Lake Placid Questions

It's been a while (twenty-one years, to be exact) since I've been to Lake Placid. We're staying fifteen minutes away in Saranac Lake, so will be driving to the games. I'm wondering what the parking situation is like. Lots, street parking? Costs? Recommendations?

Also, assuming we want to eat after the second game, anyone have any recommendations for decent places that will serve food that late? In Lake Placid would be fine, as would be anything between the arena and Saranac Lake.

Thanks!

Dancing Bears at the High Peak Resort - on the corner of Main Street and Saranac-Placid Road - has probably turned out to be one of the most reliable of the "after the late game" restaurants, with good, creative food and good service.

Beeeej
Dancing Bears at the High Peak Resort - on the corner of Main Street and Saranac-Placid Road - has probably turned out to be one of the most reliable of the "after the late game" restaurants, with good, creative food and good service.

Thanks, Beeeej!

Checked their website, saw that it states they close at 10:00 PM, but thought, "They must stay open later when there are hockey games, 'cause Beeeej would not steer me wrong. I called, to check, and in spite of what their website says, the kitchen is open until 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday nights. So barring lots of OT, I expect getting there before 10:30 should not be a problem,

Thanks again!

Parking is not good, unless you get there early. There's a free public lot right next to the rink, but it fills up quickly. There is on-street parking, but that's usually full around the rink. various other smaller lots, same problems.

If you get to town in the AM, you'll likely find parking relatively easily. If you get there at mid-afternoon, right before the game, that may be tough.

This is one reason that I book the Golden Arrow hotel a year in advance. It's across from the rink and you can leave your car alone and walk. It's got nice rooms, but is pricey.

If you're looking for simple eats and close to the rink, The Pickled Pig is almost across the street and open very late.

I used to like Milano's North, but it's closed now and I haven't been to it's replacement, Upstairs Grill.

Smoke Signals is another within easy walking distance and it's always open very late.

But more importantly will be if a group decides to go out together.

ECACs Lake Placid 2018: For food, there are lots of choices post-game and most near the rink do adjust their schedules when there is a late event at the rinks. For the purposes of dining, carousing, shopping: Lake Placid is a one street town, Main Street (Route 86). The water to the east of Main Street is Mirror Lake (Lake Placid is bigger). The north end is marked by the High Peaks Resort / Dancing Bear pub. The south is the Olympic ice complex, museum, the old Olympic Rink (Harkness, 1970, 29-0, Cropper not Dryden) and Herb Brooks Arena (Miracle on Ice) where the ECACs are held, 8,500 seats, you won't get shut out of tix. It's just over half a mile between the two ends.

Parking is limited you would think, but the police just direct you to lots a little farther away. It will be a lesser issue since Friday we're the early game and Saturday the losing-team visitors may not be attending. Your best bet for parking esp. Friday for the early game is to pull into the driveway of the arena, drop someone off to buy tix (outside in a trailer), continue on, and you'll be pointed to *free* parking, maybe 5 minutes away, slippery uphill but less steep than Libe Slope.

Some places of note, south (near the rink) to north on or near Main Street.

* Wiseguys is a big sports bar with lots of TVs. Decent fare for a sports bar. There is talk of finding a bar where we can watch the Yale lax game Saturday 1 p.m. and this would be the best bet. Somebody needs to bring a Roku stick & remote and/or laptop with a long HDMI cable. It is one long block way from the arena. Go out to Main Street, turn right, walk the long block past the outdoors speed skating rink, then it's on the rink and Main and School. Staff of the CanAm hockey camp, one of LP's biggest industries, drinks here. 11 School St, Lake Placid, NY 12946, 518-523-4446, [www.wiseguyssportsbar.com]

* Lake Placid Pub & Brewery is smaller, with food a step up from sports bar fare, brews its own beer (Ubu Ale among others). On multiple levels, upstairs is not as dark. If not Cornell's, wear your Sox hat; the owner is a Boston fan. It's going to be harder to seat large groups than Wiseguys but not impossible. A little bit farther than Wiseguys. Leave the rink, turn right, midway down the speed skating oval block, turn left on Shore, go two short blocks, it's on the right. It normally closes 9 pm, so check about post-game. I do recall Colgate fans partying like mad after winning a game there so that must have been after 9:00 813 Mirror Lake Dr, Lake Placid, NY 12946 (518) 523-3813 [www.ubuale.com]

* Upstairs, the old Milano, is still pretty good when we were there a month ago, fancier but still okay in snow boots and jeans.

* Big Mountain Deli has fabulous sandwiches, only open to 4 pm. Really good. 2475 Main St, Lake Placid, NY 12946

* Dancing Bears in the old Hilton now High Peaks Resort is nice, good fare, a little bit pricier because it's in a hotel but two beers and a burger won't kill you.

