I spent time...upstate

move over hamptons

over the last few years I have continually found myself craving a day or weekend trip to this wholesome part of the state and I don’t think I’m alone on that. as far as city escapes go, there is nothing that I love more than driving a few hours upstate. from food to furniture to art and activities, you can find it all.

I am a cozy girl at heart, I love places that ask you to take a beat, slow it down and stay a while. everytime I make a trip I leave wanting to stay a little longer, explore a little further and potentially convince some friends to go in on a shared property (welcome to my pipe dream). in the meantime, the shorts trips are definitely doing the trick and you can catch me up there through each and every one of the seasons of the year.

before I dive into sharing some of my favorites things to do, places to stay, foods to eat, etc etc - I want to actively acknowledge that I am one of the many individuals that considers anything an hour or so north of new york city ‘upstate’ when in reality there are many different pockets of the area that I’m sure all deserve their own recognition. the areas I am focused on are what would be considered ‘hudson valley’ and the ‘catskills’ but for everybody’s ease and my own ignorance - upstate will have to do.

trying to make sense of how to organize my saved places into categories took way too many brain cells but here’s me giving it my best shot.

cold springs

• the first stop off the train in what (to me) marks the start of upstate. this is a great place to come to for a day trip, especially if you’re especially craving some great hiking. the town has some great offerings post-hiking as well should you crave a bite to eat or some local shopping.

• notable things to do:

  • manitoga / the russel wright design center

  • magazzino italian art museum

  • hike of course !!

beacon

• one of the quickest and easiest spots to get to from new york, just a quick hour and a bit up the hudson from grand central and you’ve arrived. dia beacon is worth the trip itself and with a cute town to match, this place is prime for a day trip. both dia beacon and the town are a walk from the train station so it makes for an easy journey.

• notable things to do

  • dia beacon - a 300,000 square foot printing house converted into a space dedicated to housing large-form art from richard serra to donald judd and beyond. an easy place to stroll for a few hours and a great spot for a date when you’re looking for something beyond the city walls.

• bites

  • mud club - housemade bagels, sandwiches & pastries

  • kitchen & coffee - their hot chocolate…

• shops

  • little king - highly curated store with everything from tableware to skincare to artisan chocolate bars. worth a stop.

  • dirty bacchus - natural wine store

  • beacon pantry - an adorable cheese shop for all the fixings

• if you need a place to stay

  • roundhouse

accord/new paltz/gardinier

• a more spread out area which houses some extremely beautiful hotels to stay at, one of my favorite chocolate shops and some great hiking.

• notable things to do

  • storm king art center - an open-air museum with grounds that never seem to end. one of the largest collections of contemporary sculptures in the us. closed during the winter for obvious reasons but a wonderful visit to make with friends any other season of the year. budget an entire afternoon here and extend your time by picking up some sandwiches on your way and having a picnic in the fields at your leisure.

• bites

  • the restaurant at inness

  • clay at wildflower farms

  • lagusta’s luscious - this cute chocolate shop in new paltz has a delicious assortment of carefully crafted (and fair trade) chocolates that I always snag a few boxes of when I can. their hot chocolate does things to me.

• if you need a place to stay

  • inness - I can’t knock a single thing about this place. from the food to the sheer serenity of a sunrise or sunset from the comfort of your beautiful room. whether you are staying here or just coming for some drinks and food, it will leave you wanting a bit more.

• wildflower farms - one of the newest additions to the auberge resorts collection. if you’re really feeling a splurge then it’s a beautiful place to stay but if not then just come for a meal at their restaurant and enjoy a nightcap by their fire pits.

kingston

• my first trip to this part of the state was a solo trip to kingston. the town is small and quaint (they all are?) but has a great offering of food, vintage stores and the cute hotel kinsley.

• bites

  • rosie general

  • lola

• shops

  • kingston consignments

• if you need a place to stay

  • hotel kinsley

rhinebeck

• just across the river from kingston. soho house is set to open an american equivalent of their dreamy cotswold farmhouse so as my dear friend said this weekend ‘gotta enjoy it before it gets ruined by all the people I come up here to escape’. half joking on this since I will most definitely be booking a weekend at the property when it opens. but also check it out before it naturally loses a little bit of it’s quaintness.

• notable things to do

  • rose hill farm - pick-your-own apple orchard

• bites

  • gaskins - technically not in rhinebeck, it is sandwiched between there and hudson, but only a 20 minute drive from either direction and the food is top notch

  • pretty to think so

  • stissing house - another one that’s a bit of a drive out of central rhinebeck. started by the same duo that opened king in soho. can’t wait to get the chance to have a meal there.

• shops

  • rhinebeck antique emporium

catskill

• bites

  • trotwood

  • the restaurant at piaule

  • casa susanna

  • catskill chocolate co

• shops

  • a.therien

  • pidgin

• if you need a place to stay

  • piaule - drooling just thinking about this place. the light, the design, the spa. remote & intimate and perfect for a weekend away.

  • glen falls house

hudson

• if florida has the highest number of golf courses per capita then I think hudson might have the same for vintage furniture stores.

• bites

  • mel the bakery - recently relocated from new york city this place is the real deal. my eyes were rolling into the back of my head after a bite of their cinnamon roll and chocolate tahini croissant.

  • grazin’ spirits

  • lil’ deb’s oasis

  • cafe mutton

  • quinnie’s new york

  • culture cream

  • olde hudson market

  • wylde

  • feast & floret

• shops

  • arenksjold antiques

  • sutter antique’s

  • batterby house

  • red chair

  • neven & neven moderne

  • b sides

  • the antique warehouse

• if you need a place to stay

  • the maker hotel

  • rivertown lodge

  • little cat lodge

livingston manor

• next up on the list of places to explore. this town is a bit further out than the others and for that reason it has come to serve as a bit of a haven escape for a more private side of upstaters.

• bites

  • the debruce

  • the kaatskeller

  • main street farm market cafe

• shops

  • the farmhouse project

  • homestedt

  • long weekend

• if you need a place to stay

  • the debruce - food is at the core of the offering at this beautiful hotel with breakfast and dinner at their award winning restaurant included in your reservation.

  • hemlock neversink

thanks for reading, i’ll be here plotting my next escape & future relocation !!

xx

e