Girlfriend Getaway – Take Care of YOU For Once

Story curtsey of The Syracuse Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau Magazine. Available online at http://www.visitsyracuse.org/media/VisitSyracuseMagazine.pdf
It’s not that you don’t LIKE the husband, or the kids, or the house, or the job, or the dog… but once in a while, EVERYBODY needs a change of pace, and a change of scenery. You need a chance to slow down… to relax, and take things a little easier… a chance for some peace and some quiet… a chance to get a little extra service yourself.

In Syracuse and Onondaga County, fifteen or twenty minutes will take you from a major city to supremely rural countryside… or the other way around. The Syracuse area offers a slew of services, and a host of experiences. More and more women… sisters, bridesmaids, reunion members, just plain friends… are finding that the Syracuse area is a great place to get together on a customized Girlfriend Getaway.

Take Care of YOU For Once

A community this size naturally has lodging opportunities for every taste and every budget, but some places sort of specialize in taking care of you. Mirbeau Inn and Spa, (www.mirbeau.com) for instance, has fireplaces and oversized bathrooms in every cottage, room, or suite. But it’s possibly even more famous for its expert spa staff, who offer classic massage, body wraps, facial treatments, a warming fireplace, and a foot massage pool — along with steam baths, saunas, and weight rooms.

The French Country-style Mirbeau is set on twelve forested acres among hundred-foot spruces near Skaneateles Lake. The Inn itself is a Mobil Travel Guide four-star facility, and an AAA four-diamond property. The fine-dining Giverny Restaurant also has four diamonds from AAA — all in all, a truly outstanding accommodation.

The concierges at the Genesee Grande, (www.geneseegrande.com) on University Hill in Syracuse, handle ticket searches, restaurant recommendations and reservations, and travel planning. Most suites or rooms at the Grande have Brazilian granite bathrooms — the Jacuzzi Suite also has a sunroom and full deck.

The area also rejoices in 23 bed-and-breakfast inns, from Frog Pond to Hobbit Hollow to Ophelia’s Garden. Have fun deciding!

Shoppers Encouraged

The solid classic architecture of the Armory Square historic district has now been converted into a quarter for fine shops, varied dining, and lively night life. (www.armorysquareofsyracuse.com) Eureka Crafts represents over 200 artisans. Sweet on Chocolate makes its candies on site. The Sound Garden carries discs for everyone from The Go-Go’s to the latest avant-garde. And keep your eyes peeled for out-ofthe-way gems like Off the Beaten Path. Skaneateles too has its walk-around shopping district, detailed elsewhere in this issue. In Fayetteville, you can visit the L.L. Bean outlet and the Stickley, Audi showroom. And there are over thirty antique dealers in Onodaga County… plus restorers and conservators, plus frequent antique shows… check www.cnyantiques.com.

If mall shopping is what you had in mind there are plenty of choices. Carousel Center (www.carouselcenter.com) is the regional supercenter featuring major national brands and chains that will certainly help each of you update your wardrobe.

Time to Dine

Syracuse is a major city, surrounded by mile after mile of blue lakes and rolling countryside. Of course the community abounds with dining of almost every sort. Many locals and visitors alike delight in “dining with the dinosaur” at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in downtown Syracuse. With its full bar, live etertainment, and pitsmoked barbecue, the Dinosaur is also popular with motorcyclists from far and wide.

Out in Skaneateles, the Krebs has formal gardens by the lake while the Sherwood celebrated its bicentennial last year. The Little Italy neighborhood on the north side of Syracuse abounds in great eating. Onondaga County is also flavored with other ethnic
cuisines, including Indian (Sahota Palace), German (Weber’s, Danzer’s), Mexican and southwestern (Salsarita’s), Japanese (Ichiban), Thai (Lemon Grass) and Vietnamese (Mai Lan). You can also do the diner deal at Doc’s Little Gem Diner or the B’Ville Diner.

The historic downtown Armory Square district crams four-dozen eating places into just a few blocks. There are stops for coffee and desert, places for deli, lunch, and takeout. You’ll find fine dining establishments and casual restaurants a few steps away from each other, depending on your mood. But 18 pubs and clubs give the Armory District its enthusiastic reputation as a hotbed for nightlife. Bring your tastes… and bring your appetite.

Take a Drive

Onondaga County enjoys four wonderful lakes — the two easternmost Finger Lakes (Skaneateles and Otisco), Onondaga, (with its famed Onondaga Lake Park) and Oneida, the largest lake lying entirely in New York. The superbly rural southern part of the county along the old Cherry Valley Turnpike is horse country. All the space outside Syracuse is scattered with drumlins, hills, and villages, each with its own opportunities for shopping, dining, antiquing, and sightseeing. Manlius is famed for its swans, LaFayette for apple orchards, Otisco for evergreens. Samuel de Chaplain bivouacked in Brewerton, while Baldwinsville is still bustling busy with the Erie Canal. A 137-foot waterfall tumbles down near Pompey. Just a few miles of driving opens world after world of pleasures.

Do Something a Little Different

• Take in a horse show. The Expo Center at the State Fair Grounds will have 19 horse shows (Arabians, English, appaloosas, hunters, western, Welsh ponies, and more) in April through August. (www.nysfair.org)
• Cruise Skaneateles Lake on one of the few remaining mail boats in operation… or take a cruise on the Erie Canal. (www.midlakesnav.com)
• Make your own wine under guidance of expert winemakers at Lakeland Winery (www.lakelandwinery.com).
• Visit the Red Barn Winery (www.bestwines4u.com), rated “Winery of the Year” at the 2007 New York Wine and Food Classic in Napa Valley. Or make it a wine touring afternoon at the other Syracuse area wineries including Pheasant Ridge Vineyards in Jamesville (www.pheasantridgevineyards.com), and Anyela’s Vineyard (www.anyelasvineyards.com) near Skaneateles. Beak and Skiff in LaFayette (www.beakandskiff.com) produces hard ciders and apple-based wines.

For help planning YOUR trip, call 1-800-234-4797, or check out www.VisitSyracuse.org.