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DRIVING TO COOPERSTOWN
From Westport, Connecticut I took the hour-long Metro North train ride into New York's Grand Central Terminal. I spent the night on the Upper East Side and was picked up early the following morning in a black Escalade. Driving from NYC to Cooperstown is a piece of cake. I know ... it's easy for me to say, since I had a driver. Everyone in the car, including the driver, agreed that the 225-mile, four-hour drive was indeed boring. There really isn't much to see except at the beginning and end of the drive. Highlights along the way were the view of the city from the George Washington Bridge and Yankee Stadium. Then there's nothing much to see until you get close to Cooperstown. That's when the landscape becomes pastoral and you start to see rolling green hills dotted with picturesque farms, complete with grazing cows.

FLYING TO COOPERSTOWN
If you're traveling by air, the closest airports to Cooperstown are Albany Airport at 74 miles (a 70-minute drive) followed by Syracuse airport at 95 miles (a 90-minute drive).

ABOUT COOPERSTOWN
Cooperstown's history is very interesting but far too extensive for me to go into any detail, so here's a quick synopsis. William Cooper founded Cooperstown in the late 1700s. Mr. Cooper was a member of Congress and encouraged numerous settlers to make this area their home. His son, James Fenimore Cooper, became one of the most famous American novelists, most notably recognized for his novel The Last of the Mohicans. Cooperstown sits on the south end of Otsego Lake, which is referred to in many of Cooper's books as the "Glimmerglass". The name is still used today. In fact, the popular Glimmerglass Opera, an opera company founded in 1975, is regarded as one of America's finest opera houses. Today, the town seems to be pretty much owned and run by Jane Forbes Clark. Jane is the primary heir of her family's fortune; the family has resided in Cooperstown since the mid-19th century. Their fortune is due to a half ownership of the patent for the Singer Sewing Machine. Jane is highly respected in the town and she owns most of the land, some hotels and museums and she even sits as chairwoman of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

OTESAGA HOTEL
There are plenty of lodging options for every budget in Otsego County, from camping to staying at the prestigious, Four Diamond AAA Otesaga Hotel. That's where I was fortunate enough to call home for a couple of nights; they require a two-night minimum stay. The Otesaga Hotel is a member of the Historic Hotels of America and is a magnificent, federal-style structure with 30-foot columns supporting the front portico. Walking into the lobby, I was flooded by nostalgia. It took me instantly back in time to my family's annual summer vacations at the Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Sadly, the Ocean House is no longer standing and quite frankly, it was never as clean or as well kept as this 1909 hotel. The Otesaga Hotel has 135 rooms on five floors. The fifth floor must have originally been a storage area or attic because the elevator only goes to the fourth and my lakefront room had slanted ceilings. Don't quote me on this but I hear that all the rooms are shaped differently; but, even with my room's odd layout, it was comfortable. It featured a king-sized bed, a small antique desk, way too much closet space and a 1990s TV. My favorite part was the bathroom, which was bigger than most apartments in New York City. Other notables: Wireless Internet is free. Check-in is at 3pm and they mean 3pm. The staff I came across were all friendly, though they could definitely use a few more bellhops/valets; they were rarely around when you needed them and they left "checked bags" unattended.

OTESAGA MEMORIES
The Otesaga Hotel is open seasonally. It opens just before Easter and closes right after Thanksgiving, though they will reopen any time for special occasions. Translation: they'll open any time for a group that reserves 60 or more rooms. The hotel's location is its best attribute. Besides being mere walking distance from all of Cooperstown's main attractions, it's perched along the southern shore of Otsego Lake, with 700 feet of waterfront property. A wraparound, wooden, lakeside patio highlights this view. Fifty new, sleek white rocking chairs are neatly lined up in two rows, patiently waiting for guests to plop themselves down and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere. I was one of them. As I gently rocked back and forth, I looked to my right to witness kids with smiles from ear to ear, jumping off the dock. To my left was the hotel pool and just beyond that, the plush, 18-hole Leatherstocking golf course. But the view straight ahead was the winner. On a sunny day, the colors are unreal. The calm lake, bright blue sky and puffy white clouds overhead are soothing, the lush green rolling hills and stoic oak trees, restful.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY
The Otesaga Hotel is definitely reminiscent of a more genteel era. It's a family-friendly hotel; many have made this their annual vacation destination for years. Most of the seniors I saw walking around were dressed in jackets and khakis. Their children and grandchildren took the more casual approach, many wearing their favorite baseball team's cap or t-shirt. Of course, I donned my Yankees cap with much pride. I wasn't alone. The most popular team logos were, by far, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. See? Rodney King was on to something. We can all get along. No matter which team you root for, it's just special to sit out on the back deck and watch fathers play catch with their sons and daughters. It almost made me want to start a family ... key word being "almost". As corny as this might sound, I know that it's moments like these that will create memories to last a lifetime.

OTESAGA FOOD
The Otesaga Hotel operates on a modified American plan, which means that breakfast and dinner are included in the nightly rates. Rates begin at $315 per room based on double occupancy. The food is above average and the service was very good. Breakfast is an elaborate buffet. They have a wide variety of food stations, including one that makes eggs and pancakes to order. To top it off, they serve real maple syrup made in the town next door. Dinner is served in the main dining room and men are required to wear a jacket. But leave your ball cap at home; hats are a no-no. Dinner is not buffet style but the menu changes daily and they have options for almost every diet.

LEATHERSTOCKING GOLF COURSE
I gather that most people have lunch in town, as the hotel's more casual restaurant, open year-round, wasn't very crowded. The Hawkeye Bar & Grill offers lunch and dinner. However, for guests there's a $10 dinner surcharge. The main reason to have dinner at the Hawkeye is if you've just finished a round of golf and don't feel like changing. By the way, if you get a chance to play a round on the Leatherstocking golf course, do it! It was rated one of Travel and Leisure's best golf resorts in 2006. A round of 18 costs $95, after 3pm, it's $70. But they don't have a fee for just 9-holes. The cart fee is $20.50 and the gift shop sells golf shirts and hats with your favorite baseball team logo on the side. Only in Cooperstown! The Otesaga Hotel, 60 Lake St, Cooperstown, NY; tel.: 607-547-9931.

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