As you know, I love cobbling together the perfect day trip: a physical activity in the morning like a walk or hike; a lunch destination to anchor the middle of the day, followed by something arty, historic, or even just a stop at a great farm or market. I’ve got a slew of go-to combinations ready to share….

Black Rock Forest + Blooming Hill Farm, Cornwall/Monroe
Black Rock Forest is a privately managed preserve in Cornwall with miles of hiking trails and surprisingly few crowds. We started the morning with the Reservoir Loop – 5.6 miles with just enough elevation to feel like a substantial hike without leaving you exhausted. We passed maybe four people on the trail the entire morning!

From there we made our way to Blooming Hill Farm. You almost always need a reservation, even for lunch, so book well in advance – you’ll be happy you did. I’m all about the salads and vegetable sides, but you can’t go to Blooming Hill and not order a pizza. This time the stand out side was sautéed chard with spicy breadcrumbs which was tangy, fresh, and had just enough crunch.

Afterward we hit their farm market (lunch guests get a discount!). It was overflowing with summer produce, and we managed to knock out our shopping for the week: shishitos, baby eggplant, August corn, Savoy cabbage, several kinds of kale, fresh eggs, and the sweetest beets I’ve ever tasted. Dinner that night came entirely from the farm stand.

Wickers Creek Vintage Market, Lyndhurst Mansion
Vintage markets are having a real moment, and Wickers Creek couldn’t have picked a better setting for this one. With Lyndhurst Mansion as the backdrop, rows of well-curated vendors selling vintage clothing, housewares, jewelry, and textiles filled the lawn. Co-founder Pascale Le Draoulec has been running farmers markets in Westchester for nearly 20 years, including Irvington and Hastings, which probably explains why Wickers Creek feels so well organized. Their shows are usually held at the Dobbs Ferry waterfront, with the next one on Sunday, September 20. If vintage is your thing, definitely put it on your Fall calendar.

The Jazz Forum at Mathiessen Park, Irvington
This year, the Jazz Forum‘s summer concert series has moved from Lyndhurst to Matthiessen Park in Irvington which means I really have no excuse not to go. Every Thursday brings a different concert – it’s free, parking is easy, and the Hudson river view is pretty hard to beat. It’s one of those easy warm weather nights that requires almost no planning.

Bring a blanket or chairs, pack a picnic, meet up with friends, and you’ve got dinner and live music by the river. If Thursdays don’t work, through the end of August, the Jazz Forum also hosts riverfront concerts throughout the Rivertowns, including Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown, and Sleepy Hollow.

Bull Hill + The Wild Kitchen, Cold Spring/Beacon
We’re heading to Slovenia for a hiking trip (spoiler alert!), which means I’ve recently become much more interested in elevation gain. Bull Hill in Cold Spring is one of the best places around here to get a serious workout without a long drive. The full loop gains about 1,500 feet, much of it in a pretty short distance. There’s a real subculture of long-distance trail runners who train here, and it’s wild watching them race straight up the mountain while you’re working your way up. Let them pass! There are also a few good lookouts with Hudson River views early in the hike.

Near the bottom, you’ll hit the remains of the old Cornish Estate, an abandoned Gilded Age mansion. That’s where the shorter-loop crowds tend to gather, so expect more foot traffic there. Take the long loop and you’ll see far fewer people. Go early because the parking lot fills fast. If I’m hiking for scenery alone, I’d choose Storm King or Black Rock, but if I need elevation close to home, Bull Hill is hard to beat.

Afterwards, we stopped off in Beacon for lunch at The Wild Kitchen, the new spot next door from the team behind Kitchen + Coffee. The menu is gluten-free with Asian-inspired bowls and plenty of non-vegan options. I had the banh mi bowl with salmon and would definitely order it again.

We also wandered into Paul Brady Wine, a wine shop, bar, and tasting room focused entirely on New York State wine and spirits. We left with a bottle from Fjord Vineyards, the same Hudson Valley winery I wrote about after the wine dinner at Blooming Hill earlier this year. It’s a great stop if you’re already wandering Main Street.

Kingston Overnight
Upstate Art Weekend gave me a good excuse to spend a night in Kingston this past June. One of the things I like most about staying over is having the town to myself first thing in the morning. I usually get out early for a run before the town wakes up. By the time the coffee shops open, I’ve gotten my steps in, bookmarked places I want to come back to, and figured out how I want to spend the rest of the day.

We stayed at Hotel Kinsley, a collection of four renovated historic buildings throughout the Stockade District. The main building is a former 19th-century bank, and you actually check in inside the old bank vault. We had dinner at the Kinsley restaurant that night, an easy walk wherever you are staying and a good place to land after a day exploring Kingston.The general manager gave me a tour of the other buildings, which include a 1680s stone house, a former gas fitting factory, and a pre-Revolutionary War cottage. Each is completely different, but the interiors share a slightly mid-century vibe.

Hamilton & Adams is always a stop for me, with a great mix of clothes and gifts that feel distinctly upstate without being cliche. This time I also discovered Kingston Social, a home goods shop I’d somehow never noticed before, and left with a couple of Falcon enamelware serving dishes. I stopped into 68 Prince Street Gallery and CPW for a photography show, then had lunch at Village Coffee. The shiitake grain bowl is my go-to, and it’s still my favorite lunch spot in Kingston.

Upstate Art Weekend may be over, but several exhibitions are still on view, and Kingston itself is reason enough to make the trip. Every time I return, I find another gallery, shop, or reason to spend the night instead of trying to squeeze it all into a day trip.

Pop-Up at Cherry Tavern, East Village
Since my daughter moved to the Lower East Side, I’ve spent more time there in the last year and a half than I have in my entire adult life. I’m definitely too old to live there, but do love having reasons to visit.

Last week was one of them. Our family friend Aden loves to cook, so why not turn his favorite dive bar, Cherry Tavern, into a pop-up restaurant on Wednesdays in August? The menu is Lebanese-inspired and made with seasonal, local ingredients. The tempura-fried zucchini came with labne and togarashi, followed by lamb and beef burgers with sumac slaw, harissa, and baba ganoush.

The best part is that you’re still eating in a real dive bar, pool table and all. Dessert was homemade ice cream cake with Oreos and cherry sauce, a nod to the Cherry Tavern name. There are two Wednesdays left, and they’re selling out quickly so book ASAP.

Slovenia and Italy
I arrived in Slovenia yesterday for a few days of hiking before heading to Italy for a family trip. It is my first time here, so if you have a favorite town, restaurant, shop, hike, or anything else I shouldn’t miss, send it my way. More when I’m back.

One of the best things about living in the Hudson Valley is how easy it is to get away for a night or two. There are so many places to stay and so much to do that you don’t have to travel far before it feels like you’re on vacation.

I really took advantage of that in June. I escaped to a lakeside “camp” in the Berkshires, spent a night in the Catskills, explored a few art exhibitions, hiked, took a cooking class, and discovered a shop I’d happily drive back to.

Here are a few places and experiences I think are worth keeping on your radar this summer, all within about two hours of NYC.

Prospect Berkshires, Egremont MA
Prospect Berkshires is a hotel set up almost like a campground, with meandering paths circling a lake. But instead of campsites, there are thoughtfully-designed cabins and suites. The design is simple, minimal, and slightly Scandinavian. Nothing feels overdone, but little details, like the orange striped towels and the thick cotton robes, make it feel luxurious. We stayed in one of the lakefront suites with floor-to-ceiling windows, which meant we were always looking out at the water.

My favorite part of our weekend was booking one of the private saunas right on the lake. We were there in early June, so the lake was still chilly enough for a real cold plunge afterward. I loved it so much we did it both days.

One evening we signed up for Prospect’s new float therapy experience. At dusk, eight of us climbed into bright red neoprene suits and floated in the heated saltwater pool. It was essentially a guided floating meditation. It sounds a little woo woo, but it ended up being one of the highlights of our stay. They’ve since moved the experience to the lake, and I’d go back just for that. I also slept through the night without waking up - which almost never happens.

The Cliff House, Prospect’s on-site restaurant, was excellent. And if you feel like venturing off campus, Hilltop Pies is just down the road and serves some of the best pizza in the area.

Go Love NY readers can save on their stay at Prospect with this special booking link.

BOOK PROSPECT BERKSHIRES

The Workshop Experience, Hillsdale
The Workshop Experience in Hillsdale has become one of my favorite outings of the year. It’s a weekend-long event where local chefs, artists, gardeners, and makers open their studios, kitchens, and gardens to share what they do.

This year I signed up for Dan Pelosi‘s meatball class at HGS Home Chef. If you follow Dan on Instagram, he’s exactly the same in person. We made four completely different kinds of meatballs before sitting down to lunch together. None were traditional beef and red sauce. The chicken pesto ones were my favorite, with the zucchini a close second.

The workshop weekend may be over, but HGS offers cooking classes year-round. If you’re planning a weekend in Hillsdale, it’s worth checking their calendar before you go.

Clinamen, NYC
One NYC exhibition I’d highly recommend this summer is CLINAMEN by French artist and composer Céleste Boursier-Mougenot at the Park Avenue Armory on the Upper East Side.

The massive Drill Hall has been transformed into three enormous pools of blue water filled with hundreds of white ceramic bowls. As they slowly drift and gently bump into one another, they create soft chiming sounds that constantly change throughout the day.

It’s the kind of installation you end up staring at much longer than you expect. I stood there transfixed for quite a while listening as the bowls moved across the water. Simple, beautiful, and unlike anything else I’ve seen this year. On view through August 2.

The Hessel Museum at Bard
For some reason, I always forget about the Hessel Museum at Bard, even though it’s one of my favorite museums in the Hudson Valley. Every time I go, I leave wondering why I don’t visit more often.

There are three excellent exhibitions on view this summer, and I loved all of them. Betty Parsons was probably the biggest surprise. I knew her as the legendary art dealer who championed artists like Rothko and Pollock, but I never realized she was a painter herself. Looking at her work, you can see hints of the artists she exhibited while also discovering her own voice. Uman’s large-scale paintings are full of color and energy and immediately likable. The third exhibition introduces the work of Marilou Schultz, a Navajo mathematician and lifelong weaver whose work reveals fascinating connections between traditional weaving and computer technology.

A visit to Hessel pairs perfectly with Montgomery Place. The historic estate has beautiful Hudson River views and is well worth exploring. I also always recommend Blythewood Gardens, one of my favorite hidden gems in the Hudson Valley. This small formal garden is just down the road and somehow not many people know about it.

Apotek, Red Hook
We stumbled into Apotek, a cute home goods store in Red Hook on our way home and I’m so glad we did. Scandinavian design, Marimekko, beautifully-curated home goods – it’s the kind of shop where you find something you didn’t know you needed. I walked out with a new apron and a mancala set. I definitely hadn’t planned on buying, which is usually the sign of a good shop. Don’t skip it.

Hiking in the Catskills - Artist’s Rock & Sunset Rock
One of my favorite hikes this month was Artist’s Rock and Sunset Rock in North-South Lake State Park. Years ago, we used to go car camping there with the girls and a bunch of other families, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I remembered it as a busy state park and was worried the hike would feel crowded.

Turned out, it was the complete opposite. We hiked on a Monday morning and encountered very few people. The hike was just enough to make the views feel earned without being overly strenuous, and the payoff was incredible. Artist’s Rock looks east across the Hudson Valley, while Sunset Rock looks west toward the Catskills. Both views are spectacular. The total hike took about 2.5 hours.

