It would seem so true that closer resorts could make a comeback. They should add gambling to these areas.More so now with the bad economy keeping people closer to home plus skyrocketing airfare and their "nickel and diming". It would seem people would want to vacation closer these days. Some thought has to be put into making these scenic areas vital again....
My parents honeymooned at Grossingers and we spent every summer of my life until I was 16 in the Catskills. They were the best, most special summers any kid could have had. Thanks for posting this, even tho it's so sad that it's all gone now.
I wish the History Channel, or someone, would do a major documentary on this place--"The Rise and Fall of the Catskills". They could tell the story of how the area first began to develop, and show pictures and footage of the resorts in their heyday. Then they could go into reasons for the decline, and give us an official tour of some of the ruins--focusing on the flagship places like Grossingers and The Pines.
"Big Money" came like a murderous tide ruining the land for a fast buck. They made so much money, they quick closed down and headed overseas. Leaving in their wake a vast garbage dump where beautiful pristine land once was, home to the wildlife...no more. AND STAY OUT ! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out ! This kind of land abuse in now outlawed.
I lived in liberty from 1989-1994 that was the time when most of the hotels were closed. I worked 1 season at the browns hotel in loch sheldrake, and 5 years at the extinct Liberty diner. I love liberty and I would like to go back even tho people say it had change a lot. Any ways it's a good video and sad.
It is sad to see what used to be a wonderful place to vacation left to history. IDK if bringing in gambling would have saved these places, but it would have ensured that I wouldn't go there. If the Catskills were still like they were, I would go there for vacation in a minute (even as a Gentile ;) ). If you want to go to the fleshpot of LV, you can have it.
Have to say as someone who owns property deep in the real CATSKILLS, Most of the hotels shown in the video are in Sullivan county you could say the foothills of the Catskills perhaps, but not really in the Catskills mtns.
great job love the past and to present pics so you can see the changes !!!!!!! what a world and life it was ... i wish i couldve been part of such a beutiful era ..................
The whole country has changed. America is dying, folks. It's been done on purpose with precision. It's no accident. Jobs outsourced by big greedy corporations who didn't care about America or it's people. If we don't do something about it we will be the losers, big time.
the birth of the automobile killed tourism up here in the cattskills :( ...... once everyone had a car, they wanted to see the whole country, the railway resorts up here died off. GREAT VIDEO !!! brings tears to my eyes to hear this song, while seeing history be destroyed :(
The truth of the matter is that the Sullivan Catskills were (and still are being) overtaken by tax-exempt properties leaving the burden to pay on too few. This includes businesses like these resorts who's window of revenue were only for a small portion of the Calendar year.
Sadly one group of people used a rule originally meant for a small ratio and blew the ratio out of proportion. resulting in this plague of harm both financially and aesthetically.
@six6wings as in all things, they evolve, families have changed, tastes changed, first, air travel got cheaper, then the kids had to go to college, then Europe got cheaper.Sadly the immigrants who created these unique places have passed on, as in Miami Beach..That too took years to come back..I can only hope for the same here. I loved it there.
I am a baby boomer, and spent many childhood summers in hots in the Catskills..Seeing what has become of them is enough to make you cry.
As to the person who asked if Blacks moved into the neighboorhood.
The answer is no. To take it a step further.. There were many Orgs & Baptist & Christian Churches that used to sponsor weekends there.. and the people who stayed at the hotels were just as friendly as anyone else. That being said, I do miss the sense of community amongst Jews it created.
#1 --My husband's parents owned and operated their House of Albert beauty salon, in the '60s, at Grossingers, in Manhattan, and on cruise ships. They also did the hair of Miss Universe contestants. My mother-in-law was a focused, talented, diligent and determined businesswoman, and a loving and devoted mother way ahead of her time.
#2--My father-in-law was an artist and gifted colorist. It's really amazing to me to ponder all they accomplished in the days of no computers or cell phones. A few of their Grossinger clients: Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, to name a very few. My mother-in-law styled Debbie Reynolds' hair on Debbie's wedding day to Eddie Fisher, at Grossinger's. I don't know if she also did Elizabeth Taylor's at her wedding there, to Fisher.
#2 My father-in-law was an artist and gifted colorist. It's really amazing to me to ponder all they accomplished in the days of no computers or cell phones. A few of their Grossinger clients: Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, to name a very few. My mother-in-law styled Debbie Reynolds' hair on Debbie's wedding day to Eddie Fisher, at Grossinger's. I don't know if she also did Elizabeth Taylor's at her wedding there, to Fisher.
Unfortunately no one wants to vacation like this anymore. They've become too sophisticated and materialistic. They want thrills. The family as we knew it is gone. I hope one day this are will be resurrected.
I was afraid this would happen to the Rip Van Winkle campground but they happen to be expanding. I know the last time I went to surgeries it didn't look like it was doing so great. I just dont see how the creeks alone dont make them a profit, I guess the campgrounds thrive off of that. I remember walking out of the Catskills Game Farm knowing I would never see it again. I think I might have been one of the last 10 visitors to ever walk out of that park.
@ 4:53 what the heck is that?? Thanks for taking the time to show us these pics.
Question: Resorts like these were mostly for family outings so do you think because the family dynamic has changed and because the economy has changed so much that is why these places have gone under and become abandoned? Curious about everyone's opinion.
I think that people that have good times in places such as this never go back because the good memories can never happen again. There goes the cycle....And the buildings and "place" suffers.
Its gonna be Walmarts and alot of really cold poor families, you should move. It had its day and its over, its not comming back. Soon it will be bears , deer and Walmart and HomeDepo. Let them have it.
Really sad . And that whole area is getting worse not better in the last 10 years. Alot of those places could be rejuvenated with full gambling casinos.
I'v just moved back from alabama 6 yrs. ago and I have realized that most of the property and livin expence is diffrent. There is more Summer Friends(jewish) that take most of the goverement money and pay none or little taxes on property, but yet us all year round people have to pay alot more then them.....Why, we could b making a diffrence and I believe it can happen. Let try to make our Catskills look even better then before.
