Roadtrip – New York City to Lake George)

We left Hilton Times Square after an early breakfast. Today starts our road trip. So we had to pick up the rental car I booked through http://www.traveljigsaw.com . This is the 2nd time I used this booking site. The first time was in 2013 during my first US road trip. Needless to say, I was happy with their booking through National Rent A Car last year.

The trip from the hotel to Dollar Rent A Car, where traveljigsaw booked our car this time, was a little crazy. New York traffic crazy that is. 🙂 But manong, the hotel driver, was fun. He filled us with stories of his 30 year driving stint in New York.  I’m glad he was our driver that day because looking for the rental company was no longer a stress for us. Thank you. 🙂

Booking with Dollar took sometime because there was a line already when we got there. Plus the receptionist tried to sell us extra packages that we didn’t really need. Except for the EZ Pass which cost us 90 dollars, I think. What got me was when she told John that if we don’t pay for fuel in advance, it would cost 9 dollars per gallon , if we return the car without fuel.  After hearing such, we mentally made a note to fill it with full tank  before we return the car.  lol

We were told that they have one unit left. I booked a Ford Escape or similar. Same booking as last year. We got lucky then because National gave us a new Ford Escape. And that was one comfortable SUV. Hence, the repeat.

But this time,  we were given an old Toyota RAV4 . Didn’t mind old. At all. Until we sat on it. The seat was terrible. As we traveled through Interstate 287 / 87, John noticed that it leaned towards the left. Dangerous huh? 😦 We would have returned it but we remembered the receptionist’s words that it’s their last unit. So we didn’t. I just prayed for protection. And reminded myself to email traveljigsaw about it.

I commend my husband for being such a good driver. And for making the trip memorable despite the problem at hand.  In my mind, I thought that Dollar sucks. They should have had this car repaired or upgraded before renting it out. Clients’ safety first and foremost right? I wonder how they can get away with something like this. Unbelievable. 😦

Fall was visible on our way to Upstate New York. It is my first time here, so I found this new experience exciting. 🙂 There was traffic here and there. But the road was mostly clear during the whole trip.

So let me share with you the photos I took that day. 🙂

 

EN ROUTE TO LAKE GEORGE:

Autumn is beautiful right? 🙂 This is what I love about road tripping in America during fall. The colors are beautiful.

And no crazy drivers on the road. ha ha

Ahh.. I messed up on my research this time. I didn’t know that Sleepy Hollow was on the way to Albany. 😦 We watch the show. So it would have been interesting to see the town. And immerse ourselves on its history. Too bad. Maybe next time….

Found the Tourism Center. I love collecting travel brochures. So this place came in handy. haha

Plus it’s a nice rest stop. Perfect place to buy food as well. 🙂

Apples! 🙂 We import apples in the Philippines. So to me, seeing  freshly harvested apples was like finding a gold beside the road. ha ha

 

THE ROAD TRIP CONTINUES:

I can’t really express how beautiful this experience was. So I’m hoping that the photos below would somehow give you an idea. 🙂

Found the exit to Albany. Still at North 87. 🙂

I love the bridges below. 🙂

 

LAKE GEORGE:

We arrived in Lake George around lunch time. I don’t know why but traffic was bad as we entered the town. And then we saw their outlet malls. ha! 🙂 I love America’s outlet malls. Their prices are way cheaper than shopping in the Philippines. Seriously!

But first things first. We stopped at A&W for lunch. lol

After lunch, we went back to the shopping district. 🙂

Next year, I’m going to bring lesser clothes. That would give more space for the new ones! lol

Did I tell you , I love shopping in the US? ha ha… The autumn sale is a must! Believe me… 🙂

At about 4:30pm , we headed towards the hotel. We have an advance booking with Holiday Inn. So we weren’t worried about a place to stay. More details of Holiday Inn Lake George Resort here –

http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnresorts/hotels/us/en/lake-george/lgrny/hoteldetail

Check in was fast and easy. The receptionists were really nice and accommodating. We were given a free lemonade upon arrival. And the atmosphere was homey, specially with their fireplace. I loved its ambiance! 🙂

Our room on the 3rd floor was huge. It had its own living room.

And the bedroom view of Lake George was beautiful. 🙂

 

LAKE GEORGE: (from Wikipedia)

Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes,^[1] is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains, in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. It lies within the upper region of the Great Appalachian Valley and drains northward into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River drainage basin. The lake is situated along the historical natural (Amerindian) path between the valley of the Hudson River and that of the St. Lawrence, so lies on the direct land route between Albany, New York and Montreal, Canada. The lake extends about 32.2 mi (51.8 km) on a north-south axis, is quite deep, and varies from 1 to 3 miles (1.7 to 5 km) in width, presenting a significant barrier to east-west travel. Although the year-round population of the Lake George region is relatively small, the summertime population can swell to over 50,000 residents, many in the Village of Lake George region at the southern end of the lake.^{[citation needed]}

Lake George drains into Lake Champlain to its north through a short stream, the La Chute River, with many falls and rapids, dropping about 230 feet (70 m) in its 3½-mile (6 km) course—virtually all of which is within the lands of Ticonderoga, New York and near the site of the famous Fort Ticonderoga. Ultimately the waters flowing via the 106-mile-long (171 km) Richelieu River empty into the St. Lawrence River downstream and northeast of Montreal and then into the North Atlantic Ocean above Nova Scotia

 

It was really cold when we were there. But still, I sat beside the lake and enjoyed the tranquil and idyllic beauty before me. It made me think , how on earth did I get this lucky , to be able to enjoy such a place.  Thank you Lord.

We stayed in Lake George for about 2 days only.

But the experience was more than beautiful. It was fun and memorable.

So if you ever get to New York, take a weekend trip to the Adirondacks Mountain and enjoy Lake George. 🙂

You will not regret it….

 

 

 

 

 

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com