Borders

Palo Alto, CA (Bay Area) in former cinema

 When I had my Barnes & Noble tote the other week, someone confused it with Borders when it was in town (which B&N bought out remaining assets of, but that's not the point). Borders closed in 2011, and was followed by Waldenbooks. Even the few chains and indies can't all stay open and compete with Amazon. Borders had some items that the other place didn't have. I even remember Eileen Fulton of As the World Turns doing a book signing. Her character is my sisters namesake and Fulton is from where my other sister now lives (small world). The photo I took sadly has disappeared like the stores. Here's a selection of some of them:

Syracuse - Carousel Center (now Destiny USA), now canyon section/Dicks wing

Watertown - Salmon Run Mall, NY 3

Albany (Guilderland) - Crossgates Mall, US 20

Rochester - Hylan Dr, now Homegoods

Buffalo (Cheektowaga) - Walden Galleria

New York (1) - 122 5th Ave

New York (2) - 461 Park Ave

Orchard Park - NY 179 (other WNY store)

Wappingers Falls - US 9 (forgot it was there when I lived up the road)

Arlington, VA - Hayes St (last one I remember going to after mine closed during DC hols. Only non-NY one I'm putting since we're focussing on NY)

Tomato Pie Day

Spanos (now New York Dough) Tomato Pie sold at Hannaford. They usually competed at Tomato Pie Day.

CC0, Link

 Tomato Pie Day in Utica, NY is a unique family event that draws hundreds every April, even from outside the Mohawk Valley as several local restaurants compete to be voted as the best one in town. However, I'm worried they're pulling a Glastonbury (the UK music festival has fallow years) because there has been no announcement yet as to whether or not they'll have it this year at the rec center on Memorial Parkway. They would have announced it by now. The last time it was cancelled of course was COVID, when it was not held for three years in a row, and it was brought back last year and I went. The crystal ball said it would be 27 April, 52 weeks after the last one, but we can't really confirm that. It could be called off again with rising food costs, staffing shortages, the challenges of running a small business in a small town, and the economy overall. It's just I can't plan until I know for drop dead sure that it's on so I can clear my day so I don't go that way during the week for other things because I can't afford to go out of town twice a month or every week anymore, even in warmer months, let alone to the same place a couple times. Lucky I can do it once or at all these days. Like a real journalist, I reached out to I Love Utica and New York Dough (which absorbed Spanos), but have not heard back from either. I may not even have regular pizza all the time, but tomato pie we call our own. Not the same kind as in Mercer County (NJ Capital Region) or the South. If I do hear anything official, I will update this post straight away. Tomato, tomahto, let's not call the whole thing off yet.