@kayla03221 FYI, those "summer friends" purchase most of the goods in supermarkets, local markets, gas stations, Box Stores (who do pay sales tax)...would it be better if they "paid" on the tax exempt property...yes, but if its what it takes to have the purchasing power they bring...I say bring it on. I wish they stayed all year. If NOT for them, locals wouldn't be able to pay their bills the rest of the year. Do you think they BRING their propane, or electricity with them????
This is so sad!! My mother remembers coming to the Pines hotel ever other summer. The last time was in 1981, and it was still hoping. I just wish I had gotten a chance to see it for myself.
SUPPOSEDLY, Two factors contributed to the downfall of the CATSKILLS tourist industry . Cheaper aircondtioners for NYC apartment dwellers . No more ,having to get away from that hot apartment to the cool country. And cheaper airline tickets for low to middle class families, you could go to VEGAS now.
people had less and less free time,wifes worked full time, families had two cars, two tv sets,more payments,less free money. Less time, more stress, less money, .
My family used to go for 1 week a summer to Sunnybrook Bed & Breakfast at 5308 Cauterskill Rd in Catskill, NY. I loved that place....it still stands today but mainly as a home for squatters who pay their way with cooking or handyman jobs. The main house is still intact but the seperated buildings are pretty run down. I visited a short while ago and the bar, RecRoom, and individual rooms are all destroyed from years of non-use. It's a shame...this video really hits home for me. I wish it didnt...
I think that Sullivan County is haunted. There is something evil about that place. It is so cutoff from the rest of the world, even though it is only 90 miles from NYC. I remember walking outside at night in the winter. It is so dark, quiet, and spooky. This is especially true when the wind is howling. The broken down buildings add to the scare effect. The area reminds me of Salem, Mass. or a movie called The Ring. I lived there until my early twenties and was wise enough to leave.
@glick59 The quiet is only the side effect of hardly anyone wanting to live or vacation there anymore. What is truly haunting is the extreme amount of poverty.
Bum N Kels, Gwens, Goodies, The Chalet, The Place, THe Loft, Kilcoins, Carnival Lounge, Pink Elephant, skinny dipping in Swan Lake or Revonnah and the Liberty Diner- where the local judge and a state trooper watched all of us come in after the bars closed to make sure we weren't too impaired to drive home after a nice greasy breakfast feast....what great high school and college years
So sweet and sad. My husband and I met in college up in the Catskills...I was a local, a transplant from NYC and he was a student from Long Island. We fell in love with the Catskills and miss the whole hotel/bungalow culture there. It was a special and irreplaceable time. Thanks for the beautiful video...
My parents met each other at Grossinger's. Years later I nearly drowned in that huge indoor pool with moss growing over it now. I can smell and feel that room--it felt to me like its own biosphere--ears would pop through the airlocks. And it was there I discovered the opposite sex. Passover, succos at those resorts were powerful, unique communal post-shtetl experiences for us lucky ones.
Omg I'm actually crying.... I represent the Lagattut's voice. My uncles father and mom all worked at alot of the places... the rave and rave about them..... My mother has AWESOME pictures... So sad!!
Sometimes grand hotels like these are built too big for there own good, then when buisness drops it becomes too expensive to maintain the hotel and too expensive to tear down and redevelope. Thats probably why so many are just abandoned.
You are right in many ways,there was also hundreds on them in a small area and many hotel owners had ones in Florida and sent the profits there.They simply neglected their bread and butter.
Our town recently lost a historic hotel due to years of neglect. It was built in the 1800's. Presidents Lincoln, Grant, and Buchanan stayed there as well as General George S. Patton. It made me sick in my stomach to see it get ripped down.
I grew up in Sullivan County and I just wanted to say that I think that it is the armpit of the Earth. There are many boarded up businesses and run-down buildings. Many of the streets are pot-holed and there appears to be poverty everywhere. The winters there are extremely depressing. I swear that place has kind of a haunting curse hanging over it. Moving out of there was the best thing I've ever done.
ive lived in Sullivan county my whole life and i love this place, im not sure where u get off saying its the armpit of the earth as it is a great place to raise children and grow up. just because ur experiences here may not have been the best doesnt mean it is the county or even the towns fault. This is a beautiful area that is flourishing now.
My experiences have been seeing boarded up buildings (like Woodbourne in the winter), neglected streets, and vagrants wandering Broadway, Monticello. It seems poverty is rampant there. Many businesses have closed in that area.
areyou kidding me it flourishing wheredo you live now i live in the catskills monticello is a dying town it looks like the south bronx did in the70s liberty is doing a little better we have a few new stores maybe thats a start
monticello is the absolute worste place to live in sullivan county. you cant judge the whole county by that hole. towns like livingston manor liberty and roscoe are all in good standing for the economic times. monticello hasnt been a respectible section of the county in years so you should not judge the whole county based on one town and a bunch of run down hotels while new buisnesses are sprining up every day.
Grossingers Hotel did close in 1986, but it was bought by a developer later on, and they began new construction on the hotel. They had plans to reopen in 1995 or so, but since money ran out, the plans never materialized!!!! Now the old, and new construction is deteriorating!!! SAD!!!!
Back in the 70s most of the hotels tried to bring in gambling but the local people kept voting it down. When Atlantic City NJ opened up it was the end of the Catskills. It was a wonderful area and a wonderful time.
1-because hotels can't pick up and "move to florida and arizona" 2-failure to adapt to evolving markets 3-their purpose has been served and they are forever memories of life for those who experienced it there
AWESOME VIDEO. Song almost always makes me sad. Video always makes me sad. So much history squandered,- check out joe4speed for current pics. very depressing.
these places may not be so deteriorated if those stupid drunk teens wouldnt go and destroy everything because they think its ''cool'' if ur thinking about doing it just dont go ahead look around but please dont break and destroy buteiful things
Fantastic video, the music goes along perfectly. I'm 31 years old so I missed the boat on many of these places but I do remember Grossingers being open when I was younger. My family used to summer up in the Liberty area and I definitely see a difference in that town over the last 20 years.
