The Pilgrimage

Jantz · #1 10-04-2009, 04:13 PM

Hi All

I'm making the pilgrimage to the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time. Are there any other attractions close by (baseball related) that I may want to see. Hotels,restaurants and ballcard shops? Any help will be appreciated. Also, I plan on going in the middle of the week to avoid the weekend crowd. Good idea or not?

I know this is OT, but I figured I'm probably the only board member that hasn't been there yet. So I thought this would be the perfect place to start.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Jantz

Ray Van · #2 10-04-2009, 04:32 PM

Hey Jantz,
There are a bunch of card shops on the main street to kill time in, but not likely that you'll find anything too old or too cheap. Note that this time of year some of the shops will be closed for the season and last time I was there (back in March), some of them had closed for good. Not sure how the summer was for tourist traffic, but the economy seems to be hitting everything pretty hard and Cooperstown is no exception. This time of year it shouldn't be too busy even on weekends, but watch out for school field trips during the week - just when you expect to have the place to yourself it might get a little crazy.

The scenery should be nice with the leaves changing colour this time of year. Not sure of too many other attractions in the immediate area, I guess it depends what direction you are coming from. If you're a beer drinker, there's the Cooperstown Brewing Company south of town and they use baseball themes on their beer - a pretty nice memento of the trip.

Have fun! It's definitely worth it!

Ray

GrayGhost · #3 10-04-2009, 05:39 PM

Jantz, have a great time. I used to love going, been a few years. There used to be a fun antique co op shop on the road off the main highway, that goes to Cooperstown. Fun to poke around.

Check out Howe Caverns nearby in Cobleskill if u can. Its not baseball, but its a lot of fun, and very fascinating.

Kawika · #4 10-04-2009, 05:39 PM

My wife and I made the Cooperstown hajj in October 2007. The trees were in their autumn beauty (apologies to Yeats) and nobody was there, it's too crowded (apologies to Berra). Translation: we had the town in its fall splendour and the HoF virtually to ourselves. If you can swing it, the Otesaga is the place to stay. Its nineteenth century class and its exquisite setting on the lake make the price worth it; they might even be running deals on rooms this time of year. One bonus: rates include a not-to-be-believed buffet breakfast. We spent six happy days at the Otesaga and we still get all woozy reminiscing about our time there. Even if you stay elsewhere be sure to drop by the hotel just to check it out. The Inn at Cooperstown looked like a grand place to stay as well.

As for restaurants we took most of our meals at the hotel but there was a deli on Main Street we ate lunch at named Danny's Market that served up righteous sandwiches and pastries.
Baseball card shops? Tons of them, way too many, all selling what appeared to be the same ersatz memorabilia. Cooperstown is the ultimate quaint American small town except for the fact that the locals have to drive over to Mt Pilot or wherever to go to a movie or a hardware store or a decent supermarket, probably because they've been displaced by these "card" shops. Best place I found was The National Pastime which was a shop the size of a small barn loaded to the rafters with old time baseball shmata, all way overpriced but a total gas to wander through. Alas, word has it they closed up for good a year or so ago anyway.

Other attractions: Of course there is Doubleday Field just around the corner from the HoF. Can't forget that. Aside from that I don't know of any other specific baseball attractions. The Hall of Fame will take care of that nicely. There are two other museums nearby, just a three minute pop up the lake from town. First is the Fenimore Art Museum. It's a smallish museum, you can give it a quick honest once-over in 90 minutes. Great colonial art, an extensive American Indian exhibit, also a collection of very interesting life masks cast from the actual faces of Thomas Jefferson, Dolly Madison etc. The Farmers Museum is a sprawl of colonial era buildings and a collection of old time farm inplements. My wife grew up on a farm so she thought it was terrific. I, on the other hand, grew up thinking corn came from a can but even so I found the Farmers Msm to be very interesting and worth a visit. If you're just going to be in C'town for a couple of days I would forget the foregoing and spend every possible minute at the Hall of Fame.
Have fun!

calvindog · #5 10-04-2009, 05:52 PM

What David said. The Otesaga is incredible; at the very least you need to get in there for a meal and sit on the rocking chairs overlooking the lake. And Doubleday Field is beautiful.

GrayGhost · #6 10-04-2009, 06:17 PM

There are also reasonable priced hotels/motels, and there used to be a Best Western too nearby, for those who can't swing the excesses. But, by all mean, sitting by that beautiful lake and such, can't beat it.

ibuysportsephemera · #7 10-04-2009, 06:24 PM

What everyone else said previously...also check out Willis Monie Books on Main Street. They specialize in sports but especially baseball books. Their pricing is fair and even if you do not buy anything it is great to browse. Enjoy.

Jeff

leftygrove10 · #8 10-04-2009, 06:25 PM

My wife and I went to Coopertown back in 1996 or 1997. We stayed at the White House Inn on Chestnut Street, which was within walking distance of the Hall of Fame and other museums.

I remember the baseball card shops. I didn't find anything exciting in them. I do remember a Mickey Mantle Museum which was really neat, but that museum might have closed a few years ago. I also remember a photographer in town that had uniforms of all of the MLB teams. He took pictures of people in those uniforms. The picture that my wife and I had taken in his shop is sitting right behind me as I type. It is a great picture!

If you collect a particular player, I would recommend seeing what the Hall of Fame's research library has to offer. They have MANY pictures of the players. The pictures are expensive to buy if you aren't a relative and they charge for photocopies, but you might find something of interest in there. The Hall of Fame also has a neat little gift shop. They sell the yellow Hall of Fame plaques -- both singles and the complete set.

