And then there was MORE wine...

Name of Attraction: Bully Hill Vineyards
Address: 8843 Greyton H. Taylor Memorial Drive, Hammondsport, NY 14840
Date and Time of Most Recent Visit: July 6, 2011; noon-2:00 p.m.

Bully Hill Vineyards is located on the lovely Keuka Lake, out in the esteemed Finger Lakes wine country.  Bully Hill is a family-owned winery that has become very popular for its humorous tours, spectacular scenery, and artsy wine labels.  You know them best for their funky bottles of wine featuring lots of goats!

I'll tell you in advance, Bully Hill is a bit of a stretch as a day trip out of the Capital District.  Hammondsport, NY is just about four hours away from the Albany area--that is, if you aren't taking any bathroom breaks along the way.  If you're looking for an easily accessible overnight getaway in the Finger Lakes, though, or if you don't mind driving eight hours in one day, definitely add this to your to-do list.  If you're after a good time, a top notch location, and some history and fun with your Finger Lakes wine experience, this is the place to be.  Bully Hill is the antithesis of wine snobbery.  If your heart is set on nothing less than a super high class tasting facility with nothing but award winning wines, you probably won't have a good time here.  Everyone else, however, probably will!

For those few of you who aren't familiar with the history of Bully Hill wines and the story of Walter S., I won't spoil it here.  There's a fantastic wine museum and Walter S. Taylor art gallery at Bully Hill that both do a much more exciting job of explaining it than I could.   Besides, experiencing the art and history on premises is definitely a highlight of the trip.  There is also a well-reviewed restaurant, tasting facility, and two-story gift shop at Bully Hill.

What strikes you immediately upon arrival is the absolutely spectacular view of Keuka Lake and the Bully Hill vineyard from the parking lot.  Check it out:

Many people opt to dine at the restaurant at Bully Hill just so they can eat on the outdoor deck to take in that view.  I had planned to do so myself, but was far too full from my late morning breakfast when I arrived.  Future visits will have to include a meal there!

I am far from a wine snob.  And I'm lucky in that I enjoy both super dry wines, and the super-sweet "grape juice" wines many folks dismiss.  Bully Hill has a wine that fits into every single notch of that spectrum, in red, white, and blush options.  I do enjoy Bully Hill wines at home, so I was looking forward to the tasting here.  I opted for the $5 cellar tasting, which included a Bully Hill wine glass.  I also opted to have a few custom tastings, for $1 each.  I've tried most of the Bully Hill line before, so the tasting was mostly for the experience, and not to actually discover something new.  I participated in the tastings with several other couples and groups, and it was a fun, fairly off-color, friendly experience.

If I weren't in such a rush to pack it in and get home before some nasty thunderstorms rolled in, I could've spent countless more hours there just wandering the grounds, shopping, and eating.  I didn't have time to take a tour while there, but that's just one more good reason to go back.

Overall Review: 5 out of 5 Upstate!Stars
Learn more at their website: www.bullyhill.com

Bed & Breakfast Heaven...

Name of Lodging: Juniper Hill Bed & Breakfast and American Impressionist Art Gallery

Address: 16 Elm Street, Trumansburg, NY 14886

Date and Time of Most Recent Visit: July 5-6, 2011; check in at 6:00 p.m. on the 5th, check out at 10:00 a.m. on the 6th.

I won't lie--I'm a Trip Advisor junkie.  So when I decided I wanted to stay overnight in the Finger Lakes, it was the first place I checked in order to come up with an idea of where I wanted to stay.  I looked in Watkins Glen, Trumansburg, and Ithaca, simply because of their proximity to Watkins Glen State Park.  Since I knew I wanted to see Taughannock Falls while I was out there, I narrowed my search down to Trumansburg, which was only a 3 hour and 15 minute drive from Clifton Park.  I quickly noticed Juniper Hill, because Trip Advisor users have it rated as the #1 bed and breakfast in Trumansburg.  I had never stayed at a B&B before, so this seemed like exactly the time to try one out!

Juniper Hill bills itself as a luxury B&B, located in a historic restored 1920s Colonial Revival mansion.  They have an American Impressionist Art Gallery on site that specializes in the works of 20th Century American artists located in the Finger Lakes.  They are located on four acres of impeccably groomed land, with a lovely area of patio seating in the backyard, and a beautifully maintained garden in the front yard.