Wow! what a great job on the video. I worked at Grossinger's in 1972 as a lifeguard in the indoor pool and the lake. I Have some great memories of lost love, friends and being young and carefree. Thank you
idk why they would abandon the place in the first place, this video touches me, i've never ever heard of the catskill but knowing therw were so many merories in it, that makes me sad
It was once a very beautiful place. Several of these photos of this video are of The Grossingers Hotel near Liberty NY. My father worked there for many years as a painter, up until it's closure in 1986. The building you see being demolished was the Main Lobby!!! If you were to see the place now, it is very sad, and depressing. The remaining hotel is abandoned, and deteriorating!!!!!
There is much of Grossingers that is still standing. You should still go and show them. Some of it is in severe disrepair, but a large number of them are still safe and can be walked through. Thank you for the comment. -ED
Thanks for the comment. Tania actually contacted the Catskill Memories Group, because she saw the video as well. I hope that the book, and the video bring more awareness to the situation, and can bring people to do something about this tragedy. -ED
Neither. These resorts were abandoned when the money dried up. They were just left there to rot. Some with their furnature and ammenities still in the buildings. They have just been sitting there and falling apart for years. It's a terrible tragedy, and if it were in my power, I'd save them myself. The only way that's going to happen is if more people get involved. Thanks for the comment.
I used to swim in the indoor and outdoor pool every chance that I got.....i worked at the front desk in 1975. I remember all of the framed pictures on the walls as I walked the halls. I remember the coconut macaroons and fantasizing about hamburgers. Great film showing the contrasts. The main room was so grand with high ceilings and one of the younger Grossingers would stoll through in his floor length racoon coat. I remember the rye bread with Jennie on the label. April Aldighieri
Visited there during a stint as a councellor on a nearby Summer camp. The first time thrown out before I got in for strolling in with a beer bottle in hand. Returned in better company for a meal & a swim in the company of Irish Americam relatives & a girl I was dying to get to know bette. Alas the girl, was one that got away. Tracey Chapman's song ,mournful & evocative. A great job.
Wonderful! Whether I stayed with my parents at the Sackett Lake Lodge, or Overlook Hotel, Loch Sheldrake, or Finkelstein's Bungalows, L.S., or Frieda's Hotel and Bungalow Colony, L.S., or Woodland Bungalow Colony,Woodbourne, or Pearl Ritzer's Bungalows,L.S., or the Aladdin, Woodbourne or The Gilbert or Brickman Hotel, Fallsburg, or Abe and Rose Gibber's, Kiamesha Lake or in my beloved Heiden Hotel in South Fallsburg, I will treasure all of my Catskill memories. Thanks for helping me remember.
Having lived in Liberty until I graduated college, I have some great memories of Grossingers and the Catskills. I remember so many events and activities at Grossingers, especially the sport legends who came thereto train. This was a wonderful video, which bought back some of those memories. Thank you for bringing back a wonderful time in my life!!
Wow - Am reading "Growing up at Grossinger's" by Tania Grossinger and all the memories of me growing up there as a Grossinger Brat, along with my sisters is propted me to do a little research that led me to this video. I knew about the demise, viewed it in person a few years ago. It's heartbreaking. I can walk the entire hotel and grounds in my head - I think it's where my afinity of gowns came from. I learned skiing, swimming and rowing out to hike. Wish I could go back to how it was. TKS
I worked at the front desk at Grossingers from 1963 to 1966 and met my husband there. Went there to meet a nice rich Jewish boy and instead met a handsome Latin Band Leader. I am now married 40 years and have 2 sons. We have many memories and lots of photos. I lived in the playhouse and he lived at the Farm House. We still remember so much and only regret that we never took our kids to see the hotel before it was demolished.
This was a wonderful, bittersweet slideshow. I actually cried as I watched. As someone who grew up in Monticello from 1964-1982, I remember the hotels in their heydey. During college, I worked at the Concord and other resorts, but after graduation have only returned to the mountains to visit family. Such a beautiful area, but so depressed. Thank you so much for posting such a touching tribute.
I also grew up in Monticello at the same time you did and I also remember the hotels in their heyday. Went to Monti High. We used to deliver soda to most of them and remember the wonderful staff, owners and guests that treated us so well.
The massive hotel at 1:48 is huge! I cannot believe what I am seeing on this video clip of all these former grand massive places abandoned, why? What on earth happened to all of them, totally bizzare.
ight well ima go to the abandoned hotel thats in my area i think ima make a vid like this one ill hit u up and u can see what it looks like its prettty good but hella small lol thanks for adding this one! peace
My grampa helped build the Pines Hotel Resort and he took some pictures for my father. Well, my dad gave me those pictures. Back then it was so grourious. Everything there looked grand and perfect. Look at it now...
that makes me sick .this is the new america everything is disposable and for sale. those kept people warm and dry there are a lot of memories for people now they are in ruins i just dont get it.
Many years ago, my family stayed at a Catskills resort. Can't recall which one. As a kid, I didn't appreciate the tradition, the beauty. It's all gone now. How sad.
Unfortunately, most of upstate NY is just a memory at this point- industry has moved on and people don't vacation like they used to when it's easier to plop the brats in front of a DVD and ignore them for 3 hours.
Sometimes I think I have it tough in the city where I live, and then I talk to my good friends who still live in upstate NY and hear the latest hardships. It's a gorgeous area, but it's time has passed. It makes me melancholy.
a.... i cant stop watching this lol anyway i have some pictures my friend might be able to send you for ur website which is good by the way (5 stars ) there from an abandoned hotel in iowa if ur interested theres onyl about 17 but there decent pictures plus u dont have iowa lol so holla back
damn thats is one big ass place!!! so why did they have to close down the hotel anyway it looked like they should have gotten tons of money from people it looked fancy ""when it was open"" and nice video, real nice!!!
The video accually is 3 hotels.Grossingers,the Pines and the Conord.Grossingers made semi famous by the 80's movie "Dirty Dancing"known there as Kellermans.There are many reasons why they closed and the Catskill's had hundreds of these resorts.There are many who want to bring them back!There are also a few remaining hotels that are trying to survive.Thanks for the comment!
In the Mid-sixties, while attending college, I worked summers and holidays at Kutshers. In the fall of 1968, I went into the Air Force, was trained as a pilot, and went off to Vietnam. I never managed to got back to the Catskills. The photos are sad, but in their own way, the places are still beautiful. They hotels may be closed, but we still have our memories. Thanks for the trip back to my college days.
