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Thread: vacation home location?

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    Default vacation home location?

    Parents are buying, asking for my input.

    My criteria:

    1. Within long weekend driving range from Philadelphia.
    2. Good riding.
    3. Near a big lake.

    Thoughts?

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Eastern townships in Quebec

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Deep Creek.
    my name is Matt

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Quebec is a little far.

    Deep Creek was not on my radar at all - thank you!

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    deep creek lake MD, raystown lake PA.

    edit: damn you rob!

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Quote Originally Posted by JoB View Post
    deep creek lake MD, raystown lake PA.

    edit: damn you rob!
    At about the same amount of travel, you can road trip to the finger lakes region of NY. That'd be my vote.
    But seriously, 4+ hrs by car, begins to get old really fast unless go a few times a year for extended stays.

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Quote Originally Posted by vertical_doug View Post
    finger lakes region of NY.
    Absolutely an option.

    We're probably talking a few long weekends a year, and a week or two over the summer.

    My sister is in all likely hood going to wind up working at Cornell, so a place close to her could be a plus.

    And there's always the Poconos...

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Poconos getting progressively more crowded, believe it or not, as commute to NYC possible from some areas there. I second the Finger Lakes or lower Adirondacks. For something much closer, how about something in central or Upper Bucks county on a small lake ? Very close to Philly to keep travel time down, fits all your outdoor criteria (unless you want a real big lake for long powerboat rides), and a short trip to the New Hope/Lambertville/Doylestown area if they're staying there for extended periods of time and want some restaurants/arts/etc.

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    vt?..

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    All things considered..I'd go for NY state somewhere. Maybe up around Lake Twitchell? NY to me is the most bang-for-the-buck potential. One surprise for me in this thread; I grew up in Bucks Co. Pa. and had never thought of it as a vacation house spot..but I guess it could be just that. Further up the Delaware river..like above Easton into NY state...yeah, for sure.

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Quote Originally Posted by ldamelio View Post
    Poconos getting progressively more crowded, believe it or not, as commute to NYC possible from some areas there. I second the Finger Lakes or lower Adirondacks. For something much closer, how about something in central or Upper Bucks county on a small lake ? Very close to Philly to keep travel time down, fits all your outdoor criteria (unless you want a real big lake for long powerboat rides), and a short trip to the New Hope/Lambertville/Doylestown area if they're staying there for extended periods of time and want some restaurants/arts/etc.
    Finger Lakes really seem like the obvious choice.

    Bucks? Paging Tim Porter...

    Quote Originally Posted by SteveP View Post
    vt?..
    That's certainly an option, but drive time starts creeping up, and other than skiing, probably doesn't offer much that the Finger Lakes don't.

    Quote Originally Posted by chancerider View Post
    All things considered..I'd go for NY state somewhere. Maybe up around Lake Twitchell? NY to me is the most bang-for-the-buck potential. One surprise for me in this thread; I grew up in Bucks Co. Pa. and had never thought of it as a vacation house spot..but I guess it could be just that. Further up the Delaware river..like above Easton into NY state...yeah, for sure.
    I will check out Lake Twitchell. Not familiar. Ah, you've spurred me to think about the Delaware River Gap area...

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Quote Originally Posted by nahtnoj View Post
    Ah, you've spurred me to think about the Delaware River Gap area...
    Try looking up into the West Branch of the Delaware up past Hancock. Great fishing if you're in to that. Bike riding territory is good, too. Look up along the Neversink river too. Another thought; Lots of potential up around Hawley, Pa. area..although the New York City crowd is ruining it quickly.

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Stay a few weekends before purchasing. Sub 4 hr drive a good idea.

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    I'm not an East Coaster at all but we do work in upstate NY sometimes and I've often thought that the Finger Lakes region looks really nice. Google maps shows PHL to Ithaca, NY to be about a 4-hour drive.

    That's where I'd be looking.
    La Cheeserie!

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    If your parents are also driving from PHL area, I'd put "ease" of the trip at the top of the list. We go to VT often from Boston, and even though the drive is only 3 hours, it can be absolute agony on a Friday/Sunday, and thus much longer than 3 hours. It also involves a long (50+ minutes) stretch on a single lane road at the end of the trip which is not fun, when you're stuck behind a slow driver.

    Now that we'll be in CT, the drive will be 2 hours and there will never be the kind of traffic and volume that you have to contend with when coming from Boston. Ease of the trip will mean many more trips and a less stressful start/finish to the "vacation"

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Quote Originally Posted by nahtnoj View Post
    Parents are buying, asking for my input.

    My criteria:

    1. Within long weekend driving range from Philadelphia.
    2. Good riding.
    3. Near a big lake.

    Thoughts?
    I'm going with "needs more input." Big lake for what - ice fishing, water skiing, beach access? What do you consider a reasonable driving range? Do you want to be remote, or near some sort of amenities? Do you have any family ties to any particular area, somewhere that's familiar and to which your family always returns? What other activities appeal to you/them?

    You know where my sig. other's family lives, and not during peak season, on a good day, they're six hours to their place in the Mad River Valley. Peak summer time up the Throughway around Lake George, forget about it. The MRV is one of my favorite places on earth, but it's a huge travel time commitment from that far south. If you can find somewhere in the 2-3 hour range, you can wait out rush hour on a Friday, still get "there" at a decent time, eat dinner "there" on a Sunday, still be home at a decent hour, and get in a full two days.

