Safe travels:
For those feeling restless, here’s four places worth a visit
For those seeking a getaway, here are four destinations taking pandemic precautions.
With more and more states moving out of pandemic lockdown mode, life seems to be feeling a little more normal. Even though reopening is in full effect, COVID-19 is still an issue and something we all need to be cautious of. As businesses are opening, grateful for the opportunity to start inviting their customers back and making a profit again, they need to take precautions to ensure that visitors are safe. Lately, I’ve traveled around, taking a few road trips here and there, and I have to say I’ve been pleasantly surprised with what I’ve seen. Establishments have been going out of their way to ensure that guests are comfortable, even if that means redesigning the layout of their spaces or coming up with safe ways to interact and use the facilities. Although many companies have made some changes, four stood out to me. (Note: All locations are in New York unless otherwise indicated.)
The Sagamore
110 Sagamore Road, Bolton Landing 518-644-9400
After months of really not leaving the house unless I was going to the grocery store, I hit my limit like so many others, and just needed to do something, anything. We did our research and realized that the Sagamore on Lake George was still open for business, so we took a short drive up. The hotel restaurant was our first meal out in three months. They social-distanced the tables and had all waitresses and waiters wearing masks. Guests were required to wear masks inside, like so many other locations at the moment. One thing that really stood out to me was that they opened their pool before many other hotels: They spaced out chairs and kept tabs on the number of people in the pool. You never felt too close to anybody at any given time. They also had resort lounge chairs and tables that had green and red tags. If it had a red tag, it had not been sanitized properly yet, if it had a green tag you were safe to relax. They had employees taking drink orders at your chairs to avoid clustering at the bar, too.
Watkins Glen State Park
1009 N. Franklin St., Watkins Glen 607-535-4511
I recently traveled to Watkins Glen and stayed at the Harbor Hotel right on the water. The hotel itself did a great job social distancing and maintaining cleanliness. They had an indoor pool and hot tub allowing a few at a time so you could sign up for a time slot, and I always felt safe staying there. Wineries were open, providing different tasting areas that were spaced out and ensuring safe pouring of wine. The one thing I was most curious about was Watkins Glen State Park. It’s such a touristy area, and was still open to the public, so I was wondering how they would safely let people enjoy the trail. I went to the park, mask in hand, as signs said they were required. The hike is stunning, with 19 waterfalls throughout the trail. Be sure to set aside enough time to complete the entire trail -- signage indicates travel in one direction and hikers are not permitted to turn around.
The Chanler at Cliff Walk
117 Memorial Blvd, Newport, RI 401-847-1300
My boyfriend and I went to Newport, R.I., as part of a road trip. We went to the Cliff Walk and enjoyed a beautiful lunch at the Chanler, definitely a special occasion hotel where you would go for an anniversary or a romantic getaway. The price reflects this, but the proof that it’s worth it are in the details and the service. The food was exquisite and they go way above and beyond for their guests to make them feel comfortable. They pre-screen all of their employees, and staff is required to wear masks at all times. They’ve
added plexiglass to their usually open kitchen and front desk, expanded cleaning methods, adjusted the in-room cleaning services, and provide inroom dining for all meals if you’re not yet comfortable dining at the restaurant. They have a top shelf bar on the property, and allow guests, at certain times of the day, to reserve a private cabana where they can order drinks and enjoy them safely spaced out on the courtyard overlooking the water. The rooms normally have over-thetop detailed linens, but due to enhanced cleaning methods, they have swapped them out for less elaborate ones so that they can bleach and deep clean them more often. National Comedy Center 203 W. Second St., Jamestown 716-484-2222
During a recent road trip to Chautauqua, I was excited to visit the National Comedy Center. For those who don’t know, Lucille Ball grew up in Jamestown, so they built the Comedy Center in memory of her, which focuses on the craft of comedy. For a museum that’s extremely interactive with a variety of touchscreens, headphones
attached to exhibits that would seemingly be shared between visitors, microphones, props and more, I was curious as to how they were going to adjust this for individuals wanting to visit once they reopened. To say they went above and beyond is an understatement. Their safety precautions have been amped up and that includes giving each visitor a card with a scannable bracelet, a stylus pen, and a compartment with personalized earbuds to help you navigate the museum. This prevents you from having to share anything. The pen helped with all touchscreens, so you didn’t have to use your fingers to select anything. Anywhere that had an interactive environment where you needed to touch an item also had a full stock of anything you needed to stay safe. For example, they have this amazing prop station where you can grab any kind of prop, place it on an interactive table that will light up and tell you how this prop was used, whether it was in cartoons, a skit, or another format. They had a fully stocked table of gloves and sanitizer at any station where you would need to touch the items.