Wearing a black ski jacket and a black and red-checked flannel shirt, , the governor stepped out of a black sport utility vehicle in front of the newspaper's offices just after 11 a.m. Friday. In addition to his two daughters, he said his brother, ABC News reporter Chris Cuomo, had joined him on the trip.

"I did this last year too. I have the kids with me, and I get a few hours where I can actually do some work on the State of the State. It's good for me to get out of Albany and clear my head a little bit."

"You have to get out and sell. You have to do it intelligently. You have to do it aggressively. I just think we just haven't done that well enough especially in some parts of upstate New York," Cuomo said. "Here, I'm a big believer but you have to get people here. There have to be events that attract people here, not just Lake Placid events and then, while people are in Placid they come by [Saranac Lake]. What can we do in Saranac [Lake] for Saranac [Lake]? What can we do for other parts of the North Country specifically."

Cuomo has been a regular visitor to the Adirondacks, and Saranac Lake and Lake Placid in particular, both before and since he took office.

Asked Friday why he continues to come here so often, Cuomo named the "pervasive quiet" of the Adirondacks and spoke fondly of fishing trips here with his brother when they were younger.

"It's that tradition. It's part of what we do as a family. I want my daughters to understand that tradition. I want them to feel it and love it the same way that I do."

Cuomo and his family were staying at a private residence in Lake Placid. The governor planned to be in the North Country again Monday, according to his public schedule.