Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Bed and Breakfast
One thing I have always wanted to do is stay at a Bed and Breakfast Inn. I’ve never really had a chance to…until now! As I was planning an adventure to Cooperstown, NY, I thought I might check out the local B&B Inns as an option for accommodations. I discovered that this was the perfect trip to consider this option because the town is loaded with them and well suited to this type of experience! I took my time and researched them all – quickly eliminating any that were not within walking distance of the downtown/Main Street area. Once narrowed down to those close to downtown, I researched each one extensively – checked out their web sites, sent emails to ones that I needed more info about, and read the reviews on Trip Advisor. (BTW – I’ve never used Trip Advisor, before, either – if you haven’t utilized this site to help plan your trip, I highly recommend it – great info can be found there!) So, after all the research, one Inn stood out as the one I wanted to book for my very first B&B experience!!!
Main Street Bed and Breakfast on, you guessed it, Main Street in Cooperstown was my choice. And, I have to say, it was the PERFECT choice! The photos on their web site and Trip Advisor won me over, immediately! Oh, the other inns had photos that piqued my interest, as well, but the photos of this one just seemed to speak to me. I was so hoping that they weren’t building me up for a disappointment – you know how sometimes you see photos in a brochure or web site that look amazing and then, when you get there, all you can think is “how many centuries ago were the photos taken and were they even taken of the same place?”. But, I can tell you with all honesty that the photos that drew me to choose this inn pale in comparison – they don’t begin to do it justice! I was not at all disappointed! The other deciding factor was the reviews on Trip Advisor – it was the only one of the ones that I narrowed my decision down to that didn’t have ANY customer ratings under a “Very Good – 4” and the 4s were a small percentage of the whole! I was impressed! Not that I actually decided against any of the others because of low customer ratings — NONE of the inns I researched had an overall bad rating and I quickly discounted the bad comments as coming from people who wouldn’t have been happy if they stayed at the Ritz located on Main Street in Heaven – you know the type! I will say that, from what I read, you couldn’t go wrong with any of the inns in Cooperstown. But, I am so very glad I chose this one! The final decision was due to the lovely comments from past customers that just seemed to have an edge over the others and, especially, because of the photos!
Main Street B&B is owned by Ron and Susan Streek, who are the sweetest people I’ve met in a long time. One thing I was concerned about staying at a B&B was how I would feel staying in a stranger’s home – that’s what you’re doing when you choose a B&B – you’re literally choosing to stay at someone’s home – someone you don’t know! I wondered if it would feel awkward. But, there was nothing to worry about, here! When I arrived, Susan met me at the door and I immediately felt like I was visiting an old friend. Susie showed me around the common areas and my room. It was such a lovely, comfortable home. Right away, it was the subtle details that grabbed me – like Susie greeting me like an old friend and finding out quickly that I preferred tea to coffee and that I would likely be ready to crash after my long drive and desire to head out to start my sightseeing. When I came back after a walk downtown, a little sightseeing, and dinner, I put my things in my room and came down stairs to read for a little while in the sitting room. Susie came in to see if I would like a cup of tea and find out if I needed anything to make my evening comfortable. The next morning, she was concerned that I might be chilly and brought me a shawl and a hot cup of tea while waiting for breakfast. The bed was extremely comfortable (none of that stiff feeling I usually get from sleeping in a different bed) and the house was very quiet (no unfamiliar sounds to wake me in the night). I would quickly recommend this as THE choice in Cooperstown to anyone I know planning a trip there. My first stay at a B&B was so enjoyable, I would definitely consider another B&B over a hotel when traveling, again…….however…….this first experience set the bar so high, that others may have a hard time meeting my new expectations! 🙂 My original plan was to stay one night and drive back home the next evening, but, I decided it was better to stay a second night and drive back after a good night’s sleep…….and, my experience the first day/night with Ron and Susie helped make that decision an easy one!
The house is a quaint Victorian home built in the late 1800s. I didn’t take a photo of the front porch, but can tell you that it is very inviting with chairs and a hammock to relax and enjoy the quiet neighborhood. Since I was gone during the warmer hours of the day, I didn’t take advantage of the front porch, but could easily imagine how wonderful it would be to sit our there and read, if the evenings had been warmer.
To the left of the entrance, there is a comfortable, impeccably decorated sitting room. I enjoyed that room for reading and morning tea!
The entry hall and stairway to the second floor welcome you with a warmth that is immediately felt!
A full country breakfast is served in this delightful dining room. On the first morning, breakfast was a plate of fresh fruit (super ripe and bursting with flavor) and coffee cake, peach upside down French toast (to die for), and sausage with orange juice and tea! On the second morning, I realized I totally forgot to mention that I was allergic to cheese! When Suzie mentioned she was making baked eggs, I asked if it had cheese in it! I felt horrible when she said yes! But, despite my insistence that she not go to any extra trouble (the fruit and juice were plenty to eat), she whipped up a plain omelet, bacon, and an English muffin with some amazing homemade blueberry jam – a quickly put together breakfast fit for a queen!
There are three rooms to choose from. I chose the Queen Anne room with a large four poster bed and Queen Anne style furnishings – a lovely room! The bed was a dream to sleep on – plush and high (the top of the mattress came just about waist high on my short body, so I had to get creative to get in, but it was sooooo worth it)! The room had air conditioning (which I didn’t need this time of year) and a TV with cable (which I was too tired to watch more than a few minutes). After my long days of sight seeing, I was happy to crawl into this bed, wrap up in the warm covers, and fall sound asleep before 8:30 each night….and slept like a baby all night long!
There was a full bath in the room – I was happy to read that when researching it – not all B&Bs have in-room bathrooms!
I was so happy to have met Ron and Susie and be able to stay with them while in Cooperstown! It was a lovely experience and really was the icing on the cake for my adventure! Thank you, both, for your gracious hospitality!
Kim's Thoughts 
Recent Comments