The Riverwood Flows With Great Gifts

Riverwood,  Cooperstown, N.Y. (photo by Eric H.)

Article by Eric H.
The Riverwood, on Main St. in Cooperstown, operates a little bit differently and that's a good thing.

Ignoring the either overly precious/pretentious or hokey elements of so many other modern-day gift shops, the Riverwood chooses to display a fabulous array of unique and hard-to-find gifts in a friendly setting. You'd have to see it for yourself, but the presentation is simply "the right mix."

It's amazing how much merchandise owner Rick Gibbons can fit into a small store. You'll find art and fine craft (and photo prints) by local artists and artisans, Brighton purses and accessories created for all ages, commemorative baseball-style "home plates," as well as jewelry, wind chimes, leather goods, toys, puzzles and games and locally-made soaps. 

Gibbons is an exceptionally nice, charismatic gentleman who really has "pride of ownership" written all over him. His staff is nice, too, especially Tierney who has been quite helpful and knowledgable every time we visit the store. Here's proof that stores on Main Street in Cooperstown are so much more than "baseball!"


Riverwood
88 Main Street
Cooperstown, New York 13326
607.547.4403

A Cooperstown Area Restaurant with an Amazing Lake View

Lake House Restaurant View (photo by Eric H.)

If you like to have your dinner with a scenic lake view, we strongly recommend trying the Lake House in nearby Richfield Springs, N.Y.

This historic 1843 restaurant and inn is family-friendly, serves excellent steak, chicken and seafood dishes, and the views... well, they are simply amazing! Try to visit during sunset where the big dramatic sky meets the pristine waters of Lake Canadarago. During the warm weather, there's an outdoor dining deck for even better views.

Recommended dishes: prime rib, chicken Kiev with herb garlic butter

The Lake House
2521 County Highway 22
Richfield Springs, NY
Tel. (315) 858-2058

What a beautiful restaurant! (photo by Eric H.)

A Good Sign For Cooperstown...

We just stayed at the Cooperstown Bed and Breakfast. It goes without saying that we love that place... and we also love the new sign put front. The blue tones, the nice fonts and the signature pineapple design really are an improvement over the last sign -- which, by the way, we also liked a lot.

The family-friendly Cooperstown Bed and Breakfast is a charming 1902 Victorian home, operated by two of the nicest people in the world, John and Linda Smirk. To learn more about this fabulous B&B, visit the Cooperstown Bed and Breakfast web site or its brand new Facebook Copoperstown B&B Fan page!

Willis, Read!

Willis Monie Books (photo by Eric H.)

We're back! Call it a vacation from a travel blog, I suppose...

Pardon the headline pun on the former NBA basketball star, but we'd like to start our return to blogging by featuring Willis Monie Books.  Jam-packed to the ceilings with thousands of popular and hard-to-find books, Willis Monie epitomizes the old-time Main St., small-town book shop.  The old book smell, personalized service, and the leisurely feel bring one back to another era. This type of store also validates that Main Street in Cooperstown goes well beyond baseball souvenir stores. Willis Monie is part of a group of downtown shops that provide a valuable service to local residents and tourists, instead of just the latter.

Willis Monie Books
139 Main Street
Cooperstown, NY 13326
Phone: (607) 547-8363
Tollfree: (800) 322-2995
Fax: (607) 547-7128