Jaunted

What a snide and ill-informed little piece of snark this was.

Have you ever been to Chautauqua County, anywhere near Ellicottville, or any Western New York or Great Lakes towns, or have you just flown over on your way to one coast or another? Besides the rolling hills that 'aren't mountains' (in fact, they're the northernmost hills of the Allegheny chain), we have lovely inland lakes, acres of old-growth forest, family farms and Amish communities selling fresh fruit, vegetables and cider, quilts, furniture and fresh baked goods, jewel-like Victorian towns that haven't changed in a century, clean air, quiet streets, and dozens of out-of-the way inns, bed and breakfasts and small hotels for weekend getaways--all this and a rich historical heritage too. Hardly the 'armpit of America.' In fact, Chautauqua County is full of unspoiled scenery and the kind of quaint, old-fashioned small American towns and attitudes that most people think don't exist anymore, and many towns are trying frantically to reconstruct.

Plus which, lovely though it is, it's simply not true that Ellicottville is the only decent place to ski in the Great Lakes region. Northern Michigan and Wisconsin both feature some gorgeous little ski resorts. Sure, they're not Vail, but so what?

If you're going to write about a place in a travel piece that gets read by thousands of people, you should probably actually know something about it, and you should probably not insult the locals. We'd probably welcome you anyway, as we're like that around here, but that doesn't mean we think that such egregious examples of ill-informed snideness are any less lame.

I believe Claire, who wrote the story, is from the very area this story is about, if I am not mistaken.  

You sound a bit sour because this piece isn't the normal travel puff piece you might be use to -- we don't do that here.  Real opinions.  Furthermore, just because saccharine sweet doesn't mean it is "a snide and ill-informed little piece".  As a traveler, I want to know that I am going to get trailer parks instead of chalets.  Or newly renovated slopes (which this place has) instead of dirt hills.

However it is very cool that you added in your own info on this area -- do you live there?  Are you involved with tourism in the area? We want readers to be as informed as they can be about these destinations -- from all sides.

You are correct about one thing, Ellicottville, NY is not the Armpit of America -- New Jersey is .... just kidding Jersey.

Yes, I am a native. I grew up in a Great Lakes town (North Boston, then Hamburg) and my parents actually own one of the said trailers in the Sunshine Village in downtown Ellicottville -- they're really quite cozy and the neighbors are great.

I realize this might make me even more of a villain. Instead of a city-raised snob, I'm a traitor. But let's get some perspective here. I know why you're upset, because I feel your pain. Every time I meet an outsider, I have the knee-jerk reaction to defend my hometown. Answering the "where are you from?" question always elicits the same responses -- "you get a lot of snow, huh?" and, of course, "you lost four Super Bowls in a row?"

Here at Jaunted, I gratuitously plug Western New York as often as possible (see my stories on the Eden Kazoo Factory, Lily Dale, and Buffalo/Niagara Airport). Though I temper it with the usual sarcasm that is the tone on this site and some self-awareness about the region's drawbacks.

If we're going to get technical, I called The Rust Belt "the Armpit of America," not Ellicottville. And I think this is justified for two reasons. One, I'm allowed to say it because I'm from there, just like people from Jersey are self-deprecating about their home state (see above).

Two, our region does have a lot of problems, and we need to face it. Since the demise of American manufacturing -- specifically Bethlehem Steel and big auto -- the region's population has plummeted, and real estate prices and job opportunities went with it.

You'd be hard pressed to find more blight than along the Buffalo "waterfront," which is more a series of abandoned factories and Brownfield sites. It's a travesty, and one of the first thing outsiders see when driving from the airport to the Southtowns. Buffalo has three times the crime rate of New York City. The East Side resembles the worst of any third-world country. I think we should be angry about this and demand change rather than pretend everything is rosy.

That said, I love Western New York. The expansion of Roswell Park downtown and new buildings at the University of Buffalo Medical School promise more smart, young people who will bring with them fresh ideas and change. I think we have a bright future if we press our lazy politicians to get some things done.

Best of all is Buffalo's people. We're a hard-working, resilient lot who take pride in our region (as you proved). The things you described -- Amish communities, family farms, quaint towns -- and the lack of pretension, make me grateful to have been raised there.

I appreciate your reminder of my hometown's merits. A lot about it frustrates me, but it's also a beautiful, complicated, unspoiled place. I think I draw attention to these here on Jaunted and as an ambassador now living on the outside.

Hi Mark and Claire,

Thank you for your responses, and sorry for the intensity of the flame. Sleet Season is beginning here, and it might be affecting my mood. ;-)

Mark, you're right. What makes Jaunted.com worth reading is its wit and lack of puffiness, and I should have recognized Claire's breezy tone for what it was, the ironic wit of an insider rather than the blind critique of an outsider.

I'm not in the travel industry, but I write about travel, local history, and American roads. I'm about to start a local history project in Chautauqua Country, which I'm hoping will involve the community and that, when published, will be read and enjoyed by tourists--though not too many people. Part of the weird magic here is that it really is a piece of Americana strangely suspended in time.

And Claire, it's nice to hear that you're a local. You're right about the blight as well as the beauty, and we do need to face it. I grew up in another beautiful Michigan Rust Belt town (hence my defense of Michigan skiing). I lived on the west coast for 15 years, and moved here six years ago without looking back.

Anyway folks, I do enjoy your site and your writing, and I will try and read more carefully and speak more kindly next time.

WOW... It got a little tense here. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Now to lighten it up a bit... Looking for some good, reputable New York City Transportation - towncar, limo etc. Any suggestions?

Day and Night limos (towncars too) is a great company. George is one of the drivers that is fabulous! He is always around Teteboro or the city. Great guy! I was first introduced to him from one of those New York City Vacation Packages and he was our city driver. Tell him Forest refered you! Have fun and stay safe in the city!