Everytime we visit Cooperstown, N.Y., it is like going home. The irony is, we have never lived in Cooperstown.

Authenticity never grows old, and that is why being in Cooperstown makes us feel right at home. Walking down the tree-lined, toy village-like Main Street, gazing at pristine Otsego Lake from a relaxing wooden bench, chatting with friendly residents and marveling at the presence of their proud, old homes lends a welcome sense of place from a previous generation.

When one is in tune with something that is special, there is no need to constantly be on the run. No big city, and its constituents of high rises, malls, bars, nightclubs, manufactured housing developments and preoccupation with cell phones, laptops and Palm Pilots could ever match the peace of a village that happily rises with the vibrant, daily country sunrise. Cooperstown is just that place, a village where the big sky allows you to see beyond just buildings and other distractions, thus, creating a clear vision for your own personal dreams.

It is always sad leaving a place you love, but knowing it is always there makes one glad to return to one's own community and start looking forward to returning home again.

Written by Eric and Joan H., frequent Cooperstown visitors