Catskills.
Holy moly do I love the Catskills. Last weekend Jesse and I trekked up that way to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary. What a blast. In the process we got to check out a ton of places I've wanted to go to, starting with the Phoenicia Diner. We drove up on Friday morning and landed at the diner just in time for lunch. I dove into the cornmeal waffle topped with lox, crème fraiche and scallions while Jesse went for the honey orange BBQ chicken platter. Delicious. After lunch we sampled the beers at the Woodstock Brewing tap room before checking out the World's Largest Kaleidoscope and settling into our room at Kate's Lazy Meadow (owned by Kate Pierson of the B-52s). We kept it low-key that night, wading in the Esopus Creek, relaxing in hammocks, buying dinner ingredients from the local farm stand and unwinding in the spa.
On Saturday we woke up early and headed into Woodstock for Mower's Flea Market and breakfast from Bread Alone. From there we took a drive over to Kingston to the Hudson River Maritime Museum for a lighthouse tour. This turned out to be quite the adventure when the museum's boat broke down, leaving us stranded at the lighthouse while they searched for a solution. Luckily, a local with a sailboat was able to rescue the two of us while another boat came for the rest of our group. Our encounter with Sean, the owner of the sailboat, proved worthwhile when we took his lunch recommendation and hit up The Anchor. The staff were familiar with Asbury Park and Jesse is still raving about his burger.
By this point on Saturday, the weather was brutal and we decided to head back to our room for a few hours. Once we recharged we went back to Woodstock for a pre-dinner drink and delicious cheeseboard at R&R Taproom. Think I need to take a page from their book and try my hand at pickled cherries. From there we walked over to A&P Bar, which offered up my favorite meal of the weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed their jalapeno-infused tequila take on a margarita. Would drink again.
The weather forecast warned that Sunday would be even hotter so we decided to get up especially early and hike Overlook Mountain to celebrate our official anniversary. While the trail is only 2.5 miles up to the scenic overlook and fire tower, the grade is no joke and I'm not sure we were really prepared for the heat. But we trudged on and paused to explore the abandoned hotel and cool down before reaching the top. I took in the views and went about halfway up the fire tower while Jesse went all the way up to catch the breeze. And while going down was easier than up, we were both drenched with sweat by the time we reached the car. A quick change and peek at the Tibetan monastery across the street and it was time to go. One more stop at our friend's spot, A Better Place Bar & Grill, for a delicious lunch and we were home, making the promise to visit the region again soon.
