ONEONTA, NEW YORK

From its charming historic houses to the rolling hills that embrace Oneonta on all sides, this upstate New York town is simply good, in a plethora of ways.  We spent a relaxing three days ambling from the historic downtown district to my brother’s nearby neighborhood and back, breathing in the sultry, summer air and admiring the playful range of architecture, from Victorian era marvels to quaint cottages. Between eating ice cream, playing Monopoly and building Legos we did a nice bit of sightseeing (even milked a cow)! 

The Farmer’s Museum in neighboring Cooperstown is definitely worth a visit, as is the  Ommegang Brewery, renowned for their exquisitely-brewed Belgian beer and for also serving up various culinary delights (including crepes, fondue and yummy, yummy frites) in their on-site cafe.  Emily and Nate—our niece and nephew—took us on a tour of Emily’s horse stables (see video), where once a week she takes riding lessons—clearly a place where she is in her element!  Oneonta definitely has us intrigued and is slated high on our list of places to live the good life ...