highway is so scenic that no less than BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, and Cadillac shoot car commercials there.

We first went up the Elks-Brox Memorial Park then drove down Pike Street and had lunch at a Chinese restaurant. While walking along Pike Street we saw a liquor store and checked it out. We couldn’t find the Moscato wine we were looking for -- a type of sweet white wine that Vi favors these days -- and so approached the manager behind the counter to ask if he had them. He was reading something -- a book or newspaper that we couldn’t see.

“I think we do,” he said. “To start off with inexpensive ones we have some there,” pointing to a stack of Moscatos in front of the counter. They were under five bucks each. He then showed us three more brands on the shelves and walked back to the counter to continue his reading. I took his leaving us alone to mean we are welcome to peruse around the store.

Vi wondered if any was bubbly so we approached him again to ask. He took a moment before lifting his eyes from his reading material and turning his attention to us, said, “Yes we have those.” He walked around the counter to show us the shelf.

We took a bottle of bubbly Moscato and a bottle of non-bubbly and after paying I noticed a large, perhaps 2-by-3 feet metal grill on the floor in front of the counter. Under the grill were coins and dollar bills as if people accidentally dropped them there and were unable to retrieve them. When I pointed it out to Vi the man said, “They all go to Saint Jude’s.” I didn’t get the rest of his explanation as he said it so quickly but I did make out the phrase “for the children”.

I said, “Oh. I was careful not to drop my keys in there.”

The man said, “That ain’t going to happen.” I took that to mean that if I dropped anything in there that I didn’t mean to, I’ll get it back.

As we made our way out I wondered if maybe I should have dropped a dollar or two. I do anyway whenever asked at the supermarket checkout stand for some worthy cause. But the man mentioned it only in passing so I thought it would be rather superficial of me to act on it. Or maybe not. Children's futures were at stake, after all. Later I felt I was caught mentally slow all because it wasn’t what I came there for. And anyway I looked at it, it was a poor excuse.

Then again, although I’m sure the man would have appreciated it, he seemed all very laid back as if saying not to agonize over anything including not making a donation to his charitable cause.

Port Jervis is a nice rural city. Antique store-lined streets, traditional barber shops, mom-and-pop bicycle stores, and colorful flags and banners hung on lampposts to celebrate annual festivals all add up to a very quaint atmosphere. The populace, too, seemed friendly and not averse to camera-toting individuals like us walking about in their streets. The small rural city offers many opportunities for photography. One of these days we’ll visit again.

And maybe stop by the liquor store with its friendly wine merchant to make a donation to Saint Jude's children.

And, oh yes, our excuse will be, "We're here to buy a bottle or two of your sweet Moscato wine."

Click on a picture to enlarge.

The city of Port Jervis. (Vi took this photo.)

From the Elks-Brox Memorial Park can be seen three states: New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

The obelisk marks the highest point in the State of New Jersey. (Vi took this photo.)

Delaware River acts as divider between New York and New Jersey on one side and Pennsylvania on the other.

Matamoras Bridge crosses the Delaware River to Matamoras, Pennsylvania. (Vi took this photo.)

Wild outgrowth at Elks-Brox Memorial Park. We saw this plant at other locations in Port Jervis. (Vi took this photo.)

The winding road that leads up to Elks-Brox Memorial Park. (Vi took this photo.)

Picnic tables and benches with barbecue grills can be found along the roadsides.

This looks like an abandoned resort hotel on the road to Elks-Brox Memorial Park. (Vi took this photo.)

We had lunch at Good Friend Restaurant then went next door to the liquor store to get a bottle of Mascoti wine.

A young couple perhaps out on a date and a man waiting for his takeout were our company at Good Friend Restaurant.

View of Pike Street from our table by the window.

Monument at Orange Park commemorating Civil War soldiers of the neighboring town of Deerpark.

Pike Street from Orange Park. (Vi took this photo.)

The train is sitting on a “turntable”. In the old days when train engines only moved forward and not backward-and-forward as modern trains do, they had to be rotated on a turntable at the end of the line to change direction. (Vi took this photo.)

Here you can see the turntable in its entirety. This used to be a round, covered building with “spokes” emanating from the center. Each spoke was actually a bay or shelter for train engines where repairs and maintenance were made.

There are several train engines and cars, this engine sits by itself on a separate track.

Here you can see the gear or mechanism for turning the track isn't rusty so I'm guessing the turntable is still operational.

For many years Erie Depot was “the busiest passenger station” in Port Jervis. (source:wikipedia.org)

Elks-Brox Memorial Park seen from the Erie railyard. (Vi took this photo.)

Crystal clear waters of the Delaware River. (Vi took this photo.)

Fly fishing at Delaware River. (Vi took this photo.)

This is the path we took to reach the river banks. (Vi took this photo.)

Delaware River seen from Hawk's Nest. (Vi took this photo.)

The water was clean, the air fresh, and the weather was mild.

It was a good day to be out. Indeed, many were.

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