Getting from Long Island, NY to Lake Placid, NY

[johnallocca]

I'm interested in attending the skating camp at lake placid in June.

I can't seem to find a good way to get to Lake Placid from my home. It is a 7 hour drive, which is out of the question for me. I can't seem to find an alternative. There are not flights that I can find except for a charter from NYC, which I'm about 1.5 hours from.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

John

[nicklaszlo]

Amtrak to Westport?

I've never been.

[Willowway]

I believe I'm correct in saying that the LIRR goes straight into Penn Station (it doesn't go into Grand Central). The Amtrak train from Penn Station to Westport. Buses go from the Amtrak station in Westport direct to Lake Placid and are coordinated to the incoming trains. It's a lengthy trip but reasonably direct for public transportation.

[Isk8NYC]

Check with the organizers, but in the past, there was a way to meet up with fellow campers at the Albany airport and share a van/car service ride to LP together.

Adirondack Regional airport is closer but you have to take a puddle jumper plane, which is loud and frankly, a little scary.  (Propellers vs jets)

Some people fly to Burlington, VT or Ottowa, rent a car and drive down.

http://www.travelmath.com/nearest-airport/Lake+Placid,+NY

[AgnesNitt]

I have taken AMTRAK from my home to Lake Placid. The train drops you of at what looks like an abandoned rail stop, but there is a really nice bus to drive you into Lake Placid that meets you there. The bus will meet you at Lake Placid and drop you off at the rail stop. The bus trip is part of the ticket.

I wouldn't do it in the winter, but in the summer the rail stop was perfectly fine, and there will be other people on the train with you, so it was okay.

You may want to rent a car in LP unless you like 2 mile hikes to the nearest grocery store.

[johnallocca]

Which motel or hotel do you recommend?

John

[AgnesNitt]

I only stayed in a hotel once. A friend of mine had a bazillion hotel points and we stayed at the hotel on the hill. It was like $1200 a week without them. So probably not there. Otherwise I stayed with friend in a rental, so I can't help you.

[Willowway]

Skating camp at LP also offers accommodations in their athletes' facilities at very reasonable prices if you can deal with a shared bath (like in college) situation - walking distance to rinks, meals in their athletes' cafeteria. My opinion is that if one is going in order to concentrate on skating then having someone else shop, cook, etc. is a big plus even though it may not be customized to each individual. Lake Placid is gorgeous but not cheap in terms of either hotel rooms or restaurants - one can always go out to eat but the default position of having a meal ready for you seems a very reasonable one after a day of work on the ice.

[cats3mom]

Hi, how do you get more information on staying in the dorms for the LP adult skating camps?

[Isk8NYC]

I don't know if they offer the dorm option for adults.  I remember seeing it in the younger-skaters' packets but I don't remember dorms in the Adults' version. 

Contact Lake Placid Skating and ask:
http://www.lakeplacidskating.com/plan/housing.php
skating@orda.org

[AgnesNitt]

I met an adult who stayed in the 'dorms'. Her's was really a room with bunkbeds  in someone's home she shared wih 3 other women. So yes adults can fit into shared accomodation.

[Willowway]

I also know an adult skater who has stayed in the dorms/program accommodations - actually year after year. As suggested above, just write to the program admin folks in LP.

[sk8lady]

You could also try Art Devlin's, very clean and reasonably priced with a decent pool, or the hostel in town--Lysek's, maybe?

[cats3mom]

Does anyone know how/where you can rent a car in Lake Placid? When I plug it in to a travel site like expedia, it says nothing is there.

[Query]

Does anyone know how/where you can rent a car in Lake Placid? When I plug it in to a travel site like expedia, it says nothing is there.

Maybe you chose the wrong travel site. I can't imagine a big resort town like that not having rental cars available.

If I search at a search engine for

  +"Lake Placid" "Car Rental"

e.g., here

then I see a bunch with 518 area codes, which are indeed in upstate NY.

Hey - there is even a "Rent-A-Wreck of Lake Placid". What style do you want to arrive in? 

Perhaps it would also make sense to check rental agencies near the airport, bus station or train station you are arriving at, though that isn't always the cheapest option.

If you are going to Nationals, I hope you do well!

[AgnesNitt]

Does anyone know how/where you can rent a car in Lake Placid? When I plug it in to a travel site like expedia, it says nothing is there.

Rent it at the nearest airport.

The town's not big enough to support a rental car agency.

[Kitten23]

Does anyone know how/where you can rent a car in Lake Placid? When I plug it in to a travel site like expedia, it says nothing is there.

All the trips I've taken to Placid, I've never found a reason to need a car.  There's a trolley that goes through most of the town.  However, if you do decide to do so, rent from the airport (is the Saranack airport still functioning??).  You'll have more choices.