WATCH: Take a Virtual Ride Through North Conway, New Hampshire, in 1999
I'm always proud to say that I grew up in the valley of North Conway, New Hampshire. It's one of the few places where all four seasons are pretty much perfect.
The winter brings tourists from all over the world to ski and snowboard the several great nearby mountains nearby like Wildcat (1933), Attitash (1965), and the one I grew up skiing most, Cranmore (1937).
The spring is typically the quietest season of the year, but will still bring visitors for spring skiing, outdoor activities, shopping, and the general scenic beauty that North Conway has always offered.
The summer brings vacationers from all over to float down the river, hike, shop, and escape reality with some tranquility and relaxation.
The fall is a pretty magical time in North Conway and the surrounding towns, as you can expect some of the best leaf peeping that you will find anywhere.
Having grown up in the valley, nostalgia kicked in hard when I came across this video several years ago. It's pretty wild to see Route 16 25 years ago. It brought back a lot of memories and fueled different emotions.
Having the town you knew growing up look so different is both strange and kind of sad, mainly due to the places that aren't there anymore. Places like the Mountain Valley Mall, where I worked fresh out of high school, and classic restaurants and bars like like Barnaby's, Fandangle's, and Up Country Saloon.
In addition, a lot of the quaint intimacy is gone, as there have been lots of trees cut down right along route 16 to make way for large shopping outlets and hotels. If you've been to North Conway in the last 15-20 years, you will know it has become a retail animal, bringing in even more traffic.
On a positive note, it also brought back a lot of good memories. For me, the influx on retail and developments is outweighed by ski areas, mountains, hiking trails, and the beautiful Saco River, which will always be there (mostly in their original forms).
While I've been living in Portland, Maine, for the last 23 years, not a month will go by before I'm back visiting Mom, friends, and establishments that were a big part of my youth.
Bob White, I'm not sure who you are or what made you think to pull out your video camera (which was probably 10 lbs) to capture the entire town of North Conway via Route 16, but thank you.
If you're familiar with "the strip" on Route 16, you'll enjoy this video time warp 25 years back to 1999!
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