In a little while I shall be going E&T until late tonight, as I make my way into Sullivan County, NY, a.k.a. the Catskill Region, a.k.a. the Borscht Belt, for my annual visit to a couple of friends who have a beautiful little summer house in one of the old bungalow colonies. Their house overlooks a dramatic meadow beyond which are the Catskills themselves, and I'm rather hoping for a passing late afternoon thunderstorm today since I've only seen the place in its lovely sunny state.
Of course, there is no more Borscht Belt and I never "knew" it except from books and films, etc., but once I started driving over there just to look around some years back, I found myself hooked on the remains of the faded glory. Actually, faded glory is not quite the word for it. Desolate destruction and abandonment might get a little closer to the truth. The remains of the old hotels, some of them, are still there for all to see and for braver risk-takers than I to actually explore, and even in the years I've been doing my little drive-throughs, a few more have burned to the ground through whatever means or have been deliberately razed. It's a sad, spooky, and fascinating area.
