Two and a half days was enough time for me to visit three of the most interesting and diverse attractions in New York State. I started my journey by taking Amtrak from NYC to Albany (the capitol of New York State since 1797). It was a 2 ½ hours ride, about the same time it would take you to drive, but a lot more relaxing. This trip was sponsored by the New York State Department of Tourism, the I Love New York folks, and was first class all the way.
Our luxury van took us ¾ hours west of Albany into the north-east corner of the Appalachian Region on the way to Howe Caverns (the bats don’t refer to baseball) with our first nights stop the Howe Caverns Motel. Utilitarian, spartan but convenient, and all of 100 yards from the caverns. But first we stopped at the Iroquois Indian Museum, an educational institution dedicated to fostering and understanding the Iroquois culture both past and present http://www.iroquoismuseum.org). I spent time reading the exhibit entitled “Tonto Revisited: Indian Stereotypes.” Has Hollywood’s fascination with the “good Indian” who helps us fights the “bad” Indians ended? What about the use of team logos and state seals that degrade Native Americans? Including the Lone Ranger and Tonto, Ninja Turtles Leo and Don, Braves and cigar store Indians.
In 1842 Lester Howe discovered the caverns named after him, thought to be 10 million years old and a constant 52 degrees. After financial problems forced him to close the caves they reopened in 1929 with over 200,000 visitors a year descending 150 feet to begin their adventure which includes a boat ride on the underground lake. We experienced Howe by Lantern where all the lights were turned off and we were reliving Lester Howe’s era. There is another cave nearby called Secret Cave with fossils and a 100 foot waterfall (www.howecaverns.com http://www.secretcaverns.com). Close by is the Old Stone Fort Museum, a 1772 church converted to a fort that was attached during the Revolutionary War. On the National Register of Historic Places the seven buildings hold artifacts and military objects. Dinner was at George Mann Tory Tavern, opened in 1711 and restored in the 1900’s. The largest single-span covered bridge in the US Blenheim is worth a Kodak moment.
From cavern bats to baseball bats we arrived in Cooperstown named after James Fenimore Cooper’s family (remember the Last of the Mohicans) who’s aptly named Fenimore Art Museum is filled with Native American and American Art ( (www.fenimoreartmuseum.org- (888) 547-1450). The last time I was in Cooperstown I stayed at the stately Otesaga Resort Hotel (1909) on Lake Otsego (www.otesaga.com (800) 348-6222) and went to the repertory opera company Glimmerglass (www.glammerglass.org). Also on the lake were Hyde Hall, a National Historic Landmark, circa 1800, and the finest example of a neo-classic country mansion in the north (www.hydehall.org – (888) 472-9002).
I came to town to see the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. Its purpose is to preserve, exhibit and interpret its artifacts and collections honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to the National Pastime (www.baseballhalloffame.org – (888) 425-5633). While in town you can view Doubleday Field where baseball was invented & also the Cooperstown Dreams Park whose 14 ball fields host national and regional tournaments (www.cooperstowndreamspark.com). Cooperstown/Otsego County Tourism- http://www.visitcooperstown.com.
I want to come back to Sharon Springs in five years and hope I can find a room for the night. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places their heyday was the turn of the century (and I don’t mean the last one). There is a frenetic restoration of the golden age for this spa village. The 1927 Imperial Sulfur Spa Baths was part of the Adler Hotel that has been closed, purchased and will soon be returned to its former grandeur. Sharon Springs served as the vacation spot for many Jews who were not welcome in nearby Saratoga. I had breakfast at the Clausen Farms B&B Inn with its 90 mile views into the Adirondack Mountains. Built in 1890 it also belongs to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1989 it was restored and converted into a B&B with Llamas grazing on its 60 acres. I had a massage at the New Yorker Guest House a B&B Inn & Wellness Spa originally opened in 1893. Dinner and overnight was at the American Hotel an 1847 property on the National Register. Each guest room is filled with antiques and collectibles.
During my trip I met many former New York City residents who left the corporate life in to farm, paint, run restaurants, Inns and shops in this bucolic setting. Check back with me in five years.
Real Travel Adventures 