I had the honor of showing Jenny Kenna another part of the United States that she never saw before. Jenny was nice enough to have me and show me areas in the UK when I was there a few years ago and I wanted to do something in return since she always wanted to see NYC.
Here are the highlights of the trip (October 10-19, 2018):
Wed Oct 10th-Picked Jenny up from JFK which was neat because they still have the nicer way of being able to greet the passengers as they come in the arrival area since many airports don’t allow face to face greetings anymore from customs to arrival area. I invited her earlier this year to see NYC and my hometown along with other areas of NY and a little bit of PA. We stayed at a hotel in CT.
On the way to JFK airport to pick up Jenny!
"Play it again Jen!"
Thurs Oct 11th-There was a bad storm from a Hurricane that was on the east coast at the time hitting NYC causing us to postpone the trip to NYC Thursday until the following day Friday. We did see a little of a nearby town in CT in the meantime which was fun and we just spent the day taking it easy.
Us in Central Park on a beautiful day!
Fri Oct 12th-We went to NYC and saw many sites. We walked a total of almost 7 hrs , (20 miles), and saw many areas including Grand Central, Central Park, Broadway, George Washington Square and Lord & Taylors which is closing in January. Stepping in there was a lot like Grace Brothers with the layout and old elevators which was really cool! Many of the staff even reminded us of Mrs. Slocombe and Mr. Humphries which really made it funny at times! It was a beautiful day with sunshine and in the 60’s making it ideal for walking and we really made most of the day. We got back to the hotel at dusk.
Saturday Oct 13th- We headed out to Binghampton, NY and spent time Sunday seeing the sites there relating to old photographs she had of the area from her husband’s family that lived there in 1890s. I did some research to find the exact locations since a street name was changed, etc., so we visited all the places of interest including the church where they were married. We also took a side trip to Ithaca to visit Cayuga Lake and Buttermilk Falls where her husband’s parents went for their honeymoon. It was a neat experience for all of us to be able to follow in their footsteps since many of the original buildings are still standing from the 1800s.
Cayuga Lake
Buttermilk Falls-breathtaking scenery!
Jenny at Buttermilk Falls!
Monday Oct 15th was a big day. Jenny was interviewed by a local TV station there to promote her new book and talk about family history in the area:
There is a shot of me taping the interview from another angle, so I had an unexpected few secs of fame myself! :-)
Image of Jenny preparing for Interview.
After the interview we moved on to other areas of New York for sightseeing before stopping for the night at another hotel.
"What a way to spend your holiday!" This picture still gets me in stitches! LOL
Tues Oct 16th--We visited the “Lucy & Desi Museum” in Jamestown, NY and went through their museums. After a few hours there we departed Jamestown and arrived in Ohio later in the day.
Wednesday Oct 17th and Thursday Oct 18th -Showed Jenny my stomping grounds in Ohio including were I went to school as well as some beautiful parks we have in the area.
Friday Oct 19th-In the morning we spent some time at home talking, showing my memorabilia and doing an interview. Took her to the airport in the afternoon to make it easier to catch the early morning flight the next morning.
It was really hard to say goodbye since we had a wonderful time together. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to do this and was really fun being the “Tour Guide”. :-)
Here's the Interview I did with Jenny. Here are my questions:
1>How old were you when you started acting and what attracted you to the profession?
2>What are your favorite hobbies?
3>When you saw the house on Leroy Street in Binghampton,NY where your husband's family
lived, what was your feeling seeing the house for the first time?
4>Along the way I took you to Cayuga Lake and Buttermilk Falls near Ithaca, NY where
your husband's family honeymooned in the 1890's. What was it like for you to see those
sites for real?
5>We spent a day in New York City and walked almost 7 hours total (20 miles!) walking. What was
it like seeing the Broadway area live?
6>What was your funniest moment with John Inman?
7>Is there a fun fact about John Inman that fans might not know about?
8>Mollie Sudgen was very thoughtful about others. Can you provide an example about that?
9>With the trip on the Eastern part of the US coming to a close, you will be soon heading to California for a few days. What are your favorite areas there and why?
10>Anything you would like to say to the fans of your book and 'Are You Being Served?'
