Our Lake - Lake George

Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is located in the Adirondack mountains. At 32 miles long it starts in Lake George at the southern tip and ends in Ticonderoga on the northern point. It is 3 miles wide at its widest point which is in front of the Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing, NY, the average width of the lake is a little over 1-mile. It has a maximum depth of 178 feet (this number varies based on the source you find) located between Dome Island and Buck Mountain but on average the depth is around 70 feet.

10,000 years ago as the glaciers receded they paused at each end of the lake and essentially formed a dam from the leftover boulders and sand. Some ice was left and as it melted it helped to fill up the lake, today the lake is fed by springs and brooks. The lake flows northerly to an outlet in Ticonderoga that links to Lake Champlain.

There are over 170 islands on Lake George, a majority of them being within the town of Bolton. Most of the islands are state owned with about 30 being privately owned. Around 50 of those state owned islands allow camping, a popular summer activity on Lake George. Another popular activity on Lake George is fishing and there are 36 species of fish in the lake according to the Lake George Association.

The lake will freeze completely most winters but there has been a few in recent memory that it hasn’t occurred. The complete freeze, called ice-in, usually happens mid to end of January but you will see ice fishermen out there as soon as there is some visible ice.

Do you think the lake will fully freeze this year? We will see soon enough but in the meantime I will be trying to get in a couple more boat rides on this beautiful lake and waiting for warmer weather again.

Our Town - Bolton Landing

Bolton Landing, established in 1799, is located on the shores of Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. It is 10 miles north of Lake George Village and has a current population of about 2,000 year-round residents. It draws many visitors from Memorial Day to Labor Day as a quieter getaway from bustling Lake George Village. Even though it is smaller it still boasts a variety of outdoor and recreational activities, such as boating, swimming, hiking, and golfing.

Lake Shore Drive (NY Route 9N) runs directly through downtown Bolton Landing. When exploring downtown you will find many shops, restaurants, and marinas. There are two main public beaches, the Bolton Historical Museum, the Sembrich Museum, the public library, Town Hall, a grocery store, public school, fire station, and of course the McDonald Real Estate Professionals office. While there are a handful of lodging options on this short strip of downtown Bolton Landing, you will find the historic Sagamore Resort, probably the most notable place in town. But on your way to the Sagamore is the elegant Boathouse Bed & Breakfast, I highly recommend them if you are looking for accommodations in Bolton Landing, the property is beautiful and the hosts are amazing.

I think this description from the Bolton Landing Chamber of Commerce website sums up the town pretty well. “For two hundred years travelers have proclaimed Bolton Landing on beautiful Lake George a refuge from their hectic daily lives. Since 1799, this sheltered Adirondack community on the shores of Lake George has drawn world-weary writers, artists, musicians, and generations of families enjoying the pure crystalline waters of Lake George.”

It was that particular quaint, picturesque, and artsy vibe described above that brought me here almost 30 years ago. I will post more on the history of Bolton in a later post so keep your eyes peeled for that.

QuaranTACO Tuesdays

With restaurants currently closed for dine-in options, most have come up with creative ways to offer food (and beverages) to their customers. Some of those include fantastic specials, like Frederick’s Restaurant Quarantaco Tuesdays.

We needed a break from cooking at home so we decided to order from Frederick’s for pick-up. It just happened to be on a Tuesday when they were offering their QuaranTaco Tuesday specials. We ordered el pastor tacos and strip steak fajitas, and it was all delicious. Everything was very flavorful and well-cooked, and the portions provided us with multiple meals. I mean there are 4 tacos per order, more than even I could eat on a hungry day! I think we had about a dozen containers with all sorts of toppings. They even gave us chips and salsa to complete our meal.

They also offer adult beverages for takeout to compliment your meal and I regret not ordering a pitcher of their blueberry lime margarita special that evening. What was I thinking!?

We ordered a couple of weeks ago and they did a taco Tuesday menu again last week, check out that scrumptious sounding menu to the left. I am hoping that they will have a similar QuaranTaco menu for tomorrow, especially with it also being Cinco de Mayo, and I WILL be ordering the margaritas if they do. I will be stalking their Facebook page to see what the menu will be. They have been posting their specials there daily so if tacos aren’t your thing they have other options. Give yourself a great meal while also supporting a local family-owned restaurant in Bolton Landing.

