It’s “Learn to Ski” Month!

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Well well well. I had no idea that January was our official New York State “Learn to Ski” month! But when I think about it, it sure makes a lot of sense [inject twinge of sarcasm]. Good thing it’s not in July…. haha! Although we HAVE had snow in July on rare occasion! And not only can you learn to ski this month, but it’s also Learn to Snowboard month! Now that’s something I’d like to try.

Seriously, the I Love NY website has some good resources if you’ve been waiting for a good time for ski or snowboard instruction. Some places offer low-priced or free lessons. Get the scoop at I Love NY’s The Beat and I Love NY website.

I Love NY Contest

I caught wind of a very nice contest being held by New York’s official tourism organization, I Love NY.com. The contest is the Getaway Sweepstakes and it’s the first contest I’ve ever seen the NYS tourist board give! It has some great prizes– a 3-night romantic getaway on Geneva Lake (wow!); 2 nights at the Hilton Garden Inn in Saratoga Springs, NY; and my favorite– a 2-night stay at the Ampersand Bay Resort st Saranac Lake– it’s beautiful there!

It’s easy to enter, see the site for details. Contest ends August 31, 2009. This is not a sponsored post or anything! I just think you should come to Upstate New York!

New York’s Summer Tourism Promotions

New York State’s tourism department is getting better and better. I recently caught wind of the state’s latest promotion for overnight stays (see Low Budget Getaway with Big Budget Views in the Adirondacks at The Beat, an online newsletter of tourism news for New York State. This is a big year for New York– this year marks the 250th anniversary of the French & Indian War (New York was the location of numerous battles and contentions here). Many organizations across the state are expected to be thowing some pretty big events and re-enactments. The I Love NY website has information on it; there’s also a website dedicated to the War’s anniversary, too.

Also coming up this year are a prospective busy fishing tournament for Oswego County, and the Quadricentennial celebrations in Eastern New York. How many states can celebrate a quadricentennial?! It was 400 years ago this year that Henry Hudson made his famous trip up the Hudson River, and the Capital Region of New York is having numerous events and celebrations in honor fo the event: a Quadricentennial festival of the Dutch colonization of the area; the docking of the Half Moon replica (Hudson’s boat upon which he explored wild New York 400 years ago; lectures, history tours, and more. See the Explore NY 400 site for more events.

Of course, coming to New York State means (hopefully) staying overnight in New York State. Tourism is BIG business here, and most attractions and tourist organizations do it up big. New York’s official website has some recommendations; you can also try websites such as Hotels Combined for good pricing and checking availabilities, too. Hotels Combined has a detailed and comprehensive listing of hotels and motels for New York State; check out the huge list of New York cities and towns at the Hotels Combined New York State hotel page. I’ve tried it when checking out various hotels and motels when we have traveled– it’s extremely convenient, because the listing includes location, price, contact information, features, and a small photo of the hotel. I like that.

New York is THE place to be this summer! We are hoping to get out and about soon, to take in a few re-enactments and hopefully have some overnight stays at the more distant areas of the state. Stay tuned!

The I Love NY Film Winners

The official tourism website of New York State, I Love NY, has announced the winners of the Short Film Contest. Here’s the video that won first place for the Western Region, by Ben Porcari of Buffalo, NY. He did a fabulous job highlighting the variety of thigs to do in New York State. (And thank God it wsn’t ONLY about New York City!!)

I Love New York – Western Region/Viewers’ Choice Award – Watch the best video clips here

This one by Sean Cunningham of Syracuse is my favorite, though. It’s thoughtful and beautiful. And very inspiring. He won first place for New York’s Central Region. Very nice.

Discover a Different New York – Grand Prize/Central Region Award – Celebrity bloopers here

People made some terrific videos! There are 6 first prize winners for each of New York’s 6 regions. Check them out, they are all very enjoyable.

Another Reason Why I Love NY

I know I posted this video at my other blog, but it’s sooo good and I didn’t want anyone to miss it. ROFL, this is a terrific video! The guys at the NYS tourism department did a stupendous job, and this is hilarious! It’s EXACTLY what my kids do when they break out of the van after a long road trip, lol!

I’m so gratfiied NYS tourim is addressing the beauty and explorative wonders of Upstate New York. Yeehaw!