Others on the board have mentioned VIP tours that they have gotten in Cooperstown. Apparently, the Hall of Fame has LOTS of stuff in their museum that isn't displayed for the public. Perhaps one of David's pictures above shows these things. I didn't get a VIP tour, but if you know someone important -- or know someone who knows someone important -- at the Hall of Fame, it might be neat to get a VIP tour.

#9 10-04-2009, 07:21 PM

Jantz don't feel bad I haven't been yet. I hope to take the Family someday. Just like the National, Never been yet but planning for next yr hopefully. Get some good pics to show us when you get back

Mark · #10 10-04-2009, 07:50 PM

I second the recommendation for the Farmer's Museum. Got to see the Cardiff Giant. And if it's the right time of year, you might enjoy a canoe ride across the lake.

Northviewcats · #11 10-04-2009, 08:10 PM

Hi Jantz,

I know you are working on a T206 collection, so you might be interested in this. There is an antique store near Oeneda on Route 7 about 20 miles south of Cooperstown. The owner's name is Don F. (I can't think of his name at the moment, but I have is card around here somewhere). He has a large number of T206s (hundreds) and other vintage cards. I buy Ts from him every year on induction weekend at the baseball card show in the VFW hall in Cooperstown. I bought a nice Gandil from him this year. He is willing to discount his cards and his prices are similar to what you will pay on the BST. Ted Z. knows Don very well and could probably get you more information. In the meantime I will try to find the name and number of his antique shop. I could drive right to it, but I can't remember the name of the store. You might want to call him ahead of time and let him know when you are coming. He told me that he keeps the bulk of his collection at home for safety.

Anyway, enjoy your trip to Cooperstown. There is plenty to do and the museum alone is worth the trip.

Best wishes,

Joe

John V · #12 10-05-2009, 05:21 AM

We went in the off-season in February. Quiet with no crowds. Most shops were open. Don't expect to be impressed with the card shops. We visited the Doubleday Cafe numerous times. It had a local feel with good, reasonably priced food.

tedzan · #13 10-05-2009, 07:15 AM

Jantz

You'll have a great time in the Cooperstown area. Needless to say, the Hall of Fame is a great place. And, while there,
take advantage of their HOF's library. They are very resourceful in finding any specific thing that you might be interes-
ted in.

The are BB card shops in town; but, very little vintage stuff. As Joe D. suggested, you should visit Don Flewelling's an-
tique shop in Oneonta (20 miles south of Cooperstown, off Rte 28). Call Don at 607-441-3036 to catch him there. Don
has an inventory of 400 - T206's to select from.

Take Jeff L's advice and check out the Ostesaga Hotel....it's quite a sight. Here is their link....

http://www.otesaga.com/

And, by all means take the boat tour of Otsego Lake.

Also, I recommend, for fine dining (not too pricey) the Portabello Restaurant in Fly Creek. It is just a 6 miles west of
Cooperstown on Rte 28.

Best regards,

TED Z

Jantz · #14 10-05-2009, 11:01 AM

Thanks everyone for all the information and advice. Sounds like there is alot more to see than just the Hall. I will be sure to give Don a call. I would like to bring home a momento of the trip and what would be better than a T206.

Thanks

Jantz

BillyCoxDodgers3B · #15 10-05-2009, 11:30 AM

You're hitting Cooperstown at the very right time--the leaves, the lake and the quietness of the town in Autumn make for a perfect time to go.

FYI, you can get into the HOF for free if you make an appointment to do some research at the National Baseball Library (part of the HOF). This is a good idea if travelling solo; not so good if you're taking the family. Do yourself a favor and come up with a list of players who you might want to find out more about. There is so much material simply languishing in that library, waiting to be discovered by the right person. So much information that is being ignored.

Also, if you're into vintage wire photos, you should make up another list of players whose photos you'd like to examine. Their collection is beyond belief. I was given access to the actual photos back when I was there; I don't know if they are so casual anymore.

Kawika · #16 10-05-2009, 01:50 PM

Best place for vintage cards in Cooperstown? The BBHoF gets my vote.

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GrayGhost · #17 10-05-2009, 02:23 PM

Yes, looks like a decent enough selection of the cardboard heroes.

murcerfan · #18 10-06-2009, 11:06 PM

http://www.cooperstownbrewing.com/tours.htm

Jantz · #19 10-07-2009, 01:36 AM

Murcerfan - Thank you for the link. After living in Germany for 2.5 years I am quite a fan of beer. I will have to stop by there and have just one.

...well OK maybe two.

Jantz

bigtrain · #20 10-07-2009, 07:51 AM

I have a summer home in Cooperstown and will be there this weekend to close the place up for the winter. This is a great time of year to be there, no crowds, beautiful foliage, etc. Be sure to check the Hall of Fame website and also the chamber of commerce. www.cooperstownchamber.org There is always something going on. We went to the giant pumpkin festival a couple of weeks ago. The winner was over 1500 lbs. Then they hollow out the pumpkins and try to make boats out of them. Hilarious!
I believe that Harmon Killebrew will be there this weekend doing an event at the HoF. The Hall of Fame Fantasy camp is the following weekend. You can watch the games at Doubleday Field. Not sure who will be there this year but I have seen George Brett and Ozzie Smith in the past couple of years. If you plan to go during the World Series, there is a program where you can watch the Series at The Hall of Fame, you need tickets in advance but it is very cool as they have trivia contests between innings, serve hot dogs, etc.
I agree with Ted that should check out Portabello's Restaurant in Fly Creek. Also, if the tour boat is still running, you should take a tour of Otsego Lake. If you are into fishing, as I am, this is a great time of year. The boat yards are closed so you can't rent a boat but can still probably get a charter and fishing guide. Spending a morning on the lake is beautiful.