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.

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 throwing 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 for 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 things to do in New York State. (And thank God it wasn’t ONLY about New York City!!)

I Love New York – Western Region/Viewers’ Choice Award

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.

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.