111 Reasons Why Upstate New York Is The Best Place In The World

    And no, we're not talking about Westchester OR Buffalo.

    1. Stewart's

    2. Stewart's ice cream

    3. Stewart's iced tea

    4. Stewart's milkshakes

    5. And also coming up with nicknames for Stewart's (i.e., Stewie's)

    6. LITERALLY EVERYTHING STEWART'S OK?!

    4. Billy Fucillo

    5. Easy access to the biggest state park in the country, the Adirondack State Park

    6. The Great Escape

    7. Melba sauce (mmmmmm)

    8. Garbage plates

    9. Friendly's after a football game

    10. Bombers burritos and also the GIANT FREE MARGARITA on your birthday

    11. Lake George mini-vacations

    12. Snow days

    13. Cold days (aka missing school because it's too cold)

    14. The Catskills

    15. Having the innate ability to drive in snow and laughing at people who can't

    16. Close proximity to both New York City and Boston

    17. Four distinct and legit seasons

    18. Nor'easters

    19. Actually understanding lacrosse (sort of)

    20. Damn good fall foliage

    21. 24-hour grocery stores

    22. Snow forts

    23. Saratoga in the summer

    24. SPAC

    25. Gambling for the first time at the track

    26. Hot tubs

    27. Waking up at 5 a.m. and going to Countryfest even if you don't like country music

    28. Developing a true understanding and tolerance for cold weather

    29. Learning how to ski

    30. Learning how to snowboard

    31. Actually spending most of your time hanging out in ski lodges

    32. Haunted hay rides

    33. Quality diners

    34. Knowing where Uncle Sam was buried

    35. Actually understanding "Ithaca Is Gorges" shirts

    36. Rooting for Syracuse

    37. Hating Red Sox fans

    38. Hating Yankees fans

    39. Feeling pity for Mets fans

    40. The intense joy and deep sorrow you feel when snow melts

    41. Literally the entire month of May

    42. Tulips

    43. Getting drunk in the woods in high school

    44. Late-night Taco Bell or Mighty Taco runs

    45. Jumping Jacks

    46. Wegmans

    47. Dinosaur BBQ

    48. Going to summer camp at least once during childhood

    49. Making camp friends forever

    50. Locks (as in the ones in rivers)

    51. Riding or running along bike paths

    52. Being able to have a dog — SPACE

    53. The Altamont Fair, the Duchess County Fair, the State Fair — FAIRS

    54. Going to DMB concerts in the summer (even if you hate them)

    55. Apple picking

    56. Running into a bee's nest while apple picking, surviving

    57. Hot Bruegger's bagels... so many good bagel places EVERYWHERE

    58. Bragging to everyone about how The Place Beyond The Pines was literally filmed at your bank

    59. Eating an entire box of Freihofer's cookies

    60. Alive at 5

    61. Intense pride in the TWO Lake Placid Olympics

    62. Also the Miracle on Ice

    63. Hating Ichabod Crane's snow days with every fiber of your being

    64. Old Dutch houses, the Dutch influence in general

    65. Kind of understanding "lake-effect snow"

    66. Spiedies

    67. "The No. 1 in family fun... WILD YOU BET!"

    68. Saranac beer

    69. UBU Ale

    70. Having a deep understanding of which bug spray works best

    71. Herkimer diamonds

    72. Brook's Barbecue

    73. Anchor bar

    74. The Boilermaker Road Race

    75. Fish Fry with a side of Loganberry soda... or pop

    76. Chicken riggies

    77. "IT'S HUUUU

    78. UUUUUUUU

    79. UUUUUUUU

    80. GEEEEEE!!!!"

    81. Cliff jumping

    82. Surviving Kegs and Eggs

    83. Surving Fountain Day

    84. Genesee Cream Ale

    85. Having friends convince you to go to Cortaca

    86. Siena basketball and hoping they make it into March Madness every year

    87. The River Rats

    88. The Diamond Dogs

    89. Having a deep and vast knowledge of lakes/rivers

    90. Byrne Dairy chocolate milk

    91. Stewart's milk runs...

    92. Did we mention Stewart's yet?

    92. Knowing NYS geography based on the locations of SUNY schools

    93. Salt potatoes

    94. Owning at least one North Face jacket

    95. Driving on I-87 once you get past Lake George, calling it the Northway

    96. Wineries in the Finger Lakes

    97. Howe Caverns

    98. Tackling your fears by riding The Comet for the first time

    99. I Love NY Pizza

    100. Knowing what GOOD Buffalo chicken wings taste like

    101. The high peaks

    102. Hiking, in general

    103. Leaf piles

    104. The Metro North railroad

    105. Truly appreciating the power of snowblower

    106. Having friends with camps

    107. Having friends with boats

    108. Having friends with a furnished basement to get drunk in during high school

    109. Drive-ins

    110. Volunteering to be put into the trunk to get in free into the drive-ins

    110. Bonfires

    111. And of course, the immense pride that comes with telling people where the REAL upstate New York is. GET OUT OF HERE, WESTCHESTER.