Morning in upstate New York, end of October. Photo by Meryl Baer
In much of the Northeast by the end of October leaves fall, tourists vanish, and a calm creeps over towns and tourist sites. The off-season reigns. Too late for vibrant, picturesque landscapes, too soon for ski and snow activities, visitors are sparse.
There are advantages to off-season travel. No lines, no waiting for a restaurant table, no traffic on two-lane country roads, no problem finding parking close to your destination, often at no cost, with parking free after mid-October. No frustration elbowing crowds…anywhere.
Hub and I entered Cooperstown, NY, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, on a brisk end-of-October afternoon. The temperature hovered around 40 as gray skies and clouds kept the sun undercover. We were unaccustomed and unprepared for cold, damp weather that seeped under our skin and chilled our bones. Our bodies wanted warmth. We were not ready for sweater and coat season.
We wandered into a pub and, once our eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, found a booth opposite the bar. We were tired and hungry following a 5-hour drive from our kids’ Vermont home. There was no delay for a table, and timely and attentive service, simple things too often missed during tourist season.
We filled ourselves with salad and wings – one of my all-time favorite meals, then drove around town admiring stately, early 20th-century homes, the tranquil lake, and the peaceful atmosphere. We took note of stores and lodgings open, others closed for the season, and finally checked into our hotel hassle-free. No waiting in line, no children running around, no one in the indoor pool, plenty of parking, and a maid immediately available to provide extra towels.
We spent a day wandering around the baseball museum, and took an extended break to enjoy lunch at the Doubleday Café, one of the few places open for lunch all year. Then we returned to the museum.
It was Halloween.
Suddenly the sleepy town turned into Halloween central. Adults and costumed children appeared on Main Street, emerging from all directions. Inside the museum, costumed staff and volunteers passed out candy as kids of all ages strolled through the gallery. Outside, folks trick or treated along Main Street, and crowds converged on a church where additional holiday activities occurred.
Hub and I observed the fun for a short time, then retreated to our car and returned to our warm hotel room.
Off-season cold-weather travel definitely has its advantages, but us older folks – me and hub – are becoming more intolerant of the cold as we age. It is time to think about where we will travel this winter. We seek warm weather somewhere, if only for a short time. A two-week break from winter will be nice.
Comments
2 responses to “Off Season Travel an Ideal Senior Activity”
I like off-season anything. I’d much rather go when things are uncrowded and quiet.
I’d sure like to travel to someplace warm, but you have to go quite a ways. I’m headed to Sacramento, California, for Christmas. I complained one time to my daughter about the cold for the holidays. She replied, “Mom, we only have two weeks of winter a year, and you’re here during it.”