life and travels in Upstate New York
I don’t love New York for it’s politicians, it’s taxes, it’s bureaucracy, it’s empirical attitude and policies.
This is why I love NY.
Beautiful. No hotels in las vegas for me– give me the forests and the beautiful babbling brooks! Ahhhhhhh
Thanks, Adirondack Base Camp, for finding this lovely video.
Despite the fire at the FX Matt Brewery in Utica, NY, “Saranac Thursday,” a weekly summer-long event where the community drinks beer at the brewery, is going ahead full-throttle. It’s also being publicized like wildfire, so to speak. New York State’s governor visited Utica to show his support for the brewery rebuild.
However, CNY Snakepit has sobering perspective about the brewery fire and the many (oftentimes fatal) fires that mysteriously occur throughout the city. I’m sure people from everywhere can understand this.
I have been asked by a few people to send them links to various travel websites pertaining to New York State. I have a few helpful links, but rather than sending out several emails, I thought I’d make it easy on myself and put everything in a post. And this way, everyone else can read and benefit. Ain’t dat smart? 
I Love New York
New York State Parks & Recreation
New York Cities & Towns
New York Traveler.net Archives
New York Traveler.net Google Map
Museums in New York City
New Yorkology.com
New York State Historic Markers
Visit the Adirondacks
Adirondack Trailhead
New York State Museum
The Empire Expo Center
New York State Canals
Noo Experiences
NY Fun4U Travel Guides
So those websites should be helpful. Many of the smaller touristy ideas and sites branch out from those in the list. Of course, if you have any questions about New York Travel, feel free to shoot off a message (use the “Contact Me” form). I’ll do my best to answer you.
It’s boating season in Upstate New York! New York has hundreds upon hundreds of lakes, creeks, rivers, canals, and other waterways where we thoroughly enjoy the boating season. I grew up by Lake Oneida, New York’s largest inland lake, and I learned from an early age to respect the water and always follow safety regulations. I learned to canoe and to motorboat– what great fun!
However, boating season is also the time where some people are injured or killed, because they haven’t followed the basic boating safety rules. Last year, there were some deaths reported because idiots were drinking and boating, and killed people. There is no excuse for boating operating under the influence! There are numerous resources about Boating Education Online. Here are a few short movies you may enjoy:
Please exercise caution when boating, and be respectful of others. And please obey boating safety regulations! Make this year’s boating season the best and most enjoyable ever!
New York State is literally loaded with little streams, creeks, rivers, and lakes. It’s a wonderfully water-ful state, but sometimes we do experience flooding. I recently blogged about our visit to see the Susquehanna River right before the historic flood of June 2006 (we had another historic flood in July that year, too). And I was sifting through my photos and found a few snapshots of our visit to Canadarago Lake, just north of Cooperstown. You can read about our visit to Cooperstown, here and Fly Creek, here.
Last winter, we drove down Route 20 and Route 28 and then backtracked the same way to go home. I used to live in this area many years ago. I haven’t traveled here in a long time, though. The change from all those years ago to now was striking to me, and I can’t say it was good.
This area is a very rural area. Hillsides are always dotted with Holsteins and horses, and big red barns jut out from the hills. Some of the barns are very unique in their design– there’s even an historic stone octagonal barn in this area. The houses also are very grand, built at a time when New York State was abundantly verdant and proud of her august agricultural citizens. I love architecture and pretty houses, and have always enjoyed driving down Route 20 and 28 because of all the elegant Greek Revival and Italianate houses here.
I was in for a shock. So many houses and farms are now terribly run-down. Barns that once beamed their proud red colors are dingy and have broken windows. Many of the grand old dames from NY’s glory days are shamefully drab, and they grotesquely sag from years of disrepair. A few houses even had plywood and plastic to patch broken windows! It was a gloomy sight indeed. I knew that times have been very hard for Upstate farmers (and others) thanks to city-slicker politicians in Albany, but this was devastating. People can’t even keep up their houses anymore. For sale signs were almost as abundant as the browning cornstalks. My heart was bleeding.
I’m sorry to be so negative in my post. I was so awed at the change that it necessitates mention.
