Whenever someone mentions New York, one immediately imagines tall buildings, traffic jams, rude people, concrete jungle, etc. New York CITY is often the mental image conjured at the mention of NY. New York State is so much more than New York City. Life tends to become a slower pace in Upstate New York. Upstate New York is anything north of Westchester County or New York City.
The small area of New York City has the bulk of NY's population. There are close to 17 million people within NYC and 13 million in the rest of the State. The State motto is Excelsior(Ever Upward). State politics favor New York City and the Albany capital region as the most developed and prosperous parts of the State.
Certain parts of the State get pounded with feet or meters of snow each year, while some areas get hardly any. In the Adirondacks temperatures can drop to near 0 at night, even in August. Adirondacks and Catskills are the mountain ranges of NY. They are very scenic and lovely in all seasons and are therefore 'tourist traps', or where one can expect to pay high prices.
New York State is full of American History, from the Revolution War to the Civil War and beyond. The scenic beauty across the State is breathtaking. Fall seems to be my preferred season as the leaves change to a bright red, orange or yellow, and makes for quite a scenic outing.
New York State borders with the states of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusettes, Vermont, and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, Canada. Some regions worth exploring are The Niagara Frontier, The Finger Lakes, The Leatherstocking Region, The St. Lawrence Seaway, The Adirondacks, The Catskills, and I could name a few more. It would take a whole review for each of these!
Lovers and newlyweds often like the Niagara Falls region. The restaurants, the falls, the hotels seem to all cater to couples. There is also a push for families, as locations are catering to them. On the Ontario side there is a Casino and the view may be more panoramic...in my opinion.
The Finger Lakes are so named for the lakes that resemble 'fingers'. They are also famous(in NYS since the wine can't be sent to other States) for the NYS Vineyards. NYS seems to produce some pretty tasty wines, but laws don't allow them to sell outside the State.
Cities such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton are your typical run of the mill cities. Buffalo is close to Canada, and reaps the benefit of the most Canadian tourists. Rochester is a city that is trying to polish it's image. They have many festivals and sporting events, and in the summer will have a direct ferry route to Toronto. Syracuse is a city whose benefit is that it is centrally located. Syracuse University is a leading university world-wide. Sports are a biggie here. It is famous for SNOW! Binghamton borders with Pennsylvania and is a gateway to NYC!
Most places lived on industry, but as hard times befall the State, industry moves out. World competition have taken their toll on many of the smallest cities of NY. But still as a State NY brags to have something for everyone, and this is true! Skiing, snowmobiling, sight seeing, swimming, camping, fishing, nature, sports, shopping, etc. I could go on forever!
Like with anything else, one must do their homework when travelling. Have current maps as new roads pop up almost yearly. Know what stations to tune to for road and traffic conditions. Have emergency phone numbers...usually 911! Always go to well lit and populated areas to stop for directions or any other reasons.
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