Cooperstown question

Am thinking about making the trip to Cooperstown over the Labor Day weekend (most likely either Saturday-Tuesday or Sunday-Wednesday).

Does it get pretty busy there since it's a holiday weekend?

It's been awhile since I've been there. Which hotels/motels would be good to stay at? Should I stay in Cooperstown itself or in one of the neighboring towns?

 

This should answer a few of your queries:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/44950/

 

Well hell, how did I miss that?

Anyone been there during Labor Day weekend? How crowded is it there at that time?

 

I don't know anything about what it's like during Labor Day, but I can share with you some of the knowledge I gleaned during my trip last week.

-- As for the hotels/motels in town, I'm assuming they're all ungodly expensive. I stayed at the Budget Inn up in Sharon Springs (about 25-30 minutes from C'town) and it cost $85 a night. It wasn't a bad place, considering I only slept there and spent the rest of my time touring. If you do end up here, make sure you get there by 10 p.m. I showed up a little after midnight, and the place was all closed up. I had to wake up the proprietor, but at least he wasn't too grouchy or anything. He was actually quite helpful. And there's a bar within a block of the motel that I hit up on my second night there.

-- As for Cooperstown itself, parking on Main Street is pretty much not worth the effort. The first day, I parked in one of the colored lots on the edge of town and rode the trolley in ($3, not bad). The second day, I was only there for a few hours, and I ended up parking for free on Elm Street, about 2 blocks or so south of Main Street.

-- As for eateries, I enjoyed the Cooperstown Diner (I think that was the name), Doubleday Cafe (got the shirt) and Sal's Pizza. The Italian Ice place was OK, but I've had better. Do not go to TunnelInn Cafe. It is way too expensive for the food you get. I didn't eat at The Shortstop, but it was recommended by many a person.

-- You've got head over to the Doubleday Hitting Range, which is right next to Doubleday Field. If only so you can completely humiliate yourself when you fail to hit even one of the 40 mph curveballs. It was rather demoralizing, but at least I made contact on some of the 60 mph fastballs.

-- Regarding the HOF itself, since you've already been, you probably know the drill, but I discuss it anyways. They start the tour on the second floor, and I think I ended up spending about 5 hours on this floor alone. After getting some lunch, I headed back and hit up the third and first floors in about 3 or 4 hours I think. I still had enough time to browse all the shops and decide there was nothing there worth purchasing.

-- And despite the advice of some of the people on this board, I also hit up the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta on my way home. It was actually a pretty nice little place, but it pales in comparison to the Baseball HOF. I learned where the term "soccer" came from and how the Ivy League got its name, plus I came away with a much better understanding of roots of soccer in America. So I'd say it was worth the stop.

You'll have to let us know how your trip goes.

 

go during a weekday if you can. i spent about 45 minutes at ty cobb's exhibit the first time i went. it's best experienced if you "have it to yourself."

also, take the time to watch the movie.

 

If it's available, go to this B&B and stay in Room 10, and send me a thank-you note afterward. It has a new, like $15,000 shower the size of a handball court, with everything you could ever imagine. We stayed there two days and took about 10 showers just because it was so cool.

Really nice place with an interesting history, too. The owners went to Texas A&M, but even I was able to get over that, which is saying something.

http://www.landmarkinncooperstown.com/mainset.htm

 

Well, here's my long-delayed Cooperstown review:

We went during Induction Weekend a couple weeks ago, so I can't give any advice about the crowds. We had, oh, about 75K other people to deal with. I imagine Labor Day weekend is hectic enough, being the last major summer holiday, but Cooperstown is always pretty crowded no matter when you go.

Anyway, a couple tips:

- re: hotels ... if you want to stay in Cooperstown, try the Lake Front Motel off River Street. Cheapest place in town, but it's right on the lake and pretty nice for a motel. Otherwise, I recommend staying south of town on Hwy. 28, at the HoJo or the Holiday Inn Express, about 10-15 miles outside of C-town. If you want anything cheaper, you'll probably have to go one exit over on I-88 to Oneonta or up to Sharon Springs.

- re: parking ... don't get suckered in by the trolley lots (sorry herky_jerky! ) You'll have to get extremely lucky to park on Main Street, and the foot traffic's not worth it. So troll all the off-streets near Doubleday Field (Elm St., Pioneer St., Church St., Fair St.), and park on the side of the road for free. Even during Induction Weekend, we didn't pay a dime to park -- parked outside the Lake Front Motel and walked up one block to the HOF the first day, and parked at Elm and Pioneer and walked two blocks to Main Street the second day. Easy as pie.

- re: Main Street ... the pizza at Sal's Pizza wasn't so good (tasted like Sbarro's at the mall :, but the sub I had there was excellent. ... We didn't have time to eat at Shortstop, but heard a lot of good things about it. Ate lunch once at Triple Play Cafe, which was decent food/quick service, but nothing to write home about. ... Brooks BBQ up off Exit 17 (I-88) in Oneonta was a nice dinner, but the company was better than the food. (Granted, I'm from the South so I have high standards for BBQ. )

- Definitely second the Doubleday Hitting Range, which was there in 1988 when I went to C-town the first time and hasn't changed a whole helluva lot. We hit off the knuckleball machine (although it acts more like a hard slider), and that was a lot of fun. Good times.

- re: Hall of Fame ... don't miss the movie (Grandstand Theater, second floor). That hasn't changed a whole lot since 1988, either, other than the video quality being much more advanced.

- We entered the Hall at precisely 1 p.m. ... and got kicked out at 9 p.m., still thinking we could have used another hour or so. It's that engrossing, and that good. The second floor, naturally, took up most of our time, and it's amazing to realize the stuff on display is only about 1 percent of the Hall's total collection. The third-floor exhibits were also outstanding, especially the no-hitter display and the World Series programs and rings. The Gallery, of course, speaks for itself. It's awe-inspiring.

- Also, don't forget to sneak up the winding hallway inside the Gallery (go toward the end, and take a right) to get to the Hall library atrium, where there are a few more exhibits, including the Frick/Spink Award displays and Baseball At The Movies, with a bunch of props and posters from Bull Durham, Eight Men Out, Bingo Long, A League of Their Own (including a Jimmy Dugan baseball card, but not the baseball he signed, "Avoid the clap, Jimmy Dugan" ... "Hey, that's good ADVICE!" ;D), etc.

- Watch out for New York state troopers. :

 

Any airline recommendations, buckdub? ;D

 

Yeah. When you fly Continental and tell them you want to arrive in upstate New York at 7 p.m., the kindly folks there are sure to know that this is only airline-speak for "I want to arrive in New Jersey at midnight" and put you in the right place at the right time. Thank them for it, sir, and please ask for another.

 

I recall seeing that there were some campgrounds. I believe some had cabins.

 

i once stayed at the lake front like buck. the restaurant there is awesome and the rooms, while on the lake, are simply ok. but by god nothing beats the location and the price.