My plan on this chilly but sunny Wednesday morning had been to drive scenic I-87 North, to spend the next two days learning as much as I could about an area I’ve had a modicum of requests for information about, in my capacity as a corporate concierge for two CBRE- managed properties, thus my wanting to learn about the various lodging options they, my clientele, seem to be seeking when it comes to a cool spot for a corporate retreat.
Thus, my goal on this journey: To learn as much as I can about the region so I can report back and, hopefully (and placidly) book groups there.
Admission: I’d only been through The Adirondack Mountains once, it was on the return leg of a fun college ski/bus trip home from Quebec City – After an all-night talk/drinking fest complete with choruses of bawdy songs, we passed out at five in the morning somewhere in Vermont; at seven, I opened my eyes and saw crystal blue skies and tall white peaks whiskered by conifers, and I dis- tinctly remember thinking: “This is absolutely beautiful. I would very much like to return here one day.”
Cruising comfortably along I-87 I made my way toward my rendezvous with Lake Placid, I spun the radio dial - “…and a major storm watch has been issued for the entire tri-state region…”
Hmm…
With over 3,000 lakes, over 30,000 miles of rivers and streams and roughly 2.6 million acres of protected forests and wetlands, The Adirondacks is a 160-mile parkland that appears like a circular dome encompassing a wide swath of the New York state map. Vast and so deep are those mountains and valleys. They’re broken down into sev- eral regions, each one’s name exuding respective character, and each having a dedicated visitors’ bureau all their own: They include Lake George, Lake Placid, Whiteface, Saranac Lake, Lake
Champlain, Tupper Lake, and the Schroon Lake region.
Home to the 1932 and the 1980 Winter Olympics, and still possessing the vil- lage and the sporting components that were used during those glorious latter games, the site is a workable collection of winter activities and, of course, the site of the famous “Miracle on Ice” hockey moment so many of us remem- ber from back in the day (the first time that we ever heard the patriotic chant, “USA! USA!”). Today, the site now con- tains an Olympic museum and hockey arena that are sought-out destinations, all through the year.
Turning off I-87 onto back-woodsy Route 73, I found myself heading uphill (okay, up-mountain), driving past steaming lakes that shimmered a gla- cial blue, as pine and blue spruce trees spired skyward toward lofty peaks, and trail heads by the side of the road tempted me with hiking opportunities I couldn’t take within the primordial loamy-ness. Suddenly, breaking above the horizon, I could see what looked like towering conveyor belts of some kind which seemed to swoop upward and then stop abruptly in mid-air.
A closer look, and I realized these were no mill works; they’re ski jumps!
“Welcome to Lake Placid” the sign read up ahead.
Run by the Opal Collection, a luxurious assortment of the East Coast’s most alluring resorts and luxury hotels (including nearby Sagamore Resort), Lake Placid Lodge is a boutique 30- room resort that’s managed under the acclaimed international luxury hotel and restaurant group, Relais and Chateaux.
The 138-year old lodge had seen its share of prior owners. Too, a fire in December 2005 tragically destroyed the main lodge. Then, in April 2013, it was purchased for a reported $19 mil- lion dollars.
Not a penny was squandered on the renovations, which are simply jaw-drop- ping.
Situated on the shore of the dreamy lake, the lodge and its outbuildings all retain a stunning Adirondack chalet look bolstered by ramparts of cut moun- tain stone and lined with hand-carved posts and railings, which showcase a master’s craftmanship.
Entering the welcoming wooden front door way, a walk-in fireplace crackled with fiery-warm caresses from the walk- in gas fireplace, to go with the eager greetings from the amiable front desk clerk, Graham – he himself an ambas- sador-of-a-gentleman, by taking time to contact me personally prior to my visit to see if I had any questions or requests, as he does with all the upcoming guests. It felt like a home- coming, meeting the kind voice over the phone.
Each of the lodge’s seven rooms along with the ones in the adjacent Lakeside Suites outbuilding and within the tidy smattering of private cabins lining the lake, all offer the richest amenities and the most luxurious surroundings imagi- nable. No, there aren’t any televisions to glue oneself to, rather, all the abodes have real wood burning fireplaces to go with the most amazingly crafted-every- thing – Adirondack expertise galore in which to sit back in, relax, and enjoy any one of the four seasons.
“Not a bad place to be, even during a blizzard,” I thought, as
Weather.com warned me yet again of the harsh con- ditions to come.
Gazing out the wide window of my own private cabin, seeing the gauzy tufts of fog trailing over the lake’s mirror sur- face, like ice skating phantoms, the sun began its descent toward massive Whiteface Mountain; towering in my field of vision, it was hard to imagine this place being snowed over in 24- hours time.
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