You are right there is a certain beauty left in them.Thought you'd like to know that Kutshers is still open and kind of surviving.You can check them out,google them and see.Thanks for the comment!
Even years after these hotels closed, my family and I STILL drive up there to see what's new (old ). Sad..even the RED APPLE REST is gone. Glad I got pix of it a few years ago.
I wanted to cry so bad, even though I've never been there, I still want to cry. =;(
IzzyInc27 1 month ago
It would seem so true that closer resorts could make a comeback. They should add gambling to these areas.More so now with the bad economy keeping people closer to home plus skyrocketing airfare and their "nickel and diming". It would seem people would want to vacation closer these days. Some thought has to be put into making these scenic areas vital again....
jepsipepsi17 2 months ago
We use to play in the castskill back in the 70´s Moraarriaga family our musical group name.
videomusical003 3 months ago
My parents honeymooned at Grossingers and we spent every summer of my life until I was 16 in the Catskills. They were the best, most special summers any kid could have had. Thanks for posting this, even tho it's so sad that it's all gone now.
212Hope 4 months ago
i wish i could fix it up
winnryax 4 months ago
memories that I can never have, very very sad. I just want to cry because those must have been good times that i'll never get to see......
IzzyInc27 4 months ago
is this still there
fatzGeronimo 5 months ago in playlist fatzGeronimo's Favorited Videos
Great, sad video. I miss those days!
Thanks for posting this
ghazikankan 6 months ago
I wish the History Channel, or someone, would do a major documentary on this place--"The Rise and Fall of the Catskills". They could tell the story of how the area first began to develop, and show pictures and footage of the resorts in their heyday. Then they could go into reasons for the decline, and give us an official tour of some of the ruins--focusing on the flagship places like Grossingers and The Pines.
radioclash81 6 months ago 2
"Big Money" came like a murderous tide ruining the land for a fast buck. They made so much money, they quick closed down and headed overseas. Leaving in their wake a vast garbage dump where beautiful pristine land once was, home to the wildlife...no more. AND STAY OUT ! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out ! This kind of land abuse in now outlawed.
ozgood1x 6 months ago
wonderful video thankyou it is sad to see so many beautifull places falling in on them selves
ericdravin21 7 months ago
HI.. Thanks for the video... At 3.46 is the light on? keep it up..
JONICRACHATLEITAO 7 months ago
I lived in liberty from 1989-1994 that was the time when most of the hotels were closed. I worked 1 season at the browns hotel in loch sheldrake, and 5 years at the extinct Liberty diner. I love liberty and I would like to go back even tho people say it had change a lot. Any ways it's a good video and sad.
carmelo1966 8 months ago
It is sad to see what used to be a wonderful place to vacation left to history. IDK if bringing in gambling would have saved these places, but it would have ensured that I wouldn't go there. If the Catskills were still like they were, I would go there for vacation in a minute (even as a Gentile ;) ). If you want to go to the fleshpot of LV, you can have it.
mescko 10 months ago 2
Have to say as someone who owns property deep in the real CATSKILLS, Most of the hotels shown in the video are in Sullivan county you could say the foothills of the Catskills perhaps, but not really in the Catskills mtns.
sturoc0 10 months ago
What a beautiful place and how very sad to see it abandoned.
MsMercury 11 months ago
great job love the past and to present pics so you can see the changes !!!!!!! what a world and life it was ... i wish i couldve been part of such a beutiful era ..................
dutyhole1734 11 months ago
The whole country has changed. America is dying, folks. It's been done on purpose with precision. It's no accident. Jobs outsourced by big greedy corporations who didn't care about America or it's people. If we don't do something about it we will be the losers, big time.
livnfree930 1 year ago
is this still there
fatzGeronimo 1 year ago
As they say at the end of Dirty Dancing"cheap trips to Europe"
janiemolloy 1 year ago
the catskills have the best resorts... pollaces still rocks
mattplayscheap 1 year ago
the birth of the automobile killed tourism up here in the cattskills :( ...... once everyone had a car, they wanted to see the whole country, the railway resorts up here died off. GREAT VIDEO !!! brings tears to my eyes to hear this song, while seeing history be destroyed :(
williamblake69 1 year ago
The truth of the matter is that the Sullivan Catskills were (and still are being) overtaken by tax-exempt properties leaving the burden to pay on too few. This includes businesses like these resorts who's window of revenue were only for a small portion of the Calendar year.
Sadly one group of people used a rule originally meant for a small ratio and blew the ratio out of proportion. resulting in this plague of harm both financially and aesthetically.
six6wings 1 year ago
@six6wings as in all things, they evolve, families have changed, tastes changed, first, air travel got cheaper, then the kids had to go to college, then Europe got cheaper.Sadly the immigrants who created these unique places have passed on, as in Miami Beach..That too took years to come back..I can only hope for the same here. I loved it there.
janiemolloy 1 year ago
I am a baby boomer, and spent many childhood summers in hots in the Catskills..Seeing what has become of them is enough to make you cry.
As to the person who asked if Blacks moved into the neighboorhood.
The answer is no. To take it a step further.. There were many Orgs & Baptist & Christian Churches that used to sponsor weekends there.. and the people who stayed at the hotels were just as friendly as anyone else. That being said, I do miss the sense of community amongst Jews it created.
ReuvenBoruch 1 year ago
So sad.
What happened?
Did blacks move into the neighborhood?
hellokitty2007 1 year ago
@hellokitty2007 Dear racist hellokitty, for your information no blacks moved into the nieghborhood, actually Jewish moved in!
