My New York Journey

It's taken me almost a year to finally complete my posts on my New York journey last summer. I'm glad I finally did to provide myself a written memory of the trip. Towards the end, I had to rack my brains to recall the highlights and places. So, I can imagine a few years down the track, it would be even worse!

We started in New York city, made our way north west towards Finger Lakes, with a shopping stop at Woodbury before that. We then headed west as we visited the southern tips of the major lakes heading towards Castile. We ended up at the beautiful Niagara Falls and journeyed back eastwards, this time on the northern tip of the Finger Lakes towards the Southern Adirondacks. Mapquest made planning our journey easier as it provided us with driving directions. It's not 100% accurate but it does a good job!



Highlights of our trip:
1) Seeing the famous icons of New York - Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park, Rockefeller Centre, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square and the Wall Street Bull

2) Visiting the United Nations and sitting in the the General Assembly Hall and the Security Council Chamber.



3) Walking down Broadway and watching the live performances

4) Shopping, shopping and more shopping!

5) Staying at bed and breakfasts and making friends with our hosts. We particularly enjoyed getting to know Napoleon from Fox Ridge Farm.

6) Spotting unusual surprises on our journey


7) Enjoying the great outdoors

8) Savouring the beautiful sunsets


As the theme song from the movie New York, New York goes:
"Start spreadin' the news, I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it: New York, New York.”

I Love New York!

Lake George - Southern Adirondacks

Lake George greeted our arrival with summer sunshine and dreamy cloud-dotted blue skies. The 32-mile long lake is a hub of activity filled with sightseeing cruise boats, kayakers, swimmers and picnickers all out for some fun in the sun. It's definitely a tourist hot spot with no shortage of accomodation, eating and activity options.It was fun strolling down the streets in town and checking out the colourful shops selling souveniers, t-shirts, ice creams, handicrafts, etc. We managed to find a little china porcelain dog to add to our beagle collection.






But it soon became too hot to be outdoors. To escape the afternoon heat, we headed out to the factory outlets on State Route 9, not too far out of town. At this stage, I've lost count of the number of factory outlets I've visited in the state of New York. Let's see, first there was Century 21, then Woodbury, Niagara, Waterloo and now Lake George! Talk about shopper's haven - we'll worry about the credit card bill later...

That night, we decided to skip the tourist restaurants and opted for a local favourite which is off the main tourist streets. The East Cove restaurant is a cosy log cabin which serves great food.


We definitely stood out at the almost full restaurant, as we were not only the only tourists, but also the only Asians. At this stage of our trip, we were pretty used to it. Outside of New York City and Woodbury, we had only seen 1 other Asian family during our road trip around New York State. The contrast hits you on the face, especially since New York City is a giant melting pot of diverse cultures and skin colours. Anyway, because we "stood out", we drew the attention of a couple sitted near us, the Reicherts. They were curious as to how we knew about the East Cove since it was out of the tourist belt. Again, we had to thank Frommers - our New York guide book pages were dog-eared at this stage of our journey. The Reicherts are a lovely couple and we enjoyed our short conversation with them until our dinner arrived. What a dinner it was - Maine lobsters and grilled pork chop. Yummm....



Later, we popped by the supermarket to buy a tub of Ben and Jerry's for dessert. This was our second ice-cream for the entire trip as we were both down with a cough earlier. Sadly, it would be the last ice cream in New York as our road trip had come to an end. The next day, we headed back to New York City for 1 last night before we caught a flight back home. In direct contrast to the day before, and in matching with our mood, the weather was gloomy as the drizzle bade us farewell.

Adirondack - Back to Nature

The Adirondack, located north of New York State is an outdoor lover's playground. You can go hiking, moutain biking, boating (of all shapes and sizes), fishing in this 600 million acre forest filled with peaks, lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. Given our limited time on our New York trip, we could only spend 3 days. So we focused on the Southern Adirondack towns of Old Forge and Lake George.

In summer, Old Forge is extremely popular with families simply because there is so much to do. Bear that in mind when you choose your accomodation. We stayed at the Water's Edge Inn, which is located opposite the Enchanted Forest/Water Inn. So, there were lots of teenagers and children, which also translates to little peace and quiet.

We rented some mountain bikes and armed with a map of the area, set off on a bike ride around Inlet. It was a sunny day and once we were off the highway and in the trails, it was beautiful. We were disappointed that we were not able to cycle by the lakes as these were private property. So, we had to content ourselves sticking to the forest trails.

J, being the more adventurous type decided to attempt the uphill narrow track Vista Trail.




I was happy to stick with my wide and flat trail.


That night, we both agreed that we should treat ourselves to a nice dinner after our 20 miles ride. Based on Frommer's recommendation, we headed to the Seventh Lake House. If it weren't for our travel guide book, we would have driven past the restaurant located between Inlet and Raquette Lake and missed it altogether. As you can see by the number of cars parked outside, this was a popular dinner venue because the food is fantastic.


