Generic Off Season Thread

[Al DeFlorio]

You can spend the day in Boston. Beats LP any day.

Like I've said, clearly in the eye of the beholder. I mean, talking about finding parking ... yikes

Hey, I love Boston - but driving an hour back and forth from Providence to Boston ... vs. taking a stroll down Main Street in LP ... I'll take the latter.

And that's about all you can do on Main Street in LP:  stroll.

[Aaron M. Griffin]

You can spend the day in Boston. Beats LP any day.

Like I've said, clearly in the eye of the beholder. I mean, talking about finding parking ... yikes

Hey, I love Boston - but driving an hour back and forth from Providence to Boston ... vs. taking a stroll down Main Street in LP ... I'll take the latter.

I know this comes as quite a shock, but I'm with Jim & Al on this one...

This discussion is shaping up as a generational divide.   It's not unlike the ones I have with my son...   I keep reminding him:  "remember, you're heading where I am, I'm not headed where you are."   So, let's just respect the fact that, even though we're all college hockey fans, we have differences in exactly how we enjoy that sport.   It's not difficult to understand that 20-30 year olds enjoy different after-hour activities than 60-70 year olds, is it?

The interesting, or perhaps ironic, thing about the generational divide is that opinions on either side of the divide are the opposite of what many predicted they would be when Lake Placid as host was more a musing than a reality. Most thought the younger fanbase and alumni would not be lured or attracted to the aura of Lake Placid because we were not alive during the 1980 Lake Placid games, but the elder generation would be. The opposite has played out on here.

[RichH]

Accessible?  I guess, though not as much so as Albany; however, this to some extent disregards the fact that the ECAC is no longer, and in all likelihood never will again be, a Boston-centered league.  Providence is at one end of the league's geographic footprint as much so as Lake Placid is, and for the schools with sizable student/townie fan bases, Lake Placid is comparably convenient (Capital District schools) or much more so (Cornell, North Country schools).  

As for attractiveness, one thing the Lake Placid region certainly has going for it is natural beauty out the wazoo (albeit, in fairness, much of it snow-covered even into March), if that's a major concern.  

Well, there are trains--with frequent service--and interstate highways that go right into downtown Providence from all major northeast cities, where many alumni live (How many Clarkson alums live in Potsdam?)  Albany is also much more accessible than LP, but, in my opinion (sorry, Tim) is not as attractive a city as Providence.  As far as attractiveness goes, what else is there to do in LP other than a bogus bobsled ride?  A ski jump?  [I'll go if Adam promises to jump for us.]

I would be very happy to have seen the ECACs return to Albany, but if the brilliant ADs who chose Atlantic City over Albany felt a continuing need for an alternative to Albany, Providence would be a much more desirable location than LP.

OK, so clearly you don't like the wintry options in Lake Placid; what is there to do in Providence?  I've never felt much of a desire to do anything after a game at Meehan except skip town, but maybe I'm missing out.

Yeah, the whole "what are we going to do there?" complaint can be used by somebody for just about any host.  I know I heard it upon moving to Albany: ("So I guess just spend the day at Crossgates? Great." ) and Atlantic City ("Unless you gamble, there's nothing to do there in March" ).  Personally, growing up in a town about 1/3 the size of Ithaca, I've never had the "Whatever shall we do to pass the time??" complaint.  Almost every place has some interesting nook to discover or Kuraltian local exploration/conversation to undertake. Or you can make your own fun, given the right companions and/or creative inspiration.  Or go see a movie or find a cafe to read and watch life.

As far as Providence goes, I've had a chance to spend some time in the downtown area, and there are a lot of cool things there, compared to the hill on which Brown sits.

[Al DeFlorio]

Accessible?  I guess, though not as much so as Albany; however, this to some extent disregards the fact that the ECAC is no longer, and in all likelihood never will again be, a Boston-centered league.  Providence is at one end of the league's geographic footprint as much so as Lake Placid is, and for the schools with sizable student/townie fan bases, Lake Placid is comparably convenient (Capital District schools) or much more so (Cornell, North Country schools).  

As for attractiveness, one thing the Lake Placid region certainly has going for it is natural beauty out the wazoo (albeit, in fairness, much of it snow-covered even into March), if that's a major concern.  