For Sale - 4983 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing, NY 12814 - Commercial Property

If you want to start a business in Bolton Landing, NY, I have the perfect location to do so. This commercial property was previously a bar/restaurant right in downtown Bolton Landing. The location is perfect and there are definitely a few businesses I know our town could use.

This building features a beautiful 31' custom wooden bar, Adirondack style trim, wood beams, and hardwood floors. Its rustic style fits right in with the mountainous upstate New York area. It has a full kitchen, walk-in cooler, and a large basement for storage. This place is ready for you to bring your great ideas and make it your own.

The best part of this space to me is the 2 renovated apartments upstairs. Again these are done tastefully in a rustic style with wood throughout each unit. There is a 2 bedroom apartment and a studio apartment. The potential income from these rentals could help pay for the place below or maybe you want to live close to your business, you can’t get much closer than this. I really can’t believe this great deal, $399,000 for business space and two apartments, right in downtown Bolton Landing is still available and I really can’t wait to see what someone brings to it.

For Sale - 1 Sawmill Hill Road, Bolton Landing, NY 12814 - Vacant Land

This 3.18-acre building lot offers you lots of privacy from its wooded area. It is conveniently located less than 5 miles from downtown Bolton Landing giving you the peace and quiet of the Adirondacks but easy access to all the amenities in town.

There is power at the road but the buyer would have to install the well and septic. Priced at $70,000 this lot is priced below assessment. Part of a 5 lot subdivision there are 3 additional lots that can be purchased as well. Those additional lots are between 11-15 acres each and priced at $70,000 each if sold individually. If you wanted to purchase all 4 lots as bundle you could do so for $250,000. More information on these additional lots can be found at the links below.

Lot #1

Lot #3

Lot #4

For Sale - 19 Claire View Lane, Bolton Landing, NY 12814 - Single Family Home

This spacious 2,794 square foot home has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths and is located in a private community in Bolton Landing. Situated on just over 2 acres of property it has a view of Lake George. The home has been meticulously maintained and it is apparent inside and out.

When you walk in the door you are greeted in the foyer with the staircase as the focal point. Off to the right is the family room and formal dining room. That loops into the eat-in kitchen and living room. From here you can also access the 3-season enclosed porch and to the backyard with a nice paver patio, water feature and storage shed.

Back in the house there is an office off the other side of the staircase and a half bathroom. Here is also where you would access the attached garage. Proceeding up the stairs you are welcomed with a sitting area. There is the master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, 2 additional bedrooms and a full bathroom. If that wasn’t enough there is a large bonus room to do what you please with it.

I didn’t even get to mention all the small details like central A/C, ceiling fans in all rooms, a full basement with washer and dryer, 2 fireplaces, the beautiful oak floors, and if you are interested in furniture that is negotiable as well. Listed for $599,000 it is definitely worth taking a look at.

Welcome to my blog

Thanks for coming to my website and taking the time to read some of my thoughts. While this is only my first post I plan to post regularly to provide you with important real estate news, market trends, community news and events, general information about me and the things I do. I hope you enjoy what you read and please leave your comments.

So I suppose I should tell you a little more about me to start. I was born in Staten Island, NY, found my wonderful wife there and had our two daughters there as well. When my kids were approaching double digits my wife and I decided we were ready to move somewhere quieter. After searching all the areas of upstate New York for a while we fell in love with Bolton Landing. We loved how quaint it was and beautiful on Lake George, we thought this would be a great place to raise our daughters.

We walked into McDonald Real Estate Professionals and asked to see some properties that we could build our home on. After some searching, we found a few acres in the woods and made the move in 1992. We rented a house right in downtown Bolton Landing for the first year while we built our custom log home. At this time I was retired from the New York City Department of Sanitation and if you know me I like to keep busy so when Willie Bea McDonald approached me to get my real estate license and work in her office I decided to go for it. In 1993 I successfully became a licensed NYS Real Estate Salesperson.

Since then I have been working full-time doing real estate. My favorite part of the job is all the great people I have meet over the years. I love helping to make people’s dreams come true, whether it is a first-time homeowner or someone looking for that unique island property, it is all rewarding to me. Not to mention I get to do this in one of the most beautiful places in the country.