JOHNSTOWN, NY

When most people think of New York, they think of New York City - which is the island of Manhattan. New York is actually one of the largest states, so when I say I upstate that could mean anywhere between 1 and 8 hours of driving time from the city. For example, Troy is 3 hours upstate. However, this weekend I went just a bit further upstate to Johnstown to spend a weekend away with a very specific group of friends. When I started college over 4 years ago I was on the swim team, there also happened to be 3 other architects on the team and the four of us immediately bonded. We re-connected for the first time in a couple of years and had an amazing time. 

Being up near the Adirondacks, we took advantage of the foliage turning colors and took a short hike up to a fire tower. We were all severely unprepared for the snow that decided to barrage us the entire hike, which made it that much more fun. We caught up and admired the scenery while trekking up to the lookout point. On the way back from the hike we drove past an abandoned amusement park that we had to stop at. Upon first glance all we saw was the Ferris wheel, but when we got there we discovered this beautiful carousel too. 

All images courtesy of Rebecca Exley, thanks for letting me use your photos! 

There were so many beautiful, old, abandoned buildings around that we could have explored if it weren't for the early setting autumn sun. It was an enlightening weekend full of deep conversations that only long term friends have, and I can't wait until we can get together again for more adventures!