Brooklyn family.
Catskills double-wide.
Wildlife, design, food & drink, travel, real estate, country characters, adventures, waterfalls.
Wildlife, design, food & drink, travel, real estate, country characters, adventures, waterfalls.
The egg sandwich at See and Be goes above and beyond the basic BEC. Made-to-order with the freshest possible ingredients, this spectacular, fully customizable Catskills breakfast sandwich is worth a drive to Cairo, but it really should come with a warning: It may forever ruin the bacon-egg-and-cheese from your go-to corner bodega. (Side note: It can even be vegan-ized!)
What’s the best way to spend a Saturday in Saugerties? In celebration of Laura Stevenson’s upcoming show at Opus 40, we asked the Saugerties-based singer-songwriter to talk us through a perfect weekend day in this quaint Hudson River town. Laura has a 3-year-old daughter, and all her recommendations are very kid-friendly.
Inquiring Minds Bookstore and Coffee House sells new books alongside used books, has a super kids section as well as a giant grown-up selection, and pours notably delicious coffee, tea, and lemonade. When it’s too cold or too hot or too rainy to enjoy the outdoors, this Saugerties book shop can really save the day.
Levon Helm Studios, a warm, intimate music venue tucked into a barn in Woodstock, is hands-down one of the best places to see live music in New York.
Levon Helm, the drummer and one of the vocalists for The Band, designed the Barn with acoustics in mind, so there might be a scientific reason for why every song sounds so big and warm and beautiful in this landmark room. Maybe it’s the materials that were used to construct the Barn in 1975—local bluestone, hemlock, and pine—or maybe it’s the vaulted shape of the space or just a particularly excellent sound system.
I like to think that all the artists who’ve graced this stage, from David Crosby, Mavis Staples, and Emmylou Harris to My Morning Jacket, Lucinda Williams, and Steve Earle have left behind a patina of good juju. I could feel it when I walked into the room.
Left Bank Ciders in Catskill, NY makes small-batch hard apple cider from local apples, some foraged and some shared by neighbors who’ve inherited orchards of 100-year-old heritage apple trees. Their ciders are more complex and less sweet than your typical American on-tap cider—and they also serve local non-alcoholic cider, for any non-drinkers in tow.
Got trash and recycling in Greene County? Looking for a local dump in the Catskills? Here’s a guide to waste stations located in Catskill, Coxsackie, Hunter, and Windham. Follow the rules, bring cash, and mindfully dispose of your garbage and recycling when garbage trucks aren’t there to serve you.
A treasure trove of Greene County History, the Vedder Research Library is your one-stop shop for questions about local land, ancestry, and more. Historian and archivist Jonathan Palmer, a Greene County native with a passion for the area, brings local history to life with the effervescent positivity (and corny jokes and mustache) of a young, real-life Ted Lasso.
Need a rainy day activity in the Catskills? Mountain Top Library in Tannersville should be on every book-lover’s bucket list. With vaulted ceilings, giant windows, cozy seating nooks, and an excellent kids’ section, there is a lot to love about this public library nestled in the Catskill Mountains.
Pratt Rock Trail, leading up to the Mount Rushmore of the Catskills, was really tough for my city kids, who’ve already hiked plenty of beginner trails in the Catskill Mountains. I disagree with the tourism site that calls it “perfect for beginners.” For us, it was way too big a jump into harder hikes. There are some great views, but hikers need to avoid a giant wasp nest near the stone carvings.
Tanners Boat House, a New England seafood shack in Tannersville, has lobster rolls, lakeside views, a little beach with canoe, kayak, paddle board, and tube rentals, a giant playground next door, beer, wine, booze, and a trolley to take you back to town. This is their first summer of operation and it’s 2022’s best new full-service family-friendly destination in the Catskills.
Did you know that Sfoglini makes all of their pasta in the quaint Hudson Valley town of Coxsackie? Sfoglini makes fun, colorful pasta shapes, combining American ingredients with Italian techniques. The result is a rustic, rough-textured pasta that clings to sauce far better than its slippery, mass-produced supermarket counterparts.
Red Star Cafe has opened as Cairo’s first coffee house. It’s literally a house, complete with a breezy porch, a wide and welcoming indoor seating area, and a back-corner study nook. Plus, it’s the only spot in town with an espresso machine and free WiFi, and in these parts, that’s a pretty big deal.
With a counter-service menu of baked goods (flaky croissants, brownies with fun toppings, muffins) and simple grab-and-go fare (salads, yogurt parfaits, hummus cups), Red Star hits the spot, whether you’re wrangling a couple of kids or just toting a laptop.
Don’t go to Disney World for the food. Go to Disney for the rides and princess-sightings, and eat the silliest, sweetest, weirdest, most delicious things you can while you’re there. A Brooklyn food critic shares favorite Disney food and drinks, plus offers tips on booking hot tables, and makes the most of club level dining at the Disney resorts.
