Dave's Travel Adventures: Lake Placid, NY

LAKE PLACID: Monday, 13 June 2011

Lake Placid was the home of two Winter Olympics (1932 and 1980). I’d visited the Lake Placid area (including the Olympic venues) about a half-dozen times during the mid-1990’s, as it was a good location for weekend trips. There had one or two visits which occurred on either side of that period, but never to the same extent. Since I’d been re-visiting places I hadn’t been on a while on my recent trips back to New York, it seemed like a good place to go. Being in Texas, one of the things I miss is the terrain of New York, the green forest-covered mountains. The Texas hill country is very pretty, but the elevation is very low when compared to the peaks of the Adirondack Park.

I planned our route for the day to hit the most-furthest things out, so we could be on the southern section of the area when it was nearing time to come home. Even though it’d been years I was here, I could still drive the area after dark. Dad decided he would rather drive. That was nice for me, as it allowed me to soak up the visuals. Lake Placid has an elevation of over 1,800 feet, and there are a number of chasms and gorges in the area which were created by geologic action at the end of the last Ice Age. I’d been to some of those natural features previously, but today I wanted to hit the specific Olympic venues.

The sky was nice and blue, with only a few clouds, as we left Argyle. As we headed north, and went up in elevation, storm clouds rolled in. While this was going to cut down on any visibility, it also rained briefly, making things damp. Since I’d seen the vistas on a clear day, I wasn’t going to be too disappointed. Still would’ve liked to capture how far one could see from the tops of these mountains in order to show people back in Texas.

Upon reaching the Lake Placid area, we hopped on Route 86 to bring us around the east side of the area towards Wilmington, where we could pick up the Veteran’s Memorial Highway. That road is closed during the winter, and allows access to the backside of Whiteface Mountain. Once we passed through the checkpoint, the road has a series of switchbacks as it snakes up the backside of the mountain. Mum mentioned they’ve been up here a couple other times, and every time it ended up being a day with poor visibility. Still, any of the areas where we could pull off so I could get some pictures still allowed nice photo opportunities.

Veteran’s Memorial Highway ends at Whiteface Castle. Situated at just over 4,600 feet, Whiteface Castle has a small café which (when the weather cooperates) would allow you to have a snack while enjoying the views. Besides the café and a small souvenir shop, there’s not much in the castle. There’s also a parking area, so you can decide which of the two ways visitors can choose to reach the summit.

The castle has a sign which noted the elevation, so that was an appropriate “far away place” I could use to take a picture with my magazine. As a longtime reader of Where When How (the magazine published by the Turks & Caicos Tourism Board), they have a photo feature section in each issue. Readers have their picture taken with the magazine at an identifiable far away place, and the ones which get used earn the submitter a free year’s subscription. I’d gotten one free subscription as the result of pictures taken in 2010, so it was unlikely I’d be able to get another. I still wanted to take shots of me with the magazine in various places, and send them to Where When How on the idea that those pictures could be used in some other way. Whether or not I’d get another subscription out of this was irrelevant, it was just fun doing it.

Due to the weather, the summit was closed today. The wet conditions presented possible safety concerns, as there are no railings at the top, or anything else from keeping people from sliding off the top. Near the parking area, there’s a short tunnel which leads to an elevator which will take visitors up the additional height to reach the 4,872 foot elevation. For more adventurous people, there’s a long set of stone steps starting from the backside of the castle (where I’d just had my picture taken with the magazine) which would bring you up to the summit, next to where the elevator comes up.

After leaving the Veteran’s Memorial Highway and picking up Route 431 to bring us back to Wilmington, we passed the tourist trap of “Santa’s Workshop at North Pole, NY.” Similar to what Storytown used to be (before it became The Great Escape), or Magic Forest (what we mocked as “Tragic Forest”) in Lake George, it was a place designed for saccharine-laden “storybook fun” designed to appeal to little kids, and drive most adults completely crazy. Somehow I’ve avoided of ever having been to this place. Dad was quite sure we’d been there, and Mum was quite sure we hadn’t. It was an amusement moment of spousal bickering.

Past Wilmington, we picked up the route which would take us towards Placid, where we could reach the front side of Whiteface Mountain. This is where the downhill ski competitions took place during the Olympics. The driveway up to the lodge gives a great view of the ski trails. The driveway is also lined with the flags of all the nations which have competed here in the past.

This ended up an “in-between” season, so there weren’t a lot of things going on right now. During the winter, this region is filled with athletes practicing, and during the height of the summer with campers, hikers, and other tourists. The lodge at the bottom of the trails had it’s café open, but the skylift (which normally gives rides over up the mountain) wasn’t operating. We’d planned to have lunch in the Olympic Village, so we didn’t need to get anything. And I was planning on buying stuff at the Olympic Museum stores, so I didn’t need to spend any money here. I tried to take a shot with the lodge in the foreground to give a sense of how wide the ski trails behind it were. The shots I took of the front of Whiteface make it look like the trails are very narrow, when they’re about hundred or so feet wide.

