Upstate New York is the birthplace of many of America's favorite foods. The chicken wing was born in a bar in Buffalo, the potato chip originated in the kitchen of a glitzy Saratoga Springs hotel, the salt potato got its start along the marshy shores of a Syracuse lake, and Thousand Island dressing was created in a hotel along the St. Lawrence Seaway. In this book, D'Imperio travels across the region to discover the stories and people behind forty iconic foods of Upstate New York. He introduces readers to the black dirt farmers of Orange County who give America its best-tasting onions, to the Catskill's Candy Cane King, and to "Charlie the Butcher," purveyor of the best beef on weck in the state. Filled with color photographs, the book includes a map of the various regions around Upstate New York allowing the reader to create their own cultural and historic food tour.

Graves of Upstate New York presents a fascinating look at the lives and deaths of 100 legendary Americans who are laid to rest in Upstate New York. D'Imperio takes readers on a journey across the state, visiting an array of famous New York grave sites, from Mark Twain, Harriet Tubman, and James Fenimore Cooper to Helen Hayes, Lucille Ball, four US presidents, a Kentucky Derby-winning horse, and the most famous one-legged tap dancer in the world. D'Imperio tells the story of each individual, along with photographs and detailed information about the cemetery. From West Point to Lake Placid to Buffalo and all points north, south, east, and west, Graves of Upstate New York offers a cultural tour across the great expanse of Upstate New York in search of its famous residents and their lasting legacies.

Unknown Museums of Upstate New York is an informative and entertaining guide to the rich resources available at fifty small, often overlooked, regional museums. D'Imperio tells each museum's story, in light of its cultural and historical relevance, and he provides a wealth of information about the museums as places of interest to visit, not just to read about.

"Ah, the mysteries of Upstate New York's cemeteries " The hundreds of rural cemeteries in Upstate New York are the bucolic final resting places of a surprising number of legendary Americans. Author Chuck D'Imperio has spent more than five years and traveled thousands of miles around this beautiful and historic region in search of the graves of the famous (and infamous ). Great Graves of Upstate New York is a fascinating, fact-filled, guide to the regional gravesites of a wide spectrum of recognizable names from the near and distant past. And all in Upstate New York And the list is nothing short of incredible: singer Kate Smith, "The God Bless America Girl"; Mafia figure Joe "the Barber" Barbara; John Burroughs, "The Father of the American Conservation Movement"; Annie Edson Taylor, "Niagara''s REAL Maid of the Mist"; Dr. Mary Walker, America's first and only female Congressional Medal of Honor winner; Jennie Grossinger, "The Catskill''s Innkeeper"; Virginia O. Douglas, "Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus"; Tim Murphy, "The Savior of Schoharie"; Sam Patch, "The Yankee Leaper"; Matthew Vassar, "The Brewer Philanthropist"; Lucille Ball, "The Queen of Comedy"; Ann Trow Lohman, "The Wickedest Woman in New York"; Ernie Davis, "The Pride of the Syracuse Orangemen"; and many more, including four U.S. Presidents, one Kentucky Derby winning horse and the most famous one-legged tap-dancer in the world

Well known for its world-renowned art museums - from the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston - Massachusetts is also home to numerous institutions with more eclectic collections and, oftentimes, lower profiles. These include Mansfield's National Black Doll Museum of History and Culture, Watertown's Plumbing Museum, and Granville's Noble and Cooley Center for Historic Preservation. In Massachusetts Treasures, Chuck D'Imperio explores more than forty museums scattered throughout the Bay State, from Cape Cod to the Berkshires. Many - but not all - might be considered ""offbeat,"" and each and every one is enchanting. Through personal visits and interviews with founders and directors, D'Imperio offers an inside glimpse into some of the Commonwealth's most unique museums, providing a valuable guide for road warriors and history buffs discovering Massachusetts either for the first or the tenth time.