    Inside four hours you can reach the Virginia farmland and wine country that's bordered by 66 and 64 on the north/south, and 81 and 95 on the
    east/west. I've done some riding down there and it's pretty incredible. You've got Cumberland nearby, Charlottesville down the road, and you're a reasonable drive to some ski areas.

    Central PA it's own beast and a bit closer. The area up the Susquehana north of Harrisburg is pretty incredible as well with some water feature options.

    I think of Bucks as a great place to live but not necessarily a vacation home destination. There are a lot of folks that have second homes around there but oftentimes it's more of the NYC weekend trippers and the properties are worth a few million, and parts are a bit more population dense with traffic.

    An area that really appeals to me is the Shawangunks, more or less north of 84 and west of 87. Tons of awesome riding and lakes, some very remote locations, and you've got great amenities in New Paltz. You are competing with NYC money for second homes, so I imagine property values might be a bit higher. Also has good ski access.

    Ditto the Finger Lakes. I spent some time the past couple summers between Seneca and Cayuga for a couple of weddings and one other short trip, and we've got friends with a place on Cayuga. Lots of wine, some brewery and cider options, and endless farm roads. If your sister will be in Ithaca and it's already four hours drive that would be a good start.

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Quote Originally Posted by roseyscot View Post
    If your parents are also driving from PHL area, I'd put "ease" of the trip at the top of the list.
    Yep. Parents are near Lancaster, about 50 miles west of Philadelphia. I know exactly what you mean about ease of the trip. For example, Deep Creek looks awesome, but getting there from here involves either south I95 to Baltimore, 695, then I70. That traffic is a non-starter.

    Quote Originally Posted by EddieBirdsell View Post
    I'm going with "needs more input." Big lake for what - ice fishing, water skiing, beach access? What do you consider a reasonable driving range? Do you want to be remote, or near some sort of amenities? Do you have any family ties to any particular area, somewhere that's familiar and to which your family always returns? What other activities appeal to you/them?

    You know where my sig. other's family lives, and not during peak season, on a good day, they're six hours to their place in the Mad River Valley. Peak summer time up the Throughway around Lake George, forget about it. The MRV is one of my favorite places on earth, but it's a huge travel time commitment from that far south. If you can find somewhere in the 2-3 hour range, you can wait out rush hour on a Friday, still get "there" at a decent time, eat dinner "there" on a Sunday, still be home at a decent hour, and get in a full two days.

    Inside four hours you can reach the Virginia farmland and wine country that's bordered by 66 and 64 on the north/south, and 81 and 95 on the
    east/west. I've done some riding down there and it's pretty incredible. You've got Cumberland nearby, Charlottesville down the road, and you're a reasonable drive to some ski areas.

    Central PA it's own beast and a bit closer. The area up the Susquehana north of Harrisburg is pretty incredible as well with some water feature options.

    I think of Bucks as a great place to live but not necessarily a vacation home destination. There are a lot of folks that have second homes around there but oftentimes it's more of the NYC weekend trippers and the properties are worth a few million, and parts are a bit more population dense with traffic.

    An area that really appeals to me is the Shawangunks, more or less north of 84 and west of 87. Tons of awesome riding and lakes, some very remote locations, and you've got great amenities in New Paltz. You are competing with NYC money for second homes, so I imagine property values might be a bit higher. Also has good ski access.

    Ditto the Finger Lakes. I spent some time the past couple summers between Seneca and Cayuga for a couple of weddings and one other short trip, and we've got friends with a place on Cayuga. Lots of wine, some brewery and cider options, and endless farm roads. If your sister will be in Ithaca and it's already four hours drive that would be a good start.
    This is awesome, of course.

    Reasonable drive is 3-4 hours. Basically, I can do Philly to Ithaca in my sleep, and so can my dad (well, from Lancaster). That seems like a natural choice on many levels.

    The lake requirement stems from my recent and extremely ill-advised sailboat purchase. My dad will want to play golf and my mom will be happy as long as they're aren't too many neighbors.

    My parents are drawn to Virginia. I have a few friends who are settling into the greater Charlottesville area, so that has some appeal. But if Whitney is in Ithaca, its a long haul for her. Better weather though...

    Central PA too. I went to school in Carlisle, and have done a ton of riding in Adams, Cumberland, Perry, and points north along the Susquehanna. Ever ridden Rattling Creek? Best MTB I've ever done, with the possible exception of the Kingdom Trails.

    I need to look into the Gunks more too...

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    On thing to consider if Virginia is in the mix is that the season of fun is probably 2-3 weeks longer on either end in Virginia than it is in New York. Charlottesville, VA is probably 300-350 miles south of Ithaca in terms of latitude. That said, the best way from Philadelphia to Charlottesville involves using the I-95 corridor and passing Washington DC and you are likely aware that traffic from Baltimore to Richmond can be absolutely terrible. Something to consider.

    Plusses and minuses.
    La Cheeserie!

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Growing up we used to spend a good chunk of our summers in Skaneateles. Always loved the finger lakes region and its where I first started to ride road bikes as a wee lad. Plus there are other fun things to do for the non cyclists.

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    Default Re: vacation home location?

    Close and easy would be Lake Wallenpaupack... I went there every summer as a kid in the 80s, and loved it. I imagine now it is way more crowded and sort of a mob scene. But, it's a very large lake and good for sailing.

    I like the woods and streams of central PA better than anything in the Finger Lakes or Delaware R gap. Great mtn biking, fishing, hiking, etc. Not too many lakes or towns with any amenities though. More of a weekend cabin with the boys type of option.

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