Catskills or other day trip from NYC

Cole Kendall

Cole Kendall
Some Italian wine-world friends are going to be in NYC in early November and were interested in spending a day (or a day and a half, (i.e. overnight) in the country. They will not have a car (as far as I know) and were looking for the closest rural place to the city that they could get to in a day.

I proposed the Catskills but would appreciate thoughts by those here.
 
What do they want to do: breath in the country air, go hiking, see some art? Many different options. If all they want to do is see Trump Country (and the attendant signs), they won't need to venture far at all, perhaps a game of golf in Bedminster?
 
The key for them will be access without a car.

For train only I'd choose the Hudson River Valley as well - Poughkeepsie, Hudson, Rhinebeck.

Poughkeepsie has a waterfront, a cool train bridge across the Hudson that was converted into a state park with hiking trails on the west side of the river, ok restaurants. Hudson is a decent town. Rhineback is a well known draw for tourists and had a decent wine shop last time I was there (albeit many years ago). I remember buying a nice, well priced decanter there.

Other possibilities: Warwick (leading edge of Catskills, nice town, been there many times), New Paltz (Catskills).
 
Many thanks; I think the idea was to get out and walk about a bit where one could see some subset of trees/hills/moving water without seeing golf balls flying.

The Hudson River Valley idea is good, many thanks.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
I thought the Catskills had turned into a post-apocalyptic dystopia.
Not dystopic, just abandoned. Superseded by air conditioning and airplanes, mostly, but also by color television and J-Date.
 
originally posted by Josh Fontaine:
Dia: Beaconhttps://www.diaart.org/visit/visit/diabeacon-beacon-united-states

Beacon is a great idea. You can get there by train. There is a very nice hotel called The Roundhouse with a good restaurant:


And you can take an Uber to Storm King


A nice place to spend a day out of the city.
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:
originally posted by MarkS:
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:
... New Paltz (Catskills).

Actually, Shawangunk Mountain, distinctly different from the Catskills.

I thought this was the Eastern Edge of the Catskills range but am happy to be corrected.

Yeah, the Catskills are eroded from a plateau that is north and west of Kingston, whereas the Gunks are part of the Valley and Range geologic province.

I second the Beacon thought. Don't forget the drive on the local road that hugs the west side of the Hudson/Storm King Mt for spectacular views!
 
originally posted by Ben Hunting:
I'd recommend Storm King also. You can rent bikes there for getting around the grounds.

The Italian lady in Aziz Ansari's "Master of None" (recommended) liked Storm King.
 
originally posted by Cole Kendall:
Many thanks; I think the idea was to get out and walk about a bit where one could see some subset of trees/hills/moving water without seeing golf balls flying.

The Hudson River Valley idea is good, many thanks.

New York Botanic Gardens and Wave Hill count as country, right?
 
Back
Top