All Over Albany

Holiday wish list: Casey Normile

The holiday season is a time for making wish lists, and shopping lists. In an effort to help you with both, we're asking a handful of people what's on their local holiday wish list this year.

Today's wish comes from hiker, beer aficionado and AOA contributor Casey Normile.

I usually try to be sensible with my wish lists, but some of the things on my list this year are just a bit of a stretch. Still, this is coming from the girl who believed in Santa until she was 12 years old, when her parents finally had to sit her down to have "the talk." I believe anything can happen.

So, sensible or not, here's this year's wish list.

A stay at Camp Peggy O'Brien
I just found out about Camp Peggy O'Brien from an EMS employee and now am dying to stay there. It's a backwoods cabin in the Adirondacks owned by the ADK Club. It has access to many of the High Peaks trails, sleeps 12 and, most importantly, has heat. My dream is to bring a huge group of friends up there for a weekend for hiking or snowshoeing or whatever their outdoor pastime. Then, at the end of the day, we all meet back at the heated cabin in the woods for dinner and a fire. Sure it doesn't have bathrooms, but that's part of the fun, right?

A growler of Crossroad Brewing's Dr. Loomis Pumpkin Ale
I honestly don't even know if they're still brewing this seasonal ale, but this is a wish list, so a girl can dream. It is one of the best pumpkin beers I've ever tasted.

Gift certificate for Lyrical Ballad in Saratoga
I like books. And I love reading them sitting on the floor in one the many back rooms of Lyrical Ballad. This would give me an excuse to get lost in there for a few hours.

A gift basket full of Gatherer's Granola
When I studied abroad in college, I discovered a granola in Austria that my friends and I elegantly called "crack granola" because we couldn't pronounce the German. I had no restraint and ate my last bag of it on the flight home to America and haven't tasted anything quite as delicious since. That is, until I tasted Gatherer's Granola at the Troy Farmer's Market. Finally an American crack granola.

A copy of Bob Marshall: In the Adirondacks"
(See also: "I like books") Not only was he a pioneer and trailblazer in our Adirondacks, but also a nationally known environmentalist. As an aspiring 46-er, I'd love to read his thoughts and reflections as he became one of the first to climb all 46 Adirondack High Peaks and read what he discovered there.

A meal at New World Bistro
There are many delicious places to eat here in Albany, but so far, this is the only place where I am eager to try their entire menu. Even the ingredients I've never heard of end up being delicious. So though it may have been asked for on many a holiday list, a night out to eat blackened string beans, try their interesting cocktails, and order something that scares me a little bit would make me pretty happy.

Special one-day only extended hours at All Good Bakers
I live in Schenectady but spend all of my time in Albany. Yet somehow my schedule perfectly hinders me from ever stopping by. So instead I just look at their menu online every couple of days and torture myself. Holiday extended hours so I could finally try their Noob's Roob or Egg and Cheese Sandwich or anything from their bakery would be a Christmas miracle.

Casey Normile is an Adirondack enthusiast, AOA contributor, and unenthusiastic barista.

More holiday wish lists from this year:
+Bill Pettit
+ Laura Glazer
+ Duncan Crary
+ Laura McCarthy
+ Jim Larson
+ Jenny Witte
+ Deanna Fox
+ Tim Dawkins
+ Kate Welshofer and AnchorCat Brian Williams

+ Holiday wish lists from 2011