Skaneateles, NY

The town of Skaneateles is impossibly quaint. It is also almost impossible to pronounce if you are not from New York, or a frequent Finger Lake visitor. I am neither. For the record, it is close to skinny-atlas, although this is debated by the camp who prefer something closer to skan-e-at-las. Either way, perched on the shores of a impossibly clear glacier carved lake, it is a town you should visit.

The almost impossible name is Iroquois for “long lake,” which perfectly describes the 16 mile body of water which is frequent less than a mile wide. It very much looks like a scratch in the landscape, or I suppose a finger, as it were. The Iroquois are responsible for that name as well, attributing the Finger Lakes to the hand print of the Great Spirit.

The first white settlers arrived in the area following the Revolutionary War, when land in central New York was awarded to soldiers for their service in the New York Militia. The state was cash poor, but had lots of land. Starting in 1803, each soldier was assigned a square mile tract. As you can imagine, many would have preferred payment; only about 1/3 of the soldiers ever took possession of their land. Wealthy industrialists, who envisioned using the lake’s water for their own interests swooped in and snatched up the land from the soldiers, who often sold the same plot of land many times over.

Although long a site of a stage coach stop and inn, the town itself wasn’t founded until 1830. Fortunately the town was just far enough from both the railroads and the Erie Canal to remain relatively unchanged for decades, and to some extent even today. By the turn of the century, the serene spot became a popular vacation destination, with visitors enjoying steamboat rides around the pristine long lake. Indeed, the crystal clear lake water remains among the purest in the world, second only to Crater Lake in the United States, and you can still troll around the lake on a leisurely ride. And you should.

All of these things really make for a great destination. Crystalline waters, fabulous architecture, wonderful restaurants and historic hotels. Really, what more could you ask for? If you responded a fancy spa, you are in luck, as there is also a Mirbeau in town. It can get a bit crowded in the summer and the fall, but any inconvenience will be absolutely worth it.