After the beautiful Memorial Day long weekend, I took off on my next summer destination: Hudson Valley River and the Catskills. I was pretty impressed with myself for making a 7am train to get up north to Poughkeepsie (I still can't say this right, don't you think it should be poo-keep-see?).
I rented a car in Poughkeepsie - by myself - what an adult. Being just those few months under the magic age of 25 though, renting a car is pretty expensive. But it is the only way to get around. I took off at a snail's pace to the first stop, a whole 10 minutes down the road, to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA, haha no it is), which is a cooking school. Apparently the "the world's premier culinary college". The grounds there are beautiful, so I took myself on a little walk around before an early lunch at The American Bounty. The Bounty is one of a few restaurants on the campus and they are all completely staffed by students, who are placed in the different roles for a few weeks as part of their degrees. This is amazing, especially as a gluten-free, because they're all learning and they actually want you to ask loads of difficult questions and be extremely particular about the food. They even made me my very own gluten free bread roll! You aren't allowed to tip, the food is delicious but considerably cheap and there are four or five wait staff per table. You can also peek in at the classes and the restaurant kitchens (no really, they have glass windows so you can have a good gawk).
I rented a car in Poughkeepsie - by myself - what an adult. Being just those few months under the magic age of 25 though, renting a car is pretty expensive. But it is the only way to get around. I took off at a snail's pace to the first stop, a whole 10 minutes down the road, to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA, haha no it is), which is a cooking school. Apparently the "the world's premier culinary college". The grounds there are beautiful, so I took myself on a little walk around before an early lunch at The American Bounty. The Bounty is one of a few restaurants on the campus and they are all completely staffed by students, who are placed in the different roles for a few weeks as part of their degrees. This is amazing, especially as a gluten-free, because they're all learning and they actually want you to ask loads of difficult questions and be extremely particular about the food. They even made me my very own gluten free bread roll! You aren't allowed to tip, the food is delicious but considerably cheap and there are four or five wait staff per table. You can also peek in at the classes and the restaurant kitchens (no really, they have glass windows so you can have a good gawk).
I took my full and fat self a little further down the road to the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site at Val Kill, where I did a guided tour. The tour was great, except I think they expected you to be all down with American history and politics, because there were a lot of jokes and name-dropping that got everyone guffawing but I had no idea what they were talking about. Still, a great tour about a very remarkable woman. I skipped the Franklin D. Roosevelt site and went down to Rhinebeck to have a looksy around some of the Antique stores there for a bit. I'm pretty Antiqued out after the last few days actually. The biggest leg of the drive on the first day was from Rhinebeck to the B&B, where I crawled around winding country roads. Other cars hated me but I was still nervous at this point. Such beautiful scenery but I was concentrating too much to peel my eyes off the road (probably a good thing?).
I stayed at the lovely Bed by the Stream B&B in Saugerties, which really is right on the stream. There were horses, chickens, crazy peacocks, wild tourkeys, cats and a big happy dog. And a pool. Every morning you get a big breakfast - the bright yellow eggs from the chickens, yum - at the dining room table looking out at the stream. There was an American couple staying there, so we spent about an hour every morning chatting over our enormous breakfast and looking out at that spectacular view. A great start to every day. Breakfast was so big that you just weren't hungry until dinner.
So anyway, the next day I was getting pretty comfortable driving on the right-side of the road and I went across to Hudson (more Antique stores) and then Phoenicia for some TUBING. I picked the day with the thunder storm, good one. I got dropped off with cousins Mike and Mike, who very kindly tubed with me, and we had a good old time floating down the stream. We chatted to fly fisherman on the way, who looked just like fly fisherman should look - knee-deep in the stream in their pocketed-vests and khakis - and the locals sitting on the banks. It's a shame I didn't have a waterproof camera because it really was a gorgeous trip, with the little white pollen-puffs in the air. Tubing was pretty excellent, although I hadn't really brought enough extra clothing with me so I was soaking wet with numb toes for the drive back to the B&B. I went to a really great organic, slow-food restaurant for dinner on the Wednesday night (actually I went there Tuesday as well) just down the road from the B&B called New World Home Cooking. Seriously good food. I basically licked my dinner plate and tapas-dessert plate clean. This place has gluten-free nailed, including their desserts which used mostly rice flours. Yum.