Juniper Hill has four rooms of varying sizes and appointments for guests, but all of the rooms notably have private bathrooms, which is a MUST for me.  Check in times are between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m., and check out is by 11:00 a.m.  There is free Wi-Fi on the premises, and other amenities also include spa robes and slippers in your room, in-room electronics charging stations, in-room refrigerators with complimentary beverages, 300+ thread count sheets, individually controlled room air conditioning, and much, much more!   Since I was traveling alone, I opted to stay in the Lilian Wescott Hale room, which is the smallest of the property's offerings.  Its private bathroom was located across the hall, and had an aromatherapy steam shower, which I was seriously looking forward to after a day of hiking!  I actually wound up enjoying that shower twice: post-hike, and again the next morning.  The Lilian Hale room has a queen sized bed, a writing desk stocked with a wine opener and wine glasses, and a 32" LCD flat panel TV with DVD player.  Lovely.  Definitely check out their very informative website, which I'll link to at the end of the review, so you can pick out exactly what sort of room you want if you choose to stay here.

My room:

Bruce is the man running the show here, and he is a lovely, warm, accommodating host.  The house itself is everything one could hope for in a place to stay.  The common rooms are beautiful, and the on-site gallery meant that there was amazing artwork throughout the house.  After checking in, I ate my carried-in dinner out in the property's backyard, which was perfect!

However, it's not a B&B without the breakfast, and this is where Juniper Hill truly shines.  Juniper Hill serves a gourmet 3 course breakfast, which is presented at 9:00 a.m. sharp, on fine china.  Breakfast is by candlelight, with a nice selection of background music playing.  Starting at 8:00 a.m., coffee, tea, and hot chocolate were available just outside of the bedroom doors.  Other snacks such as fresh fruit and homemade biscotti were also available with the beverages if one were to wake up hungry ahead of the scheduled breakfast serving time.  Juniper Hill staff asks to be informed in advance if you have any dietary restrictions, and the planned menus are posted the night before.  I am a vegetarian, and informed Bruce that this was the case before my stay.  The posted menu during my stay was: Roasted Nectarine (to die for, accompanied by cottage cheese and encrusted with pistachio nuts), Pound Cake with Grapefruit (also delicious, but Bruce ran out of grapefruit, so mine was actually Pound Cake with Strawberries), and Quiche in a Bread Bowl.  Unfortunately, the quiche had sausage in it--Bruce had forgotten about my vegetarian diet--but he quickly whipped me up what were probably the freshest, thickest, and most delicious blueberry pancakes I've ever had in my life.  If you go to Juniper Hill for any reason at all, go for the breakfast.  Just incredible!  Plus, I was so full after eating that I didn't even need to stop and have lunch later on in the day.  Mmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about that breakfast now...

I will definitely return to Juniper Hill someday, possibly with a companion in tow.  Trumansburg really is a great home base for exploring the Finger Lakes, and this is a top notch place to stay while you're here.

Overall review: 5 out of 5 Upstate!Stars

Learn more at their website: www.atjuniperhill.com

And then there was wine!

More of what I did on my stay-cation!

Name of attraction: Sheldrake Point Winery
Address: 7448 County Road 153, Ovid, NY 14521

Date and time of most recent visit: 7/5/11; 5:00 p.m.

Sheldrake Point was recently voted one of the best wineries to visit in the Finger Lakes, and has a highly acclaimed bistro on site called Simply Red.  However, due to my late arrival at the vineyard, I was not able to sample food at Simply Red.  The bistro is only open for lunch hours, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

My primary reason for stopping here, however, was because I knew Sheldrake Point produced a late harvest Riesling on site that was awarded the Best Sweet Riesling in the World honors at the Canberra International Riesling Challenge in 2010.  As I adore late harvest Riesling, I figured this was as good a stop as any to pick up some cheese and snacks, and sample some yummy wine!  I parked my car, and looked out over the views of the vineyards and Cayuga Lake, and felt like I'd made a pretty good choice for my light-dinner stop:

So, I'll tell you--that late harvest Riesling was fantastic, and worth the $2 fee to sample it.  My overall experience at the tasting was decidedly less fantastic, however.  I unfortunately happened to stop in right as a large group of rowdy, college-aged folks drifted into the facility, and I even more unfortunately sat down next to friends of the woman staffing the tasting bar.  All of this meant I got very little attention, and was given very rushed, clipped explanations of the various wines in the $5 flight of wines I'd chosen to sample.  I imagine I would have had a better visit if I'd arrived perhaps a half hour earlier, but what can you do?

