Upstate New York Trip

[colin]

Hi and thanks for reading.

I'm off on a Upstate New York trip in mid-May and am researching things to see and places to stay right now.

What I'm certain of:

Train to Cleveland from Chicago, stay the night, rent a car and drive to Buffalo

Stay the night in Buffalo (Friday, probably the hostel)

Maybe head to Niagara on Saturday to meet with Toronto relatives

Monday (21st) in Burlington, Vermont

Tuesday (22nd) in Troy

Fly out on Friday (25th) from Cleveland

The major roadblock I'm hitting is accomodations for the Saturday night (either Rochester, Syracuse or anywhere between) because the Syracuse region is ridiculously expensive and, for some reason, mostly booked for that night.

Also, that Wednesday (23rd), I want to stay in the Finger Lakes area but have no idea where because there are just so many little towns to search through. Any hints?

Also, anything of interest to be seen in the way of Urban Design/Living in the Upstate cities? The Rochester subway system has always interested me greatly, but I know it's off-limits. And I plan on sampling the nightlife in Buffalo as the 4am thing fascinates me (but I won't be staying out that late).

Any other advice?

Thanks in advance.

[danielmdifranco]

Hi and thanks for reading.

I'm off on a Upstate New York trip in mid-May and am researching things to see and places to stay right now.

What I'm certain of:

Train to Cleveland from Chicago, stay the night, rent a car and drive to Buffalo

Stay the night in Buffalo (Friday, probably the hostel)

Maybe head to Niagara on Saturday to meet with Toronto relatives

Monday (21st) in Burlington, Vermont

Tuesday (22nd) in Troy

Fly out on Friday (25th) from Cleveland

The major roadblock I'm hitting is accomodations for the Saturday night (either Rochester, Syracuse or anywhere between) because the Syracuse region is ridiculously expensive and, for some reason, mostly booked for that night.

Also, that Wednesday (23rd), I want to stay in the Finger Lakes area but have no idea where because there are just so many little towns to search through. Any hints?

Also, anything of interest to be seen in the way of Urban Design/Living in the Upstate cities? The Rochester subway system has always interested me greatly, but I know it's off-limits. And I plan on sampling the nightlife in Buffalo as the 4am thing fascinates me (but I won't be staying out that late).

Any other advice?

Thanks in advance.

[psycuda]

I grew up in Rochester so let me give you the rundown. Buffalo-if you want nightlife go to Chippewa St. A whole bunch of bars and clubs open till 4AM.

Rochester-Take a walk around downtown preferrable on the west side of the genesee. There is a lot of older and interesting architecture around the W.Main and State St. area. Also check out high falls about a mile north of here on State St. It is an actual 100 ft. urban waterfall. Pretty cool. East Ave. is also worth a drive down. You can see all of the old money in town as well as visit the Internationl Museum of Photography if you desire. Also you can drive north on State St.(it becomes Lake Ave.) all the way up to Lake Ontario.

Finger Lakes- Check out Canandaigua and Geneva. They are both nice small cities on the tips of Canandaigua and Seneca lakes respectively. You could check out one of the wineries also. Bully Hill, Niagara, and Widmer are the larger ones. Depending on the time you have Watkins Glen and Ithaca are nice to visit as well but they are a little more off the beaten path.

Rochester has plenty of lodgings. I don't see why you would have any problem finding some. There are also a lot of reasonable motel/hotels. (except for downtown of course)

And if thats not enough, if you have time, take a drive through the Adirondacks. They are awesome. There is also a ferry to and from Burlington that crosses Lake Champlain. Have fun!!

[colin]

Thanks for the feedback!

A graduation would do it. I found something fairly cheap just outside of Syracuse, but I'm thinking that I would want to avoid the area that night entirely if I want to sleep, and just see it during the day.

Rochester is also expensive for that night (not much for under $70) and I'm not sure if that's typical or just that night.

But I had also tried Oswego because it looked like a nice town, and every hotel in town is booked already.

And thanks for the Buffalo info. I am planning on spending that Sunday night in the Adirondacks somewhere and hiking and exploring the area. The ferry to Burlington is right up my alley also and I'll most likely end up on that.

I'm not actually picking up the relatives. They're just driving down to Niagara to meet me for a half day or so.

[danielmdifranco]

If you shop around I'm sure you will find something under $70. It' s rare to find a Motel 6 over $50 a night. Also when you book online you usually save a $5 night of the regular price. There is a motel 6 near the airport in Rochester and in Geneva. It might be worth checking out. I generaly stay at Motel 6 when I travel because I am not exactly rich but also because they are consistently clean and well maintained. Also the West side of Rochester will be cheaper than the east side. Try to stay away from the Pittsford, Penfield, Fairport,, and Webster areas.