Monday, February 14, 2005
Lake Mohonk Mountain House October 14-15
We're trying something new, an out-of-town get together of the Right Angle Club. The idea is to build sociability among the members and their wives, and to explore just what it is the members would like to get out of their club.
The first event is at Lake Mohonk Mountain House, in New Paltz, New York, October 14-15, 2005. That's usually the peak of the fall leaf-color season, and is the most popular time of the year at the lodge. So, even though there is snow still on the ground as this notice goes out, you need to call ahead to make a room reservation right now. 1-845-255-1000 You'll need to make a $400 deposit.
What is Lake Mohonk Mountain House? Well, it's a Quaker-run resort on the top of a mountain right beside a lake. The water in the lake actually comes from another mountain that's higher but out of sight. The lake is full of trout, very large, rather well-fed and tame. There's golf and tennis, and horses, carriage rides, and all that. Until a few years ago, you had to leave your car at the bottom of the mountain and go up to the resort in a horse-drawn carriage, but now they let you drive up to the top. The resort has been owned by the Smiley family of Swarthmore for 150 years, and several of the Smileys are experts in botany, horticulture, display gardening, etc. Each season of the year has its attractions, in October it's fall foliage. Because of the Smiley family, the resort has always had a big Philadelphia following, with people going there as children and years later going in wheelchairs.
If you are into the Internet, you can take a look at the web page at www.Mohonk.com. Much better, just ask some old Philadelphia folks.
At one time, the big attraction was fresh food, right out of their own gardens. The supermarket has made fresh fruit and vegetables less of a novelty, and when everybody started going to Europe for vacations, the Mountain House sort of fell out of favor. But now they have got the idea of gourmet cooking, and they even serve wines of noble vintage. For distilled products, however, you are advised to stop in the liquor store in New Paltz, as you go past. If you just have to smoke, you maybe should stay home.
For driving directions, we advise going to www.maps.google.com, which has just about the best map arrangement you ever saw, including a satellite picture if you choose. It's 90 miles from New York City on the New York Thruway, and takes 2.5 hours from Philadelphia. You go up the New Jersey Turnpike and over to the Thruway, and the transition is the only difficult part. Bob Reinecke is the world's expert on which lane to get in at which point, and we'll try to get him to be explicit when it gets closer to October 14. When you think about it, it's perfectly remarkable that you could be in this Quaker mountain retreat when you within binoculars distance of the Empire State Building, and just a few miles from the Catskills.
So -- ask your wife, get approval, and then call for a reservation immediately.
The first event is at Lake Mohonk Mountain House, in New Paltz, New York, October 14-15, 2005. That's usually the peak of the fall leaf-color season, and is the most popular time of the year at the lodge. So, even though there is snow still on the ground as this notice goes out, you need to call ahead to make a room reservation right now. 1-845-255-1000 You'll need to make a $400 deposit.
What is Lake Mohonk Mountain House? Well, it's a Quaker-run resort on the top of a mountain right beside a lake. The water in the lake actually comes from another mountain that's higher but out of sight. The lake is full of trout, very large, rather well-fed and tame. There's golf and tennis, and horses, carriage rides, and all that. Until a few years ago, you had to leave your car at the bottom of the mountain and go up to the resort in a horse-drawn carriage, but now they let you drive up to the top. The resort has been owned by the Smiley family of Swarthmore for 150 years, and several of the Smileys are experts in botany, horticulture, display gardening, etc. Each season of the year has its attractions, in October it's fall foliage. Because of the Smiley family, the resort has always had a big Philadelphia following, with people going there as children and years later going in wheelchairs.
If you are into the Internet, you can take a look at the web page at www.Mohonk.com. Much better, just ask some old Philadelphia folks.
At one time, the big attraction was fresh food, right out of their own gardens. The supermarket has made fresh fruit and vegetables less of a novelty, and when everybody started going to Europe for vacations, the Mountain House sort of fell out of favor. But now they have got the idea of gourmet cooking, and they even serve wines of noble vintage. For distilled products, however, you are advised to stop in the liquor store in New Paltz, as you go past. If you just have to smoke, you maybe should stay home.
For driving directions, we advise going to www.maps.google.com, which has just about the best map arrangement you ever saw, including a satellite picture if you choose. It's 90 miles from New York City on the New York Thruway, and takes 2.5 hours from Philadelphia. You go up the New Jersey Turnpike and over to the Thruway, and the transition is the only difficult part. Bob Reinecke is the world's expert on which lane to get in at which point, and we'll try to get him to be explicit when it gets closer to October 14. When you think about it, it's perfectly remarkable that you could be in this Quaker mountain retreat when you within binoculars distance of the Empire State Building, and just a few miles from the Catskills.
So -- ask your wife, get approval, and then call for a reservation immediately.
# posted by grfmd @ 12:12 PM 
