Memorial Day Weekend Outing: Corning Glass Museum and Niagara Falls

Being the only long weekend in two months, I was relieved to be getting out of the house on Memorial Day weekend to take a trip with a few families from my church. Of course, I had been to both of our destinations in the past, but I decided to give them a second chance as I approached them with a new attitude and an abundance of friends around me. Saturday morning, we all loaded our bags into two vans and set off.

Our first destination was the Corning Glass Museum, located in upstate New York. Even though the ride was a long five hours, my friend and I belted out to a variety of songs (primarily High School Musical) to pass the time while taking naps in between. Inside the museum, we found beautiful glass sculptures, and as we walked through the gift shop, I was amazed by the intricate creations, whether they were paperweights or ornaments. In the past, I had visited the museum section of Corning, and I was equally in awe to see the amazing art on display. Unfortunately, our group didn’t have the time to explore the museum more, so our group of twenty immediately made our way into the glass studio. I hopefully thought I could make something as beautiful as the works of glass I had seen in the past.

Many of the kids and a few adults had signed up to make our own glass creations. I went to go make a pendant while my other friends made beads, flowers, and wind chimes. I felt like the real deal in my protective sleeves, apron, and goggles. When I chose out my two colors to work with, my instructor turned on the flame, and honestly, I was a little frightened by the prospect of burning myself. However, it was an awesome, burn-free experience when I melted the glass rods above the flame and swirled them together to create a ball of hot, melted glass. I swirled the colors around to blend them and create the pattern. Ultimately, I flattened my pendant into a circle shape. Although it took a few tries of melting and re-swirling the glass, the pattern of purple was finally visible on my pendant, and I was ecstatic to have made that. After I had finished, I went to go see my sister making her flower, which comprised of her twisting a metal rod with the flower on the end, shaping the petals with a metal tool, and the instructor heating it up in a roaring fire. I can say that the end product was beautiful for everyone who partook.

After we had finished up in the studio, we headed back into the main building to see some professionals at work. Two workers were tirelessly crafting a beautiful pitcher out of glass like they had been doing this for years (which they had). Everyone in the audience watched as they twisted the pitcher in the fire to make the glass malleable, shaped the top, and molded the bottom. Unfortunately, even though I think we showed the most enthusiasm in the room as I and my friends stood up and yelled, we didn’t get to take the pitcher home as a prize.

After a long day at Corning, everybody was exhausted. We drove to our hotel two hours away and, after a quick trip to the pool and eating dinner while watching the Harry Potter marathon on Freeform, we collapsed into our beds.

We all slowly woke up the next morning (I being one of the last) and ate breakfast before driving up to our second and biggest destination: Niagara Falls. I had been to Niagara countless times in the past with distant relatives, grandparents etc. I thought it was going to be the most boring, repetitive day. I was mistaken. Clearly, the falls had much more in store for me this time around. After getting our discovery passes, we went on the ferry ride, the Maid of the Mist. The last time I had come to Niagara, the waters were too perilous for the ferry to venture near Horseshoe Falls. However, this time, we went all around those falls, and I was practically blinded by the pure whiteness of the mighty waters crashing down around me (and on me). As we came full circle and headed back for the dock, newly soaked, I looked out onto Niagara Falls and saw the waters crashing onto the rocks, birds everywhere in sight. I wondered what it would be like to be underneath the water, which I would soon find out.

The group grabbed a quick bite to eat for lunch and made our way down to Cave of the Winds (which is a misleading name, since the actual cave collapsed many years ago). Although I was disappointed that we wouldn’t be exploring some fantastical cave, the attraction was nonetheless worth the two and a half hour wait. As we walked down to the attraction, I came to actually realize the MASSIVE number of birds that had made Niagara Falls and the surrounding area their home. It was so awesome to see birds and their babies up so close. After admiring the birds and taking numerous photos of them, we climbed up the slippery staircases and admired a small rainbow perched over a rock within our reach. As we treaded through a puddle to take a picture, I cried out as I felt the water’s icy touch on my sandal-clad feet. Of course, I had no intention of going near the freezing water again, but once we reached the highest point on the staircases, my dad pushed my sister and I underneath the falls. I ran out, thoroughly soaked, yet realizing how good water from Niagara Falls tasted! It was amazing to be so close to a wonder that I had only admired from a distance in the past.

On Monday, we started on our trip back home. I can happily say that this trip, although I had been to both attractions before, was totally different and unique. Even though the Corning Glass Museum is a place to walk through and see already-made works of art, you can make it your own by creating a glass piece yourself. And although Niagara Falls seems like something to marvel at, it is truly something to experience. Both places were amazing sightseeing spots, but they were, above all, experiences that you need to see and feel and do to believe. The experiences from our short trip are ones I will never forget.

By Megha Thomas

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