If Your Are Going to Jamestown....

I might have mentioned this before, but I am from upstate New York and Jamestown (Lucy's hometown)is just about the halfway mark between where I live now and where my family is in New York so we will often meet in Jamestown.

I love Jamestown. Much like many places in upstate New York, it's a homey little place with old brick houses and a great little downtown with neat shops, cozy little eateries and fun pubs. We usually stay at the Holiday Inn (only because we have preferred customer cards) and there is a gorgeous oil painting of Lucy hanging behind the front desk that once hung in Lucy's own home in California.

The home where Lucy was born still stands at 69 Stewart Avenue and the home where she lived as a child is there as well at 59 Lucy Lane (which was formerly called 8Th Street) in Celeron (just a hop,skip and a jump from Jamestown).

Most of the things you will read will tell you that Lucy is interred in California, but that is not the truth. Lucy's ashes are in the Hunt family plot in the Jamestown Cemetery with her other family members, and you can drive thru the small cemetery and pay your respects.

If you have read any biographies, you know she spent a lot of time at Celeron Park (she even got a job there as a young teenager) which was a major amusement park in the area. It is now the Lucille Ball Memorial Park and is on Chautaqua Lake and only a short drive from Jamestown.

I would suggest a trip to Jamestown anytime between now and the third week of October or so because you have never seen fall color as you will in Upstate New York at that time of year. The mountain scenery is ablaze and any camera buff or "Lucyite" will be thrilled. If you do make the trip, please report back. I'll tell you more about Jamestown in my next post.