Railroads: New York Central System; Erie R.R.; Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R.R. (D.L.& W.); Pennsylvania R.R. (Pennsy.); Long Island R.R.; Delaware & Hudson R.R. (D.& H.); New York, New Haven & Hartford R.R. (New Haven); Baltimore & Ohio R.R. (B.& O.); Boston & Maine R.R.; Rutland R.R.; Lehigh Valley R.R. (Lehigh); Central Railroad of New Jersey (Jersey Central); Staten Island Rapid Transit Ry.; Hudson & Manhattan R.R. (Hudson Tunnels).
Highways: 85,000 miles of highways, 51,000 miles paved; 547 numbered State highways, including 13 designated as Federal. Rigid State police patrol. Federal gas tax, 1¢; State gas tax 4¢; tax on oil absorbed by vendor.
Bus Lines: Adirondack Transit Lines, Arrow Bus Line, Blue Bus Line, Champlain Frontier Coach Lines, Greyhound Lines, Hoosic Valley Coach Lines, Hudson Transportation Lines, Interstate Bus Corporation, Martz Lines, Peter Pan Bus Line, Short Line, Vermont Transit Lines, Blue Way Trailways, DeCamp Bus Lines, Edwards Lakes to Sea Stages, Flying Eagle Whiteway Lines, Gray Line, Old Colony Coach Lines, Lincoln Transit Co., Manhattan Transit Co., New England Transportation Co., Pan American Bus Lines, Public Service Interstate Transportation Co., Safeway Trailways, Yelloway Busses, Boston & Maine Transit Co.; numerous short lines.
Air Lines: American Airlines Inc., daily service at Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Binghamton (Johnson City), and New York City; Pennsylvania-Central Airlines, daily service at Buffalo; Airline Feeder System, Eastern Air Lines, Transcontinental & Western Air Inc., and United Air Lines, daily service at New York City; Pan American Airways, service at New York City (Port Washington, L.I.).
Boat Lines: Day line between New York and Albany (see Albany), with stops at intermediate points; lake steamer service between Buffalo (see Buffalo) and Lake Erie points, Detroit, and Chicago; coastwise and transoceanic service from New York City; lake steamer service on Lake George, Lake Placid, and Chautauqua Lake.
Ports of Entry: Buffalo, Dunkirk, Niagara Falls, Lewiston, New York, Albany, Rochester, Fair Haven, Oswego, Sodus Point, Syracuse, Chateaugay, Clayton, Fort Covington, Malone, Mooers, Morristown, Roosevelttown, Rouses Point, Waddington.
Citizens of the United States require no passports to enter Canada, but should be prepared to furnish evidence of identity. Foreign-born citizens and alien residents of the United States should carry credentials establishing legal residence.
Travelers permitted to import, duty-free and for personal use, merchandise to the value of $100 every 30 days. One gallon of alcoholic beverage may be brought in duty-free. Once every four months Canadians are allowed $100 in merchandise duty-free, provided they have been in the United States for a period of not less than 48 hours. Failure to report at the United States Customs entails a $100 fine for driver and car and $500 for each passenger.
Traffic Regulations: Reciprocity with other States is practiced with regard to operating licenses, except that a foreign license may not be used to drive for hire within the State.
No State speed limit, but speed in excess of 40 m.p.h. for ¼ m. is considered presumptive evidence of reckless driving. In special cases maximum speed is indicated on road signs. Incorporated villages and cities establish speed limits never less than 20 m.p.h.
Driving while intoxicated is punishable by revocation of operator’s license as well as fine or imprisonment, or both. A plea of guilty to this charge in order to expedite trial entails loss of driving privilege.
Accommodations: Hotel and restaurant accommodations entirely adequate in cities and incorporated villages. Tourist camps, cabins, and houses available on most improved highways at varying rates (50¢–$1.50). Adirondack, Catskill, and Sullivan County resorts and the spas have many hotels and restaurants, some open year round; rates higher in summer season. Cities, the Sullivan County region, and the spas have kosher establishments.
Climate: The State is a region of moderate rainfall, but summer cloudbursts and winter blizzards are not uncommon; some roads occasionally flooded in the spring. Evening fogs in the fall common in Finger Lakes region. Temperatures range from – 40° F. in winter to 110° F. in summer; Ontario-Erie region more temperate. January is usually the coldest month, July the warmest. Adirondack sections tend to have warm days and cool nights in summer. Winds are prevailingly westerly. Weather reporting stations in principal cities.
Protection of Plants: Do not pick or dig up trailing arbutus, flowering dogwood, mountain laurel, lotus, lady slipper, fern, or hart’s tongue. Cutting, girdling, injuring, or destroying fruit, shade, or ornamental trees, plants, shrubs, or vines on State lands, highways, or public park land is a misdemeanor.
Liquor Regulations: Beer may be purchased for off-premises consumption in breweries, drugstores, grocery stores, restaurants, and hotels; for on-premises consumption in hotels, clubhouses, restaurants, grills, ships, and railroad cars.
Wine and liquor may be bought for off-premises consumption in licensed liquor stores and in drugstores which have permits; for on-premises consumption in bona-fide hotels, clubhouses, restaurants, ships, and railroad cars.