Casa Susanna
My husband Phil will drive just about anywhere for a good restaurant, and I’ve learned to trust his instincts. Casa Susanna had been on his list for a while, so after a day of hiking, we headed there for dinner. Located at Camptown in Leeds, the menu takes its inspiration from Mexico City rather than typical Tex-Mex. Everything felt fresh, seasonal, and a little unexpected. We completely over-ordered, which turned out to be the right decision because every dish that came out made us want to try another. I’m already thinking about recreating the snap pea, celery, and lovage salad at home, but I’ll definitely be back for the smoked pig’s head barbacoa. Next time we’ll make a weekend of it and stay at Camptown too.

Have you discovered somewhere this summer that I should know about? Leave me a comment—I’m always looking for ideas for my next Hudson Valley adventure.

Subscribe now

Become a paid subscriber for exclusive content and access to the full archive of subscriber-only posts. This month, it’s a curated guide to Beacon, including where to stay, eat, shop, and what to do beyond Main Street.

If you’d like to support Go Love NY and unlock all subscriber-only posts, I’d love to have you join.

Beacon is one of those Hudson Valley towns I come back to again and again, whether for a weekend, a day trip, or a stop on the way home from somewhere further north. It sits right in the middle of the valley, which makes it substantial enough for a real getaway but still an easy reach from Westchester or the city. And if you don’t have a car, Metro-North drops you right at the edge of town after one of the prettier train rides in the region.

What keeps me coming back is the variety. No other Hudson Valley town has this much going on in one place. Some trips revolve around art. Some become shopping weekends. Sometimes it’s a hike or a spa retreat, sometimes just lunch and a few hours on Main Street. I’ve visited in every season and still find new things every time.

So instead of an itinerary, here’s my full list: where to stay, where to eat, shops worth browsing, art beyond Dia, and a few destinations just outside town that make Beacon more than a Main Street.

Read more

There is a small show in Chatham right now that is absolutely worth going out of your way for. (And not just because I have a special connection to the artist…more on that later.)

Shaker Outpost, at 4 Depot Square, is a pop-up space run by the Shaker Museum while its permanent home is under construction (two blocks away, scheduled to open in 2027). The museum holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of Shaker objects, more than 18,000 pieces. For this pop-up, they invited illustrator and author Maira Kalman to curate a selection of pieces from the collection that resonated with her.

Subscribe now

The front room is part general store, part gallery, and everything is for sale. There are practical and fanciful objects chosen by Maira herself, alongside pieces from the continuing M&Co collection — the design studio founded by Tibor Kalman in the 1980s: watches, embroidered socks, a nightshirt, stationery, scissors, and other objects that feel unmistakably Maira. Friends contributed pieces too, including potholders by Frances McDormand and a handful of other handmade objects.

There was also a perfectly square white tray designed by Maira and her son Alex under the M&Co brand. As soon as I saw it, I loved it. So simple, so Shaker, so me. I splurged on the tray and the potholders.

Seeing the M&Co watches made me unexpectedly happy. For those of you who are new to my Substack, my first graphic design job was at M&Co’s design studio in the early 1990s, working on Benetton’s Colors magazine under the direction of Maira’s husband, the legendary artist and designer, Tibor Kalman. At the time, I had no idea how much the experience would shape me, but I knew I was lucky.

The art department was a large U-shaped desk lined with Mac Quadras running Quark 3.0 (If you know, you know. If you don’t, it was the only design program any of us used back then – long before Adobe, Canva, or Figma). Tibor would roll his chair around the room, stop behind each of us to comment on whatever he saw on our monitors, then move on to the next designer. It was there I learned the difference between typefaces like Franklin Gothic Condensed and the then-new Avenir, and how a tiny adjustment in letter spacing could completely change how a sentence felt when you read it. My job was to keep the typography consistent across four languages. But more than that, it was where I learned to see. The best design almost doesn’t look designed, It just feels inevitable. Tibor’s wife Maira was in and out of the studio in those days. I’ve been a huge fan of her work ever since, and read every one of her books to my kids when they were little. Ooh-La-La (Max in Love) was a favorite.

The back room of the pop-up is where Maira curated objects from the museum’s collection – smaller objects such as gloves, socks, tools and larger pieces like wooden egg trays, a hat mold, a broom. Shaker design is so simple, but so exactly right. Maira’s own prints, inspired by historic Shaker photographs, hang alongside them.

Maira once said of Shaker design: “After seeing their work, you want to run home and throw out everything you have. You want to edit your life. You only want what is essential.”

Standing in that back room, I understood exactly what she meant. Elizabeth, who had spent the better part of an hour showing me around the Outpost, told me I'd just missed someone else who had worked at M&Co. A lot of alumni had been showing up, she said.

I believe it. I’ll be back.

Shaker Outpost, 4 Depot Square, Chatham, NY.

Maira Kalman’s exhibition closes July 5, but the front-room general store will remain open. The back gallery will continue with a series of artist-curated exhibitions drawn from the Shaker Museum collection. Next up is ceramicist Paula Greif, followed by Kiki Smith in October.

Dassai Blue Sake Brewery, Hyde Park
Dassai Blue is the first sake brewery from Japan to open in the U.S., sitting quietly in Hyde Park less than a mile from the Culinary Institute, which makes a certain kind of sense since they work together. The brewery took over a former abandoned grocery store, though you’d never guess it now. The buildings are clean and minimal, with high ceilings and large airy windows. Sign up for a tour and learn how sake is made using primarily Hudson Valley ingredients. There are tasting flights, sushi, and a staff who really know what they’re talking about. And if you make a reservation, they serve omakase dinner. It’s easy to turn into a full Hyde Park day, and worth doing. Finding lunch in Hyde Park after mansion visits has always been oddly difficult. Pair one of them with Dassai and suddenly it becomes a solid day trip.

Storm King Mountain, Cornwall
The 4-mile lollipop loop at Storm King has a little of everything: a hard scramble at the start, flat stretches, shady sections, and views that make you forget you were just cursing the elevation. Storm King sits directly across from Cold Spring, so from the summit you get wide Hudson River views looking north from the less-traveled side of the river. If you bring lunch, there’s a perfect log right where the trail splits into the loop.

Petra Island, Lake Mahopac
Petra Island is a small private island on Lake Mahopac, about an hour north of the city, with not one but two Frank Lloyd Wright connections. The smaller cottage was designed by Wright himself in 1951 as a guest house for a planned larger house on the island. The larger house never received town approval during Wright’s lifetime, but the current owners later used his plans to build a FLW-inspired home with a massive cantilevered balcony over the water and huge windows that make you feel as if you’re floating above the lake.

What makes the trip especially memorable is that getting there involves a beautiful boat ride across Lake Mahopac. Once on the island, you can explore both houses and learn far more about Wright than you expect to. The island is privately owned but open for tours, retreats, and events. There’s really nothing else quite like it around here.

New York Botanical Garden – Flower Power
NYBG’s big summer show this year is Flower Power, a 1960s-themed exhibition running through the fall. Colorful VW vans, psychedelic floral installations, and 60s music throughout the grounds. It’s exactly what it sounds like: cheerful, photogenic, and a genuinely great excuse to spend a few hours outside walking through the gardens.

The indoor gallery at the Mertz Library is worth the stop. Two Andy Warhol flower silkscreens on loan from the Warhol Foundation, alongside ephemera exploring the visual culture of the 1960s. Sometimes you just want an afternoon that feels light and easy: flowers, music, art, good weather, a few photos. Easy to love.

AOOA Farm, Goshen
Yes, I’ve included AOOA Farm here before, but it truly is one of my favorite farms for lunch. The food is reliably good — spring salads, roasted vegetables, and whatever’s coming out of the fields. Lunch is served on mismatched vintage plates, never plastic. There’s always a friendly duck wandering the picnic tables hoping for scraps. Because it was May we brought home beautiful asparagus from the farm stand. They also make small-batch liqueurs on site — we left with prune and chartreuse. Important update this year: the rotisserie chicken used to require a preorder. Now you can just show up, eat it there or take it home with two sides for dinner, like we did.

A Sister Day on the Upper East Side
Acquavella Gallery on 79th Street has a Matisse show closing this Saturday that’s worth squeezing in if you can. It’s a museum-quality show in a smaller gallery setting. You’ll be glad you went.

My sister Elizabeth was in town, so we made a day of it. I try to avoid Midtown whenever possible, so my tip is to get off Metro-North at 125th Street in Harlem and take the 4/5 one stop to 86th Street. Suddenly you’re right on the Upper East Side without dealing with Grand Central or Midtown crowds. We rounded out the day with lunch at E.A.T. and makeovers at Jones Road, which apparently every woman my age is doing right now.

A Few Days in Atlanta
I spent five days in Atlanta for my younger daughter’s college graduation — the last of four years of trips down there, which felt like the end of an era. Atlanta is a better food city than most New Yorkers realize. After four years of visits, a few places became repeat stops: Ladybird Grove, right on the Beltline, which we kept coming back to every visit, Kimball House, Delbar, Botiwalla, and Gunshow. The Beltline itself is worth the trip on its own. We walked it on Mother’s Day and it was one of the best days of the month.

If anyone wants a fuller Atlanta round up after four years of visits, let me know in the comments.

More soon.

If you’re finding new places to explore through this newsletter, consider upgrading to a paid subscription — it’s the best way to support what I do here.

Every spring, it’s the same question: which gardens are worth visiting? The honest answer is that it depends on what you’re looking for. Do you want flowers, rows and rows of flowers? The drama of a view? The zen of a Japanese garden? The thrill of discovering a hidden gem?

I’ve visited every one of these, many of them multiple times. So you don’t have to guess, here’s exactly where to go, organized by what kind of garden day you want.

Read more

Wildflower Farms, Gardiner
Wildflower Farms Auberge Collection has been on my radar for a while, and I finally found my way in without booking a whole weekend. It turns out you don’t need to.

The first thing you see when you enter is a massive central firepit with seating all around, and everything radiates from that. Clay, the restaurant, on one side. Thistle, the spa, on the other. Views of the Shawangunks in the distance, everywhere. It’s the photo you’ve seen if Wildflower has been in your feed.

The hotel is a working farm, with greenhouses and fields that grow food for the restaurant, and some animals too. There happened to be a sheep shearing event at one of the barns, which made our whole afternoon feel festive. They gave me a tour of the spa, which uses botanicals grown on the farm. After lunch, we walked the grounds, got coffee, and settled into a few of the Adirondack chairs scattered around the firepits. That was really all we needed. It’s a beautiful place.

I’m already booked for June. (More on that soon.) If you want to experience Wildflower without committing to an overnight, book lunch or dinner on Resy, check their events calendar for farm events, or look out for “spa community days.” It’s a great way to visit without investing in a whole weekend.

Abbicco Salumeria & Focacceria, Dobbs Ferry
I met up with my friend Jeanne at Café Latte a few weeks ago and she mentioned a new shop that had just opened in town. Jeanne covers food for LoHud, so when she talks, I listen.

Abbicco is a small, authentic Italian shop run by Vincenzo, who’s from Naples. There’s a bakery, fresh pasta made in house, and pantry things I usually only find in Italy when I’m visiting my sister — just the right tinned tomatoes, the Pan di Stelle cookies I always stash in my suitcase, excellent prosciutto, and a fluffy focaccia that is reason enough to stop in.

