I was excited to learn that although The Stockade Inn (which had been without power for many days after Hurricane Irene came to visit) was going to be open today and still planned to serve lunch for our weekly Schenectady Rotary Meeting. This is a must visit if you are ever in the area.
The Stockade Inn is located at the corner of Union and Church Streets in the historic Stockade District of Schenectady, New York. The Inn was the home of the former Mohawk Bank which was constructed in 1814 (original vault still in the basement) and it has served many purposes over the years, from a bank, a private home, a classical school department, the Mohawk Club (a men's only social club) and now the only hotel in existence in this historic area.
Besides the beautiful decor, the food is fabulous and I definitely recommend a night cap here while listening to some wonderful jazz music.
I talk about how much I love the area but it is also about my love of the people that live here. Every week the Schenectady Rotary Club meets for lunch on Thursday at noon at this wonderful venue and every week we have a moment of what we call "Happy Dollars". What occurs during happy dollars is that you are given the opportunity to stand up and place a dollar in the gold plated box and express a story you wish to tell or for something that you are happy or grateful for (the money is used to continue the great programs supported by the Rotary). Your happy dollar can be because your team won the game, your child got accepted to a college, you met a new friend, or whatever it is that you wish to acknowledge, one gentleman every week puts in a dollar because he loves his wife, it is now up to $2 a week because he has a new daughter. However, today when people got up, there were many happy dollars, there were $20, $10, $5's! Today, everyone was grateful! They were grateful that although they may have lost material possessions due to the storm, they were there, they were alive and they are grateful that they can continue to help others to survive this tragic event. They did not focus on the negative of the storm but on the positive and how they came together to support one another.
Schenectady is a survivor, whether it is an earthquake or a hurricane, we rebuild, we reengage, we reunite to build a better community. Just another reason to love where I live and the people in my life.
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