Well, there are trains--with frequent service--and interstate highways that go right into downtown Providence from all major northeast cities, where many alumni live (How many Clarkson alums live in Potsdam?)  Albany is also much more accessible than LP, but, in my opinion (sorry, Tim) is not as attractive a city as Providence.  As far as attractiveness goes, what else is there to do in LP other than a bogus bobsled ride?  A ski jump?  [I'll go if Adam promises to jump for us.]

I would be very happy to have seen the ECACs return to Albany, but if the brilliant ADs who chose Atlantic City over Albany felt a continuing need for an alternative to Albany, Providence would be a much more desirable location than LP.

OK, so clearly you don't like the wintry options in Lake Placid; what is there to do in Providence?  I've never felt much of a desire to do anything after a game at Meehan except skip town, but maybe I'm missing out.

I have no idea whatsoever what you like or dislike to do, and you probably aren't going to find much in the way of culture in Providence AFTER a 7pm game at Brown.  For one thing, that afternoon you might try the Rhode Island School of Design Art Museum (#1 in this article:  

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/travel/36-hours-in-providence-ri.html )

TimV and I can vouch for the gustatory quality of #6, by the way.::cheer::

[Aaron M. Griffin]

Personally, growing up in a town about 1/3 the size of Ithaca, I've never had an issue with the "Whatever shall we do to pass the time??" complaint.

That's overly generous.

[Al DeFlorio]

You can spend the day in Boston. Beats LP any day.

Like I've said, clearly in the eye of the beholder. I mean, talking about finding parking ... yikes

Hey, I love Boston - but driving an hour back and forth from Providence to Boston ... vs. taking a stroll down Main Street in LP ... I'll take the latter.

I know this comes as quite a shock, but I'm with Jim & Al on this one...

This discussion is shaping up as a generational divide.   It's not unlike the ones I have with my son...   I keep reminding him:  "remember, you're heading where I am, I'm not headed where you are."   So, let's just respect the fact that, even though we're all college hockey fans, we have differences in exactly how we enjoy that sport.   It's not difficult to understand that 20-30 year olds enjoy different after-hour activities than 60-70 year olds, is it?

The interesting, or perhaps ironic, thing about the generational divide is that opinions on either side of the divide are the opposite of what many predicted they would be when Lake Placid as host was more a musing than a reality. Most thought the younger fanbase and alumni would not be lured or attracted to the aura of Lake Placid because we were not alive during the 1980 Lake Placid games, but the elder generation would be. The opposite has played out on here.

Not necessarily correct.  The first time was nice.  The second time barely outweighed the inconvenience of getting there.  Now no desire to do it a third time.  Been there.  Done that.

[Josh '99]

Accessible?  I guess, though not as much so as Albany; however, this to some extent disregards the fact that the ECAC is no longer, and in all likelihood never will again be, a Boston-centered league.  Providence is at one end of the league's geographic footprint as much so as Lake Placid is, and for the schools with sizable student/townie fan bases, Lake Placid is comparably convenient (Capital District schools) or much more so (Cornell, North Country schools).  

As for attractiveness, one thing the Lake Placid region certainly has going for it is natural beauty out the wazoo (albeit, in fairness, much of it snow-covered even into March), if that's a major concern.  

Well, there are trains--with frequent service--and interstate highways that go right into downtown Providence from all major northeast cities, where many alumni live (How many Clarkson alums live in Potsdam?)  Albany is also much more accessible than LP, but, in my opinion (sorry, Tim) is not as attractive a city as Providence.  As far as attractiveness goes, what else is there to do in LP other than a bogus bobsled ride?  A ski jump?  [I'll go if Adam promises to jump for us.]

I would be very happy to have seen the ECACs return to Albany, but if the brilliant ADs who chose Atlantic City over Albany felt a continuing need for an alternative to Albany, Providence would be a much more desirable location than LP.

OK, so clearly you don't like the wintry options in Lake Placid; what is there to do in Providence?  I've never felt much of a desire to do anything after a game at Meehan except skip town, but maybe I'm missing out.

You can spend the day in Boston. Beats LP any day.