COQUI1958 7 months ago
I live in the Catskills, its not that bad.
shinokiba 1 year ago
nice job on this :)
wakemeifimsleeping 1 year ago
why would the catskills be a place where hotels are dead? in this year the catskill should have appeal to many people :/
jackthayer 1 year ago
#1 --My husband's parents owned and operated their House of Albert beauty salon, in the '60s, at Grossingers, in Manhattan, and on cruise ships. They also did the hair of Miss Universe contestants. My mother-in-law was a focused, talented, diligent and determined businesswoman, and a loving and devoted mother way ahead of her time.
verse47 1 year ago
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#2--My father-in-law was an artist and gifted colorist. It's really amazing to me to ponder all they accomplished in the days of no computers or cell phones. A few of their Grossinger clients: Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, to name a very few. My mother-in-law styled Debbie Reynolds' hair on Debbie's wedding day to Eddie Fisher, at Grossinger's. I don't know if she also did Elizabeth Taylor's at her wedding there, to Fisher.
verse47 1 year ago
#2 My father-in-law was an artist and gifted colorist. It's really amazing to me to ponder all they accomplished in the days of no computers or cell phones. A few of their Grossinger clients: Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, to name a very few. My mother-in-law styled Debbie Reynolds' hair on Debbie's wedding day to Eddie Fisher, at Grossinger's. I don't know if she also did Elizabeth Taylor's at her wedding there, to Fisher.
verse47 1 year ago
were is this in the catskills
fatzGeronimo 1 year ago
tear!!!
Sullivan county will never be the same!
it will just be that "sleepy place time forgot"
peterjessi 1 year ago
Brought tears to my eyes. From Monticello and worked at the Concord for many years
babs14k 1 year ago
first the pines now this?
BlueBunny1324 1 year ago
@BlueBunny1324
I spent the summer of 1970 there with my parents. Loved it-- especially the pool and roller/ ice skating.
rmr2001 1 year ago
@rmr2001
awww
BlueBunny1324 1 year ago
Unfortunately no one wants to vacation like this anymore. They've become too sophisticated and materialistic. They want thrills. The family as we knew it is gone. I hope one day this are will be resurrected.
JORDANWASAGEM 1 year ago
I was afraid this would happen to the Rip Van Winkle campground but they happen to be expanding. I know the last time I went to surgeries it didn't look like it was doing so great. I just dont see how the creeks alone dont make them a profit, I guess the campgrounds thrive off of that. I remember walking out of the Catskills Game Farm knowing I would never see it again. I think I might have been one of the last 10 visitors to ever walk out of that park.
omg122448 1 year ago
Comment removed
omg122448 1 year ago
Was that the big hotel in Monticello, NY?
dotnrlg6 1 year ago
@ 4:53 what the heck is that?? Thanks for taking the time to show us these pics.
Question: Resorts like these were mostly for family outings so do you think because the family dynamic has changed and because the economy has changed so much that is why these places have gone under and become abandoned? Curious about everyone's opinion.
MsMercury 1 year ago
Sad how things move on.....
I think that people that have good times in places such as this never go back because the good memories can never happen again. There goes the cycle....And the buildings and "place" suffers.
Sad to see such a nice place die.
It happens. Mostly in America.
BA
BrentAudi 1 year ago
thanks
EspressoPictures 1 year ago
What a terrible waste. Fashions change and this is the result.
userunavailable3095 1 year ago
I know about this. Never been there, but made me weep! Who can rescue this situation? Where's the money/talent/will to rebuild?
hippojuice23 1 year ago
very sad history of this place, it was so beautiful.
MsSammis 1 year ago
Brought tears to my eyes
xsyarn 1 year ago
Its gonna be Walmarts and alot of really cold poor families, you should move. It had its day and its over, its not comming back. Soon it will be bears , deer and Walmart and HomeDepo. Let them have it.
1952kid 1 year ago
i miss the concord
1111dre 2 years ago
Really sad . And that whole area is getting worse not better in the last 10 years. Alot of those places could be rejuvenated with full gambling casinos.
Many were built for that reason.
afvc1980 2 years ago
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dascooker 2 years ago
made me cry and the song was perfect i had to download it right away!
dragonfly7259 2 years ago
I'v just moved back from alabama 6 yrs. ago and I have realized that most of the property and livin expence is diffrent. There is more Summer Friends(jewish) that take most of the goverement money and pay none or little taxes on property, but yet us all year round people have to pay alot more then them.....Why, we could b making a diffrence and I believe it can happen. Let try to make our Catskills look even better then before.
kayla03221 2 years ago
@kayla03221 FYI, those "summer friends" purchase most of the goods in supermarkets, local markets, gas stations, Box Stores (who do pay sales tax)...would it be better if they "paid" on the tax exempt property...yes, but if its what it takes to have the purchasing power they bring...I say bring it on. I wish they stayed all year. If NOT for them, locals wouldn't be able to pay their bills the rest of the year. Do you think they BRING their propane, or electricity with them????
glick59 1 year ago
This is so sad!! My mother remembers coming to the Pines hotel ever other summer. The last time was in 1981, and it was still hoping. I just wish I had gotten a chance to see it for myself.
LexasLover11 2 years ago
@LexasLover11
I was at the Pines in 1970. Loved the experience.
rmr2001 1 year ago
@rmr2001
my dream vacation was the pines...until ...it...was...ruined...BECAUSE OF STUPID MONEY.....and could u tell me about ur experience?
BlueBunny1324 1 year ago
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insguy2 2 years ago
SUPPOSEDLY, Two factors contributed to the downfall of the CATSKILLS tourist industry . Cheaper aircondtioners for NYC apartment dwellers . No more ,having to get away from that hot apartment to the cool country. And cheaper airline tickets for low to middle class families, you could go to VEGAS now.
1952kid 2 years ago
Comment removed
SCGMLB 2 years ago
Why is this happening to all these places in the Catskills? You'd think now more than ever people would want this back!
Micks1943 2 years ago
I wonder what would have happened if New York had legalized casino gambling there like in Atlantic City.
SCGMLB 2 years ago
@Micks1943 You would think that.. but sadly, that's not the case. Most of the resorts from the Adirondacks are gone too.
irondukev 1 year ago
@irondukev wait, even the adirondacks are falling apart???? i been there a couple of times
billslover90 4 months ago
Makes me cry... I'm in my 50's now, but I grew up in the beautiful Catskill mountains and remember all of this. Sad.
DearCyberGrandma 2 years ago
beautiful memories...
tangerine49024 2 years ago
people had less and less free time,wifes worked full time, families had two cars, two tv sets,more payments,less free money. Less time, more stress, less money, .
1952kid 2 years ago
What in the hell is happening to this country?
jgbaren 2 years ago
Not being white my family did not dare go as guests when this resort was popular.
