I was genuinely baffled about whether to be excited for the latest non-stop leaving O’Hare International Airport, which was announced today: Watertown, N.Y. I’m not sure I even knew there was a place in New York called Watertown before American Eagle announced that it will begin flying there Nov. 18.
This statement in a news release, from Gary Foss, an American vice president of planning and marketing, gave a little insight: “This schedule will allow customers from Jefferson County to make a day trip to Chicago for business or connect through this key international gateway to destinations throughout the American Airlinesand oneworld global network. We are especially eager to provide convenient air service for military personnel and other visitors traveling to and from the U.S. Army base at nearby Fort Drum.”
But I still wasn’t sure what Chicago will get out of the deal. At first I turned to the Internet, which told me that Watertown is about 70 miles north of Syracuse, just east of Lake Ontario and about 25 miles south of the Canadian border. It has a population of 27,489 according to the U.S. Census Bureau and is “known as the birthplace of the Five and dime, the safety pin, and is the home of Little Trees car fresheners,” according to Wikipedia.
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But then I got serious. I called Sara Carpenter, marketing director of the Greater Watertown Chamber of Commerce for some answers. What follows is a slightly streamlined version of our conversation.
Me: So tell me about Watertown.
Sara: We’re in Jefferson County, which is the fastest growing country in New York State. We have 27,000 deployed and undeployed soldiers at Ft. Drum, which is five minutes outside of town. We’re primarily a military area, but we are a tourist area too.
Me: How so?
Sara: Well, there are literally 1,000 islands along the St. Lawrence River (north of town, along the Canadian border). We also have some waves on the Black River, which is in town. I don’t know what they’re called, but we’re the only place in the United States with these kinds of waves, and kayakers come all year round for these waves. Cold weather and everything. We also have two castles in the area. One was built by the former owner of Signer sewing machines. That’s Singer Castle. The other is Boldt Castle. It was built by a man who loved his wife, and just before the castle was finished, she died. It broke his heart so he never finished it and it sat in ruins for years. I remember as a kid we would all go there and you could write in graffiti in it, like in the closet of something, which is horrible. But everyone did it. They’ve restored 80 percent of the castle, and every year they show up with a new room or something new and special. We also have a mall.
Me: Is it a special mall?
Sara: No, it’s just a mall. Thirty stores. But we have one.
Me: How would you describe the character of the town?
Sara: We have huge Italian and Irish populations. We have a huge Bravo Italiano Fest in September, where you can get your Italian cooking and there are Italian singers. We have all the chain restaurants, but most of the home-style restaurants are Italian. Like 90 percent. They’re the best.
Me: What is the best time of year to be there?
Sara: Most of the tourism is during July, but my opinion is the fall. It’s not hot. It can get pretty muggy (in summer), but fall is amazing. Start in Watertown, get something good to eat, then go to the Adirondacks, which is an hour east of us, and see the fall color. It’s amazing.
Me: OK, here’s your big chance to make your pitch to Chicagoans. Beyond what you’ve said, why should we come visit?
Sara: The great outdoors. We have great hunting. We have some of the best fishing in the U.S. and some say the world. If you want the outdoor experience, come here. We like to ski, hunt and fish here. And it’s very inexpensive to come visit us. We have many, many hotels, both chains and small marina-type hotels. Also, New York state wine is amazing and we’re right along the Thousand Islands Seaway Wine Trail. We have six wineries in our area. We’re really a fairly good tourist destination!
So there you have it. Flights will depart O’Hare at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. daily (except Sunday) and depart Watertown at 7:10 a.m. and 5:05 p.m. (again, except Sunday). Field trip to Watertown! Who is with me?
Twitter @traveljosh