I did, however, buy a bottle of that late harvest Riesling, some wine crackers, and several delicious local cheeses at the Sheldrake Point gift shop, all of which I took back to a lovely B&B (the review of which will follow soon!) where I enjoyed a smashingly tasty late evening light meal.

Overall review: 3 out of 5 Upstate!Stars
Learn more at their website: www.sheldrakepoint.com

A Great Day Trip Idea...

One of my stay-cation goals this past week was to go visit the Finger Lakes region of New York State.  Coming from the Capital District/Saratoga area, attractions in the Finger Lakes are approximately 2.5-4 hours away, depending on where you want to go.

My primary goal was to go here:

Name of Attraction: Watkins Glen State Park

Address: 1009 N Franklin St, Watkins Glen, NY

Date and Time of Most Recent Visit: July 5, 2011; 2:00-4:00 p.m.

It took me just over three and a half hours to get to Watkins Glen from Clifton Park.  However, I took the scenic route off of I-88, and managed to get stuck in about 35 minutes worth of traffic in Ithaca.  My theory is that it should really only take just over three hours to get here from my house, with no bathroom breaks.  As such, a visit to the park would make a fabulous day trip.

Watkins Glen State Park has to be seen to be believed.  The breathtaking gorge, 19 waterfalls, and abundance of plant life speaks best about why I wanted to come here.  Prepare yourself for lots of pictures!

Breathtaking, isn't it?  And yet, so much more majestic in person.  Upstate New Yorkers are doing themselves a disservice if they haven't yet been here.  I went on a Tuesday afternoon in the height of summer, and did not feel that the trail was particularly crowded.  I am told there are larger crowds on the weekends, which is to be expected.

I chose to hike up and down the Gorge Trail (which is the main attraction at the park).  The Gorge Trail is 1.5 miles one way, so if you plan to hike up the gorge and back, it will be about a 3 mile hike.  There are LOTS of stairs on the way up, and a very steep final set of stairs to get to the top of the gorge, so plan accordingly and assess your own fitness level as you see fit.  With many breaks for picture taking, I completed the hike up and back in just about two hours.  (And it was 89 degrees while I was there, but the gorge is shady, and has naturally low humidity.)  The good news is, Watkins Glen State Park offers a $3 shuttle for a one way trip.  So if you're concerned about your ability to hike up the gorge, take the shuttle up to the top, and opt for the less strenuous hike down.

And come on, you even get to walk BEHIND two of the waterfalls on the trail!

Parking lots exist at the top and bottom of the gorge.  There are bathrooms and snack shops at both entrances.  The parking fee was $8, which I had no qualms about paying--I want to support whoever I have to in order to keep this spectacular state park running smoothly!  There is an Olympic-sized pool on site that I did not visit.  Camping and picnic sites are also available.  Note that this is not a particularly dog-friendly park, if you were considering bringing a furry friend: they are NOT allowed on the Gorge Trail.  (Trust me, it would be a very bad idea to bring a dog to the Gorge Trail, anyway.  This is a very understandable rule.)  There are multiple other hiking trails aside from the Gorge Trail at Watkins Glen State Park, but I did not have time to hike them during this visit.  That's okay though, because I KNOW I'll be back!

Overall review: 5 out of 5 Upstate!Stars

Learn more at their website: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/park-results.aspx?n=watkins%20glen&src=1

Chain Restaurants, We Got 'Em!

As I visit them, I will make note of chain restaurants we have in the area, but I won't be reviewing them in depth.  Chains are what they are, and this blog will just let you know that we have one of them, and give a basic review of the particular franchise's operation/cleanliness.

Name of Establishment: Red Lobster
Address: 170 Wolf Road, Colonie, NY 12205
Date and Time of Most Recent Visit: July 3, 2011; 4:30 p.m.

It's a Red Lobster, so hopefully you like seafood!  The Colonie Red Lobster invariably involves waiting around if you're going for dinner.  Even though my Anonymous Companion and I arrived super early for dinner at 4:30 p.m., we did not get seated until about 5:10.  So be prepared to wait around, and don't expect to have room to always do so comfortably--on the night of our visit, every indoor and outdoor bench was full, as was the entire bar area.

