As a reward for marrying my daughter, I took my son-in-law on a male bonding trip through places only guys appreciate. As a California boy, I rarely get to the East Coast, and no woman wants to hit Cooperstown, so I now have someone to take. Anyway, if you’re like I am, you know nothing about that area, so here are some things to see, do, and appreciate.
1) The total oxymoron: “Mellow, Patriotic New Yorkers.” Believe it. Everyone we met was so cool they made Washingtonians seem hypercaffeinated. And patriotic? I thought I was in Mid West America. Flags flying everywhere, and the people in every diner or store was as patient as Andy Griffith.
2) COOPERSTOWN! Dream come true. The Baseball Hall of Fame is better than I thought. It can be “done” in one day, but if you want to stretch it into a double, it’s no problem. The main street is lined with baseball memorabilia stores. Could’ve easily spent $10k on baseball bats, photos, balls, posters, Christmas decorations…you name it. HOG HEAVEN!
3) The Cooperstown Diner! Three tables and a counter. Did The Babe eat here? Definitely a step back in time. Same with everywhere we went. No franchises, just ma and pa places.
4) Fort Ticonderoga-cooler than cool. The fort is completely reconstructed, and you can feel the history flying around. Washington, Arnold, Franklin…they’ve all been there. The view from Mount Defiance, where the cannons fired upon the fort, is worth the drive/hike. Key lesson in life: take the high ground!
5) Crown Point-going here to see where the French and Indian wars took place help you understand how the Revolution actually happened. King George III needed money for the war . here, so he taxed his American colonists to pay the bill. Sound familiar? Ready for another round?!?
6) Saratoga-Here’s where the turning point of the revolutionary war occurred. They’ve grown the trees back so that it looks just like it was back then. It’s breathtaking to see where people gave up their lives so we could live in freedom. Inspiring.
7) Can’t go without mentioning the tiny places to eat. Saratoga had a great place called Gellatos, as well as a pastry shop called Mrs. Condons that you would kill for. One place had something on the menu called “Smothered Chicken.” Dare ask? Mushrooms and onions. Oh My! French onion soup was served thousands of ways as well, and the Reubens were mouth watering. What a way to go!
8) And while we’re on food. The people in upstate NY are connoisseurs for maple syrup. I never knew that Grade B was the one to get. I’m ordering a quart! Also, Green Mountain Coffee is THE bean of choice there. Go figure!
9) Ya wanna hike? There are trails everywhere. We hiked/walked about 5-10 miles every day. Bring mosquito repellant. Enjoy!