Adventures in the Adirondacks: Lake Placid

I love mountains and lakes. And if there are places with both, like those beautiful lakes in the Rockies or the Northern Cascades that I visited in the past, it’s even better.

My husband always teases me that my love for mountains is sort of like a peripheral love. I love going to mountain resorts, driving along mountain roads, and staying in cities with a mountain backdrop, but I am not really into hiking and mountain climbing.

Since he is a hiker, his definition of “love for mountains” constitutes the desire to walk its paths and conquer its summit.  I beg to disagree. Just because I simply delight in basking in the shadows of the grand mountains doesn’t mean I love them less than he does.

Besides, I have the excuse of not having the luxury to get away whenever I feel like it because of the demands of work and family life, the distance to mountain ranges (we live in Ottawa where the closest mountain range, the Adirondacks, still takes a few hours of driving and requires crossing the US border; same with the Laurentians in Southern Quebec, though its mountains are not very high and appear more like rolling hills with not-so-low valleys), and my current fitness level (which is the lowest of low, as I had been bad, living a sedentary life with a desk job, and delinquent in doing any significant physical exercise.

A few summers ago, we flew to the West Coast to spend some time with my Vancouver family. We took the opportunity to visit as many mountains as we could – Whistler-Blackcomb, the North Shore mountains, and over at the U.S. border, Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker in Washington State (please see my previous posts on our Washington trip). When we came back to the East Coast, we spent a few days in Mont Tremblant, Québec (please also see my previous posts on our Mont Tremblant trips).

We dubbed that summer as our “mountain-fix summer.” The following summer was a French cultural immersion one, with us spending a couple of weeks in Québec City and the surrounding areas - Île d'Orléans, Côte-de-Beaupré, and then Montréal (details also in previous posts).  

But the summer after that, we went back to the mountains, this time to the Adirondacks, and with a little more time spent in the lake areas as well.

The trip to the Adirondacks was an after-thought. The original plan was to drive to New York and then to New Jersey. My husband, who is a Bruce Springsteen fan, was able to score a couple of tickets to “Springsteen on Broadway,” and so, the summer vacation schedule had to revolve around that.  We planned on spending a few days in New York City and then doing a day trip to a mining museum in New Jersey.

I brought up the idea of stopping at Lake Placid since the drive to New York City was going to be long and tedious. This would give my husband a chance to rest (because he was the sole designated driver for this trip) and us a chance to explore the area that I have heard about so much from Ontario friends who drive there all the time.

Lake Placid is a village in Essex County in the state of New York within the Adirondack Mountains that is known for its alpine charm, lakeside resorts, and outdoor activities. It is a hub for snow sports and has hosted the Winter Olympics twice, first in 1932, and then in 1980. But people go there even in the spring, summer, and fall seasons because of the variety of year-long adventures that it offers. I have friends who go there for skiing in the winter, and some for hiking in the summer.

We were just really planning to spend some time near the lake and do some short excursions before heading out to the Big Apple.

We crossed the Prescott-Ogdensburg border as it is the closest and the least busy among all Ontario-New York State entry ports, then headed straight to Lake Placid Summit Hotel, which we booked for two nights.

It was almost dusk when we arrived but as soon as we checked in, we were relieved that we made the right hotel choice. It was right across from Mirror Lake and the property’s elevation and huge floor to ceiling glass windows framed the shimmering waters towered over by the mountain backdrop. Our room was nothing out of the ordinary, but it was newly renovated and had all the amenities that we needed. We were also walking distance from all the shops and restaurants.

After a few minutes of unpacking and snacking, we ventured out to see the lake up close. We took photos with the cottages, boats, ducks, the iconic Adirondack chairs by the water, and even the touristy wooden frame with “Lake Placid” written in huge letters at the bottom. Then we spent the rest of the evening walking leisurely along Main Street.

There were candy and ice cream shops, a chocolatier, a bakery, a popcorn shop, a convenience store, coffee shops, a mini farmers’ market,  a gourmet food store that offers olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting, a health food store, a pharmacy, a book store, a music store, real estate offices, apparel and accessory boutiques, sporting goods and outdoor gear stores, antique shops, jewelers, a Christmas store, furniture and houseware shops, wine stores that offer wine tastings, and so many more. I was surprised at such variety in such a short street. There was even a movie theatre, a church on a hill, and a small park with a stage for local performances right by a picturesque section of lake where people swim, have picnics, feed the ducks, or take pictures.

But the most interesting for us are the shops that sell local Adirondack products and wares - from wooden cabin furniture and décor to food items such as ciders, bacon chocolate bars, cheese, and flavoured salt. Some of the shops were already closed so we made a note to visit them the following day.

As it was getting late and we were getting hungry, we changed gears and checked out the restaurants and their menus. My son clamoured for pizza, as most kids his age do.  My husband found this steak and seafood grill house that also makes oven baked pizzas, but we were disappointed to find out that they do not offer pizza anymore. It was a good thing that we asked before we sat down to order our meals.

The host recommended this family-run pizza place down the block that makes oven baked pizzas from scratch. We followed his directions and found the pizzeria in no time.

We sat at table by the window with a view of the sunset on the lake.  Their menu was not very extensive, with mainly Italian staple items such as pizza, pasta, subs, salads, and appetizers. I was not really in the mood for Italian fare that night but chose the closest thing that I would like – their linguini with clam sauce that came with bread and a side salad. I ordered a glass of Riesling to accompany my meal. My son, of course, wanted pepperoni pizza. My poor husband couldn’t have anything on the menu since most of the dishes have either tomato sauce or cheese, or both. He ended up just ordering a plain pizza dough topped with prosciutto and arugula. It was a good thing he ate his take-along roast beef sandwich an hour before, while we were doing our stroll. My son ate his pizza with a glass of pink lemonade. His happiness made up for the plainness of our meals, but we ended up with pizza leftovers.

As we walked back to the hotel, my son asked if they could go to the game room. Apparently, he had been listening to the conversation while we were checking in that afternoon. He heard the receptionist mention that they have air hockey and foozball machines. I was going to say “no” as it was way past his bedtime, but my husband wanted to check it out as well. I let the boys play for a bit before we hit the sack.

The next morning, my son and I went to the lobby to get some breakfast while my husband showered. We brought cereals, bread, and cold cuts along, but we wanted to see what’s available anyway and I wanted to have freshly brewed coffee, not the K-cup ones in our room. The breakfast spread was sparse with only a basket of berry-flavoured granola bars and pre-packaged honey-cinnamon buns and a tray of mini blueberry muffins. My son tried the muffin, and I had a bite of the granola bar. They were both too sweet. However, the blueberry cobbler coffee was quite good.

While my husband ate breakfast, my son and I went out for a walk around the neighborhood. We took Mirror Lake Drive, the road opposite Main Street but also running along Mirror Lake. Instead of shops and restaurants, this street is dotted with high-end cottages and hotels, beachfronts exclusive to the hotel patrons, and private homes with beautiful gardens. It reminded me a bit of Baguio, the mountain city dubbed as the “Summer Capital of the Philippines” due to its cool climate conducive to pine trees, colourful flowers, and lush vegetation. It was a nice, relaxing stroll. But soon, it started to drizzle, so we headed back to the hotel.

My husband was ready to go by the time we returned. The day’s schedule was a drive to Ausable Chasm near the hamlet of Keeseville. It would take around an hour to get there, but it would be a scenic drive, according to the tourist brochure. The weather was bleak and dreary…but we all carried our positive attitude. “It will get better when we reach our destination,” we all said, while crossing our fingers.