Two days later, when my daughter was home from college for exactly four hours on a Sunday, we called her sister and a cousin, and had what, in my family, we call it a “Todi Lunch” — named for the Umbrian hill town where my sister lives and my family has spent summers for 35 years. A Todi Lunch doesn’t have to be elaborate. Good bread, good cheese, good prosciutto, a crisp salad, everyone sitting down together. That’s it. Abbicco made it very easy to pull off without leaving the Rivertowns.

If you want to complete the Italian fantasy, start or end with a coffee at Café Latte, which is about as close to a real Italian coffee bar as you’ll find around here.

The Eugene and Agnes Myer Preserve, Bedford
On one of those first warm spring days when I wanted more than a walk but wasn’t quite ready for a full hike, The Eugene and Agnes Myer Preserve hit the right note. This Nature Conservancy property is just outside Bedford. The loop we did was just under two hours with well marked trails, gushing streams, and a little elevation. A perfect start to the hiking season.

Bedford in spring weather felt like a completely different town than the one I had walked just a month or two before. Shops open, people spilling out onto the street, everyone eating outside. Go when the weather is good.

I’ve written about Mast Market before but it’s the kind of place that keeps delivering — this time with outdoor seating and a spring menu to match. We had salad with spring vegetables (asparagus, peas, etc.) and crispy little chicken bits. I left with a jar of Buddy Buddy chocolate peanut butter, which my girls told me is apparently a “thing” and now I understand why. Bedford Books across the street is the kind of neighborhood bookshop you wish every town had, with an events calendar that’s always worth checking. Don’t skip New York Stoneware next door either — mainly pottery, but with some really well-curated housewares mixed in.

Hudco Presents, Dobbs Ferry
I’ve written a lot about how much I love Hudco, my coworking space in Dobbs Ferry. It’s not just a beautifully-designed space with creative, engaging people – the programming alone is a reason to join. And some events are open to non-members, including “Hudco Presents.”

The whole place gets rearranged into what’s basically…a party. This time it was Armo, a West African rhythm band with serious dance energy. Food from Flours, signature cocktails, a local vendor section, and a lot of dancing. The music series is put together by my longtime friend and collaborator Doug Schneider, who happens to be both a musician and a food photographer.

We showed up at 6pm and were home by 10pm. Perfect for my age group — not too loud, not too dark, not too late, and a quick drive home. Check the Hudco calendar for upcoming events.

Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
I run on the grounds at Lyndhurst Mansion so often that I’ve started taking the place for granted. This month, I finally went inside for the flower show, which fills every room of the mansion with elaborate arrangements of tulips, daffodils, and peonies in full spring color.. The show itself has closed, but if you haven’t been inside the mansion, go and book a tour — three floors, completely intact, and genuinely impressive. And if the next few weeks are anything like past years, the rose garden will start to explode in early June.

The Bruce Museum, Greenwich
Here are two shows at The Bruce Museum to add to your list before they close on May 10th. Ursula von Rydingsvard fills the main galleries with monumental cedar sculptures built from stacked beams that are cut and carved into thick, heavily textured forms. They feel solid but delicate, and almost architectural. Tucked into what feels like a dark hallway, I stumbled onto Leonardo Drew, an artist I’d never heard of, whose works on paper are colorful, textile-y, and almost mosaic-like. I loved them. The two shows pair really well together, and the Bruce is small enough to be in and out in 30 minutes. The Bruce is a legitimate museum that proves you don’t always have to go into the city, and it’s easy to add on if you’re already in or near Greenwich for any reason.

Rosendale and the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail is a 23-mile trail that runs all the way from New Paltz through Rosendale all the way to Kingston. My plan was to walk the 14 miles from New Paltz to Rosendale, stay overnight at Six Bells Inn, and maybe keep heading north toward Kingston the next day. That trip got postponed, but Phil and I did get to Rosendale for the day to scout it out.

Rosendale is a small town but a charming one. We had lunch at The Big Cheese, one of those places that’s hard to put into just one category — part cheese shop, part deli, part market with an impressive olive oil section and local products, and somehow also a vintage clothing store. A short walk on the trestle, which is 940 feet long and 150 feet above the Rondout Creek, was enough to confirm this trip is happening. On the way home, we stopped at Dry Fly in New Paltz, a cute cafe right on the trail, clearly a pit stop for people mid-walk. Great matcha, giant cake like chocolate chip cookies, and exactly the kind of place you’d want to stumble into after a few tiring miles.

I’ve already rebooked at Six Bells for the overnight. More on that soon.

That’s a wrap on April! My May calendar is already looking full, too.. If you’re finding new places to explore through this newsletter, I ask you to consider upgrading to a paid subscription — it’s the best way to support what I do here.

When I plan a Hudson Valley day trip, I usually mix a few things: something outdoors like a hike or a garden, something cultural like a museum or a historic site, and always a good lunch — whether it’s a sit-down with a reservation or finding a pop-up food truck at a farm. Sometimes shopping is part of the day, but only when it supports local. If I have to stop at Whole Foods, that’s an errand. But picking up a few things at Talbott & Arding after a tour of Olana? That’s a day trip.

Below are five trips I’ve actually done, laid out exactly as I did them. Not full guides, just days that worked. You could follow them as-is or use them as a starting point.

Forge Project + Millerton Day

The Forge Project is a Native-led arts organization in Taghkanic, with a contemporary art collection and buildings designed by Ai Weiwei. This is not a drop-in situation, you need to book ahead.

Start the day at The Forge Project. What makes this worth a visit isn’t just the art or the architecture, it’s the experience of being there. We arrived for our 10:00 am tour, and we were greeted by Sarah Biscarra-Dilley of the Northern Chumash Tribe. She invited us to take off our shoes and handed us a cup of tea, then guided us through the space, weaving together personal history, Indigenous stories, and the art on the walls — photographs, tapestries, and paintings all of it more meaningful seen through the lens of her telling. One thing she said has stayed with me: land acknowledgment signs mean nothing unless you take action. Even if that action is just having a real conversation.

Plan on being there for at least 2 hours. It’s about a 20-minute drive from Millerton.

Head to Millerton for lunch. We ate at the Millerton Inn. The day we went, it was warm enough to eat on the porch. I had a fall harvest salad with greens, apples, squash and goat cheese.

Spend some time in town. After lunch, walk around town. My stops: Harney & Sons (the flagship store), Dutchess Trading Company , Abode Home Goods, and Oblong Books.

The Harlem Valley Rail Trail runs right through town if you want to add a walk. It’s flat, easy, and pretty.

Read more

One of the new perks of running Go Love NY and hitting 30K followers on Instagram is that I am suddenly getting asked to go to things: dinners, openings, previews. While yes, it’s been kinda fun to get all these invitations, I am pretty selective about what I say yes to. I try to only RSVP to places I’m genuinely curious about, where it seems like I’ll discover or gain access to something special and worth sharing with you.

This month delivered on that. Two chef dinners, a museum opening, and a few other things worth keeping on your radar!

Blooming Hill Farm, Monroe

Blooming Hill has been one of my go-to’s for years, so I was especially curious when they hired a new chef and started hosting wine dinners with local vineyards. I was invited to a pairing with Fjord Vineyard, a winery out of Milton, NY. We sat at a long communal farm table, the kind you’ve seen all over Instagram – done up in twine and burlap – but it actually felt real, not staged. Matthew, the winemaker from Fjord, sat with us and talked through the wines as we worked our way through the menu. I usually go for something lighter, but the scallops with gnocchi and lemon butter did not disappoint.

Reservations can be hard to get, so book a few weeks out and plan a day around it. Start with a hike at Black Rock Forest or Storm King, then head over. You could also stop at Woodbury Common on the way.

But make sure to give yourself time at their farm market. The wicker baskets and the vegetables with just enough dirt on them will make you wonder if it’s all a little too perfect, but it’s genuinely some of the best produce in the Hudson Valley.

Kanopi, White Plains

Kanopi Restaurant is on the 44th floor of Opus Hotel in White Plains, where on a clear night the views stretch all the way to Manhattan. When I arrived, it was pouring rain and I couldn’t see a thing, but by the time we were leaving, the fog had lifted and the skyline was all there.

I had no idea we’d end up at the Chef’s Table, which sits directly inside the kitchen. It felt a little like being in an episode of The Bear, but without any of the screaming or family strife. The whole team was warm and welcoming. Chef Anthony Gonçalves runs the kitchen with his wife Andreia and their son AJ, which gives the whole experience a very personal vibe.

The menu is a Portuguese omakase. At the start of our eight courses, we were given a map of Portugal showing where each dish was rooted, which was a lovely way to set up the meal. It’s hard to pick a favorite from everything I tasted, but the lobster paired with beer stood out, as did the “happy egg”, a lightly poached egg on lobster fried rice that absolutely lived up to its name. And the Portuguese bread? Thick, charred from the broiler, warm and salty.

This is a special occasion kind of place, with a few different booking options: the Chef’s Table, the regular dining room with those aforementioned killer views, and a new weekend brunch with walk-ins welcome, which is probably your easiest way in.

The New Museum

After a two-year renovation, the New Museum has finally reopened on the Bowery, expanding into a second building that now connects to the original to create one larger seven-floor space. The floating balloon sculptures by Anicka Yi, helium-filled translucent forms that drift slowly through the fourth floor gallery, have become the thing everyone is talking about, and, indeed, they’re super cool to see in person.

But the building itself is worth the visit. I went straight to the top floor and worked my way down, which is how I prefer to do museums. The elevator is worth noting, with glass walls looking out over lower Manhattan, and the upper floors have a lot of open space with floor-to-ceiling windows and views across to the Trade Center.

The inaugural show, New Humans: Memories of the Future, is spread across all of the museum’s galleries and includes a huge mix of work. I liked seeing pieces by the Russian Constructivists and Salvador Dalí, but a lot of the newer work didn’t do much for me. Still, the museum itself is reason enough to go, and it’s an easy one to add to a downtown city day.

Keith Haring at the Brant Foundation

My daughter and I made a trip down to the East Village when she was home for a weekend during spring break for the Keith Haring show at the Brant Foundation. I knew she’d love it. It’s hard not to.

The show focuses on Haring’s early years, from 1980 to 1983, tracing his rise from subway chalk drawings to famous artist, all in the East Village neighborhood where he started. Most of the imagery will feel immediately recognizable, even the early work: the dogs, the radiant baby, the dancing figures.

The Brant Foundation is located in a former Con Edison substation, and the industrial space really suits the work (On view through May 31st) We grabbed a great Vietnamese lunch at Nón Lá on East 4th Street which I highly recommend – don’t miss the summer rolls or chicken pho.

Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills

Most people think of Stone Barns as the place with the impossible restaurant reservation. But the grounds are open to walkers, runners, and anyone who just wants to show up, and from November through April, parking is free, so pull right in.

On a recent snowy morning, a few running friends and I had the whole place to ourselves. We’d heard Stone Barns plows their own paths, so when everything around us was icy, this was our backup. Clean trails, total quiet, and then – coming around a turn – goats, pigs, and cows, just going about their morning.

You don’t always know where the animals will be, which makes it feel more like the real farm it is, rather than something staged. It’s worth knowing about year round. Bring the kids!

An Upstate Errand, Turned Day Trip

After our Blooming Hill dinner, my husband went home and did exactly what my husband always does: he ordered a case of Fjord wines. The catch was that Fjord is small and not always open, so we had to pick it up at Benmarl Winery in Marlborough, which claims to be the oldest vineyard in America, and the hillside views over the Hudson are reason enough to start drinking.

