New York: Lake Placid
Set in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, Lake Placid is almost cloyingly beautiful — the kind of place that makes you angry that other people get to live here year-round. In the fall, the hills rising above the twin lakes — Placid and Mirror — are blanketed with rusty hues, and the loudest sound is the splashing of ducks landing on the water.
At the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery (813 Mirror Lake Dr.; 518-523-3813; dinner for two $50), guests gather at sunset to sip an Ubu Ale or a Lake Placid IPA. Owner and brewmaster Christopher Ericson moved to the area from Stowe, Vt., more than 10 years ago. "Lake Placid had an immediate draw for me. I’m a huge nature lover. Plus, I wanted to brew good beer for people who appreciate it. This place was a match made in heaven," Ericson says. The locals think so too. And Ericson’s humble brewery has won a slew of awards, including best in New York State at the TAP beer festival in 2005 and 2007.
Down the road the iconic Lake Placid Lodge (Whiteface Inn Rd.; 877-523-2700; lakeplacidlodge.com; doubles from $650) is poised to open its new five-suite, 30,000-square-foot main building — rebuilt after a fire destroyed the original 1882 house in 2005 — this month. The new lodge’s style is updated Adirondack with antique local furniture. But the property’s best asset is still down by the private shore: 19 luxe log cabins built in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
What seems like an army of unseen elves keeps everything running smoothly here. Return from dinner and a fire has miraculously been lit in the stone fireplace, and wood replenished in a neatly stacked pile beside the hearth. Breakfast (a plate of raspberry pancakes, tiny jars of house-made preserves) arrives magically in a wicker basket and is whisked away when you’re not looking. Blanket-strewn Adirondack chairs form a circle around the fire pit at dusk, with the makings of s’mores (fresh marshmallows, artisanal chocolate) on a tidy table nearby.
The Lodge has brought over Kevin McCarthy from nearby sister property the Point — where he was chef for eight years — to create regionally inspired dishes such as apple cider–braised pork belly with tender local blue potatoes.
Lake Placid was home to the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics (Cold War drama unfolded here in 1980 as the "miracle" U.S. hockey team upset the heavily favored Soviets), and the ski jump near Whiteface Mountain (Rte. 86; 518-946-2223) is still open for visitors. The area’s most panoramic views can be found at the top of the ski lifts.
Just around the corner is High Falls Gorge (4761 Rte. 86; 518-946-2278; entrance fee $10), where bridges crisscross a clear, cold stream of water that flows through jagged rocks. Back in town, Mirror Lake Boat Rental (1 Main St.; 518-524-7890; rentals from $24) has everything you need to explore the lake, from paddleboats and kayaks to hydro bikes.
People like Rainer Schnaars help give Lake Placid its idiosyncratic quality. Schnaars moved to the area from Bremen, Germany, over 25 years ago to follow true love and to bake. "Things fell apart with the lady, but I stayed for the lake and the bakery," he says in his thickly accented English. The Blues Berry Bakery (26 Main St.; 518-523-4539) is named for Schnaars’s favorite band, the Blues Brothers, and is where the gregarious, bearded 49-year-old creates pastries like a flaky apple strudel or a decadent Black Forest cherry cake.
In the center of town, the Interlaken Inn (39 Interlaken Ave.; 518-523-3180; doubles from $155), a cozy Victorian hotel built on Signal Hill in 1912, overlooks Mirror Lake. There are 10 tidy, affordable rooms and a stellar restaurant (dinner for two $104) that draws on the region’s bounty. The locally sourced New York strip and horseradish cheese grits stand out for their wonderful simplicity — just like the town itself.
Getting There
Lake Placid is a two-hour drive from Burlington, Vt., and Albany, N.Y., where flights and car rentals are available. Daily nonstop flights depart from New York City’s JFK to both airports.
