What's New

Travel rates to New York State are up, and the area's many hot destinations continue to evolve and grow. Here are some highlights of the new developments.

Planning your Trip

Calendar of Events -- A couple of major golf championships are frequently played in New York, and in June 2009 the U.S. Open Golf Championship (tel. 908/234-2300; www.usopen.com) will return, this time to Bethpage State Park (Black Course) in Farmingdale.

New York City

New York City continues to be the most visited city in the United States. A record 44 million visitors came to New York City in 2006 and the forecast is for 45.5 million in 2007.

Attractions -- The beloved Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum was towed away for much-needed renovations in late 2006. The World War II vessel will be refurbished over the next year and areas of the ship that were hidden will be open to the public. While it's in dry dock, the outside of the ship will be repainted in classic battleship gray, and many of the military aircraft on its flight deck will be restored. Pier 86 will be entirely rebuilt as well. The ship should return and reopen by fall of 2008.

In the Bronx, a new Yankee Stadium is being built adjacent to the historic "House That Ruth Built." Will this one be the "House That Jeter Built?" Whatever it will be known as, the new stadium is scheduled to open for the 2009 season.

Not to be outdone by the Yankees, the Mets also broke ground on their own new stadium in Flushing, Queens, next to the crumbling Shea Stadium that it will replace. It should also be ready for the 2009 season. A name for the stadium has yet to be determined.

Where to Stay -- To accommodate the influx of tourists, new hotels are sprouting all over the city. Many will be in areas not known for hotels, including NoHo, where The Bowery Hotel, 355 Bowery (tel. 212/505-9100; www.theboweryhotel.com), had a soft opening in mid-2007. With the same owners as The Maritime Hotel, The Bowery features loft-style rooms and modern conveniences such as flatscreen HDTVs, along with old-world European ambience.

Despite numerous delays, TriBeCa will finally get its signature hotel when actor Robert DeNiro's $43-million, 83-room Downtown Hotel in his beloved TriBeCa opens late in 2007.

After more than 2 years of renovations, The Plaza (tel. 212/546-5380) is scheduled to reopen in late 2007, albeit a bit smaller, with 350 rooms and 150 new residential units.

Where to Dine -- New Yorkers crave red meat, or so one would assume with the opening of countless new steakhouses including Kobe Steak, Quality Meats, Benjamin Steakhouse, Harry's Steaks, and Porter House New York.

New York has also welcomed the arrival of two renowned European chefs. The notorious superchef Gordon Ramsay from London opened his restaurant Gordon Ramsay at The London in The London NYC hotel, 151 W. 54th St. (tel. 212/468-8888; www.gordonramsay.com), and quickly earned two stars from the New York Times. Joel Robuchon from Paris opened L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in the Four Seasons Hotel 57 E. 57th St. (tel. 212/350-6658) and earned three New York Times stars.

Long Island & The Hamptons

Where to Stay -- The small Jedediah Hawkins Inn, 400 S. Jamesport Ave., Jamesport (tel. 631/722-2900), claimed the title of best place to stay on the North Fork when it opened in 2006. Its six rooms, set in a historic house, are luxurious and exquisitely decorated.

Where to Dine -- The inn has crafted an excellent restaurant, Jedediah's, serving up rich, complex dishes in its formal dining room. In fact, the North Fork is really coming alive from a culinary point of view. Also new and exceptional is the North Fork Table and Inn, 57225 Main Rd., Southold (tel. 631/765-0177), with chef Gerard Hayden brought in from New York City's Aureole to create dishes like a miso-glazed Montauk tilefish and a thyme-basted Long Island duck in a country inn setting.

Hudson River Valley

Where to Stay -- Madalin Hotel (tel. 845/757-2100; www.madalinhotel.com), a reincarnated 1909 hotel on the main drag in Tivoli, which is fast becoming a Hudson Valley destination, has opened to rave reviews.

Where to Dine -- An excellent new restaurant, Madalin's Table (tel. 845/757-2100), is connected to the new, albeit historic, Madalin Hotel in Tivoli. Broadway in tiny Tivoli has quickly become the restaurant row of the Upper Hudson Valley.

What to See & Do -- Staatsburgh (Mills Mansion) (tel. 845/889-8851; www.hvnet.com/houses/mills), one of the most notable Hudson River estates, is undergoing an extensive exterior and interior restoration expected to last several years; limited visits are by guided tour only. Montgomery Place Historic Estate (tel. 914/758-5461; www.hudsonvalley.org), another great Hudson estate, is currently closed for restoration but should reopen in 2008; until then, only self-guided tours of the grounds, on weekends, are possible.

Catskill Mountain Region

The Catskill region, particularly Sullivan and Delaware counties, was devastated by heavy rains and flooding in 2006 and 2007 -- totaling four catastrophic floods to hit the region in the past 3 years. FEMA declared three counties federal disaster areas. A number of local businesses, in addition to homes and roads, were severely damaged and forced to close, so some additional planning may be required in advance of a trip to the region. Each of the most damaging flood incidents was registered in June.

Plans for a $600-million St. Regis Mohawk Casino to be built at the Monticello Raceway in Sullivan County were approved by Governor Eliot Spitzer in February 2007, though a coalition of environmental and other groups, led by the Natural Resources Defense Council, filed a lawsuit demanding a comprehensive review of the full environmental impact of such a development in the sensitive Catskill Mountain region. It will likely be 2008 before a determination by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior is made. In 2001, New York State authorized the building of three Indian-administered casinos in Sullivan and/or Ulster counties, but only the Monticello project has progressed to the point of being awarded state approval.

