On the beaten path

The captain also offered family outings for those not interested in imbibing.

But the city bought Pabst out in 2001, spent a ton of money cleaning up the waterfront area and brought in a new boat from Burlington for cruises.

The new cruises were expensive, however, and lacked the old Juniper charm.

The Spirit of Plattsburgh was gone after about a year, and now we have nothing.

Too bad the Juniper was sold and dismantled and shipped out of the area for good.

Maybe Pabst, a magician when it comes to acquiring vessels, can find a tub somewhere and resurrect the booze cruise and other tours of the lake.

Speaking of the waterfront, I’d love to see the hotel plans come to fruition.

Like many, I’m not holding my breath to see construction anytime soon. The city is now in a legal battle with Syracuse developer James Monahan, and it does not appear that anything will break soon.

Mayor Donald Kasprzak says there are three or four local developers interested in a hotel project at the site, but nothing can be done until the issue with Monahan is resolved.

A hotel at that site would be fetching and could transform the entire downtown area. While former Mayor Daniel Stewart may have been a little lax on finance issues, he did have a vision for the waterfront that is exciting.

It’s just too bad the plans got stalled in the manner they did. Now the empty parking lot has become the butt of many jokes, and who could argue with that?

I’d love to see all michigans be sold for no more than $1.

Michigans are the North Country’s signature food, and I think a buck is not only a fair price but would enhance the whole image of the product.

Some restaurants offer dollar michigans from time to time, but given business costs in this state, it is doubtful the dollar price would ever be permanent.

I would love to see the city bring back ice to the Crete Memorial Civic Center. With Lake City Stars Arena for sale and its future in doubt, the need for another ice rink has become pressing.
The Plattsburgh State Field House has limited offerings for youth hockey and other groups since it must, understandably, cater to its own teams and groups first.

The city operated an ice rink at the Crete from 1974 to 1999, and it was known in hockey circles as not a bad rink.

But you don’t make money in the ice business unless you have a host of amenities, and the
Crete didn’t have that.

Given the poor financial climate of the city, it is highly doubtful the city would ever again venture into a money-losing operation of an ice rink.

In a slightly different category, I’d love to see the Plattsburgh State men’s and women’s hockey teams, and the men’s basketball team win national championships, which they certainly could.

The men’s hockey team is bouncing back to national power form and has played high-level hockey all year long, bringing back memories of 1987, 1992 and 2001, when they won the national championship.

Speaking of the 1987 championship, it’s been more than 20 years since it was vacated by the NCAA for violations. I say it’s time to reinstate the title that was earned on the ice and say the penalty has been paid for what basically was minor violations.

Plattsburgh State women’s hockey has to be the best bargain in all of sports. Admission to their games is free, and they have some of the most entertaining talent in the land.
The skills of junior Danielle Blanchard are amazing, and I can’t understand whey they usually get fewer than 200 people to their games.

While Blanchard is dazzling on the ice, so is guard Anthony Williams on the hardwood at Memorial Hall.

With great speed, ball-handling skills and smarts, Williams is clearly head and shoulder above most of the other players in Division III.

If you get a chance to see him or Blanchard play, take it.

You won’t regret it.