Discover Upstate New York
Discover upstate New York and you might not ever want to go back to the city again. We lived on Long Island for over sixty years and went into Manhattan on a regular basis. It was usually to see a play and visit one of the many outstanding restaurants that can be found on almost every block. We went to Brooklyn for the pizza of a lifetime, sampled the gyros in Queens and went to baseball games and that big zoo in the Bronx. We thoroughly enjoyed the city. You cannot beat the food and the excitement and energy of the city that never seems to sleep. It’s absolutely incredible and there is nothing else in the world quite like it. But it can be exhausting. Summer in the city can be brutally hot and uncomfortable. The magic of Christmas in Rockefeller Center can be marred by crowds that betray the spirit of the season. There is nothing subtle about New York City, but it has a personality and uniqueness that keep people coming back again and again. As I said, we enjoyed our visits but were thankful we didn’t have to live there.
We lived out on Long Island and watched as that area became more crowded with each passing year. People were escaping from the city but brought a little bit of that “city feeling” with them. Traffic on the comically named Long Island Expressway got worse every year and to get off of Long Island by car meant battling multiple bridges and crossings unless you put your car on a ferry to Connecticut. When we were struggling with money our vacations were taken by car and our destination was usually within a six-hour drive. My favorite getaways were to the Hudson Valley, that stretch of paradise that runs along the river with the same name and lies between New York City and Albany. When you discover upstate New York your whole perspective of New York changes. Once you cross the Mario Cuomo Bridge (it used to be called the Tappan Zee), your whole world changes. The mountains start to take over. The traffic thins out and, suddenly, you realize how different this part of New York is. Gone are the skyscrapers and the traffic jams and they’re replaced with farms and orchards and lakes and streams. You realize that you’ve just slowed your pace of living down to a feeling of calm and relaxation.
Discover upstate New York and learn how to relax.
Discover upstate New York and you may become determined to make it part of your life as we did. Before moving up to a little town along the Hudson River when we retired, we made trips to Rhinebeck and Hunter Mountain. We fell in love with the small towns that decorate the landscape and provide a small town feeling that seems perfect when you’re used to the hectic pace of the city. Little inns that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries can become weekend escapes. Ice cream stands and drive in movies are still in existence and you can pick your own apples, peaches and cherries and start on your own quest to find the perfect cider donut. Every season has a special festival of some kind, but I don’t think anything can beat autumn with its magnificent foliage, crisp fall air and the smell of apple pies baking on the weekend. There’s nothing like the fall in upstate New York.
What many people don’t realize is that the term “upstate New York” doesn’t have to be limited to the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains. Journey north past Albany and you’ll find yourself in the Adirondacks and the incredible Lake George. Here you start to get into a more rugged way of life where the winters can be so cold that Ice Festivals are held. This is where Lake Placid and Saranac Lake dominate the mountainous scenery. It’s easy to become patriotic as you see the arena where the Miracle on Ice occurred and the pictures in the local bars and breweries still recall the magic of that day. Local brewing and beer are a way of life in this area and fresh game is often featured on the menus of the quaint, rustic restaurants that are packed on the weekend. Discover upstate New York and you’ll want to come back for more. You’ll want to explore the finger lakes and the vineyards that are starting to make their own mark on the wine industry. Ever since my first trip to Cooperstown to see the Baseball Hall of Fame, I have been mesmerized by mountains. I am happy to say that we were able to retire to our “dream home” which we designed and had built as our working years were coming to an end. We made our retirement a new adventure and have fallen in love with our surroundings.
Why not discover upstate New York and see if anything stirs within you to the point that you want to explore the possibilities of spending more time in this wonderful area of our country. Drive through the mountains and fish in the streams. Sail down the rivers and visit the farm stands. Life is meant to be an adventure and exploring new places is a good place to start. Go on and give it a try. It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!
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