I turned it into a day. We started at Franny Reese State Park in Highland, which has carriage road trails, a few old stone ruins, and great views of the Mid-Hudson Bridge and the Walkway over the Hudson. It’s a little rough around the edges, especially this time of year, but perfect for a short, easy hike.

Lunch was summer rolls at Miss Saigon in Poughkeepsie. At this point, you probably know that I clearly will always find a way to work in Vietnamese food.

We ended the day at Adams Fairacre Farms, which has quietly become our standard end-of-day stop. A smaller, family-run grocery that feels a little farm-y but also a full store, with shops in Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Newburgh. If you haven’t been, it’s worth adding on the way home from any upstate trip.

That’s March. Slowly starting to feel like spring. More soon.

If you found something new to check out, tap the ❤️ — it makes my day and helps others find Go Love NY.

When my kids were little, we found ourselves in diners all the time. I remember one of our first trips to the Dobbs Ferry Diner after moving to Irvington, with Nancy, Violet, and my oldest daughter, Clementine. Violet was a very big girl of two and introduced 16-month-old Clementine to her first of many diner grilled cheeses. I clearly remember thinking, oh… this is what the big kids eat. Of course! After that, we were at the diner all the time. This was the beginning of my Hudson Valley diner phase.

I travel up and down the Hudson Valley a lot, and, in theory, diners are not my first choice. If you know me, I usually want something with kale or a grain bowl. But sometimes a classic diner breakfast or lunch just hits the spot and there’s almost always one nearby. And when my family can’t agree on what to eat, a diner’s always got something for everyone. Not quite destinations, but they’re certainly constants

.I almost always order one of three things: Chicken noodle soup with a corn muffin; an omelet with spinach, tomato, and mushrooms; or turkey on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, coleslaw, Russian dressing, and extra pickles on the side.

Below is my list of Hudson Valley diners that are perfect to pair with a day trip.

Let me know in the comments if there is anything I have missed. Enjoy!

Read more

I know I’m not alone here, but I am tired of winter. Tired of snow. Tired of ice. Tired of “bomb cyclones”. So this month’s Edit reflects the season: day trips that are mainly indoors, neighborhood parks close to home, museums, and small outings that don’t require much effort.

Three Winter Walks, On Repeat
Finding non-icy places to walk this month was a challenge, so I kept returning to the same few spots: Mathiessen Park, Scenic Hudson, and, once the sidewalks cleared a bit, the loop at Lyndhurst.

All three sit right along the river, and what made these walks different this month were the huge chunks of ice floating in the Hudson. Some days it looked more like Alaska than the Hudson Valley. Nothing dramatic about the walks themselves. Short loops. Familiar paths. But the river was never the same twice. These were very much “get outside, move a little, head home for hot chocolate” walks. And honestly, that was enough.

Bedford Day Trip: Mast Market, Books, and a Movie
It took me an embarrassing number of years to fully understand the difference between Bedford and Bedford Hills. Bedford is especially cute..

Mast Market recently reopened here after a fire destroyed their longtime Mount Kisco location. It’s part café, part everyday market, and the kind of place you stop into for one thing and leave with much more, largely because everything is so beautifully packaged.

Mast is probably best known for its chocolate, which the Mast brothers have been making since 2007, but what makes the place work is how comfortable it feels. We had grilled cheese and tomato soup, which felt exactly right on a cold afternoon. Shelves are stocked with pantry staples, artisanal jams, and small batch things you didn’t know you needed (until now).

Follow that with a stop at Bedford Books and, if timing works out, a movie at the Bedford Playhouse. A good winter outing.

Old Greenwich as a Day Trip
I’ve written about Greenwich Beach before, but this was the first time I headed to the area for a full day trip instead of just going straight to the shore. I bypassed swanky Greenwich Avenue and instead headed to Old Greenwich, a small town with Norman Rockwell vibes. Sound Beach Avenue is lined with cafés, restaurants, and locally-owned shops that make it easy to spend a couple of hours without any planning.

Because it was a rare, downright balmy 40 degrees, we ended up sitting outside at Sweet Peas. I ordered the citrus chicken salad and Phil got the India Bowl. Afterward, we stopped at Birch Bakehouse for coffee and cookies, which alone makes the trip worthwhile. Candy Connection is a fun old-school candy store, and Athena Books is exactly what I love in a neighborhood bookshop.

Before or after lunch,I can’t recommend a walk around Greenwich Beach enough. From November through April, there’s no beach pass required. You can thank me later.

Bonus: We tacked on a visit to the Bruce Museum in downtown Greenwich on our way home. Small enough to turn it into an easy add-on, but a legitimate museum with several interesting shows. My favorite this visit was the Warhol flower prints from the Brant Collection.

Don Carvajal, Irvington
Irvington has several coffee spots, but Don Carvajal is the one I return to most often. I stopped by one Saturday morning to meet friends, and it turned into one of those rotating neighborhood gatherings. People kept coming and going. I knew more faces than I expected. Maybe because it’s February and no one is getting out much, but everyone seemed to have the same idea. Hector, the owner, made his pistachio latte, which alone is reason to go. But more than that, it reminded me how good it feels to be a part of a real community, especially on a cold weekend morning.

A real neighborhood gem in the best way.

Hudson River Museum – Modern Women/Modern Vision
I was lucky enough to get invited to the opening of a photography show at the Hudson River Museum, which is always a fun way to get out of the house, see a new show, and catch up with friends. Jess from Bloomy Dobbs did the cheese, all from women-owned producers, which was a nice detail for a show about women photographers.

This exhibition brings together nearly 100 photographs by women, including Diane Arbus, Cindy Sherman, and Barbara Kruger. It was one of those shows where you keep recognizing artists and images as you move through the galleries.

The photographs are part of Bank of America’s collection. Since they don’t have their own museum, most of these works are usually in storage or shown in different cities. This is the first time the collection has come to the New York metro area, let alone down the road in Yonkers.

It’s on view through May, and worth seeing while it’s here.

Museum of the City of New York – He Built This City
Queens-born truck driver Joe Macken built a hand-carved scale model of New York City. It took him 21 years, and it’s currently on view at the Museum of the City of New York.

To say it is cool is an understatement. The finished model measures 50 by 27 feet and includes all five boroughs, plus parts of Long Island and New Jersey. Every building was made by hand using balsa wood, cardboard, glue, and paint. He began with 30 Rockefeller Plaza and kept going and going.

Bridges, streets, skylines, entire neighborhoods. The longer you look, the more you recognize. It’s on view at the Museum of the City of New York through September.

Morgan Library
I’ve walked past the Morgan Library countless times, but I don’t think I had ever been inside since before the Renzo Piano renovation in 2006.

The Caravaggio painting currently on view was what finally got me in the door. It’s a portrait of a boy holding a basket of fruit, but what makes it feel different is how real he looks. Not a saint or a religious figure, just an ordinary person – flushed, slightly disheveled, and completely human. This painting changed art forever, and you can see why.

I also loved the main library itself. The scale of the room, the vaulted ceiling, and the walls lined with books make it one of the most beautiful interiors in the city.

Reading More Than Usual
One upside of all this cold weather is that I’ve been reading more. Two books I finished recently — Strangers by Belle Burden and Paper Girl by Beth Macy —couldn’t be more different on paper, but felt strangely connected while I was reading them. Both are memoirs written by women roughly my age, which may be part of why they resonated..

The authors grew up at the same time as me, just in different places. One in Ohio, one on the Upper East Side. I didn’t grow up in boarding school with a trust fund, and I didn’t grow up in rural Ohio on a Pell Grant, but somewhere in between. And yet I found myself relating so much to each of their experiences in different ways. Belle’s 90s New York felt especially recognizable, and Beth’s return to her Ohio hometown and how much it had changed stayed with me.

Seeing the month like this makes me realize I actually did do a lot, even if it was all close to home. But honestly, I am ready for spring.

If you found a new spot to check out from this post, click the ❤️ button. It brightens my day and helps others discover local gems through Go Love NY. Thanks for reading!

I’ve heard about Grace Farms for years, but it always felt oddly hard to pin down what it was. It’s the kind of place that has come up in passing with architect friends or random Instagram accounts I follow, usually with the assumption that you already know what it is. I did not.

Is it a farm? A performance space? A museum? A nature center? Some combination of all of that?

When I noticed a yoga class on their calendar one snowy Saturday morning, it felt like a good excuse to finally check it out. Not because I was looking for yoga, but because it gave me a reason to go.

Grace Farms, located in New Canaan, Connecticut, about an hour from New York City., calls itself a “cultural center.” This may be accurate, but still doesn’t fully explain it, which is understandable because it was never designed to be just one thing. It’s run by a nonprofit whose work spans arts, justice, community, and an initiative called Design for Freedom. It becomes immediately evident that the place exists for more than simply being beautiful.

The site was designed by SANAA, an award-winning Japanese firm known for buildings that are light, open, and practically invisible. At Grace Farms, five glass-enclosed spaces sit beneath a single, river-shaped roof that follows the dips and curves of the landscape. To move from one space to another, you walk outside under that roof, constantly shifting between inside and outside. There’s no grand entrance, no obvious starting point, and no sense that you’re supposed to experience the place in a particular order.

You arrive through one of the barns, check in, grab a map if you want one, and then just start roaming around. I got lost on my way to find the Court for yoga.. The basketball hoops at either end explain the name, but it’s the cleanest, most modern gymnasium I’ve ever seen, with polished floors and light coming in from above.Lying on my mat, I could watch snow begin to fall through the windows overhead in the double-height space. People peered in, and I felt lucky to be there.

After class, I did some more exploring. Under the shared roof, each space serves a different function. The Sanctuary, a 700- seat amphitheater used for lectures, talks, and performances.. A Library that’s open to anyone who wants to sit, read, or work. The Commons, which functions as a cafe and gathering space with long communal tables. The Court, used for sports and movement classes. And the Tea Pavilion, a small, intimate space where tea is served as part of the visitor experience.

It’s worth noting that tea isn’t just an amenity here. Grace Farms runs its own tea and coffee business, sourcing through fair-trade, women-led farms, and uses the proceeds to help support the organization’s work.

Outside the main connected buildings, the campus opens up into 80 acres of meadows, woods, and walking paths. There’s a mile-long loop through the landscape, along with other paths that make it easy just to come for a walk

Grace Farms is free and open to the public six days a week. You can attend a class, listen to a lecture, see an exhibition, walk the grounds, sit in the library, or have a meal. The Commons alone is reason enough to visit. It’s a cafe with a genuinely good menu. Ramen, grain salads, soups, sandwiches, and cookies. There’s a daily schedule if you want one. Afternoon tea in the glass Pavilion and an architecture tour are already on my list for a return visit. I certainly didn’t see everything on this one. The snow made sure of that, but I’m looking forward to going back.

I’m still not sure how to neatly describe Grace Farms, but I know I’ll go back. If you go, I’d love to hear what you think.

Boscobel House and Gardens
During Covid, when I was giving tours of outdoor spaces like estate grounds, Boscobel was one of the places I returned to many times. The house itself was closed then, and whenever I thought about going in the years after, it still always seemed to be closed. Apparently in 2024, a ceiling collapsed in the library, forcing the house to shut down for another year.

My first visit inside finally happened on one of those cold Saturdays when it was too icy for a hike. I didn’t feel like going all the way into the city, and Garrison felt like the right amount of outing.

