Champlain, NY (Watertown, Plattsburgh, Massena: hotels, house, movies)

[Njrover0216]

A relative of mine just got hired by the border patrol and is going to be stationed at Champlain, NY. How is the area? He has to find a hotel to stay in on a monthly basis for now, any suggestions? How is the weather, he currently lives near Watertown. What is there to do? Any info is appreciated.

[clynnog]

Originally Posted by Njrover0216

A relative of mine just got hired by the border patrol and is going to be stationed at Champlain, NY. How is the area? He has to find a hotel to stay in on a monthly basis for now, any suggestions? How is the weather, he currently lives near Watertown. What is there to do? Any info is appreciated.

Hope he won't stop me when I cross from QC to NY. I assume that he will be at the Interstate border crossing.

What is there to do in Champlain NY...not a lot, other than heading to Lake Placid/Saranac/Lake George/Burlington/Plattsburgh or Montreal.

It is probably colder in the winter than Watertown but with less snow (no lake effect) and it may be a bit cooler at night in the summer (no lake to keep the area warmer at night), but warmer in the daytime in the summer.

[Njrover0216]

Oh boy not sounding so good:/ I am not sure what he will be doing, I guess the same thing they do in Alex Bay...he starts next week. He has to find a hotel to stay in because he will be there training for a month, then they send him away for 3 months to GA for an academy.

[nomoresnow]

If he likes winter sports, he'll have it made - about an hour away from Whiteface Mt. where the Olympics were held twice. If he likes boating, he'll also like it there - Lake Champlain. It's a quiet area, very pretty (right at the foothills of the Adirondack Mts.). Plattsburgh is the biggest town in the area, about 1/2 hour away from Champlain. Some OK shopping there. Burlington, VT. is about an hour's drive, unless you take the ferry, which cuts off about 1/2 hour. Montreal is less than an hour away. So there are lots of places to visit if he has the time and wants to do that sort of thing. I'd suggest googling Plattsburgh or Champlain to find hotels. Don't go with the small, family owned, but stick with the big chains.

Best of luck. FYI - DH retired from the INS (now Customs/Border Protection) this past fall and worked at Champlain for 8 years.

[clynnog]

Originally Posted by nomoresnow

If he likes winter sports, he'll have it made - about an hour away from Whiteface Mt. where the Olympics were held twice. If he likes boating, he'll also like it there - Lake Champlain. It's a quiet area, very pretty (right at the foothills of the Adirondack Mts.). Plattsburgh is the biggest town in the area, about 1/2 hour away from Champlain. Some OK shopping there. Burlington, VT. is about an hour's drive, unless you take the ferry, which cuts off about 1/2 hour. Montreal is less than an hour away. So there are lots of places to visit if he has the time and wants to do that sort of thing. I'd suggest googling Plattsburgh or Champlain to find hotels. Don't go with the small, family owned, but stick with the big chains.

Best of luck. FYI - DH retired from the INS (now Customs/Border Protection) this past fall and worked at Champlain for 8 years.

I think this summarizes it all...Champlain itself isn't any great shakes but if you love the great outdoors, then there is lots of stuff to do nearby....and Montreal with all of its diversions (legal or otherwise) isn't too far away.

[plattsburgher]

Curious as to how old your friend is. There are many newbie hires up here and this is a college town, so between Burlington with 7 colleges and Pburgh and Paul Smiths in Saranac Lake and also some residual effect from the St. Lawrence/community colleges, he might find that he likes it. There is a locally owned hotel by the lake, but don't know if he gets compensated a lot or a little to live............Is he reimbursed by the gov't and wanting all the bells and whistles available for hotels or is he wanting to spend less and pocket the difference? Or not reimbursed at all?

[Fearringtonflash]

Plattsburg can be a tad brisk in the wintertime :-}

[plattsburgher]

if he lives now in Watertown, he is probably used to that (hope so, anyway). I think the biggest difference will be not nearly as much snow as Watertown, and (not tonight) not quite as windy..........However, depends on where he ends up residing. If he lives down near Pburgh, it isn't as windy as up around the St Lawrence Seaway/River Valley. That's where they just placed lots of wind turbines (along route 11) and I am sure if he is stationed at Champlain he will rotate all along the other border stations/areas up here. That's what the new hires do...........It's decent money but the hours and shifts are crazy.

[clynnog]

Originally Posted by plattsburgher

if he lives now in Watertown, he is probably used to that (hope so, anyway). I think the biggest difference will be not nearly as much snow as Watertown, and (not tonight) not quite as windy..........However, depends on where he ends up residing. If he lives down near Pburgh, it isn't as windy as up around the St Lawrence Seaway/River Valley. That's where they just placed lots of wind turbines (along route 11) and I am sure if he is stationed at Champlain he will rotate all along the other border stations/areas up here. That's what the new hires do...........It's decent money but the hours and shifts are crazy.

I'm sure that there is a pecking order to the border stations postings up there. The border crossings at the interstate/autoroute connections are probably the prime postings, while some of the border crossings on minor roads with non 24/7 opening are the last choice. One of the most interesting border crossing up there isn't really a border crossing. Going north from Hogansburg, NY (near Massena) you can cross into part of Canada (St. Regis, QC) w/o any border formalities. St. Regis is an indian reserve town that is only accessbile via NY and not via the rest of QC. As well, further to the east in Fort Covington, the actual border goes through a building that was a tavern in the past (I think it is closed now). The drinking age in QC is 18 and 21 in NY. Between the actual border and the border station there are about 4 or 5 homes on the NY side.

[plattsburgher]

I know a couple of people that do that job and sometimes the "cake" assignments are the ones that have no one else around (those lonely outposts). Some of them take books to read when not busy and I know of at least one person that actually takes a Powerbook computer and can watch movies. How secure does that make you feel? And they get paid overtime and make about 5 times as much money per year than I do and I have a college degree as well. If I were younger, I would sign up for the job. All that and the retirement benefits are amazing.........I don't think I will ever actually get to retire the way things are heading. Like I said though, I think the shifts are just crazy and tough on your body after awhile. Relationships can take a beating also because you never have the same schedule two times in a row. And you are right about that house. It is located somewhere in Vermont and one half of the house is in the US and the other half is located in Canada. I read about it just a month or so ago..........How strange is that?????