So... friends reading this know that Mary ("The Wife") (aka: "The Poops") is a baseball fan... a Yankees fanatic to be precise!
She'll be hitting the big "50" this coming April and all I've been hearing about for the past six months is that she wants to go to Cooperstown for her birthday... stay in a B&B... visit the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Fine! I've always wanted to go up there myself! (The Ommegang Brewery and Restaurant is up there you know!)
Anyway... awhile back a good friend of ours lost his mom. Rather than have the typical wake and funeral the family opted to schedule a Memorial Service... a Remembrance... a Celebration of this woman's life. The Celebration to be held: December 6th, 2014, in Schenectady, New York.
Anyway... I - being the brilliant fellow I am - decide.. "Let's ADD the Cooperstown trip to the Schenectady trip!" (As a surprise!)
So... I make arrangements with Mary's office... covered some bases with Mary's sisters concerning family stuff Mary was supposed to see to which I dumped on them... made reservations at the Cooper Inn... and waited patiently for this past weekend to arrive.
Anyway... this past Friday Mary worked half a day, came home, and off we drove up to Schenectady. We stayed at a very pretty little place called the Water's Edge Lighthouse Restaurant & Inn. Drinks and dinner that night... The Beer Abbey!
Saturday morning... up and out for an outrageously good breakfast at Oliver's Cafe in Scotia... back to the Inn to change into our "Celebration" duds... a couple hours spent listening to wonderful stories about our friend's mom... then back to the Inn to get our mutual friends Carl and Antoinette settled...
(They had come up from Westchester and were also staying at "our" Inn.)
Anyway... a quick turnaround and back to Scotia where a post-Celebration reception was being held...
After this was over Ted (my friend whose mom had passed) and Mary (his wife) headed back to their hotel in midtown Schenectady proper while (my) Mary, Carl, Antoinette, and I went back to the Water's Edge to unwind with a few wee drams of Crown Royal Black.
Next stop... off to Wolff's Biergarten! Oh, man... what a happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy place...!!! I was drinking my beloved "sour" beer all night while singing to the greatest tunes of the 60's, 70's, and 80's - all while munching on free peanuts and casting the shells to the floor! (Damn good wurst as well; superior mac & cheese too!)
Sunday... up and out by 11:00 a.m. - brunch in Saratoga Springs... 12:00 p.m. reservation for four at the Gideon Putnam. (Carl and Antoinette accompanied us; Ted and Mary had family obligations.) Again... a simply outstanding brunch! Highly recommend it!
So... at this point Mary believes we're headed home. I ask for the GPS and tell her I'm gonna take us home via the scenic route. She doesn't suspect a thing!
Off we go... and it's not till she sees signs for Cooperstown that she's wise to exactly how far west my "scenic detour" has taken us. (Still... she has no idea of what's in store... she tells me that she figured we were just going to stop at a brewpub or else check out a few of the accommodations we'd been looking at for... er... the "April" trip.)
Anyway... it was a lovely ride! At one point we're on this little country road which was at a elevation so that frost was literally covering all the grass, bushes, and trees. (We even passed a man driving a horse and carriage at one point; swear to God!)
So... arriving in Cooperstown proper I drove right through the gates onto the Inn property and parked the car right at the front door of the mansion. Believe it or not... Mary STILL didn't "get" that we were checking in. (She thought we were just going to "check the place out.")
We entered the foyer... walked to the check-in station... and I announced "The Barkers are home!"
Mary was in complete and utter shock. It STILL wasn't getting through to her! It wasn't until after I had given the girl my credit card that it dawned on her that we were really in Cooperstown to stay - at least for a couple of days! As Mary was taking it in I went to the car and brought her the "proof" necessary to "snap her out of it" - namely, I brought in the extra clothing of hers (and mine) that I had "smuggled" by hiding it in the spare tire "well" under the "floor" of the trunk.
(*PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK*)
Our room is pictured in Photo #6 of the website photo album. A beautiful room. Huge! Huge bathroom as well! Period furniture... comfy bed... great water pressure... wi-fi... wall-mounted large flat-screen TV... front and side view windows overlooking the grounds and the Inn at Cooperstown across one street and the grounds and town via the other. As for the public spaces... check out the website photo album.
Just FYI... the Inn... our Inn... is actually the sister property of the Otesaga Resort. When the hotel is fully open (in season) guests of the Inn enjoy full exchange privileges; in the winter, when only one of the hotel's restaurants (The Hawkeye) is open, guests at the Inn receive a 20% dining discount there. (Which we used on Monday!)
Anyway...
After checking in we took a nap...
(*WINK-WINK; NUDGE-NUDGE*)
Next... off to Alex and Ika where we had kick-ass gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, mac & cheese, cocktails... and where we met - and became friends with - a wonderful family from Texas who were making a circle of various sports Halls of Fame as part of a "bucket list" excursion for "Uncle Tom."
Sister... brother-in-law... wife... daughter... niece... nephew-in-law... all there for "Uncle Tom"... Uncle Tom who served our nation as a U.S. Marine - a DI in fact - for 12 years prior to starting a second career... as a golf pro of all things... that lasted another 12 years! One hell of a man! Semper Fi! God Bless Texas! And though Mary and I only knew you for two days... may we meet again one day where no one is sick and the bar is always open!
Monday morning... off to the National Baseball Hall of Fame! (After a fine breakfast at the Inn of course!)
We spent a good four hours there! Met up with Uncle Tom and Family. Mary was in her glory...!
(By the way, folks, all of this is walkable. Therefore... upon finishing up at the Hall of Fame we strolled around town for a while... visited a few shops... and hit the bakery before heading back to the Inn where we arrived just as the complimentary early evening wine selections were being laid out.)
For dinner Monday night... the Hawkeye. Again... another winner! Highly recommended! Fantastic cocktails. Quality food professionally served in a formal yet unstuffy setting. Neither one of us could have been any happier!
Next morning... yesterday... slept in... hit the break buffet at 9:45 a.m.
Checked out of the Inn just a bit after 11:00 a.m. after cleaning some newly fallen snow off Mary's car it was time for our second to last tourist stop - the Fenimore Art Museum - which was hosting a special exhibit titled Dorothea Lange's America. (A very nice museum by the way!) (We LOVE visiting museums!)
We spent a good couple hours at the Fenimore (free admission by the way; for the holidays; so I threw a donation into the box). Then... back out into the eye of the by then raging storm for a quick drive into the country (about five miles out of town) for lunch (and beer!) at Ommegang Brewery!
(*DOING MY HOMER SIMPSON MOAN OF CONTENTMENT*)
The storm really was raging by the time we got done with our delicious lunch. Back roads and snow cost us a good extra hour or more getting home, but once we hit the Thruway at Exit 20 the snow turned to rain and it was smooth sailing home... arrival time just after 6:00 p.m.
What a wonderful extra long weekend! The first night in Schenectady when we were alone as a couple... wonderful. The next two days... celebrating Ted's mom's life and the friendship we six share... it was something special. Sunday brunch at the Gideon Putnam with Carl and Antoinette... ahh...
(*SMILE*)
And Mary's "Cooperstown Surprise"... beautiful Barker memories continue to accrue!
Happy pre-birthday, Poops - I love you!
"Uncle Tom" and "The Gang" - thoughts, prayers, and good wishes go out to you!
Finally... friends and readers... anyone who has never been to Cooperstown, New York... I highly recommend it! Heck... same with Schenectady... and Albany as well! (Jack's place...)
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