Eh.  A)  Though this isn't the case for everybody, I already live in a large city, so that doesn't hold a lot of appeal to me.  If I want to spend a day in a large city, I can stay home.  That's the case for a lot of alumni who, as Al points out, mainly live in and around the large cities in the Northeast.
B)  As Adam pointed out, parking in Boston can be expensive and/or hard to find, making a short trip not worthwhile.
C)  There's only so much you can do in Boston if you need to be back in Providence for a hockey game at 4pm.
D)  The point here was that Providence is an attractive city; if it's best selling point is "an hour away from somewhere interesting," I don't know that it says much about Providence itself.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

My 2 cents:  I'm going for the hockey.  if Cornell is in the tourney, I'm going, whether it's Providence, Albany, Boston or Placid.  That said, once I'm there, which one will give me the most to do during the daylight hours when there is no hockey?  

Not Albany.  Maybe Providence for a year or two, until I've seen whatever there is to see in Providence.  Hell, activities around AC weren't bad, even though I don't drink or gamble.  But AC itself is such a shit hole.  And even when the tournament was in Boston, we didn't do much to take advantage of Boston during the day - we just hung out waiting for the hockey to start, because we'd all been to Boston lots of times in our life.  But the outdoor activities in LP keep giving until I can no longer get myself out the front door.

It's no question for me.

[Al DeFlorio]

But the outdoor activities in LP keep giving until I can no longer get myself out the front door.

Jeff, I'm glad to hear you take advantage of the outdoor activities in LP.  I'm interested in which ones you do?  Ski jumping with Adam?  Speed-skating on your skates with two-foot long blades on the LP oval?  Luge (single or two-man)?  Bobsledding (two-man or four-man)?  Snowboarding?  Skiing?  I keep hearing how wonderful all these winter activities are, but I'm curious as to which ones people here really do when they go to LP.

[Josh '99]

Accessible?  I guess, though not as much so as Albany; however, this to some extent disregards the fact that the ECAC is no longer, and in all likelihood never will again be, a Boston-centered league.  Providence is at one end of the league's geographic footprint as much so as Lake Placid is, and for the schools with sizable student/townie fan bases, Lake Placid is comparably convenient (Capital District schools) or much more so (Cornell, North Country schools).  

As for attractiveness, one thing the Lake Placid region certainly has going for it is natural beauty out the wazoo (albeit, in fairness, much of it snow-covered even into March), if that's a major concern.  

Well, there are trains--with frequent service--and interstate highways that go right into downtown Providence from all major northeast cities, where many alumni live (How many Clarkson alums live in Potsdam?)  Albany is also much more accessible than LP, but, in my opinion (sorry, Tim) is not as attractive a city as Providence.  As far as attractiveness goes, what else is there to do in LP other than a bogus bobsled ride?  A ski jump?  [I'll go if Adam promises to jump for us.]

I would be very happy to have seen the ECACs return to Albany, but if the brilliant ADs who chose Atlantic City over Albany felt a continuing need for an alternative to Albany, Providence would be a much more desirable location than LP.

OK, so clearly you don't like the wintry options in Lake Placid; what is there to do in Providence?  I've never felt much of a desire to do anything after a game at Meehan except skip town, but maybe I'm missing out.

I have no idea whatsoever what you like or dislike to do, and you probably aren't going to find much in the way of culture in Providence AFTER a 7pm game at Brown.  For one thing, that afternoon you might try the Rhode Island School of Design Art Museum (#1 in this article:  

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/travel/36-hours-in-providence-ri.html )

TimV and I can vouch for the gustatory quality of #6, by the way.::cheer::

The same series of travel articles would seem to suggest that there are things to do in Lake Placid as well:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/travel/36-hours-lake-placid-ny.html?pagewanted=all

I think what these two links illustrate is that, as RichH mentioned upthread, if you're with people whose company you enjoy and you put your mind to it, there are fun things to do wherever you go.  For a while you've been saying "there's nothing to do in Lake Placid" when what you really should be saying is "I don't enjoy the things there are to do in Lake Placid".  That's unfortunate, and nobody can tell you you'll enjoy yourself next time if you haven't in the past, but I don't think "there's nothing to do in Lake Placid" is nearly as universal a fact as you assert it to be.  (In fairness, the annoying hotel policies and potentially unsafe roads are equaly problematic to all.)

