The Ulster County town with its quaint village has attracted creative urban transplants for decades with the promise of new beginnings.
The Hudson Valley is a community of food lovers. More than foodies, the residents of the region are those who live and breathe food and its journey from seed to plate. They're just as passionate about the farm-to-table movement as they are about the individuals who power it, nurture it, and allow it to grow.
I’ll admit: I was nervous about traveling out of state during 2020 – the year when the world was turned upside down because of the coronavirus pandemic. But I kept my eyes peeled for possible, drivable getaways to relatively nearby destinations with low numbers of COVID-19 infections.
It was late summer – having spent almost all my free time chilling out on various New Jersey beaches – when the idea of an out-of-state vacation took hold. The coronavirus pandemic had squelched mine (and millions of other people’s) tentative 2020 overseas and island-hopping plans. But, as various East Coast states started opening up again, the idea of a road trip became a real possibility.
This past weekend my girlfriends and I spent the weekend in Upstate New York to enjoy all the fall activities and scenery. This guide includes where to stay, eat, drink, explore, hike, and what to pack!
Looking for a getaway in Upstate New York? Saugerties on the west bank of the Hudson River offers the charm of the Hudson Valley and the sweet mountain air of the Catskills.
Saugerties is having a moment. Driving in from the south on Route 9W, across the Esopus Creek's Hudson River delta, you wind steeply uphill and are delivered into one of the most alluring little shopping districts in the Hudson Valley. Partition Street is narrow. The tightly clustered historic architecture and the current roster of well-appointed stores and quality restaurants offers more than one might rightly expect from a village with a population of 4,000 people.
Our merchant member Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern was picked by CNBC as a reason to visit the Hudson Valley!
"For those seeking a more in-town vibe, Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavernfits the bill. This luxury boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Saugerties has 30 guest rooms, each with their own balcony and scenic views of the waterfall in Esopus Creek." - CNBC 5 Reasons to ditch NYC for the hills of the Hudson Valley
Olsen & Company, or O&Co, is the sort of place every Hudson Valley town needs. Part café, part mini-market, the Saugerties eatery has been a favorite in Ulster County since it opened in June 2017.
Over the years, it’s become just as much of a destination for morning lattes and farm-fresh dishes as it is for pantry essentials like Chaseholm Farm cheese and Olympia Provisions charcuterie. Charming from the inside out, it has a cozy interior made for grabbing coffee with friends or simply stocking up on kitchen treats during the drive home from work.
Yet as anyone who stepped foot into its storefront at 81 Partition Street can attest, it was just a little bit small.
Was being the operative word.