Since the weather was overcast, and sure looked like it wanted to rain again, we passed on stopping at High Falls Gorge. While it would’ve only taken us about a half-hour to walk through, it wouldn’t have been enjoyable if it was wet. Besides, we were hungry, and we wanted lunch. Once we got into the village, we saw a sign for Lake Placid Pub & Brewery (which was a place Mum had a tip on being pretty decent). It was easy to find, but it was currently closed for a private party.

One thing I did notice was some of the crappy-looking cement square pre-fabricated apartment complexes nearby, which looked like the best slum-level quality. This is not to say Lake Placid has slums or “housing projects,” but these are the dormitory-like residences which were constructed for the athletes back before the 1980 games. I’m sure no one ever thought they’d still be standing (or used in some capacity) over thirty years later. From where we were, looking across the parking lot, I could see while these buildings had some “history” about them, there was no “historical value” of them in any way. These were eye-sores which would better serve the village by being demolished and replaced with something more modern and tourist-friendly.

The other times I’d been to Placid, I’d had brunch at a place off the main drag called The Bear’s Den (not that far from the Olympic Center and Museum). I thought that would be a nice place to return to, as I remember the food was both good and reasonable, like any good pub should be. I remembered how the building set off in one little area, like it was put there as an afterthought, but that positioning gave it an excellent view of the lake. The building still existed, but it was now some other store. Don’t expect everything to stay the same after being away for over a decade.

We went up Main Street looking for the public parking, and I did notice many of the shops which sold Olympic paraphernalia were still present. Some of the other shops I remember visiting, like a really nice old book story I remember going to (which had a cigar store above it). Once parked, we went down the street a short distance checking out the menus posted in the window to see if a place had varied enough cuisine that wasn’t too expensive. We ended up choosing a place called Players Sports Bar & Grille. This was pretty much a standard “sports pub,” decorated with anything imaginable from all the previous Olympics. The burgers we got there were tasty and filling, and that was really all we required.

While waiting for our food to come, one thing we did notice on the nearby docks were these strange paddle-boats. Instead of the variety you sat in, these looked like they had a bicycle mounted on. I would’ve liked to see someone drive one of these things around, because it seemed to be they’d unbalanced and would tip over. The lake we got a view of, interestingly enough, was called Mirror Lake. The actual Lake Placid was just a short distance (not more than a half-mile) north of the village.

We parked out in front of the Visitor’s Bureau, which was right next to the Olympic Center and Museum. Dad asked if we should go into the Visitor’s Bureau. I said that I saw no reason to, as what I wanted to see was right next to it. Lake Placid High School sits on the other side of the Olympic Center, and contains “The Oval” (which was the speed skating track). An interesting bit of trivia was during the 1980 games, the High School was closed during that period. No sense of trying have class, as everyone in facility and student body would be completely distracted. Due to it’s location, it made sense to use the school as a space for vendors catering to tourists, athletes, news people, and who ever else had descended here for that two-week period. It remains to this day the only high school in America that was ever issued a license to sell beer on the premises.

The sky had cleared slightly as we headed towards the Olympic Center. We noticed a couple of new model Camaros sitting out front, because Chevrolet was sponsoring some events designed to simulate the various experiences (like bobsledding, gondolas, and such). I noticed a sign for it at the foot of Whiteface Mountain. Even when I’m on holiday I can’t escape work. Since the front of the Museum was a something which could be considered an “identifiable far away place,” I had Mum take my picture holding the Where When How magazine in front of it.

A recommended high point of any trip to Lake Placid is the Olympic Center and Museum. Not only does this have the history of the two sets of games played here, but you can see the actual ice rinks which these events took place on. These rinks, and the Center in general, have been kept up, as to be used as a training facility. Before the Salt Lake City games, Lake Placid was a premier location that athletes came from around the world to.

Upon entering the Museum, there was a full-sized stuff version of “Roni,” the raccoon who was the mascot for the 1980 games. Why not, it’s another photo opportunity with the magazine. Besides, how many other opportunities does one get to have their picture taken with a five-foot tall stuffed cartoon animal (besides anyone who’s a plushie). The main objective of my camera here would be to take shots of things that meant something to me, whether of historical nature or something just plain interesting. And as this time I was visiting the Museum without any time constraints, we could take as long as necessary to enjoy it.