Thursday I went out to Woodstock - the Woodstock - which is a really cool place packed with hippies and artists. Lots of sculptures, little art galleries, beautiful stores with carefully selected jewellery and pieces that were quite unique. I window-shopped every inch of every store, enjoyed a well-made coffee and a home-made ice-cream sundae by a little waterfall, and wandered through a handful of the galleries that were open. I could have stayed for days, but I'd really done it all by lunchtime and had to move on
I stayed at the lovely Bed by the Stream B&B in Saugerties, which really is right on the stream. There were horses, chickens, crazy peacocks, wild tourkeys, cats and a big happy dog. And a pool. Every morning you get a big breakfast - the bright yellow eggs from the chickens, yum - at the dining room table looking out at the stream. There was an American couple staying there, so we spent about an hour every morning chatting over our enormous breakfast and looking out at that spectacular view. A great start to every day. Breakfast was so big that you just weren't hungry until dinner.
So anyway, the next day I was getting pretty comfortable driving on the right-side of the road and I went across to Hudson (more Antique stores) and then Phoenicia for some TUBING. I picked the day with the thunder storm, good one. I got dropped off with cousins Mike and Mike, who very kindly tubed with me, and we had a good old time floating down the stream. We chatted to fly fisherman on the way, who looked just like fly fisherman should look - knee-deep in the stream in their pocketed-vests and khakis - and the locals sitting on the banks. It's a shame I didn't have a waterproof camera because it really was a gorgeous trip, with the little white pollen-puffs in the air. Tubing was pretty excellent, although I hadn't really brought enough extra clothing with me so I was soaking wet with numb toes for the drive back to the B&B. I went to a really great organic, slow-food restaurant for dinner on the Wednesday night (actually I went there Tuesday as well) just down the road from the B&B called New World Home Cooking. Seriously good food. I basically licked my dinner plate and tapas-dessert plate clean. This place has gluten-free nailed, including their desserts which used mostly rice flours. Yum.
Thursday I went out to Woodstock - the Woodstock - which is a really cool place packed with hippies and artists. Lots of sculptures, little art galleries, beautiful stores with carefully selected jewellery and pieces that were quite unique. I window-shopped every inch of every store, enjoyed a well-made coffee and a home-made ice-cream sundae by a little waterfall, and wandered through a handful of the galleries that were open. I could have stayed for days, but I'd really done it all by lunchtime and had to move on
- Kaaterskill Falls! I really tested my driving getting out there. It was apparently an important site for 19th Century American painters and previously the biggest tourist site in America. You can't tell this is the case, though, by the route to get there. You park just off the highway, and then you literally hug the rocks as you walk back down the road - no path just oncoming traffic - to the beginning of the trail. The GPS also has no idea what you're talking about so you're totally on you're own here. The top f the falls are about a half mile trek up from the road, and you are right on them/in them for the whole thing. The serenity. It is probably not a wise choice to go bush walking on my own, in inappropriate foot wear, without telling anyone, and then to head off the track in search of a private spot. But look, I survived. I even dipped my feet in.
After about an hour at the Falls, I went down to Saugerties proper where I checked out the Lighthouse, the main streeet (most amazing Chocolate store) and had an early dinner at Miss Lucy's Kitchen, which served mostly local produce and was also gluten free awesome.
After about an hour at the Falls, I went down to Saugerties proper where I checked out the Lighthouse, the main streeet (most amazing Chocolate store) and had an early dinner at Miss Lucy's Kitchen, which served mostly local produce and was also gluten free awesome.
Friday, it was back to New York City. I really could not get home fast enough, because we had a new addition joining us whom I was very excited to meet...
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