Sale of beer, wine, and liquor is prohibited for off-premises consumption on Sunday, weekdays between midnight and 8 a.m., and general or primary election days while the polls are open; for on-premises consumption on Sunday from 3 a.m. to 1 p.m., weekdays from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m., and on general or primary election days while the polls are open. Local county boards further curtail hours of sale in many localities. Many townships in the State, under local option, prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages or permit it in bona-fide hotels only.
RECREATION
Camping: Free camping on designated State campsites and free temporary camping on other land in the Adirondack and Catskill forest preserves; free camping in several State parks outside the forest preserves. Some State parks charge 50¢ a night, $2 a week for camping privileges; and some provide cabins, rented by the day, week, month, or season at varying rates. Trailer camps in some State parks, and many, privately owned, along the main roads. The State Conservation Dept., Albany, furnishes free pamphlets on campsites in the State parks.
Swimming: June through August. Public and private parks and beaches throughout the State. Indoor pools in winter.
Hiking: State-maintained trails in Adirondack and Catskill forest preserves and in several of the larger State parks. Most private landowners do not object to trespass for hiking purposes only. The State Conservation Dept., Albany, furnishes free pamphlets on trails in the Adirondacks and Catskills.
Boating: April–November. A guide to the Adirondack canoe routes is issued free by the State Conservation Dept., Albany.
Skiing: December through February. Bear Mountain, Woodstock, Slide Mountain, Fleischmanns, Rotterdam, Berlin, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lake George, Ticonderoga, Gore Mountain, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Thacher Park, Cooperstown, Allegany State Park, and others. Novice, intermediate, and expert slopes. Week-end ski trains, January and February, from New York City, Albany, Schenectady, and Utica (schedules at D.& H.R.R. and N.Y.C.R.R. stations). A ski trail guide is issued free by Bureau of State Publicity, Conservation Dept., Albany.
Bobsledding: Mt. Van Hoevenberg at Lake Placid; expert run.
Skating: Late November through February. Many city parks, private ponds, and indoor rinks; indoor ice carnival at Lake Placid in July. Collegiate and preparatory school games on home rinks throughout skating season, weather permitting.
Baseball: April through September. Minor league games at Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Binghamton, Elmira, and other cities. College and high-school games April to June. ‘Twilight league’ evening games throughout the State; also softball.
Football: Sept. 1 to Nov. 25. High school and college games throughout the State; professional games in New York City. Upstate major teams at U.S. Military Academy (West Point), and Syracuse, Colgate, and Cornell Universities.
Lacrosse: April to June. Principal teams at Union, Hobart, U.S. Military Academy, and St. Lawrence.
Track and Field: April to June: interscholastic, collegiate, and A.A.U. title meets throughout the State. September through October: interscholastic and collegiate cross-country races, often between halves at football games.
Tennis: April through October. Many municipal and private club courts throughout the State. Major competition at Rye; many county and sectional championship matches.
Golf: April through October. Municipal, State park, hotel, fee, and private club courses. Fees from 50¢ per day to $2 per round. Club, city, and sectional competitions at various times; P.G.A. sectional championships at club extending invitation.
Hunting and Fishing: Nonresident and alien license to trap, hunt, and fish, $10.50. Citizen resident license to trap, hunt, and fish, $5.25. Alien fishing license only, $5.50. Citizen nonresident license, 3 consecutive days, fishinging only, $2.75. Resident citizen deer license, $1.25. Federal stamp for wild-fowl hunting, $1, at first- and second-class post offices. State licenses secured at Conservation Department, Albany, and branch offices, or from county, city, town, or village clerks or game protectors. For restrictions consult syllabus of State game laws obtainable at office issuing license or by mail from State Conservation Dept., Albany. A guide to the fishing waters of the State is issued free by the Bureau of State Publicity, Conservation Dept., Albany.
Licensed Guides: Licensed guides, displaying State badge, can be hired from Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Monroe, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, and Washington Counties. Usual fees, $5 a day during deer season (Oct. 15–Nov. 15), $4–$8 in other seasons.
Fire Protection: Fire wardens have authority to call private citizens for fire duty; 25¢ an hour for actual service, mileage allowance for automobile if commandeered. Governor may close forest preserve lands to campers, hunters, fishermen, and hikers under conditions of fire hazard.
Public Information Service: Douglass M. Burckett, Chairman, Appalachian Mountain Club Ski Committee, 5 Joy St., Boston, Mass.; Rae Galusha, Chairman Publicity Committee, Gore Mountain Ski Club, North Creek, N.Y.; Adirondack Mountain Club, Room 1935, 1220 Broadway, New York City; Publicity Dept., New York Central R.R., Grand Central Terminal, New York City; Publicity Dept., Delaware & Hudson R.R., Albany, N.Y.; New York Chamber of Commerce, 65 Liberty St., New York City; Martin J. Rennell, Secretary, Adirondack Resorts Assn., Port Kent-on-Lake Champlain, N.Y.; K.J. Lixtur, President, Schenectady Winter Sports Club, 2637 Augustine Ave., Schenectady, N.Y.; Charles H. Schenck, Executive Secretary, Mohawk Valley Towns Assn., Inc., Amsterdam, N.Y.; Bureau of State Publicity, State Conservation Dept., Albany, N.Y.; New York State Automobile Assn., 184 State St., Albany, N.Y.; Associated Industries of New York, Inc., 406 Root Bldg., Buffalo, N.Y.; Finger Lakes Assn., Watkins Glen, N.Y.; Travelers Aid Society, railroad stations in first- and second-class cities.