But still I cannt help feeling sad for the memories it had for all the white families that visited there and had good times.
dinnerandashow 2 years ago
I find this to be a VERY sad and depressing video. There are far better ways to keep the memories of the Catskills alive!!
rgs81849 2 years ago
My family used to go for 1 week a summer to Sunnybrook Bed & Breakfast at 5308 Cauterskill Rd in Catskill, NY. I loved that place....it still stands today but mainly as a home for squatters who pay their way with cooking or handyman jobs. The main house is still intact but the seperated buildings are pretty run down. I visited a short while ago and the bar, RecRoom, and individual rooms are all destroyed from years of non-use. It's a shame...this video really hits home for me. I wish it didnt...
kwazdukes 2 years ago
Spent many summers in Sullivan County. How sad to see what has happened; but great memories.
rmr2001 2 years ago
Has been area.
insguy2 2 years ago
Still a great video to watch! :)
joe4speed 2 years ago
I think that Sullivan County is haunted. There is something evil about that place. It is so cutoff from the rest of the world, even though it is only 90 miles from NYC. I remember walking outside at night in the winter. It is so dark, quiet, and spooky. This is especially true when the wind is howling. The broken down buildings add to the scare effect. The area reminds me of Salem, Mass. or a movie called The Ring. I lived there until my early twenties and was wise enough to leave.
insguy2 2 years ago
@insguy2 haunted? That quiet you hear in the winter...is rural life. haunted? Were you trying to be funny?
glick59 1 year ago
@glick59 The quiet is only the side effect of hardly anyone wanting to live or vacation there anymore. What is truly haunting is the extreme amount of poverty.
insguy2 1 year ago
Bum N Kels, Gwens, Goodies, The Chalet, The Place, THe Loft, Kilcoins, Carnival Lounge, Pink Elephant, skinny dipping in Swan Lake or Revonnah and the Liberty Diner- where the local judge and a state trooper watched all of us come in after the bars closed to make sure we weren't too impaired to drive home after a nice greasy breakfast feast....what great high school and college years
thumba12 2 years ago
wah! so sad. thanks for making this vid. great job!
borissabee 2 years ago
sounds like TRACY CHAPMAN!!
1lhotstuff 2 years ago
Exactly!
lhglenn 2 years ago
So sweet and sad. My husband and I met in college up in the Catskills...I was a local, a transplant from NYC and he was a student from Long Island. We fell in love with the Catskills and miss the whole hotel/bungalow culture there. It was a special and irreplaceable time. Thanks for the beautiful video...
PamLa777 2 years ago 2
Good video, but skiing in NY is ridiculous, go west.
knau1234 2 years ago
My parents met each other at Grossinger's. Years later I nearly drowned in that huge indoor pool with moss growing over it now. I can smell and feel that room--it felt to me like its own biosphere--ears would pop through the airlocks. And it was there I discovered the opposite sex. Passover, succos at those resorts were powerful, unique communal post-shtetl experiences for us lucky ones.
arikushner 2 years ago
One Word Sad
Muglone 2 years ago
i totally agree
MrMiles716 2 years ago
Thank you for the video..
Hollywo0d4 2 years ago
Omg I'm actually crying.... I represent the Lagattut's voice. My uncles father and mom all worked at alot of the places... the rave and rave about them..... My mother has AWESOME pictures... So sad!!
ryannlag 2 years ago
Sometimes grand hotels like these are built too big for there own good, then when buisness drops it becomes too expensive to maintain the hotel and too expensive to tear down and redevelope. Thats probably why so many are just abandoned.
mrburkey 2 years ago 2
You are right in many ways,there was also hundreds on them in a small area and many hotel owners had ones in Florida and sent the profits there.They simply neglected their bread and butter.
irondukev 2 years ago
Our town recently lost a historic hotel due to years of neglect. It was built in the 1800's. Presidents Lincoln, Grant, and Buchanan stayed there as well as General George S. Patton. It made me sick in my stomach to see it get ripped down.
mrburkey 2 years ago
I grew up in Sullivan County and I just wanted to say that I think that it is the armpit of the Earth. There are many boarded up businesses and run-down buildings. Many of the streets are pot-holed and there appears to be poverty everywhere. The winters there are extremely depressing. I swear that place has kind of a haunting curse hanging over it. Moving out of there was the best thing I've ever done.
insguy2 2 years ago
ive lived in Sullivan county my whole life and i love this place, im not sure where u get off saying its the armpit of the earth as it is a great place to raise children and grow up. just because ur experiences here may not have been the best doesnt mean it is the county or even the towns fault. This is a beautiful area that is flourishing now.
rracin66 2 years ago
My experiences have been seeing boarded up buildings (like Woodbourne in the winter), neglected streets, and vagrants wandering Broadway, Monticello. It seems poverty is rampant there. Many businesses have closed in that area.
insguy2 2 years ago
haunting curse hanging over it
So true. A very depression of a mood. Its sad even on the sunny days. Never ever live in sullivan county. Its a horrably curse area.
lou737 2 years ago
areyou kidding me it flourishing wheredo you live now i live in the catskills monticello is a dying town it looks like the south bronx did in the70s liberty is doing a little better we have a few new stores maybe thats a start
MrMiles716 2 years ago
monticello is the absolute worste place to live in sullivan county. you cant judge the whole county by that hole. towns like livingston manor liberty and roscoe are all in good standing for the economic times. monticello hasnt been a respectible section of the county in years so you should not judge the whole county based on one town and a bunch of run down hotels while new buisnesses are sprining up every day.
rracin66 2 years ago
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4eva2cool 2 years ago
i hope sombody can help me here, im confused i thought they closed in 1986 but in the video there is that sign that says reopening in 1995
themetfanman1989 2 years ago
Grossingers Hotel did close in 1986, but it was bought by a developer later on, and they began new construction on the hotel. They had plans to reopen in 1995 or so, but since money ran out, the plans never materialized!!!! Now the old, and new construction is deteriorating!!! SAD!!!!
NYSthruwayexit19 2 years ago
beautiful memories...we lost real treasures here...priceless. Thanks for posting this.
alenecw 2 years ago
you lost your swank america.
aduecey 3 years ago 6
Why were they abandoned?
scottvanska 3 years ago
Debt most likely.