We stopped by Baker’s Beach along the lake, a favorite old place of ours long ago. I stopped just in time to take a few photographs of a snowstorm coming in across the lake. The kids were oohing and ahhing.
Can you see the storm moving in, in the photo above? The south side (to the right of the picture) was as sunny and clear as could be. The north side is filmy and foggy. The snow was coming! It was like a faucet turning on!
Geese were plentiful at the lake. Not all fly south? Or are they just waiting around for something? When I got out of the van to take the photos, all of them started honking and squeaking, and made quite a racket. They didn’t realize that my kind of “shooting” is different!
We quietly drove home. It had been a nice, quiet journey. I am still concerned for Upstate, though. I hope things get better…
Spring has arrived in Upstate New York!
Someday I’ve got to finish that walkway, lol. Hopefully, within a few weeks I’ll have it done.
Early last week, we had a dentist appointment north of where we live, and decided to take a little car trip further to the lovely foothills of the Adirondacks. Spring is just coming to the area, and the tree lines are a mixture of still-scraggly limbs and little green buds. The air was fresh and invigorating. I like to think that the Adirondacks are the epitome of Upstate New York life: austere and slightly acidic, but independent and noble. The Adirondacks is no place for soft living!
I really didn’t have any particular place to go. I just drove for the pleasure of driving. I enjoy the view on Route 365, so we followed it, north. We stopped at a parking area along the West Canada Creek. The view of the creek is lovely.
Further down the creek we could see two majestic loons swimming and diving for fish. Every once in a while, one of the loons would stretch open its wings and expose its enormous wingspan. They were too far away for my zoom-less camera, unfortunately.
North of us, we could see the peaks of the Adirondacks. How they beckoned us to come see them!
We had to resist them. We did putter up north >>> Read more of ‘A Drive to Hinckley Reservoir’
I’ve been so wildly busy now that the warm, spring weather has finally arrived. We’ve not had any time to travel at all! the kids were moping today, wanting to “go somewhere.” All I can do is comfort them my promising a trip soon (we’ve going up toward the Adirondacks next week, so I’ll have to plan something).
I’ve been extremely busy getting my gardens prepared for the growing season and trying my hand at planting a grape vine. I’m excited over that! I don’t think I’ll ever get into a wine club or anything, but it would be gratifying to have fresh grapes at the table and a bottle or two of my own homemade wine!
At any rate, we’re hoping to check out the Adirondacks soon. In the meantime, I’m going over old trips and republishing them for those of you who haven’t seen them. I also got a terrific response to my post on Bagg’s Square in Utica. A former Utican, living through the “Sin City” days of the 50s and 60s, sent me such a rich email that i asked him if I could publish it for others to enjoy. He graciously gave his permission. I suppose his story tells the story of so many Upstate New York cities in the 50s and 60s. Upstate was on the verge of the edge of the steep decline we are experiencing today. Due mostly to corruption and changes in our state constitution that favored Downstate policies, Upstate New York is still reeling. I’ll leave you with his email. It is an interesting read: >>> Read more of ‘A Reader’s Response to Utica’s History’
It’s called the “Old Main” and I did a huge post on it’s history, it’s most famous patient, and some stunning interior photos, in January. Today, the kids and I were visiting the Children’s Museum in downtown Utica (more on that later), and took a drive to York Street to see the Old Main.
The columns to the building are utterly tremendous. Who needs to see the Parthenon when you’ve got this? Their size is awesome. This building is famous for being the finest example of Greek Revival architecture in the world. >>> Read more of ‘Utica Lunatic Asylum’
We took a short drive to Rome, NY, to visit Griffiss Air Force Base Technology Park. Planes, especially military planes, just don’t float my boat. Real snoozers. But I have two sons who are crazy about machinery. Aren’t all boys? So this is for them.
Griffiss was an AFB for decades before the Clinton Administration downsized it. The city of Rome developed it into a technology park, and, among other things, also hosted a debauched rerun of Woodstock in 1999 here. The AFB was named for the first U.S. airman killed in action during WWII, Townsend Griffiss.
For most of its operation, the base was equipped with B-52 stratofortresses. All are gone except the “Mohawk Valley.” >>> Read more of ‘Griffiss Air Force Base Technology Park, Rome, NY’
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