WEEKEND AWAY

[harlanturk]

Any good getaways a few hours (by car or public transport) a few hours outside of NYC?

No big cities (ie Boston, Philly, DC),

but more the style of Cape Cod and Portland.

Small towns, great food, nightlife.

On the cheap, artsy, any suggestions?

Looking to go away the weekend of June 16-19th. Any festivals, fairs, events etc ... ?

[BubbleheadChef]

I live in Mystic and there is a beautiful old Seaport here along with some really nice places to eat. There is the small town feel and lots of B&B's to choose from as well as a few chain hotels and motels. A great walking town, if you are just coming for the weekend and don't want to leave the area. We are about an hour and half to two hours from the city. Hope this helps.

[reggie_212]

SIGH....Since I've moved here from NY I’m loathe to recommend it but I think your requirements are filled by the Berkshires of Massachusetts. If performance arts are something you're looking for, the Boston Symphony has their summer home here in Lenox (www.tanglewood.org) and there are several other performance ensembles (Jacob's Pillow). There are also some surprisingly some excellent museums in the area (Mass MoCA, Clark Institute, the Norman Rockwell Museum).

Besides the cultural attractions, the Berkshires are made up of several charming, quaint New England towns with Main Street charm. Stockbridge, Great Barrington, Salisbury, CT all would be nice to visit.

In terms of dining there are several options including decent sushi (Bizen), American bistro (Pearl's), and an okay steakhouse (the Dakota).

It's only a two hour and 10 minute drive from the city as well if you don't leave prime time.

Edited April 11, 2006 by reggie_212 (log)

[k43]

My wife and I love the Hudson House Inn in Cold Spring Harbor. The easiest and prettiest way to get there is to go out over the GWB, set your cruise control on 55 and go up the Palisaides Parkway to the end, cross the Bear Mountain Bridge and go north for about 15 miles on 9.

It's right on the water, with a great view. There's a charming bandstand, where on warm weekends, there's often an oom-pah band that comes over from the army band at West Point. The accommodations are old-fashioned lovely and the restaurant is excellent. Finally, there are about 50 antique shops to look into.

[Sharky]

When I need to get away, I like to drive up to Hudson, NY. I love the downtown area, the restaurants, galleries and antique shops are a lot of fun and the people are interesting. The mix of newbies and locals keeps things lively.

Here's a website with some info:

http://www.warrenstreet.com

[Kim WB]

Lambertville, NJ and New Hope PA, river towns on the Deleware river.

[tazerowe]

Funny, I was going to post yesterday and got busy. My two choices: Hudson, NY or Lambertville, NJ! Both have great antiques shopping - you could spend a full day either place. For Lambertville, you can also drive back up the river, on either side, and hit spots like Frenchtown.

I am less certain about the food options in either spots, although I recall there being a couple of nice spots in Hudson.

[rich]

Saratoga Springs, NY - a few excellent restos, great downtown walking area, the spas, SPAC, golf, tennis, the Lake, antiquing, Revolutionary Battle Grounds, the racetrack - no racing but the horses work in the morning in the most beautiful place for horses on earth.

About three hours north of the city on I-87. Once you go, you'll go back many times. Stay in a B&B - Chestnut Tree Inn is the best in my opinion - (518) 587-8681. Tell them I recommended you.

You can't ask for much else.

[adegiulio]

I am less certain about the food options in either spots, although I recall there being a couple of nice spots in Hudson.

←

In Hudson, I would certainly check out Swoon Kitchenbar. Very hip crowd, seems like a NYC restaurant. Cool place.

For pizza, our friends introduced us to Baba Louie's , which makes excellent pies and salads.

Don't forget to bring lots of money and the SUV, there are TONS of antique shops and other nice boutiques.

[harlanturk]

Anywhere in Cape Cod?

I know it's a trek, but I think it more the style I'm looking for.

Beach, bars, great seafood almost everywhere you go.

Does anyone know of B&B or resorts on the cheap?

Wellfleet, Falmouth, P-town, Brewster/Barnstable ...

[Sharky]

If you want information on Cape Cod in particular, perhaps you should post on the New England board.

[suzilightning]

i would second the hudson suggestion - besides the antiquing there is also Olana, Frederic Church's home and across the bridge Cedar Grove, Thomas Cole's.

another thought would be Rhinebeck - lots of things to see there including CIA, Locust Grove, Samuel F>B> Morse's home, Vanderbilt Mansion, Roosevelt's home, etc.(get the feeling i'm a history nut, too)

if you want water how about where i originally came from: Shelter Island. some good food, access to wineries, the only drawback is the drive from manhattan. more info here:

http://www.shelter-island.org/index.html

[rlibkind]

The Finger Lakes are about a four-hour drive, so while it's too much for a day trip it works well for a weekend. Lots of wineries to visit, some of them even good (I'd recommend Hermann J. Wiemer on the west shore of Seneca Lake, especially for his rieslings and ice wines), and Ithaca -- which is probably where you'll find the largest range of accommodations -- has more good restaurants than any town its size deserves. The art museum at Cornell can be interesting, and lots of artsy-fartsy stores. There's usually some good music around, too, in almost any genre.

A restaurant I'd like to try in the area is the latest incarnation of Dano's Heuriger, which existed five or six seasons ago at the Standing Stone winery and now has its own location nearby along the east shore of Seneca Lake. Based on past experience (admittedly about three years ago) Pangea in Ithaca's Northside neighborhood was always well beyond reliable.

If you're there on a Saturday morning, stop by the Ithaca Farmers' Market. Be sure to buy some blue cheese or tomme from the sheep lady (Northland Sheep Dairy); it is a superior cheese, particularly the blue.

Best of all is the scenery -- lush, rolling hills and jewels of water.

Edited April 13, 2006 by rlibkind (log)

[docsconz]

Saratoga Springs, NY - a few excellent restos, great downtown walking area, the spas, SPAC, golf, tennis, the Lake, antiquing, Revolutionary Battle Grounds, the racetrack - no racing but the horses work in the morning in the most beautiful place for horses on earth.

About three hours north of the city on I-87. Once you go, you'll go back many times. Stay in a B&B - Chestnut Tree Inn is the best in my opinion - (518) 587-8681. Tell them I recommended you.

You can't ask for much else.

←

I'll second Saratoga. it is a happening town with plenty to see and do in the general area. The food is happening too with plenty to eat and many really good farms and farmer's markets to check out if you are into that.

[godiv@]

I too love driving up to the Hudson Valley...

I do recommend visiting www.escapemaker.com. That is a great website for those who are looking for a weekend getaway within 4 Hours. They also have a calendar where you can check out the happenings wherever you want to go.