* Players across the street from DB on the lake side is new. The wait staff is cute, some speak passable Melania-sounding English, I like this place because we watched the World Cup there when Germany clobbered (?) Brazil and the Germans bought everyone drinks.

There are a lot of other places in between, most pretty decent, at least one place with live music.

For breakfast Saturday or Sunday morning, I love the Downtown Diner, 2728 Main St, Lake Placid, NY 12946 (518) 523-3709, a couple hundred yards south of the rink. Nice people running the place, a cut above average diner fare so tip 20% to make up for the Canadians who tip 10% and think it's a king's ransom (cultural norms). Nice people next to us a couple years ago turned out to be Andy Iles' grandparents. Always a good Cornell contingent there.

For lunch or dinner, about a half mile away so you might drive, is Lisa G's. Never had a bad meal there. Nicer American fare. Open til 10, has a goodly sized bar with TVs but not Wiseguys big bar. 6125 Sentinel Rd, Lake Placid, NY 12946

A half mile outside of Lake Placid is another really good sandwich shop, Saranac Sourdough, 2126 Saranac Ave, Lake Placid, NY 12946, open til 4:00. If you take Main Street north to the High Peaks Resort, it curves left and becomes Saranac Road. The staff is literate and funny, they can happily compare the sins of the Nixon era vs. those of present day. Very good sourdough bread to take away, too, although bringing nice bread back to Ithaca is sort of coals to Newcastle.

On Main street also are some pizza places, also a couple choices in Asian fare, BBQ.

If you haven't found a place to stay, get online today. It is probably worth paying an extra $25-$50 a night to have a walkable weekend. Try AirBnB, too, much of that will be a mile or so away so you'll need to drive.

If you're driving direct to rink, search on Lake Placid Olympic Center as a POI, not Herb Brooks Arena, or use 2634 Main Street, Lake Placid, New York, 12946 or if that fails search on Lake Placid HS which is next door.

If it's still cold, there is a bobsled slide ($10) near the rink (look for the Post Office and take the road on the lake side of the PO) that puts you onto the still frozen lake. You can also skate there (free) and play pickup hockey (free, several areas cleared off).

If you need to catch up on coursework, the Lake Placid library (10-4 Saturday) midway up Main Street on the lake side has a gorgeous computer room with a view onto the lake.

The map below is the main part of Lake Placid. The blue line is Main Street with the rink at the bottom. Dancing Bear/High Peaks resort is the upper extent of the side by side shops and restaurants.

Thanks a lot, Jim.

My wife has to work at least some in the morning, so I'm thinking the earliest we'd get into the arena area is 2:45-ish.

Is there any paid parking near the arena, in case paying winds up being the only option?

As for the restaurants, between your excellent recommendations and Beeeej's, we'll have some good options. So thanks too, for those.

Thanks very much, Bill. Lots of great information!

I think we (different we, though) stayed in Saranac Lake in 1996 and 1997, so doing that again shouldn't be --too-- bad. Our room there is cancellable for another day or two, so I may take a look to see what the "walkable" options are, but if I don't find any I think we'll be OK.

Thanks again!

It's been a while since I was in Lake Placid. Does Mudpuddles still exist?

jtwcornell91
It's been a while since I was in Lake Placid. Does Mudpuddles still exist?

Mudpuddles went under, but the facility now operates as Wiseguys, mentioned in this thread.

The best part of Mudpuddles, was the hot dog vendor waiting outside at 3 a.m.

andyw2100
Thanks very much, Bill. Lots of great information!

I think we (different we, though) stayed in Saranac Lake in 1996 and 1997, so doing that again shouldn't be --too-- bad. Our room there is cancellable for another day or two, so I may take a look to see what the "walkable" options are, but if I don't find any I think we'll be OK.

Thanks again!

Earlier this AM I changed the room we're getting at the Golden Arrow. I asked and they said they still have a coupe of their "Specialty Rooms" or Suites available. I asked about price and they were pricey, around $330/night, but they would be convenient. 866-558-7008

A few years back, there was a parking lot at the bottom of the hill and they provided a shuttle bus to and from the area. Don't know if they still do that.

Jeff Hopkins '82
A few years back, there was a parking lot at the bottom of the hill and they provided a shuttle bus to and from the area. Don't know if they still do that.

Parking lot yes, shuttle bus not that I recall last year. U-Halls to the Arts Quad was a tougher walk.

billhoward

Jeff Hopkins '82
A few years back, there was a parking lot at the bottom of the hill and they provided a shuttle bus to and from the area. Don't know if they still do that.

Parking lot yes, shuttle bus not that I recall last year. U-Halls to the Arts Quad was a tougher walk.

And we were a lot younger at the time, weren't we?

Less chance of slipping with what Buick used to call road-hugging weight. Yesterday I was up on the roof of our house for 2 hours rubber-coating the holes in the roof and laying down a tarp over the garage. I ache all over today, but I did do it. And you are a kid in comparison.