Shreddie101 2 years ago
Back in the 70s most of the hotels tried to bring in gambling but the local people kept voting it down. When Atlantic City NJ opened up it was the end of the Catskills. It was a wonderful area and a wonderful time.
coppertime2 2 years ago
1-because hotels can't pick up and "move to florida and arizona" 2-failure to adapt to evolving markets 3-their purpose has been served and they are forever memories of life for those who experienced it there
novapup2001 2 years ago
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RatRodBoss 3 years ago
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RatRodBoss 3 years ago
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RatRodBoss 3 years ago
Beautiful video! It's a tragedy what has happened to these beloved Catskills landmarks! We're losing a piece of history.
SlurpeeLvr 3 years ago
by the way pipweed- you dont destroy history, you embrace it.
lt1fan94 3 years ago
AWESOME VIDEO. Song almost always makes me sad. Video always makes me sad. So much history squandered,- check out joe4speed for current pics. very depressing.
lt1fan94 3 years ago
what was that stuff all over the floor at 4:53
applepiejacks 3 years ago
Those were the rocks in the sauna.
joe4speed 2 years ago
these places may not be so deteriorated if those stupid drunk teens wouldnt go and destroy everything because they think its ''cool'' if ur thinking about doing it just dont go ahead look around but please dont break and destroy buteiful things
applepiejacks 3 years ago
You did a GREAT job, I could really feel you have wonderful memories there. Why did they close?
Jimilynn 3 years ago
you know i like to see the old fixtures or anything old & still useable to be saved. i love old stuff.
hoosierfreakck1 3 years ago
Fantastic video, the music goes along perfectly. I'm 31 years old so I missed the boat on many of these places but I do remember Grossingers being open when I was younger. My family used to summer up in the Liberty area and I definitely see a difference in that town over the last 20 years.
sizedeep 3 years ago
What?!
No bail out or loans using the American tax dollars?
dinnerandashow 3 years ago 4
@dinnerandashow LOL
PATTOND1 1 year ago
Wow! what a great job on the video. I worked at Grossinger's in 1972 as a lifeguard in the indoor pool and the lake. I Have some great memories of lost love, friends and being young and carefree. Thank you
weedwaqr 3 years ago
idk why they would abandon the place in the first place, this video touches me, i've never ever heard of the catskill but knowing therw were so many merories in it, that makes me sad
-Sterling
Sterg514 3 years ago
It was once a very beautiful place. Several of these photos of this video are of The Grossingers Hotel near Liberty NY. My father worked there for many years as a painter, up until it's closure in 1986. The building you see being demolished was the Main Lobby!!! If you were to see the place now, it is very sad, and depressing. The remaining hotel is abandoned, and deteriorating!!!!!
NYSthruwayexit19 3 years ago
id love to but it be kinda scary, plus i live in Alabama
-Sterling
Sterg514 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
LCREVERE
There is much of Grossingers that is still standing. You should still go and show them. Some of it is in severe disrepair, but a large number of them are still safe and can be walked through. Thank you for the comment. -ED
irondukev 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
pamtaclaws:
Thanks for the comment. Tania actually contacted the Catskill Memories Group, because she saw the video as well. I hope that the book, and the video bring more awareness to the situation, and can bring people to do something about this tragedy. -ED
irondukev 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
STERG514
Neither. These resorts were abandoned when the money dried up. They were just left there to rot. Some with their furnature and ammenities still in the buildings. They have just been sitting there and falling apart for years. It's a terrible tragedy, and if it were in my power, I'd save them myself. The only way that's going to happen is if more people get involved. Thanks for the comment.
irondukev 3 years ago
beautiful and extremely touching vid!!
missinternet26 3 years ago
this vid & song are a perfect match! folks need to understand background can make their vid like "pop". outstanding job irondukev!
tndrRoni 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
kool house but ur gayyyyyy
monkey1crs 3 years ago
awesome video!! tracie chapman has such a beautiful voice!! thanx for sharing ;)
tndrRoni 3 years ago
well put together
StMeade 3 years ago
I used to swim in the indoor and outdoor pool every chance that I got.....i worked at the front desk in 1975. I remember all of the framed pictures on the walls as I walked the halls. I remember the coconut macaroons and fantasizing about hamburgers. Great film showing the contrasts. The main room was so grand with high ceilings and one of the younger Grossingers would stoll through in his floor length racoon coat. I remember the rye bread with Jennie on the label. April Aldighieri
joeyisweird 3 years ago
wowzers
zeusfan13 3 years ago
howd this happened? fire or flood?
Sterg514 3 years ago
great pics! very touching..so sad how these places die ;(
tndrRoni 3 years ago
Visited there during a stint as a councellor on a nearby Summer camp. The first time thrown out before I got in for strolling in with a beer bottle in hand. Returned in better company for a meal & a swim in the company of Irish Americam relatives & a girl I was dying to get to know bette. Alas the girl, was one that got away. Tracey Chapman's song ,mournful & evocative. A great job.
dessiebuk 3 years ago
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tifosadici 3 years ago
The song is "The Promise" By Tracy Chappman!!!
irondukev 3 years ago
Thank you. I wasn't sure whether it was Tracy Chapman.
Thanks again
tifosadici 3 years ago
Wonderful! Whether I stayed with my parents at the Sackett Lake Lodge, or Overlook Hotel, Loch Sheldrake, or Finkelstein's Bungalows, L.S., or Frieda's Hotel and Bungalow Colony, L.S., or Woodland Bungalow Colony,Woodbourne, or Pearl Ritzer's Bungalows,L.S., or the Aladdin, Woodbourne or The Gilbert or Brickman Hotel, Fallsburg, or Abe and Rose Gibber's, Kiamesha Lake or in my beloved Heiden Hotel in South Fallsburg, I will treasure all of my Catskill memories. Thanks for helping me remember.
BRONXGIRL10 3 years ago
Having lived in Liberty until I graduated college, I have some great memories of Grossingers and the Catskills. I remember so many events and activities at Grossingers, especially the sport legends who came thereto train. This was a wonderful video, which bought back some of those memories. Thank you for bringing back a wonderful time in my life!!
Theseeker63 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
if the place was abandoned why didnt you wreck it
Pipweed 3 years ago
Job well done- very, very nice video.