Where to Stay -- One of the most elegant hotels in upstate New York, the swanky Emerson Resort & Spa, (tel. 877/688-2828; www.emersonresort.com) in Mount Tremper, has reopened for business after being completely gutted by fire in 2005. The new incarnation was rebuilt across the street, next to Emerson Place and the Lodge, under the same ownership.

What to See & Do -- The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel (tel. 866/781-2922; www.bethelwoodslive.org), is on the grounds of the 1969 Woodstock concert and plays hosts to a wide range of mainstream rock, pop, jazz, and classical concerts, from Bob Dylan to the Boston Pops. By 2008, a museum and interpretive center that places Woodstock in its historical context should be finished, drawing nostalgic baby boomers from across the country.

Saratoga Springs

Where to Stay -- The Saratoga Hotel & Conference Center (tel. 866/937-7746; www.thesaratogahotel.com) is a new and large, handsomely styled, modern luxury hotel (actually it's a renovation of a previously existing hotel in downtown Saratoga, but with such a dramatic improvement it's as good as new).

Where to Dine -- The French eatery Chez Sophie (tel. 518/583-3538) moved from its retro-styled diner outside town to stylish new modern digs at The Saratoga Hotel in downtown Saratoga. Though some of its oddball charm is gone, the restaurant remains one of the best upstate.

Albany

Where to Dine -- Longtime favorite Yono's, an unusual purveyor of upscale Indonesian cuisine, has found a new home at the Hampton Inn & Suites in downtown Albany, 25 Chapel St. (tel. 518/436-7747).

Central New York

Where to Stay -- This area finally has a world-class spa, with the opening of the Skaná Spa at Turning Stone Resort, 5218 Patrick Rd., Verona (tel. 800/771-7711). It has an authentic sweat lodge built by Native Americans, along with fresh herbal spa treatments.

The Finger Lakes Region

Getting There -- The long-awaited Rochester-Toronto high-speed ferry remains mired in controversy and debt, and the dream of connecting the two cities by ferry remains exactly that.

What to See & Do -- The beautiful New York Wine & Culinary Center (tel. 585/394-7070; www.nywcc.com) was inaugurated in 2006 on the north shore of Canandaigua Lake. The stunning complex contains a wine tasting room, New York Lounge restaurant and bar, and swanky instruction kitchen for cooking classes. The center's mission is to promote the agriculture, food, and wine of New York State, and it appears to be succeeding admirably. Finger Lakes wineries now number nearly 100, and one of the newest and most interesting is the tiny Damiani Wine Cellars (tel. 607/546-5557; www.damianiwinecellars.com), in Hector on the east side of Seneca Lake. The family-owned winery produced its first vintage in 2004, and the cabernet franc and meritage are quite notable for its young age. This is one to watch. Or drink.

Where to Stay -- Two small inns that opened in 2007 near Keuka and Canandaigua lakes, in the western section of the Finger Lakes, are among the finest B&Bs in the state. The Chalet of Canandaigua (tel. 585/394-9080; www.chaletbandb.com), with just three massive, tricked-out rooms, is like a secluded Alpine-style luxury cottage. The Black Sheep Inn (tel. 607/569-3767; www.stayblacksheepinn.com), in Hammondsport, is one of the few remaining octagon houses from the mid-19th century; it has five very stylish rooms and a chef and owner dedicated to organic and green practices. Even more curious is the new inn by the founders and erstwhile owners of the ceramics maker MacKenzie-Childs; their B&B, Home Again (tel. 315/364-8615; www.stayhomeagain.blogspot.com), in King Ferry, on the east side of Cayuga Lake, has all the oddball flavor and decor you would expect. Another fine new B&B to open in the past couple of years is The Fox and the Grapes (tel. 607/582-7528; www.thefoxandthegrapes.com), in Lodi on the east bank of Seneca Lake, near some of the region's best wineries and restaurants.

Where to Dine -- Simply Red Bistro (tel. 607/532-9401), a creative little restaurant, has moved from its bohemian digs in Trumansburg and set up shop, now larger and more "uptown," at the Sheldrake Point Winery, in Ovid, on the west bank of Cayuga Lake. One of the region's most distinguished new restaurants is Dano's Heuriger (tel. 607/582-7555), a modern take on a Viennese wine tavern, overlooking Seneca Lake.

Buffalo & Niagra Falls

Buffalo is still trying to turn its fortunes around, which will certainly be helped by new developments downtown.

Where to Dine -- Buffalo has seen the opening of an excellent new restaurant, Tempo, 581 Delaware Ave. (tel. 716/885-1594).

Where to Stay -- Nearby in Niagara Falls, the building frenzy -- started by the opening of Canadian casinos a few years ago -- continues today. The newish Embassy Suites, 6700 Fallsview Blvd. (tel. 800/420-6980), is currently the tallest hotel, at 42 floors (with the kind of dramatic views you'd expect), and the new Hilton that's under construction is slated to go even higher. But the biggest news is from the American side, with the full opening of the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, 310 Fourth St. (tel. 877/873-6322). The most luxurious hotel on this side of the falls, it gives any area hotel a run for its money. What it lacks in a full-on view of the falls it makes up for with dramatic decor, comfortable accommodations, a spa, and several great restaurants (in addition to the gambling, of course).