After burning all that calories earlier that day, we loaded up on protein with our orders of steak and lamb chop. Both meals were cooked to perfection. We couldn't ask for more.


After dinner, we caught a beautiful sunset at Raquette Lake. Now this is what life is about!

Niagara Falls - Romantic getaway

Niagara Falls - Close up view from Maid of the Mist
Did you know that Napoleon Bonaparte's younger brother, Jerome had his honeymoon in Niagara Falls in the early 19th century? Since then, this magnificent falls remains a favourite wedding and honeymoon spot.

J & I were thrilled that we would finally get a chance to visit this magnificent falls. My New York friend said that Niagara Falls was too commercialized. I suppose it's true to a certain extent. However, I felt that one person's experience very much depends on where one stays. And I couldn't have picked a better spot than Hillcrest Inn. It is located on a quiet street, far enough from the "commercial" activities, yet, close enough to walk to the Falls. The hosts are friendly and down-to-earth and really made us feel like home, going the extra mile to provide little touches to make our stay memorable. My only regret is that we only stayed 1 night at this beautiful home.

The living room done in sophisticated grey and white

The cosy sun room

The romantic Hillcrest Suite


It was hard to tear ourselves from our gorgeous room but we only had 2 days and we did come to see the Niagara Falls. So, we took a leisurely walk by the Niagara River and headed downtown towards the Falls. It was amazing to see how fast the river flowed and hear the sound of the river as it rushed down to the Falls.
But nothing could prepare us for the sight at the end. We went up on the Observation Deck to get a full view of the mighty Niagara Falls,in all its glory and splendour - it took my breath away.


I wanted to get a close-up view of the Falls and the best way to do it is to go on the Maid of the Mist boat ride. It is incredible to experience the Falls so close. The boat took us the base of the American Falls and then to the basin of Horsehoe Falls. Bring along a waterproof camera, a sense of adventure and be prepared to get wet on this amazing boat ride. Don't worry, they provide a blue raincoat!

Little blue people queueing up in an orderly fashion to board the boat.

Can you spot the rainbow on the left?

We somehow managed to find a clear view for a couple shot (which is amazing considering the boat was full!)

The Observation Deck, the Canadian Maid of the Mist and a rainbow.

We couldn't get enough of the Falls so we headed to the Cave of the Winds for Round 2. We took a 175 feet elevator ride down to the Niagara Gorge. It was cold and damp. We then walked on the wooden walkway to the Hurricane Deck.

Hmm...seems mild enough from here. I wonder why they provided us sandals on top of the yellow raincoat?

Now I know why...The strong gusts of wind and wild sprays of water is enough to make a grown man shiver!

J standing bravely next to the Bridal Veil Falls


We had enough of drenching but still not enough of the Falls. So we headed to the Horseshoe Falls on Goat Island.


We also managed to see a fat beaver, totally oblivious to the Falls and the crowd.


And to top off a perfect day, we had dinner at the Top of the Falls Restaurant, enjoying the view of the Horseshoe Falls whilst having a delicious dinner of pork chop and New York Steak.

Grand Canyon of the East - Letchworth State Park

I love the outdoors and would love to visit the legendary Grand Canyon one day. But since, we were on the eastern side of the United States, we decided to head towards the Grand Canyon of the East - Letchworth State Park. Located along the Genesse River, 35 miles south of Rochester, this luscious woodlands spans 14,350 acres and boasts of 3 major waterfalls, one of which is 107 feet high!

We stayed at the Glen Iris Inn, located in the park, itself. The country inn was the historic former home of William Pryor Letchworth and overlooks the gorgeous Middle Falls. The inn itself is beautiful and brings back the elegant feel of yesteryears. The only setback is the rooms are tiny, probably the smallest that we've stayed in all our travels.
Glen Iris Inn


But the location more than made up for it. There is something soothing about sipping a cup of coffee whilst listening to the thunderous sound of the Middle Falls and watching the white foamy water cascade down like a smooth silk.

Middle Falls, Letchworth State Park


The Letchworth State Park is an outdoor lover's paradise. Take your pick of swimming, fishing, hiking, hot air ballooning, whitewater rafting and canoeing (require permit). We stuck to hiking. There are about 66 miles of trails, the best are located on the south end. We were thrilled by the wildlife we saw on our hikes - deers, vultures, tons of birds and even a shy beaver.

Turkey vultures viewed from the Archery Field lookout point



A rainbow glistening in the sun


The majestic cliffs of Letchworth State Park


Lower Falls


Upper Falls


The Letchworth State Park truly deserves its title of the "Grand Canyon of the East"!