Nestled in the Adirondacks, and deep in the American sports psyche, Lake Placid, N.Y., looks much as it did more than 40 years ago.
That is by prideful design.
Although many Olympic cities have allowed their turns on the global stage of sports to ebb into the recesses of record books and YouTube clips, Lake Placid is forever trying to remain one of America’s greatest links — some would say its greatest link — to the Games. It is a place that remains etched plainly into history for the 1932 Games and for the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” men’s hockey matchup between the Americans and the Soviets, for Eric Heiden’s hypnotizing, record-setting speedskating races and Hanni Wenzel’s small-nation skiing triumphs.