What surprised me most was that the house wasn’t originally built here at all, and no one ever actually lived in it on this site. Originally built in Montrose, it was considered an important example of Federal-style architecture and saved from demolition. It was taken apart piece by piece and moved to Garrison, where it was carefully reassembled.

The tour focuses on the Dyckman family, who lived in the house in its original location, and the rooms are staged to show how it would have functioned as a home. They did a great job –even though it’s clearly a museum, it’s easy to picture how the family lived day to day.

Boscobel is a great winter or early spring visit if you want something cultural, very Hudson Valley, with minimal effort. The grounds alone, with sweeping views over the Hudson, are worth the stop,. It’s also a reminder of how much effort it takes for historic sites like this to still be here at all.

Pro tip: If you go on a Saturday, the Cold Spring Farmers Market sets up in the parking lot.

Studio Museum in Harlem
We had an early dinner reservation on 63rd Street, so with more snow on the ground in Westchester, an NYC day that involved a lot of walking felt like the right call. We hopped off the train at 125th Street and walked a few blocks to the Studio Museum, which recently reopened in a new building in the heart of Harlem.

The Studio Museum focuses on work by Black artists, with an emphasis on contemporary art. It’s a beautiful new space, and you can tell a lot went into it. I especially loved the inverted central staircase, designed as a place to sit and hang, clearly inspired by the stoops of the surrounding brownstones. The building itself is worth the visit.

One of my favorite installations was by Tom Lloyd, whose work was part of the museum’s inaugural exhibition when it first opened in 1968. His electronically-programmed light sculptures blink and shift color, almost like neon signs, and are fun and mesmerizing to watch.

From there, we walked south along Malcolm X Boulevard, where the wide sidewalks and rows of big, beautiful brownstones made it feel like we were somewhere else entirely. We then cut into a newly redone section of Central Park and continued south. Starting the day at 125th Street, pairing the museum with a long walk, and avoiding Midtown altogether made for a really solid winter city day.

Pro tip: If you’re making a day of it, Sottocasa Pizzeria Harlem (pizza) and Indian Summer Harlem (Indian) are both good lunch options along the route.

Grace Farms, New Canaan, CT
Grace Farms is one of those places I’d heard about for years but never quite understood what it was. Was it a farm, an event space, a performing arts venue? They call it a “cultural center,” which starts to make sense once you’re there.

Set on 80 acres in New Canaan, the site was designed by award-winning architects SANAA and is made up of five glass-walled buildings connected by a single, river-shaped roof. As you move between spaces indoors and out, you are constantly aware of the shifting landscape.

Programming ranges from concerts and lectures to exhibitions, wellness classes, and community events. The day I went, I took a yoga class in The Court, had lunch in The Commons, and spent time in the Tea Pavilion talking with Frank, the resident tea expert.There’s also a library, an auditorium, rotating exhibition spaces, and walking paths across the property, including a mile-long loop. If you haven’t been, it’s absolutely one to keep on your radar. Check the events calendar and find a reason you go or just stopping by for lunch is a good enough reason.

Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown
More snow, more walking. Rockefeller is one of those places I never hesitate to recommend because it always works. It’s big enough that you can feel completely away from everything, even though it’s right here in the suburbs.

I’ve been there in every season – early mornings running with a headlamp, snowy days with crampons, quiet stretches where you don’t see anyone for a long time, quick afternoon walks with my dog. The park’s 1,800 acres include carriage roads, wooded sections, open meadows, and streams, so every part feels different depending on where you are.

It’s the kind of place where one person can go cross-country skiing while someone else is out for a hike, and neither feels crowded. No matter the weather or time of year.

Rizzoli Bookstore, NYC
One of the unexpected pleasures of Substack has been getting to know other writers beyond the screen. A recent winter evening took me into the city for a book talk at Rizzoli. I spent a lot of time at the old Rizzoli on 57th Street when I worked at a gallery directly across the street, but this was my first visit to the Broadway location. It felt very familiar, but also different.

Nicki Sizemore was there to talk about her new book, Mind Body Spirit Food, in conversation with Jenny Rosenstrach, whose cookbook Weekday Vegetarians is one I swear by. I’ve followed both of their work for years, and it was fun to see them together in person. So far, the Coconut Curry Bowl and the Chocolate Date Nut Bark have been my favorites from Nicki’s new book.

I also ran into Lukas Volger, who I first met at a small upstate cooking workshop in 2021 and whose recipes I’ve been cooking from ever since. If you’re interested in smart, mostly-vegetable cooking, all three are worth following.

Mostly, though, it was just really nice to spend a cozy winter evening in a bookstore.

January was cold and close to home, which made these places feel especially solid. If you found something new to check out, I’m glad, and I’ll be back in February with more.

But when my husband planned a camping trip with “the guys,” the wives decided we needed a weekend away, too. It also happened to be my birthday, which was all the excuse I needed for an upstate getaway.

With so many Hudson Valley towns to choose from, it felt impossible to settle on just one. Should we stay in Hudson for the shopping? Rhinebeck for the charm? Catskill for the hiking? Somewhere along the Hudson for long river walks? This is why we landed on Germantown.

Germantown itself is tiny – a short main street, Otto’s, a general store, a yoga studio, and one little inn. It’s about 15 minutes to Rhinebeck, 15 to Hudson, and 20 or so to Catskill. Plus, it’s close to several estates along the Hudson for river walks and mansion touring. It really does sit in the middle of everything.

Instead of staying put in one town for the entire weekend, the location made it easy to move around without feeling rushed, and worked especially well. It was the perfect home base for the first annual trip for the “Irvington camping wives.”

Where we stayed

We stayed at The Yellow House, just a few minutes from the center of town. It was one of those places that felt historic and fully up to date at the same time. Downstairs had antique furniture and that “grandma, in a good way” vibe. Upstairs felt lighter, more mid-century meets shabby chic.

It worked especially well for a group. There were two kitchens, five bedrooms, and everyone had their own bathroom, which matters more than you think on a girls weekend. Most importantly, the house felt lived in, but not precious. We never felt like we were tiptoeing around someone else’s stuff. It was easy to settle into.

The house had been restored by Kate Wood of Worth Preserving, a Hudson Valley–based company that specializes in saving and reworking historic homes. Staying there gave us a real appreciation for what restoration can look like when it’s done by people who truly know old houses. If you’re restoring a historic property, or exploring longer-term stays in the Hudson Valley, Worth Preserving is a great resource.

Our Itinerary

FRIDAY

I’ve been a big fan of Bread Alone for years, and always love a reason to stop for a tomato soup and whatever seasonal salad they have on the menu. This time it was delicata squash with winterberry and arugula, plus a slab of perfect sourdough.

Since we couldn’t check into the house till 3:00 pm, we got a head start on holiday shopping, and I got to show off some of my favorite Rhinebeck shops to my friends. Emily picked up a beautiful scarf from The Covet Collective and Jill bought a chunky cable cardigan that was so “her” it seemed like she’d owned it for ages. I got myself some cute birthday candles at Upstate Down.

Once at the house, we felt like we hit the jackpot. The hardest part was actually divvying up the rooms since they were all great. Of course, since it was my birthday and I had arranged everything, I got first dibs. I ultimately chose the sunny room upstairs next to the kitchen. It became a running joke that I couldn’t decide, but honestly every room was just right.

After a 10-minute drive to Tivoli for dinner, we had a little extra time to explore the small village, which is only about 3 blocks long, but really charming and perfect for a pre-dinner stroll.

Dinner was at The Corner at Hotel Tivoli. I’ve been dying to stay here for a while. Owned by artist Brice Marden and his wife Helen, it feels like you’re stepping into a personal art project. The interiors are full of color and character, but not in a “trying too hard” way. There are works of art throughout the space from the Mardens’ collection, and the tables were set with nice touches like French napkins and hand painted ceramics. Pro-tip: The Corner Store next door sells the same Le Jacquard Français napkins and ceramics used throughout the hotel. Most of the produce on the menu comes from Plane Meadow Farm, which the Mardens started to support the restaurant.

My birthday dinner was totally my kind of meal: crispy Brussels sprouts with pomegranate and lemon, Faroe Island salmon with romesco and greens. And since I had a birthday cake, I didn’t make it to my favorite ice cream place, Fortune’s, right next door. Pro tip, again: Their labneh sour cherry is tart, creamy, and not too sweet.

SATURDAY

We packed so much in! Started out with an early morning walk at Clermont Historic Site. Clermont, the home to seven generations of the Livingston family, sits on one of the most stunning stretches of the river with 500 acres of meadows and gardens perfect for strolling.

Spent a good part of the day in Catskill, which has a totally different vibe than Rhinebeck – much quieter, not as posh, but with some great retail spots. Peyton’s carries eclectic finds produced mainly by women-owned artisans. Citiot is part gift shop, part coffee spot, and just fun to browse. Kaaterskill Market focuses on natural and sustainable home goods.

We ate lunch at Willa’s, which does mainly eggs and brunchy things, but I had a good grain bowl. We then squeezed in a short after-lunch walk at Beattie Powers Sanctuary for more river views.

With plenty of the day left, we decided to tour the Thomas Cole House, which is worth the stop, especially if you like art history or historic homes. Cole was Frederic Church’s teacher, and their houses sit directly across the Hudson from each other. Seeing both in the same weekend made that creative connection feel much clearer.

That evening, we headed to Hudson. The plan was to park near Kitty’s, where we had a late reservation, and walk all the way up Warren Street, stopping for shopping and cocktails. By the time we left Padrona to walk back down for dinner, it was pouring. We were completely soaked, it was at that moment that we realized that our tent-sleeping husbands were probably also soaked somewhere in the mountains.

Once we got back to the house, it was pajamas and tea for all. By then, it really felt like a full girls weekend, and we were very happy not to be sleeping in a cold tent.

SUNDAY

The day started with a walk at Olana. The views are incredible: river, trees, mountains, bridges. It might remind you of a Hudson River School painting, and for good reason – this is where artist Frederic Church lived and worked. Note: His Middle Eastern-inspired house is packed with personal furniture, artwork, and travel souvenirs and is totally worth touring, though we skipped it this visit.

Because it was Sunday and we were missing our local farmers market, we decided on a farm stop after stumbling upon Hearty Roots Farm and stocked up for the week.

One more pitstop for lunch at Bread Alone – I couldn’t resist getting the same tomato soup and salad combo. Sometimes you know what you like.

I didn’t think I was a girls weekend kinda girl. As you can see, it turns out, I am. I’m already looking forward to planning the next one. Rain or shine.

PLACES WE WENT

I can’t list every shop and restaurant in all four towns, but these are some of the places we stopped on this trip or recommend.

RHINEBECK

Bread Alone – A longtime favorite for tomato soup, seasonal salads, and the best baked goods.

The Covet Collective – Mainly women’s clothing like scarves, sweaters, jackets and some accessories like water bottles in cute covers.

Pegasus Footwear – Excellent customer service for hiking boots and sneakers. A fantastic wool sock section

Upstate Down – Very curated selection of home goods from candles to furniture. Tabletop linens in a gazillion shades of tans, whites and earthy tones.

TIVOLI

The Corner at The Hotel Tivoli – I haven’t stayed here, but would love to stay in one of the art filled rooms. Each room is a different color vibe, with art-work from Brice Marden’s personal collection. Even without an overnight stay, dinner at The Corner, gives you a good sense of the place.

Lasting Joy Brewery – Big modern brewery with firepits and Adirondack chairs for hanging outside, Nice modern vibes and great beer.