While the Olympic Museum focuses mainly on the games held here, there were other exhibits which changed and moved to Olympic Museums in other cities. Some objects were things which were gathered by the Olympic Committee, or donated by private individuals. At the start of the Museum here, it gives a brief overview of the modern winter games, and as you deeper to come to more recent events. One of the notable items were a poster and a banner from the 1936 Berlin games….

…Items of the 1988 first appearance of the Jamaican Bobsledders (who were the subject of the Disney movie Cool Runnings)…

…And perhaps the most poignant being a poster from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Games. I remember during the Sarajevo games how the commentators reported that many “different cultures existed together peacefully” in Yugoslavia. How interesting those phrases become in light of what happened when Yugoslavia fragmented into many smaller countries.

One of the exhibits was some of the torches which were used in various games. As there was a theme to each of the games, the torches were designed to compliment those themes. Looking at the earlier ones when compared to the newer ones, of course the designs became more “modern looking.” That’s why some of the earlier ones look like actual medieval-style torches, and the later ones look like fashionable light-sabers.

Along one large section of the wall has all the hockey gear dedicated to the 1980 men’s ice hockey game, which was one of the most memorable moments of the entire games (not to mention sports history in general). Jersey’s, sticks, photos, and other items from the Soviet, American, and Finish teams commemorate the games.

Coming out of the actual Museum portion, we went into Olympic Center portion. One thing I noticed was there were newer signs around saying what things were, and the flags which were draped in the hall outside of the Herb Brooks Arena (the “1980 Rink”). The last time I was here (circa 1999), I was able to watch a game played by the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team as part of a regional tournament, which helps in the qualifying process for the then-upcoming SLC games. This time, it was just free skating going on.

If you want to describe an “important place” in the history of our country (which occurred during peace-time), this is one. In 1980, when the U.S. team (made up of mostly amateurs and college kids) made it to playoffs against the Soviet team (filled with professionals), that was a big deal in itself. But when the U.S. won (and thus earned the gold medal), pandemonium didn’t even begin to describe the reaction of the crowd. There’s a reason why this was referred to as “The Miracle on Ice.” Just being in that arena (to me) felt like entering a sacred space.

My suggestion to any visitors is to make sure they watch all the short films in the Museum before going into the Herb Brooks Arena, as that will give a better appreciation of the significance of the event.

We then worked around to the older portions of the building to where the 1932 rink was. Soon after the events of those games, this arena was re-named the Jack Shea Arena after the Lake Placid native who earned two gold medals in speed skating. The Jack Shea Rink used during the 1980 games for figure skating and other smaller-scale events, and is still utilized today (as it’s “regulation hockey sized”).

The 1932 Olympics was the third winter event of the modern games, and the 1980 games were the thirteenth. At that time, only two other cities had hosted two Winter Olympics (those being Innsbruck and St. Moritz). Even back at my last visit (circa 1999), there was some talk of looking to see if Lake Placid could set a record and host the games a third time. Even then, I didn’t think it could happen because of how massive (and commercial) everything has become. And that’s even before the security measures which have become a common factor in the recent decades.

After visiting Salt Lake City around 2004, and seeing how much the infrastructure had be improved (and built) to handle the volume, there’s no way Lake Placid could reasonable host another games without building a bunch of stuff which would take away from the natural views of the Adirondack Park. There was some discussion about Albany trying to host a Winter Olympics with the specific intention of having some of the events up in Placid. I didn’t see much feasibility in that, considering it’d still be at least a two hour drive to get to the venues (and the logistics would make sense to keep everything as close together as possible). No, as kewl as it would be, Lake Placid being a host city for a third time is not a realistic possibility.

We left the village and headed towards to where the ski jumps were, the aptly named Olympic Jumping Complex. Mum & Dad had been here within the last year or so, and they’d been able to go up to the top of these towers (which are equal to a twenty-six story building). When we pulled up to the parking lot, the gates were closed, so we couldn’t get in there. This was something we could’ve hit on the way in, but my main objective for the day was the Museum, and the morning weather didn’t look the best.

I pointed across the road to the Lake Placid Equestrian Stadium, which is where the Torch was. Mum commented that was something they’d somehow missed on their last jaunt up here. After an opening speech by Vice-President Walter Mondale, the Torch was lit during the opening ceremonies with the “sacred flame” which was brought from Olympia, Greece. All the times when you see the people “running the torch” in the weeks before the games, now you have some idea of the significance of it.

Since we knew it was late, we didn’t think any of the other venues were open. We headed towards the Olympic Sports Complex, which was where the bobsled track was, as well as the trails used in the biathlon. I’d been here in the winter time once to see bobsled training competitions, and one other time in the fall when I was able to actually walk the track. As we’d guessed, it had closed for the day. I didn’t see everything I wanted to see in Lake Placid, but since my primary objectives were hit, I was satisfied.