Main Street Ice Cream Parlor (Olympic Jumping Complex, Lake Placid Ironman, Adirondack Loon Center)

July 24, 2023

Main Street Ice Cream Parlor, Chestertown, New York

Main Street Ice Cream Parlor

The term ‘old fashioned ice cream parlor’ conjures up nostalgic images of a wooden counter with fixed round bar stools, and a soda fountain. Main Street Ice Cream Parlor delightfully fits all my criteria. it is indeed an old fashioned ice cream parlor.

With lunch items (sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads),, desert items (pies and most importantly ice cream) it is a great place to enjoy a meal with friends, They served Hershey ice cream and had locally-themed sundaes. I decided on a “Snow Shoe” sundae with coffee ice cream – layers of ice cream, marshmallow and chocolate syrup. I guess this themed sundae is meant more for winter, but it was still a treat in July.

Main Street Ice Cream Parlor

While we waited for the sundaes to be prepared, I wandered around the shop perusing their eclectic array of jewelry, clothing, toys and nic-nacs.

Main Street Ice Cream Parlor, Chestertown NY outdoor seating

Outside the shop was nice large seating area where we enjoyed our sundaes, listening to thunder and anticipating the skies opening up with rain soon.

In the area (sort of)

Adirondack Loon Center, Saranac Lake, New York – loons are very special birds that that inhabit lakes in the Adirondack Mountains ant throughout the northeastern United States. These birds do not have hollow bones like other birds – they have strong chest muscles that enable them to fly. This tiny museum celebrates loons with videos, photos and displays that taught us about their interesting fighting style, child rearing ways, habitat and lifestyles,

Adirondack Loon Center

Olympic Jumping Complex, Lake Placid, New York – ski jumping is a sport that has always fascinated me, both because of the heights and speeds involved and because of the way it is scored (based on distance and style). At the Olympic Jumping Complex , we got to see the jumping up close and meet some of the budding athletes on the field.

After a short gondola ride up the hill and an elevator to the top of the ramp, we could see what the jumpers see ( but we were protected inside).

Ski jump

Later we went outside to where ski jumping athletes were practicing. We arrived too late to get the formal tour, but that allowed us to meet some of the interesting athletes, many who travel most weekends of the year to practice and compete. One athlete told us he was taking the largest jump for the first time today (he unfortunately fell on landing, but was not hurt). We stood on decks right next to the ramps and watched them take flight- sooo cool!

Ski jumper in flight

Lake Placid Ironman Race, Lake Placid , New York Ironman is often considered the ultimate endurance race – swim 2.4 miles, then bike 112 miles and top it off with a marathon run ( 26 miles). Lake Placid is one of the most difficult Ironman races with large hills on both the bike course and the run course.

Erica runs the marathon

We were there to watch our daughter compete in this race. She finished it in under 15 hours – impressive! It is always fun to watch these athletes compete, seeing the culmination of months of training.

ake Placid Ironman Race, Lake Placid , New York – Ironman is often considered the ultimate endurance race – swim 2.4 miles, then bike 112 miles and top it off with a marathon run ( 26 miles). Lake Placid is one of the most difficult Ironman races with large hills on both the bike course and the run course.

Erica runs the marathon

We were there to watch our daughter compete in this race. She finished it in under 15 hours – impressive! It is always fun to watch these athletes compete, seeing the culmination of months of training.

Emma’s Lake Placid Creamery (Ironman triathlon, High Falls Gorge)

July 26, 2021

Emma’s Lake Placid Creamery, Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid is a fun city. The tourist district surrounds Mirror Lake, which had a flurry of swimmers, sailors, kayakers and stand-up paddle-boarders enjoying the beautiful weather. The down town had a variety of nice shops including Emma’s Lake Placid Creamery – easily identified by its colorful awning.

Emma’s Lake Placid Creamery

Emma’s had just about everything important for ice cream lovers (like me): ice cream cones in a plethora of flavors, shakes, plenty of signature Sundaes and both soft serve and hard ice cream. They also had cannolis, macaroons, cheese cake and all kinds of other sweet things.

I had Murphy’s Maple Walnut Speciality Sundae – maple cream soft serve topped with locally made maple syrup and wet walnuts. New York is known for its maple syrup so I had to try this, and I loved it!

Murphy’s Maple Walnut sundae

There was no place to sit in or outside the shop, so we sat outside on a nearby steep that had a sign up that said “do not sit here”. No one yelled at us so I guess we were okay.

In the area: Lake Placid Ironman – people who do full Ironman races must be crazy – first they swim over 2 miles, then bike ride 112 miles and finish it up by running a marathon. People who do the Lake Placid race are really crazy – the bike course is really hilly and long. Our daughter undertook this challenge and completed the whole race in just over 14 hours. This was the culmination of months of training so it was exciting seeing her compete and finish!

Erica is an Ironman!

High Falls Gorge – perfect outing for the day after a challenging race – stunning waterfalls with overlooks and bridges. It also has a nature trail that we did not do today,

High Falls Gorge