Fortunes Ice Cream – The best ice cream. My fave is Labneh sour cherry. It is tart, creamy, and not too sweet.

CATSKILL

Peyton’s – Eclectic finds by mostly women-owned makers.

Corduroy Shop – An upholstery shop using recycled textiles, stacked with old denim and fabric remnants. The upcycling and furniture mending are worth checking out.

Citiot – Part coffee stop, part gift shop, lots of things you didn’t know you needed. Like a Hudson Valley t-shirt or a jar of peanut butter (what I actually bought this trip)

Stinging Nettles Botanics – Very old school pharmacy feeling apothecary-style small batch tinctures and teas.

Willa’s – Brunchy comfort food and solid grain bowls.

Kaaterskill Market – Natural and sustainable home goods that also offer workshops like basket weaving.

Beattie Powers Place – Short, scenic river walk that’s from the west side of the Hudson

Thomas Cole House – Worth the stop if you like art history and historic homes.

HUDSON

Kitty’s – An all-day spot by the train station with a market, café, and sit-down restaurant.

Padrona – Lively cocktail bar and a good stop while walking Warren Street.

Coco Collaborations – Small, well-edited shop focused on Japanese-designed home goods and accessories, including the cult-favorite Bunzaburo Puku-Puku bags.

Hudson Clothier – Basics with a little extra: high-rise jeans, flannel shirts, quilted vests, and crossbody bags. All American-made.

Made X Hudson – Local makers with a focus on women’s clothing and accessories made in the Hudson Valley.

Olana – The former home of Frederic Church, a Hudson River School painter and student of Thomas Cole. Incredible views and beautiful grounds. The house tour is worth it for the original furnishings and travel objects.

Germantown

Clermont State Historic Site – One of the best river walks in the area, with wide open grounds and sweeping Hudson views and guided house tours.

Otto’s Market – The kind of general store you end up stopping into more than once, for groceries, coffee, snacks, and essentials.

Jai Yoga Shala – A yoga studio offering daily classes right in Germantown.

Hearty Roots Farm – A perfect final stop to stock up on produce before heading home.

Ruth Asawa at The Museum of Modern Art

I’ll be honest, before walking into this show I didn’t really know of Ruth Asawa. And I was completely blown away. The exhibition is mostly her wire sculptures, many of them suspended throughout the galleries so you can take them in from all sides. Because they’re made of thin, loosely woven wire you can see straight through the forms as well as thier outlines, and the shadows they cast on the walls become part of the experience.

There’s also a series of bright flower prints mixed in (bold reds and oranges) which feel like a sharp contrast to the muted metal tones of the sculptures. The contrast of color and medium works surprisingly well and shows a very different side of her work.

The show is big, but each room feels better than the last, and I never got that overwhelming museum feeling where I’m counting how many galleries are left.

Asawa is on view through February, and if you’re looking for a winter museum visit, this is the one.

Greenwich Point Beach (aka Tod’s Point)

After a week of nonstop bad news and rough weather, I took a walk on Greenwich Beach, a 147-acre park that always feels like a mini vacation. I’ve been going there since high school, and it never gets old.

Most people don’t realize that, from November through April, it’s completely free and dogs are allowed. The rest of the year, it’s only accessible to residents with expensive passes. Winter is when it quietly becomes accessible, which feels like a little secret you’re lucky to know about.

It’s a great mix of open beach, walking paths, and small tucked-away wooded areas. A really good place for a long walk.

Since some of you have asked…

People ask me all the time about Hudson Valley hotels, especially places that aren’t booked out months in advance and are actually affordable. While working on a Dutchess County project this month, I spent some time at a few hotels participating in a winter promotion run by Destination Dutchchess. I shared the details in the reel above, but here’s the gist.

The Reclaimed Motel in Red Hook is a renovated mid-century roadside place, featuring rooms with nice touches like fireplaces, vinyl players, and big windows with great views.

The Heartwood at Vassar in Poughkeepsie is clean, modern, and in an ideal location if you’re planning to visit the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, which is a genuinely great museum and reason enough to go to campus.

Curry Estate in Hopewell Junction is a more traditional, family-run hotel and could work for an upstate weekend when you don’t want to travel very far.

Kingston Day Trip

If you’re driving up from the city or Westchester, Kingston is close enough for a day trip, but there’s always so much going on that you can easily turn it into a weekend. Every time I go, I end up finding something new to see or do.

On my last visit, I discovered the Dinnerware Museum. I’d gone up to do a little holiday shopping at a couple of my favorite stores, like Hamilton & Adams and Bosco’s Mercantile. The Stockade District also has a lot of great shops, so it’s easy to keep wandering. The Dinnerware Museum is exactly what it sounds like, and it’s small enough that it won’t eat up your whole day.

I could go on and on about places to eat in Kingston, but whenever I’m in town, I inevitably end up at Village Coffee & Goods eating the shiitake bowl with warm greens and kimchi.

A Few Recent Dinners in the City

One of the perks of having a post-college aged daughter who now lives on the Lower East Side is that she makes the dinner reservations and we just show up. It’s a win for everyone. Dinner this month was at 8282, a Korean spot downtown.The boneless fried chicken was excellent, but the gochujang-marinated Iberico pork was my favorite.

Over the past few months, we’ve also been to Wayla for Thai, Comal for Mexican, Cha Cha Tang, and Red Farm for Chinese and The Ludlow for cocktails. All places I’d happily recommend.

If you found something new to check out from this month’s edit, tap the heart. It makes my day, and I love hearing about new places too.

I went to a White Elephant holiday party last week, and brought rainbow chopsticks from MoMA with a jar of Kari Kari chili crisp. I felt pretty good about my choice until I saw all the jewelry and scarves being traded around the table. Then I started worrying who’s going to want chopsticks?

Turns out the very last person to pick went straight for the chopsticks (after they’d been stolen a couple times during the game). That got me thinking about why I love museum gift shops - they’re full of unique finds that people actually want.

Everyone who comes to a museum with me knows I love a good museum gift shop, and this is exactly why I’m obsessed with them. They’re full of perfect little things that people didn’t even know they wanted. Sure, there are always branded totes and mugs, but you can often find random, unexpected objects like shiny chopsticks or a perfect sized fruit bowl.

And another reason I love museum shopping? Most smaller museums or galleries, especially in the Hudson Valley, don’t have fully built-out websites or e-commerce. You actually have to go in person – and isn’t seeing an exhibition the perfect excuse to go shopping?

Pro tip: Museum membership almost always comes with a gift shop discount. Even a basic membership can pay for itself if you shop once or twice.

Here are the museum shops (including some overlooked historic homes and NYC spots) where I’ve either found something special, have my eye on something, or can personally vouch for the browsing:

HUDSON VALLEY + WESTCHESTER

Dia Beacon
One of the strongest art-book collections in the Hudson Valley – the full Warhol catalogue raisonné, Richard Serra essays, and shelves of heavy books you won’t find in most book shops.

Boscobel
I found my favorite wooden fruit bowl here almost 10 years ago and it still brings me joy on my counter. They also carry beautiful cutting boards from Black Creek Mercantile, a furniture design studio in Kingston where everything is handmade.

Magazzino
A little shop inside Café Silvana with great Murano glass by Nason & Moretti, plus a few bowls and vases. Plus, the café is one of my favorite places to grab a sit-down cappuccino.

Storm King Art Center
Mostly Storm King–branded merch, but they still carry the ceramic mugs from last year’s Arlene Shechet Girl Group show. This set of six straight-sided mugs in great colors is totally my style and something I could see in my kitchen (and maybe yours).

The Glass House
I grew up with a lot of mid-century classics, and now that I have a mid-century house, I covet everything here. There are lots of Alessi pieces – the tea kettle and wire basket – and Aalto vases in various sizes and colors.

Wassaic Project
Art and prints from some of the emerging artists who’ve shown there, a decent section of art supplies for kids and adults, stationery, and the unexpected beach towels in bright contrasting colors like pink/orange and purple/yellow.

Manitoga Design Collection + Shop
Even though the main house is closed during winter, you can still visit their gift shop on Main Street in Cold Spring for actual Russell Wright melamine tableware in appealing colors.

Lyndhurst Mansion
I’ve never bought anything here, but I always stop in to look. The merchandise leans into the house’s Gilded Age history (and Dark Shadows, for those who know). They also sell coasters and ornaments made from the wood of a huge linden tree they recently had to take down, which I thought was especially cool.

Edward Hopper House
I always pick up notecards or postcards here. Hopper House just has good ones – simple and classic.

Katonah Museum of Art
Basically just a couple of shelves, but worth a peek. Usually includes Pantone items, which always makes sense for anyone who likes color or good design.

Staatsburgh State Historic Site - Ogden Mills Mansion
Packed shelves with hats, books, notebooks, and teas. Once I found a mezcal cocktail book here for my husband - not what you’d expect to find at a historic mansion, but a great find.

The Bruce
Straightforward gift shop with a serious puzzle and nicer jewelry than you’d expect.

NYC MUSEUMS

MoMA
The motherlode of museum gift shops! There are so many well-designed things, it’s hard to narrow it down. My go-tos are Izipizi reading glasses (for me), rainbow chopsticks (for gifts), and a Pleats Please bag when I want something a little more special (well, yes, for me, but also someone else, too).

Museum of Arts and Design
This is where I procured my Notabag backpack, which I use all the time. It folds up small and fits inside another bag. They also carry the best range of Graf Lantz coasters, felt bags, placemats in a range of gorgeous colors.

Poster House
Good for oddly-specific gifts. I once saw a Paula Scher baseball cap that actually said “Paula,” which works only if you know a Paula. (I do!) And, of course, Iconic NYC posters by Milton Glaser. I stock up on gifts here for all my art directors and magazine pals.

The Met
Yes, the Met. It’s really where my interest in museum jewelry first got started. They’re known for incredible pieces in the collection. Ruben’s Venus in Front of a Mirror earrings are a classic. You can’t go wrong.

New York Public Library
Books, puzzles, and the best NYC-themed items, hands down.

New York Historical
NYC history shows up in almost everything here – games, wrapping paper, home items – not just regular New York merch. The parking ticket mug is a perfect example of something whimsical and very New York.

The Whitney
My husband and kids are Whitneys. (No, not those, but that is indeed their last name.) So this is the one where I actually want museum-branded merch! But even if you’re not a Whitney, they have a fantastic poster section where you can select your poster, pick the size, and get it framed - all at once.

Next time you’re planning a museum visit, give yourself extra time for the gift shop. You might just find the perfect thing you didn’t know you were looking for.

What’s the best random thing you’ve ever found in a museum shop? Hit reply - I love hearing these stories!

It’s gift-guide season, and this year’s theme is simple: gifts you can actually pick up in person around the Hudson Valley and Westchester. I spend a lot of time wandering through the Rivertowns, local markets and small shops, especially this time of year, and I always think - why not turn your gift shopping into a day trip? These are scattered all over the region, so pick a town and make an adventure of it.

These are all things I genuinely use, have given, or would be happy to unwrap myself. Some are practical, some unexpected, all from places where you can walk in, browse, and actually touch what you’re buying.

