The posters you find on weather forums are the majority of the time going to be ones that like the cold. People that like the heat and sun don't post here, or if they do its rare. I'm similar to a few posters on here that enjoy seasons in seasons. Hot and humid in summer and snowy and relatively cold in winter. There are definitely lakes near you though, they're not a luxury they are everywhere in upstate NY. You have the finger lakes, lake ontario, and several other lakes in and around syracuse, or just hop into a friends pool.