This location is pretty average on the whole.  Average to good service, average to good cleanliness, average food preparation.  I ordered one of the limited time offer seafood plates, which was tasty.  Companion had Fish and Chips, which was not very tasty at all.  Bizarrely, Companion was asked if he wanted chips or fries with his meal.  I thought all "chips" were fries with "fish and chips," but who knows what was happening there that evening.

Of note: some very large patrons attempting to sit at the booth next to us did not actually fit into the booth.  So for any XXL customers, it would be advisable to ask for a table.

Overall review: 3 out of 5 Upstate!Stars
Learn more at their website: www.redlobster.com

Let the Stay-cation Begin!

Hello, readers!  I'm beginning this blog by chronicling my very first active stay-cation.  I've got plenty of exciting things planned for this lovely July week off.

Vacation began last night with a long overdue visit to a bar in my neck of the woods...

Name of Establishment: Peddlers Bar and Bistro
Address: 16 Clifton Park Village Road, Clifton Park, NY 12065
Date and Time Visited: July 1, 2011; 8:30-11 pm.

There's a good reason why it's taken so long for me to visit Peddlers, and that's because they've got a horrific parking situation.  I don't know if you can see it in the above picture, but there's actually a Valet station near the entrance.  This is because their main parking lot does not come close to accommodating the total number of visitors.  My Anonymous Companion and myself chose to skip the valet services and drive ourselves to the overflow lot they utilize just around the corner.  This was fine, as it was a balmy 82 degrees at the time, and only about a five minute walk.

Peddlers is a large bar and restaurant with both an indoor seating area and a large outdoor deck.  Information posted at the entrance indicated that they had live music every Tuesday-Saturday from 5:30 until 9:30 pm.  The entertainment that evening was a group called Bicycle Mary, which was covering the Goo Goo Dolls when we arrived.  The place was packed full outdoors, and appeared to be busy inside, as well.

Anonymous Companion and I were asked for our IDs upon arrival, and informed that there was a wait to be seated for a meal on the outdoor deck.  Astonishingly in light of the parking woes, there was no wait for an indoor table, so Companion and I opted to grab a bite to eat inside.  I ordered a $10.99 Mediterranean Platter, which was billed as an appetizer.  My companion opted for the $9.99 French Dip with a $1 upgrade to include onion rings.  My appetizer was sizable and tasty, if a tad overpriced.  Companion was satisfied with his French Dip.  (I stole one of his onion rings, and found it to be tasty, but too soggy for my personal preference.)  For a bar, though, I was quite please.  The menu was quite varied and extensive, however--loads of appetizers, sandwiches, entrees, burgers, and desserts were available.

The bar atmosphere indoors was loud, but calm.  Our waitress that evening was very pleasant, but clearly overworked.  Service was nice, but very slow.  The decor was a sort of eclectic industrial, as can be evidenced by the following images:

Yes, there are indeed mannequins perched atop the bar.  Behind us was more seating on a mini-platform,  electronic dartboards, and a laser-lit dance area that no one was using at 9:30 p.m.  (I'd only had one glass of wine by this point in the evening, so I certainly wasn't going to get any parties started.)

Anonymous Companion and I then chose to move to the outdoor deck once we settled our check inside, so that I could have a couple more glasses of wine and enjoy the pleasant summer evening.  At Peddlers, the bar itself stretches from inside the establishment right out onto the deck.  Nice feature, and every seat at the bar was full.  By this point in the evening, however, the live entertainment was finished, and tables were now available to sit at outside.  Companion and I split a slice of Grasshopper Pie, which was dry, but tasty.  The atmosphere was a bit quieter out here, but still noisy, lively, and bar-like.  Patrons that evening were well-mannered and courteous, which is always a plus when you're at a bar.

The view from our table:

The BEST part about Peddlers, though?  It's SO CLEAN.  I mean, both tables we sat at were spotless.  The bar was spotless.  The floor was spotless.  And the bathroom was among the cleanest I've ever encountered in an establishment catering to tipsy-and-more folks on a Friday night.  I wasn't afraid of the toilet at all!  I mean, just look at the ladies' bathroom--!!!

Swanky!

All and all, it was an enjoyable evening.  Companion and I will be back.  And if we're feeling fancy, maybe we'll even opt for the valet services next time!

Overall Review: 4 out of 5 Upstate!Stars

Learn more at their website:  www.peddlersbarandbistro.com