Bunzaburo Puku-Puku Bag – from $42
These little Japanese bags look tiny at first, but they stretch into the perfect evening bag or everyday grab-and-go carry-all. They remind me of Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please line – with that same smart, expandable design…but way cuter. They come in tons of sizes and colors, and choosing will be the the hardest part of your day trip.
Where to find: CoCollaborations, 438 Warren Street, Hudson, NY

Tracey Tanner Silver Tote – $365
I’ve been a longtime Tracey Tanner fan ever since my first visit to Field + Supply, and her pouches have become one of my go-to gifts. This year, I spotted a full-sized silver tote and immediately loved it. It’s lightweight, beautifully made, and has that perfect metallic finish that works with everything I wear. A great upgrade from the classic pouch.
Where to find: Local holiday markets through December or online

Hot Water Bottle – $75
If you know me well, or you’re in my book club, you already know my hot-water-bottle enthusiasm runs deep. (Yes, we keep our thermostat set to 64 all winter long.) These Catherine Tough covers with Fashy bottles in Rhinebeck are the absolute best. They’re a winter staple in my house and a gift I give often.
Where to find: The Covet Collective, 19 East Market St, Rhinebeck, NY

Ceramic Fruit Baskets – from $32
These ceramic baskets are modeled after the classic green cardboard berry containers, but come in other colors too. They stack, they nest, and they look great on a counter whether they’re holding fruit or not. I’ve got red, orange, and yellow, and rotate them seasonally - citrus in winter, berries in summer, whatever needs corralling. Everything in this Catskill shop is made by women, which makes it even meaningful to me.
Where to find: Peyton’s 356 Main St, Catskill, NY 12414 or on Etsy

Wool Pot Holder with Pockets – $18.00
I never had strong feelings about pot holders until I tried these Swedish ones. They’re made of 100% wool with little pockets on both sides for your thumb and fingers – so much easier than wrestling with those bulky oven mitts. You can grab hot pans quickly or lay them flat as a trivet. Sometimes the teeniest details can make the biggest difference.
Where to find: Kaaterskill Market, 355 Main Street Catskill, NY

Hudson Valley Merch – from $40
I’m not usually a logo-wearing merch person, but apparently I have a weakness for well-designed Hudson Valley gear. Hamilton & Adams in Kingston makes the “Upstate and Chill” sweatshirts – perfectly soft with just the right amount of crop – and Cidiot in Catskill has a Hudson Valley T-shirt that always makes me smile. Locally made, well designed, and great if you want something that feels regionally proud without being cheesy.
Where to find: Hamilton & Adams, 32 John St, Kingston, NY and Cidiot, 404 Main St, Catskill, NY

Tablecloth and Napkins – from $84 (tablecloth) and $39 (set of 4 napkins)
These “tarpaulin” tablecloths are made from over-dyed canvas in bright colors. I went with orange paired with olive green napkins that have matching orange hems. The whole Utility Canvas line feels like L.L. Bean got a major color upgrade – saturated, happy colors that’ll make you want their canvas bags, quilts, and aprons, too. Fair warning: you’ll probably leave with way more than just a tablecloth.
Where to find: Canvas+Clothier, 27 Garden St, Poughkeepsie, NY

Darn Tough Socks – from $19
Wool socks are the best, period. For running, hiking, or just everyday, and I love that Darn Tough will replace any sock with a hole, anytime, no questions asked. Sure, you can buy them online, but Pegasus carries a huge selection so you can actually feel the different weights and styles before you buy.
Where to find: Pegasus Footwear in New Paltz, Rhinebeck, or Woodstock

Double Coasters – $22
I’ve always thought felt coasters were a cute gift, but these double coasters from Olga Joan are downright genius. They’re rectangular instead of square, so they can hold two drinks at once - no more juggling or ring marks on the table. They’re beautifully made and such a practical solution.
Where to find: Olga Joan Atelier 245 Wall Street, Kingston, NY, or online.

Happy Organics Birthday Cake Candles – $32
Not exactly a holiday gift, but one of those small things that’ll make the rest of your celebrations better all year long. These candles look like berries and cherries and instantly dress up any cake. Now I keep a few on hand for last-minute birthdays.
Where to find: Upstate Down, 13 East Market Street, Rhinebeck

CFM Watercolor Set – from $178
I discovered these Case For Making handmade watercolor sets at this gorgeous art supply shop in Cold Spring, where you can choose your own colors instead of getting stuck with a pre-made palette. Perfect for anyone who likes to dabble in art or just appreciates beautiful supplies.
Where to find: Supplies for Creative Living, ​143 Main Street, Cold Spring, NY

Bloomy Cheese of the Month Club – from $55
Who doesn’t love the gift of cheese? This subscription includes cheesemonger-selected cheeses, artisanal crackers, and a fun extra like jam or mustard. You can choose a 1 to 12 month subscription, and pickups are in Dobbs Ferry. A tasty local gift that keeps supporting small businesses long after the tree comes down.
Where to find: Bloomy Dobbs, 3 Cedar Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY

A Gift Subscription to GoLoveNY – $8/month
Do you like this newsletter? Share the Hudson Valley love! If I do say so myself, a GO LOVE NY subscription makes a thoughtful gift for anyone in your life who’s curious about local spots, planning a move upstate, or just wants to discover more of what makes this region special. Think of it as a year-round inside scoop on all things HV (plus you’ll be supporting independent local journalism in the process!).
Where to find: Go Love NY gift subscription

Happy gifting! And if you make it to any of these spots, tag me - I love seeing what you find.

The Kube Art Center - Beacon
Beacon Bonfire was a couple of weeks ago – an annual town-wide weekend of music, art, and film that turns the town into one big, creative block party. I already can’t wait to explore more of it next year, since I only made it for Sunday. Most of my afternoon was spent inside The Kube, a former high school turned art space run by Ethan Cohen Gallery, which is open on Saturdays year-round.

Afrofuturism is one of the current exhibitions up through December 18th. It’s bold and colorful, with five Black artists using photography, sculpture, and abstraction to rethink the past and imagine what the future could be.. Even if contemporary art isn’t usually your thing, the work is approachable and will give you a lot to think about.

Down one of the lockers-lined school hallways, I stumbled into a music room where Telepathic Moon Dance was performing. This Newburgh-based group is somehow a warm, hypnotic mix between jazz and EDM. Definitely worth following since they are local, and they’ll be bringing their energy to Quinn’s in Beacon on November 24th, with sets at 8:30 and 10:00 pm. No cover.

Everyone knows Dia Beacon, but this is the other contemporary art spot in town that deserves a place on your radar.

Untermyer Gardens - Yonkers
During that gorgeous stretch of fall weather when it felt impossible to stay inside, I had a free hour one afternoon and drove over to Untermyer Gardens. You walk through the massive iron doors and instantly forget you’re in Westchester, let alone Yonkers.

The Walled Garden is the first thing you see, but the Vista staircase and The Temple of Love are my favorites. Even after dozens of visits, the views of the Hudson River and the Palisades wow me. And because it’s free and open year-round, it works for both a quick pop-in or a longer wander.

Untermyer is always one of the most popular stops on my tours. Stephen, the president of the Conservancy, has a way of putting the estate’s history into context — the politics, the people, and how the garden came to be. If you can, check the website for one of his tours. They’re absolutely worth planning around.

Warwick, NY
Warwick is one of those towns that, based on my Instagram feed, always looked a little like Stars Hollow. I can’t believe I’ve lived this close for decades and have never been. Surrounded by farms, cideries, and rolling countryside, with a walkable main street full of cute shops and places to eat, it makes an easy day trip. Check out my reel for a closer look at my visit.

If you’re headed to Warwick, try to stop by AOOA Farm in Goshen, one of my favorites to keep on your radar (even though their main season is wrapped). They occasionally bring people back with small events and pop-ups. Definitely bookmark them for when the buds start to bloom.

Magazzino Italian Art – Cold Spring
I’m not an Arte Povera person, but Magazzino is still one of those places I’m always glad I went to. The minimalist buildings just outside Cold Spring are beautiful, easy to navigate, and have galleries that are rarely crowded. Pair it with Café Silvia, the onsite restaurant, for well-made cappuccinos, warm panini, and that very European museum-café vibe you don’t often find in the Hudson Valley.

Bonus: Up on the hill, you’ll find a herd of Sardinian donkeys brought over from Italy by the founder. If you have kids with you, it’s an instant highlight; but even without, it’s a sweet, memorable stop before heading home.

Germantown, NY
I just spent a birthday weekend in Germantown and am working on a whole post about it, stay tuned!

If you found a new spot to check out from this post, click the ❤️ button. It brightens my day and helps others discover local gems through Go Love NY.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Robin

Last year’s holiday market roundup was apparently a hit, so I’m making it an annual tradition. I love supporting local makers and turning a little shopping into a whole outing — lunch with a friend nearby, a walk or hike if the weather’s nice, maybe another market stop on the way home. I try to find small-batch, one-of-a-kind gifts you won’t find online: bespoke table linens I probably don’t need, artisanal candles and note cards, vintage cocktail glasses, maybe a new ceramic bowl.

A few favorites are back, plus some new spots I’m excited to check out. Here’s what’s on my list this season:

Basilica Farm & Flea – Hudson
Launched in 2013 as Hudson’s answer to Black Friday, Basilica Farm & Flea takes over Basilica Hudson, a multidisciplinary art space in a renovated 1880s factory. You’ll find more than 120 vendors with a mix of handmade goods, vintage finds, and locally sourced food. Come hungry for Sweet Freedom Farm waffles, oysters from Oyster Party, and Breezy Hill Orchard wood-fired pizza.I’m thinking about making it an overnight and finally checking out the new PocketBook Hotel, a larger (for Hudson) spot in a former pocketbook factory. BASILICA HUDSON, 110 Front St, Hudson November 28–30 | 10–5

Cannonball Factory Market – Hudson
Another restored 19th-century factory building, this market features about 50 vendors, doubling its size from last year, with locally sourced finds from independent makers. One reason I want to go is Yummy Kitchen, the Asian food truck known for its breakfast banh mi, now set up inside the building. CANNONBALL FACTORY, 359 Columbia St, Hudson. November 28–30 | December 5–7 | December 12–14 | December 19–21 11–5 all days

Troutbeck Holiday Bazaar – Amenia
Troutbeck is one of those hotels – and restaurants – that has been on my list forever, but I’ve never quite made it. Their holiday bazaar feels like the perfect excuse to check out this historic estate-turned-boutique hotel. Local artisans, small-batch food, clothing, ceramics, jewelry, kids’ gifts, and more. Make a lunch reservation if you want to turn it into a full day. TROUTBECK, 515 Leedsville Rd, Amenia December 6–7 Saturday 11–4 | Sunday 10–2

Craft Fest at Stissing House – Pine Plains
If you’ve ever tried to get a reservation at Stissing House, you know it’s a challenge. Craft Fest is the workaround: a beautifully-curated holiday market by Deborah Needleman, former editor-in-chief of T: The New York Times Style Magazine, with around 50 artisans filling the tavern with pottery, baskets, textiles, and giftable goods. Many of the pieces you see throughout the restaurant will be available for purchase. But heads up – it’s a ticketed event and tends to sell out fast. CRAFTFEST Stissing House, 7801 S Main St, Pine Plains | December 13–14

The Farmhouse Project Market – Callicoon
The Farmhouse Project is run by two guys who have mastered the “upstate-style” life. Their shop, restaurant, and blog all look pinterestingly perfect, so you know their holiday market will be gorgeous. Expect small-batch makers, and plenty of design inspiration. Make it a day trip and leave time to wander Callicoon while you’re there. FARMHOUSE PROJECT The Farmhouse at Delaware Youth Center, 8 Creamery Rd, Callicoon. November 23–24 | 11–5