[Swampy]

Accessible?  I guess, though not as much so as Albany; however, this to some extent disregards the fact that the ECAC is no longer, and in all likelihood never will again be, a Boston-centered league.  Providence is at one end of the league's geographic footprint as much so as Lake Placid is, and for the schools with sizable student/townie fan bases, Lake Placid is comparably convenient (Capital District schools) or much more so (Cornell, North Country schools).  

As for attractiveness, one thing the Lake Placid region certainly has going for it is natural beauty out the wazoo (albeit, in fairness, much of it snow-covered even into March), if that's a major concern.  

Well, there are trains--with frequent service--and interstate highways that go right into downtown Providence from all major northeast cities, where many alumni live (How many Clarkson alums live in Potsdam?)  Albany is also much more accessible than LP, but, in my opinion (sorry, Tim) is not as attractive a city as Providence.  As far as attractiveness goes, what else is there to do in LP other than a bogus bobsled ride?  A ski jump?  [I'll go if Adam promises to jump for us.]

I would be very happy to have seen the ECACs return to Albany, but if the brilliant ADs who chose Atlantic City over Albany felt a continuing need for an alternative to Albany, Providence would be a much more desirable location than LP.

OK, so clearly you don't like the wintry options in Lake Placid; what is there to do in Providence?  I've never felt much of a desire to do anything after a game at Meehan except skip town, but maybe I'm missing out.

I have no idea whatsoever what you like or dislike to do, and you probably aren't going to find much in the way of culture in Providence AFTER a 7pm game at Brown.  For one thing, that afternoon you might try the Rhode Island School of Design Art Museum (#1 in this article:  

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/travel/36-hours-in-providence-ri.html )

TimV and I can vouch for the gustatory quality of #6, by the way.::cheer::

A big part of the question concerns March weather. LP is clearly better for outdoor winter sports. If it's a cold March, Lake Placid has a real advantage, at least for outdoor types. If March is mild, and that seems to be the trend (Al Gore smiley), Providence wins. Either way, Providence is likely to put on a WaterFire for the ECAC's, and there's lots to do in nearby Newport.

[adamw]

I don't see how this is a generational divide. What, are we suggesting that the young'ns are headed to Lake Placid for all that stellar nightlife??? On the contrary, I would think that, stereotypically, the older folk would enjoy the quaint charm of LP more. But let's forget all of the stereotyping. Once again, as Josh points out and I have too...it's all on what you enjoy. To say there's nothing to do in LP is simply a non-serious comment. It's all a matter of taste. There is plenty to do for those who enjoy those things. Plenty of outdoor stuff, or shops, or museums, or just enjoying the scenery. Or you can just enjoy hanging and schmoozing with the people you go with and sharing stories of hockey lore for the umpteenth time with an Adirondack backdrop. Whatever. To each their own.

[Trotsky]

There are also revolutionary things called "books." :-}

[Scersk '97]

A big part of the question concerns March weather. LP is clearly better for outdoor winter sports. If it's a cold March, Lake Placid has a real advantage, at least for outdoor types. If March is mild, and that seems to be the trend (Al Gore smiley), Providence wins. Either way, Providence is likely to put on a WaterFire for the ECAC's, and there's lots to do in nearby Newport.

Last year, in one of the worst winters we've had recently, Whiteface closed on March 25th, so I expect them to be open, if marginally, every mid-March and some years for the skiing to be great.  They normally stay open until mid-April.

[Beeeej]

I think what these two links illustrate is that, as RichH mentioned upthread, if you're with people whose company you enjoy and you put your mind to it, there are fun things to do wherever you go.  For a while you've been saying "there's nothing to do in Lake Placid" when what you really should be saying is "I don't enjoy the things there are to do in Lake Placid".  That's unfortunate, and nobody can tell you you'll enjoy yourself next time if you haven't in the past, but I don't think "there's nothing to do in Lake Placid" is nearly as universal a fact as you assert it to be.  (In fairness, the annoying hotel policies and potentially unsafe roads are equaly problematic to all.)

Honestly, one of the things I always enjoyed when we went to Lake Placid for the ECAC tournament was the VFW's pancake breakfast fundraiser on Saturday morning. Friendly small-town people, fresh local real maple syrup, and basically an all-you-can-eat breakfast for $5.  Can't go wrong there.