Natty Bumppo never had to deal with Travelocity or Expedia.
Bumppo is the protagonist in the five “Leatherstocking Tales” written by James Fenimore Cooper, the son of William Cooper, who, in the late 1700’s, founded the eponymous town that was to become the home of baseball’s Hall some 140 years later. It may have been easier for Natty to navigate the dense forests of what would become upstate New York en route to Glimmerglass Lake (the fictional equivalent of Cooperstown’s Lake Otsego) than for two tinhorns from Colorado to make the pilgrimage to Cooperstown.
The Baseball Hall of Fame is on the bucket list for many men of a certain age (i.e., old farts who vividly recall the ‘50s and ‘60s – while forgetting what happened 50 or 60 minutes ago – the waning years of the Golden Age of Baseball). I was amazed, however, at how many men, to whom I mentioned our impending trip, said, “I always wanted to go there, but…”
Ed and I have talked about this trip ever since we took a tour of baseball’s greatest parks – Comiskey, Wrigley, Tiger Stadium, Jacobs Field, Camden Yards and Fenway –in the summer of 1995, the year he graduated from college. Twenty years is too long to talk about something without doing it.
The bucolic location of Cooperstown presents the kind of problems that lead to many unfulfilled bucket lists, especially for Coloradans. The closest major airports are Albany (70 miles) and Syracuse (95) but you’re looking at 10 to 13-hour itineraries and $700-$900 airfares.
Was the trip worth the wait? The money? Even beyond the obvious pleasure of hanging out with Ed for five days, the scenery in the Cooperstown area and the town itself made it worthwhile. The Hall itself was everything I expected and more. The scope and quality of the artifacts and the displays were first-rate and revealed the dedication of the museum staff and its understanding of the game and its history.
People have asked, “What was your favorite thing about the Hall?” Reflecting on the whole experience, I’d have to say that it was the photographs, memorabilia, film footage and accounts of early baseball that left the most indelible mark on me. I love the purity of the early game and the players who played it—and kept reinventing it—for little or no remuneration.
And that’s what is so much fun about the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is a glorious celebration of the past and a total lack of recognition of baseball’s present day, second-class status. It is an endless series of freeze frames that eases you back into the game’s past and your own. I will probably never re-visit the Hall of Fame – unless my grandsons, against peer pressure, take up the game in earnest.
But since it’s not my job to “fix” present day baseball, I can revel in its past, and, for two days in Cooperstown, believe in the illusion that nothing changes, that we and the things we love remain forever young.
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Cooperstown Travel Guide
I was surprised at how little information there was on the Internet about the details of arranging and executing a Cooperstown trip. Here’s what we learned…
Begin planning at least six months out. Rooms in town are at a premium. Buy a Hall membership ($50 individual; $80 family) online. Membership, which gets you in anytime with no additional fee, is actually cheaper than buying daily tickets and comes along with, as they say, “privileges.”
The Hall is open every day but Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. To avoid the summer crowds, go in April, May, September or October. Winter shuts down too much of the town to go November through March. And, unless you’re related to one of the inductees, avoid induction weekend (July 22-25, 2016; July 21-24, 20017) like a 3-2 slider in the dirt. The locals describe it as “a madhouse.”
Fly non-stop into Kennedy, LaGuardia or Newark – not Albany or Syracuse. Rent a compact equipped with an EZ Pass for all those eastern tolls. If you hit traffic right, you can be dipping your toe in Glimmerglass in less than four hours and 200 scenic miles. We spent less than $500 each on airfare and $225 for the car.
Three weeks before the trip, almost every room in town was taken. Book early and book the Lake Front Hotel, a three-minute walk to the Hall. Our room was over $200 a night, but the hotel features a good bar and restaurant right on Otsego. We got free breakfast outdoors every morning.
Speaking of food, here’s an amazing fact: Unlike the gouging 30 Major League teams, the Hall has no food and drink concessions. Fear not; the town will feed and water you (see sidebar).
Once you’ve settled into Cooperstown, it’s time to hit the museum. If you’re a serious baseball fan, you’ll need two full days. Get there at 9 a.m. and stay until 5 p.m. with a break for lunch in town. Go back for an hour or two up until the 9 p.m. closing and you’ll feel like you’re having a private viewing. One admission gives you in-and-out privileges.
The sequence of the three floors is not that important. Ignore the staff’s suggestion to start on Floor 2; Floors 1 and 3 are less crowded at the outset.