Austen Boland Interiors – Hastings-on-Hudson
Emma Austen of And North and her husband Andrew Patterson are back with their holiday pop-up — part shop, part beautifully styled living room. Expect vintage furniture alongside work from Hudson Valley makers like 2 Note, Mackenzie Wood Works, Ori Carlin Ceramics, Laurel & Ash, and more. Yellow Bowl Bakery will be popping in on weekends with sweet treats. AUSTEN BOLAND Rivertown Rose, 10 Spring Street, Hastings-on-Hudson. November 8 – December 21 | Friday–Sunday 11–6

Wickers Creek Market, Holiday Edition at HudCo – Dobbs Ferry
Wickers Creek is bringing its beautifully-edited vintage market indoors this year at HudCo in Dobbs Ferry. Usually found at the waterfront, they’re known for vintage home goods, clothing, and décor with an upstate-meets-Brooklyn vibe. WICKERS CREEK HudCo, 145 Palisade St, Dobbs Ferry. Saturday, December 14 | 11–4

Yay! Markets – Peekskill
This one popped onto my radar last year when Acorn Woodshop — a Go Love NY subscriber — commented on a post to share that she’d be selling her work there. I love markets that come recommended by the makers themselves. It’s a smaller, community-focused event with local artists and small businesses. YAY! MARKETS Station Square, Peekskill
December 14–15 | 10–5

Twin Star Orchard – New Paltz
I never need a reason to spend time on a farm, so a holiday market is a bonus. Twin Star is hosting its annual weekend market with a rotating lineup of local vendors each Saturday — think ceramics, candles, honey, hot sauce, dog treats, and more — plus cider tastings in the taproom. A chill, farm-day way to shop local. TWIN STAR ORCHARD, 155 N Ohioville Rd, New Paltz | Saturdays, November 22 – December 20

Make Your Mark[et] – Irvington
Melissa of AD’Zine has moved her annual pop-up to Irvington this year — lucky me! She’s rounded up a mix of Hudson Valley makers across jewelry, ceramics, art, and textiles, with a rotating schedule of visiting artisans bringing their own mini pop-ups. You’ll find local photography by Jessie Spellman-Mignone (her prints of Rivertowns’ landmarks are gorgeous), cute kids’ slippers by WeeLaMond, and cozy jackets by Lauren Tormenta. One of those places where you always find something special, and chatting with Melissa is half the fun. MAKE YOUR MARK[ET] 79 Main St, Irvington. Through December 24 | Check website for hours and pop-up schedule

The Holiday Shoppe by The Floral Society – Dobbs Ferry
The Floral Society’s holiday pop-up is back at Hudson River Landing, filled with their signature earthy tapers, table linens, and gardening goods you didn’t realize you needed. The whole shop is variations of beige, rust, tan, and other neutrals — and somehow it all looks perfectly pulled together. Picture Book has a section here too, and you’ll find makers like Virginia Sin, Immodest Cotton, and Wing Ming Farm in the mix. The Good Witch is popping up with coffee on select days. They also opened a storefront in Beacon this year, but this pop-up still feels special for the season. THE HOLIDAY SHOPPE Hudson River Landing, 145 Palisade St, Dobbs Ferry. Wednesday–Friday 10–5 | Select weekends through December 20

Makers Central – Tarrytown
Before I even started Go Love NY, Makers Central was one of my go-to spots for local shopping. It feels more like an open studio than a typical holiday market: kilns, printing presses, and woodworking benches in the studios where these makers normally work, so you can sorta see the process while you browse. I can always count on picking up note cards from Bat Flower Press or a perfectly imperfect bowl from Connor McGinn. MAKERS CENTRAL 84 Central Ave, Tarrytown. November 30 – December 1, Saturday 10–5 | Sunday 10–3

Happy holiday wandering, and happy shopping! If I missed your favorite, drop it in the comments so others can find it too.

If you found a new spot to check out from this post, click the ❤️ button. It brightens my day and helps others discover local gems through Go Love NY.
Thanks for reading!

What they all have in common is a sense of escape. For the original owners, these homes were often summer houses, often reached by boat, and offered a real retreat from city life. For me, stepping inside now feels like a quick trip into another era.

Each place offers something different: architecture, a family saga, American history, or a setting you won’t forget. Here are the latest historic homes I’ve toured:

Clermont State Historic Site / Germantown
Built in the 1740s, Clermont was home to seven generations of the Livingston family and sits on one of the most stunning stretches of the river. The Livingston family shows up all over early American history. Chancellor Robert R. Livingston helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Martha Washington even spent the night here.

The house was burned by the British in 1777 because of the family’s Patriot ties, then rebuilt by Margaret Beekman Livingston, who saved heirlooms and portraits that still hang today.

Open the front door and the first thing you see is a sweeping view of the valley, framed by the Catskill Mountains across the water. Clermont actually means “clear mountain” in French because of that very view. The house is decorated as it looked in the 1930s when Alice Livingston lived here with her daughters. The surrounding 500 acres of meadows and gardens are perfect for strolling before or after a tour.

TOURS: Thursday–Sunday. Grounds are open daily from 8:30 am to dusk.

Wilderstein Historic Site / Rhinebeck
A fairy-tale Queen Anne mansion with a five-story tower, sweeping verandas, and classic river views. Three generations of the Suckley family lived here, a wealthy Hudson Valley family who made their fortune through land and banking, the last being Margaret “Daisy” Suckley, FDR’s close friend, who stayed until 1991. After her death, private letters were found in the house along with the everyday details of her life.

The interiors are truly frozen in time. No photos are allowed, but I’ll try to paint a picture: carved woodwork, stained glass, and rooms layered with antiques from Colonial to Renaissance to Louis XVI. The dining table is still set with original china and silver, and Daisy’s small upstairs kitchen remains intact, with a 1991 calendar and grocery list still hanging on the wall.

TOURS: Thursdays through Sundays at noon, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 pm. The 40 acres of grounds and trails are open year-round.

Locust Grove Historic Site / Poughkeepsie
Tucked just off Route 9, you’d never know this 200-acre estate is there until you turn into the driveway. Locust Grove was the country home of Samuel F. B. Morse, (yes, of the morse code!) In 1851, he built an Italianate villa here, inspired by his travels to Italy, with a tower perfectly framing his view of the Hudson. After Samuel died, the property was sold to the Young family, wealthy socialites and collectors who made their money in railroads, publishing and investments and owned the property for three generations.

Today, the mansion holds more than 15,000 objects, from paintings to furnishings to an original Edison phonograph, all carefully curated to reflect how the Morse and Young families lived.

The grounds are a surprise too – formal gardens with arched rose trellises, a vegetable plot, shaded trails, and even a small pet cemetery. With lawns, overlooks, and miles of carriage roads, it is easy to forget you are on Route 9.

Tours: Fridays through Mondays. The gardens and trails are free and open daily

Wethersfield Garden / Amenia
A 1,000-acre estate with views that reminded me of Tuscany – and somehow almost no one I speak with seems to know about it! A Georgian Revival house sits at the top, but the main draw is the Italian-style gardens terraced into the hillside with fountains, clipped hedges, statues, and bursts of wildflowers.

And as if that weren’t enough, more than 20 miles of carriage roads and walking paths wind through forests, meadows, and shaded groves dotted with sculptures. It’s the kind of place where you can spend hours wandering and still stumble across something new.

There’s also a carriage museum and the main house for those who want the full estate experience. But honestly, the gardens and trails alone are worth the trip.

TOURS: Open Friday through Sunday. Dogs on leash are welcome on the trails but not inside the gardens.

Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum / Pelham Bay Park, Bronx
A rare country estate inside New York City, the 1790s Federal style Bartow-Pell sits in Pelham Bay Park, which is nearly three times bigger than Central Park. Inside are double parlors on the main floor – one for ladies, one for men – and a sweeping elliptical staircase that winds up three flights.

The rooms are furnished with period pieces that capture the feel of the mid-19th century life, even if little is original to the family. It’s not the most elaborate estate, but the big lawns and gardens right in Pelham Bay Park are impressive. It makes for an easy stop if you’re already in the area, especially paired with lunch in New Rochelle or a walk at Glen Island Park.

Every so often, the mansion also holds a fundraising market and sells items from storage. I left with a set of vintage champagne glasses – the kind of quirky souvenir you don’t usually get on a historic house tour.

TOURS: Select days. Grounds: Open during park hours. Check the calendar.

Mesier Homestead and Museum / Wappingers Falls
Right in the center of Wappingers Falls, the Mesier Homestead sits on what was once the center of a large farm. Today, only a few acres remain as the village park, but inside the house itself, you’ll find rooms filled with artifacts that tell the story of early Hudson Valley life.

Guided tours focus on the families who lived here and the village, using original objects to tell the story. It is not as fancy as the riverfront mansions, but that’s what makes it interesting, and it feels more real.

Tours: Private weekday tours available Tuesday–Friday by reservation.

Mount Gulian Historic Site / Beacon
As my GPS took me down a suburban cul-de-sac, it felt like I made a wrong turn, but at the very end, perched above the Hudson, is Mount Gulian. This spot is a must for history buffs. It was the headquarters of General Friedrich von Steuben during the Revolutionary War and also home to many generations of the Verplanck family, a prominent Dutch merchant family who made their wealth through trade and landownership. One story that really stayed with me was about the gardener James Brown – he was a former enslaved man who became the estate’s gardener and kept a meticulous diary of the grounds for nearly 40 years.

Tours take you through the gardens, house, and barn, with guides who go deep into the history. It’s less of a casual stop than some of the other estates, but worth it if you like getting into the details. Also, the beautiful barn, with that coveted Hudson view, is now used for events and weddings.

TOURS: Open April–October on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Olana State Historic Site / Hudson
The views at Olana are incredible: river, trees, mountains and bridges. It might remind you of a Hudson River School painting and for good reason – this is where artist Frederic Church lived and worked. His Middle Eastern-inspired house is still here, packed with his furniture, artwork, and travel souvenirs. Even though you cannot touch or sit on anything, the vibe is personal and surprisingly lived in.

Like many of the other sites, the grounds are just as much of a draw as the house. There are more than 250 acres of trails, lawns, and places to picnic, and you do not need a tour to wander them. I first came during COVID just to walk the property, but I am glad I went back to tour the house. The guides know their history and put everything into helpful context.

TOURS: Tuesday - Sunday. Grounds are open daily until sunset

Thomas Cole National Historic Site / Catskill
Across the river in Catskill is the home and studio of Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School and teacher of Frederic Church. The house is smaller and simpler than Olana, but it feels like the beginning of the story. You can walk through the rooms where Cole lived, see his original studio, brushes, sketches, and even the same window views that appear in his paintings.

This side of the river feels quieter. The grounds are open to walk, with views of the mountains and the same landscapes and light that show up in his work. Inside, the tour gives context to how this whole movement of American landscape painting began.

Olana and the Thomas Cole House are connected by the Hudson River Skywalk, a pedestrian walkway across the bridge, so you can go from teacher to student in one day.

TOURS: Wednesday – Sunday. Grounds open daily dawn to dusk

Still so many more to visit

The Hudson Valley is full of places like this. Some grand, some modest, all with stories that I love learning about. I will keep exploring and share more as I go. And if there is a historic site you love or one I should visit next, tell me in the comments — I am always looking for the next spot.

If you found a new spot to check out from this post, click the ❤️ button. It brightens my day and helps others discover local gems through Go Love NY. Thanks for reading!