Can anyone give me information on the NY canal system? I understand that there's bike paths and you can also take tours of the canals. We would specifically appreciate information on paved bike trails. Also, places to stay that are centrally located. Thanks.

Are you talking about NYC? If so, there is one canal in the city (Gowanus in Brooklyn) and while conditions are improving it is not necessarily a thing of beauty as yet. At any rate you couldn't have asked the question at a more appropriate time. There is an article on the canal in today's NY Times (Weekend Fine Arts Section). You can probably read the article at the Times web site - www.nytimes.com. There is a brochure on a walking tour - check www.brooklynhistory.org. Boat tours are offered on some summer weekends. For info:www.bcue.org.
There is a paved trail that runs along the Hudson River. I am familiar with the stretch from 72nd to 125t St. Maybe someone else has more information.

I live in Rochester, NY about one mile form the Erie Canal. Parts of the path are paved and some parts are gravel. The gravel is fine for biking. There is a tour boat company in this area...Sam Patch Boat Tours (716)262-5661. There are also two very nice inns/hotels in the area. In Bushnell Basin right on the canal there is the Richardson Canal House and in Pittsford there is the newly renovated DelMonte Lodge.

If you desire, there are actually self guided tours available in which you rent a fully outfitted boat, designed specifically for canal travel. I think tha boats are self-contained (bathroom facilities, kitchens etc.) and the tour operator provides the rudimentary training need to learn how to pilot the craft (it's not difficult). Check with Mid-Lakes Navigation Company in Skaneatles NY. They offer this servbice or have a division which does.

I should have been clearer. I did mean the Erie Canal. Thanks for your help! I'm a little tentative about the gravel paths. I have a "cross" bike, but my husband has a regular "touring" bike. (Thin wheels.) What do you think?

Eileen - although there is a plan underway to upgrade the Erie Canal system statewide, only small sections of the banks have been paved for bikers and walkers. Much of the canal has been left in a natural state. Unless you are in a boat and can hop on and off to bike, you will be traveling side roads or city streets much of the way. On a boat it is a beautiful trip.

We have booked our "canaller" thanks to your suggestions. We're going mid July leaving from Macedon (Rochester area) and would like some help on sights, restaurants, and activities in the area. We have a week, so we're not sure which way to travel -- east or west -- or can/should we do both or parts of both? We will make some of our meals on board, but would appreciate some suggestions for nice places to try for either lunch or dinner.
Thanks!

We live in Fairport, Eileen, one village west of Macedon, be sure to dock up, and stroll a bit in our gorgeous village. I live just a block from the canal, and if i knew when you were coming, i'd have you over for lunch. The next village west is Pittsford, also lovely with a neat shopping district called Schoen Place right on the canal - good restaurants there. One village east of Macedon is Palmyra. Palmyra is the home of Hill Cumorah, where the plates that translated to the Book of Mormon allegedly were found by Joseph Smith. There are numerous and interesting historical sites pertaining to the founding of Mormonism in Palmyra.
My hubby bikes the canal path around Fairport, and it is paved and very nice biking. There is a winery, Casa Larga, in Fairport - interesting and has tours twice daily (I believe). Enjoy your stay in our beautiful area. Marie

Thank you, Marie! I'll be interested in gathering information on the early Mormon beginnings as our son just married a Mormon young woman and they and their families are visiting us later this summer.
Also, thanks for the information on the bike paths because we hope to do that, too!

Hoping for more input...
Thanks.

Check online for "Hill Cumorah Pageant" - it's an annual event staged in the Palmyra area by the Church of LDS - a reenactment of the event in which Joseph Smith found the tablets that form the Book of Mormon. It's free, runs for about ten nights and is said to be a spectacular production. I'm originally from Syracuse NY and believe that there may be a bit more development on the canal heading west from Rochester rather than east. There is some canal development near the baldwinsville NY/Seneca River area and a long and well developed walking/biking path near Syracuse but I'm unsure of what's further east than that.

Thanks for the information. Do you know if we'd be able to get to the pageant from the canal? We'll be on a rented boat beginning that day (for a week) and I'm not sure if we could get that far in one day (or would want to.) I'd love to impress my son's new in-laws with our interest in their traditions.
Otherwise, good restaurants? Sights to see -- all within walking or bicycling distance from the canal.
Thanks!

The pageant takes place July 6 & 7 and also July 10-14 - one show each night. It takes place in Palmyra - the canal runs directly through Palmyra and you should be able to get to the site easily - I'm sure there are shuttle buses if it's any distance as thousands attend and arrangements must be made for parking. I regret that I lack information on dining or accomodations close to the canal. Check the following URL for a series of links, some of which may be helpful

http://www.midlakesnav.com/mln/links.html

I know that Baldwinsville (just outside of Syracuse, Brockport, Palmyra and Lockport will all have at least a few dining options available but there are sure to be many more.