Archemo 3 years ago
Wow - Am reading "Growing up at Grossinger's" by Tania Grossinger and all the memories of me growing up there as a Grossinger Brat, along with my sisters is propted me to do a little research that led me to this video. I knew about the demise, viewed it in person a few years ago. It's heartbreaking. I can walk the entire hotel and grounds in my head - I think it's where my afinity of gowns came from. I learned skiing, swimming and rowing out to hike. Wish I could go back to how it was. TKS
pamtaclaws 3 years ago
I worked at the front desk at Grossingers from 1963 to 1966 and met my husband there. Went there to meet a nice rich Jewish boy and instead met a handsome Latin Band Leader. I am now married 40 years and have 2 sons. We have many memories and lots of photos. I lived in the playhouse and he lived at the Farm House. We still remember so much and only regret that we never took our kids to see the hotel before it was demolished.
LCREVERE 3 years ago
Catskill in Dutch means Cats Creek, and the mountains are in the vicinity of the creek.
blargfarg54 3 years ago
So what happend ? and whats with the name Catskill ?
AaronDrake22 3 years ago
dont hate on my town
koolkool11 3 years ago
This was a wonderful, bittersweet slideshow. I actually cried as I watched. As someone who grew up in Monticello from 1964-1982, I remember the hotels in their heydey. During college, I worked at the Concord and other resorts, but after graduation have only returned to the mountains to visit family. Such a beautiful area, but so depressed. Thank you so much for posting such a touching tribute.
Tracy
TraccyC13 3 years ago
Tracy,
I also grew up in Monticello at the same time you did and I also remember the hotels in their heyday. Went to Monti High. We used to deliver soda to most of them and remember the wonderful staff, owners and guests that treated us so well.
bird15442 3 years ago
Wow-- so sad, but thank you so much for the tour. I grew up in the area. I can still appreciate what was. Life does go on.
charbv52 3 years ago
The massive hotel at 1:48 is huge! I cannot believe what I am seeing on this video clip of all these former grand massive places abandoned, why? What on earth happened to all of them, totally bizzare.
PJB567 3 years ago
I guess the concord is trying to make a come back centering on it's golfing
Wa3ypx 3 years ago
I lived in the catskills in LIberty.1988 thru 1994 such a beatiful place my memories still alive.
carmelo1966 3 years ago
ight well ima go to the abandoned hotel thats in my area i think ima make a vid like this one ill hit u up and u can see what it looks like its prettty good but hella small lol thanks for adding this one! peace
choco147258 3 years ago
My grampa helped build the Pines Hotel Resort and he took some pictures for my father. Well, my dad gave me those pictures. Back then it was so grourious. Everything there looked grand and perfect. Look at it now...
andreibf 3 years ago
that makes me sick .this is the new america everything is disposable and for sale. those kept people warm and dry there are a lot of memories for people now they are in ruins i just dont get it.
lwtfdog 3 years ago
Many years ago, my family stayed at a Catskills resort. Can't recall which one. As a kid, I didn't appreciate the tradition, the beauty. It's all gone now. How sad.
Which resorts are still open?
roynmartin 4 years ago
If Gov. Spitzer does not really come thru for Up State we will be watching a video like this in 10 years for Rochester ,Glen Falls etc.
new York has lot going for it but not our politicians , they will ALL bankrupt us for sure.
At least we have Stewart Int'l Airport which is finally a REAL airport poised to grow dramatically & help this rea grow.
advertiseoncable 4 years ago
Unfortunately, most of upstate NY is just a memory at this point- industry has moved on and people don't vacation like they used to when it's easier to plop the brats in front of a DVD and ignore them for 3 hours.
Sometimes I think I have it tough in the city where I live, and then I talk to my good friends who still live in upstate NY and hear the latest hardships. It's a gorgeous area, but it's time has passed. It makes me melancholy.
StevieRotten 3 years ago
Wonderful video- moving, and very sad...
jamesoklahoma 4 years ago
go to freewebsdotcomslashwickliffehotel
xxf4llenxx 4 years ago
a.... i cant stop watching this lol anyway i have some pictures my friend might be able to send you for ur website which is good by the way (5 stars ) there from an abandoned hotel in iowa if ur interested theres onyl about 17 but there decent pictures plus u dont have iowa lol so holla back
xxf4llenxx 4 years ago
damn thats is one big ass place!!! so why did they have to close down the hotel anyway it looked like they should have gotten tons of money from people it looked fancy ""when it was open"" and nice video, real nice!!!
xxf4llenxx 4 years ago
The video accually is 3 hotels.Grossingers,the Pines and the Conord.Grossingers made semi famous by the 80's movie "Dirty Dancing"known there as Kellermans.There are many reasons why they closed and the Catskill's had hundreds of these resorts.There are many who want to bring them back!There are also a few remaining hotels that are trying to survive.Thanks for the comment!
irondukev 4 years ago
In the Mid-sixties, while attending college, I worked summers and holidays at Kutshers. In the fall of 1968, I went into the Air Force, was trained as a pilot, and went off to Vietnam. I never managed to got back to the Catskills. The photos are sad, but in their own way, the places are still beautiful. They hotels may be closed, but we still have our memories. Thanks for the trip back to my college days.
brookliu 4 years ago
You are right there is a certain beauty left in them.Thought you'd like to know that Kutshers is still open and kind of surviving.You can check them out,google them and see.Thanks for the comment!
irondukev 4 years ago
The Windsor, Gilberts, Homawack, The Overlook.......just to name a few...
CIAdude 4 years ago
My Great Grandfather Jake Myerson built the Windsor as well as Phase one of Grossingers.
mi6QBranch 2 years ago
@mi6QBranch Neato!
MyTwoCentsAreFree 7 months ago
Even years after these hotels closed, my family and I STILL drive up there to see what's new (old ). Sad..even the RED APPLE REST is gone. Glad I got pix of it a few years ago.
Broadway789 4 years ago
The Red Apple Rest near Tuxedo?
Ahh...
thricedotted 4 years ago
Artist: Tracy Chapman
Song: The promise
Album: New Beginning
vwgti101 4 years ago
Tracy Chapman sorry folks
vwgti101 4 years ago
music is sarah chapman song dont know
vwgti101 4 years ago