Last weekend my husband and I vacationed in Saratoga Springs New York. We knew some other family members that would be going to the Travers Race at the Saratoga Race Track and since this is near my home town, we decided to join in.
It has been decades since I have lived in Upstate New York, so in reality I was a tourist.
Oh my what fun that was. As we boarded the plane to head to New York. I overhead a conversation of two ladies in front of me. One had two horses running on Saturday in the Travers Race. Well, I have learned to act on things like this. So I said to my husband. Remember to bet on the 4 and 7 horse in the Travers Stakes on Saturday.
Fast forward to Saturday the day of the annual Travers Race in Saratoga Springs New York. Check out this crowd. Almost every inch of space in the picnic area of the track was taken up by the time the races started. The colorful little banner around that tree helped us locate our spot once we placed our bets.
When I say "People watching was a blast, trust me we saw it all!" What fun we had.
Oh by the way, My husband Bill did remember to make that bet I mentioned to him on the plane. His little $5 bet turned into a $460.00 win. Now he is kicking himself for not betting a $100.00. LOL! The lady next to us said. "Oh, you can't win big with scared money." I just about lost it. What a great saying.
I am going to figure out a way to use that phrase in real estate.
The next day was going to be picture perfect. Sunny, with a high of eighty degree's, no humidity. Since it was going to be so gorgeous, I really had this idea I wanted to see all of Lake George. I thought, I would love to see all the rental homes from the waterside. I wanted to go on a boat ride so bad. I starting searching online. I could find many places that rented boats and jet ski's. I found large tour groups who packed people on boats. I didn't like the thought of that. Neither of us were confident enough to just take a boat out. I kept searching for someone who would take us on a tour of the lake. Show us things we could never find on our own and give us some tips and even talk about the history of the lake. I just wished I still knew someone in the area who owned a boat. Sadly,we didn't. I kept thinking it would be so nice if I could find someone who would just take us out on the lake and give us a tour. Well you gotta love GOGGLE!
Imagine my surprise when that is exactly what I found!
Dave and Diane Whalen own LakeGeorgeBoatTours.com give them a call (518) 926-9672 to book a tour.
I called and they had time to take us on a two hour early morning boat tour! Best of all they took credit cards. Yeah! So we booked it for the next day Sunday.
So Sunday morning we left the Saratoga area and we headed up the Northway to Lake George. That's when the thought hit me. I suddenly looked at my husband and realized we were on a Sunday drive. We are those people I used to wait on at the Friendly Ice Cream in Saratoga Springs New York way back in the seventies who used to come to town, to go to the track on Travers Week.
Oh my, "How did that happen?"
We both laughed. First we needed to get a bite to eat before our ten am boat tour up at Diamond Point. So I searched on my iPad while Bill was driving. (Traveling is so much easier with an iPad!)I located a breakfast place on the way to Diamond Point on the main drag in Lake George named FlapJack Pete's (read my review on Yelp). Breakfast was yummy! There was just something about that cinnamon butter that made those pancakes takes like more!
After breakfast we headed up to the Gilcrist Marina to meet up with Dave Whalen. Our tour guide and boat owner.Dave was there waiting for us on his pontoon boat and off we went. He was a fantastic guide! He told us all about the Lake. How deep it was, where all the hidden coves were, places where you can jump off the rocks, which islands you could camp on, where people anchor and hang out all day and where the ranger station on the lake was. When I would ask about the different properties he would share with me the one's that were rentals and the one's that were owned. There are some magnificent homes on the lake. We only went up about fifteen miles. That's about half way up the lake.
He showed us the landmarks to look for when boating on your own. Where the area's you need to be wary of and where you could pull up an picnic in private. It was a wonderful tour. He said he takes groups out as well. Dave says "You're the boss!" His goal is to make your trip fun for all. He said, all people gotta do is tell us what they'd like to do, and we will make it happen. Tubing? No problem. Hiking? He'll show you where you can hike and see a waterfall. Swimming in a quiet cove. Your wish is Dave's command. How's that for personal service?
Then he took us past the Sagamore Resort Lake George New York. Oh my what a beautiful resort.
Once I saw it from the water, I said to Bill. After this boat tour, let drive up to Bolton Landing to have lunch. We headed right for the Sagamore Resort. As we walked through the hotel, the view just drew us outside. For a moment, I stood in awe of the beauty, honestly I was so taken back by the architecture, and the vision someone must have had when this place was first built in 1883. We ate at Caldwells on the terrace overlooking the lake. The food was delicious, the resort more beautiful than I could have imagined. And the view.....Oh My Stars! Look.
So if you are ever looking for someplace to go and you want to get away from it all, I would recommend heading up to Lake George New York for the weekend. Make sure you take a trip into Saratoga. If you're than in August you will definately want to go to the Saratoga Race Track and drive around and look at all all the grand Victorian Homes. .
I can tell one thing is for sure. I definately am going to look for a nice lake house for rent for a week next summer. For me it's the perfect summer get-a-way.
Begin a search for Lake George Rentals here
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