Living in the Mountains

[SIAWOL]

Basil and Wick's hasn't operated since April 1. It's for sale. A major loss.

Bar Vino, not sure. They posted on FB that they were closing. Hey Days (pizza) is "on a break" for a while.

Garnet Hill has changed their business model, focusing on private events. It's open to the public sometimes, but always call ahead.

What am I missing?

It is mind boggling we can't get consistent dinner options.

We call the pizza place "Some Days"......some days it's open, some days its not. Also the same place that ran out of pizza on a mid-winter Saturday night....

 

[TheGreatAbyss]

Bar Vino closed!? Sad, that was one of my favs.

 

[Peter Minde]

This is my point.

Honestly I don't fully understand why North Creek struggles so much. You can say "there are no beds." But I don't buy it. Attempts at beds have come and gone.

There has to be more to it.

Mind you I love North Creek, I don't mind that it is sleepy.

In addition to hiking, what else is going on in North Creek in the summer? Golf️, a swimming hole?

 

[gregmarx]

This dude wrote a recent piece.
It’s kinda long & well written.

Having not spent much time in the Adirondacks myself, I'd be interested in others' views on this essay.

The author of the piece says -- the local culture of the Adirondacks repels the sort of "outsiders" who have arrived in substantial numbers in some other rural areas, and on the whole, that's good.

Setting aside whether his analysis/judgment is correct -- it seems to me that if you're a sufficiently remote rural region, and you don't want to attract people from the outside, you are likely to succeed in not attracting people from the outside, barring some overwhelming economic fundamentals bearing in the other direction. (And while the essay is framed more about an influx of new residents, I think most of the logic of the discussion applies to tourist visitation as well.)

And given the demographic trends in upstate NY, if you're not really trying in a concerted way to attract people from outside, it's going to be difficult to sustain a hospitality sector.

But that's just me spinning out some speculation based on the essay. I don't know how widespread this guy's views actually are in the region. Any thoughts on that?

 

[TheGreatAbyss]

So much hand wringing about places like Jackson / Bozeman / Boise etc, but it's not like there aren't vast endless swaths of affordable rural America. If anything I would think destination cities that bring in money, jobs, and healthcare would help the wider regions without much affordability impact outside of those particular destinations.

I very much did not like the thesis of this article, but I don't want to bring in politics so I'll leave it at that.

 

[TheGreatAbyss]

It will be interesting to see what happens to NC once the new Ski Bowl build out is complete. A gondola between the town and the lifts would bring something special that only exists out West or in Europe.

 

[Campgottagopee]

It is. Just not in North Creek. What is there to do?

When I was a kid I recall whitewater rafting and fishing were huge. Not sure when/why that all stopped.
In my teens I caught native brookies that were amazing. Right on 11th mountain

 

[x10003q]

Elliot Monter saw the potential in North Creek in the 1980s. He eventually saw the writing on the walls of NC in the 1990s and bailed.
FrontStreet has had approvals for developing 100s of units of lodging next to the Ski Bowl since 2008 and they have built about 6 units.
The pizza place in NC has had a multitude of owners since the 1980s and here we are again. One owner lived near me in NJ. He bailed after 1 ski season.
ORDA needs to advertise and market Gore to the NYC metro area. This might help with overnight visitors which would help keep the F&B in NC open. North Creek still needs a sewage system. ORDA should have dealt with this issue decades ago.

I hope the Ski Bowl Base Lodge F&B bid winner knows whats going on in the Ski Bowl. They will have about 30 days out of the entire ski season (if they are lucky) to try and make enough money to justify being in business in the Ski Bowl Lodge.

 

[Campgottagopee]

. A gondola between the town and the lifts would bring something special that only exists out West or in Europe.

This totally seems doable, too. It would be a game changer, imo.

 

[Adirondack Johnny]

I hope the Ski Bowl Base Lodge F&B bid winner knows whats going on in the Ski Bowl. They will have about 30 days out of the entire ski season (if they are lucky) to try and make enough money to justify being in business in the Ski Bowl Lodge

Maybe they will operate after hours even if night skiing isn't in play?