refreshed doesn't even begin to explain how hung and i felt after spending the weekend in the catskills on our minimoon. living in the city, you don't realize how busy and how much stimulation you have when you're so used to being on-the-go nonstop. normally when we decide we need a break and spend a weekend night at home, we're still cooking, we're still on our phones, we're playing video games, and we're watching gilmore girls marathons. it's not a break. we're still "connected" and feel like we're missing out if we spend too much time away from instagram that we miss something that someone posted. i'm such a sucker for instagram, but our weekend away made me really realize that it's a time-passer for me. spending the weekend with just my husband, with no tv, no video games, no cell phone service
(for most of the time anyways) was a step away to truly relax.
after a friend told me about
table on ten
, i knew we had to go. i've wanted to do a staycation in NYC for a long time, but we keep putting it off because of the high price of hotels. i knew it was for us when i found out that we could stay in a likely-better-designed minimalist bed and breakfast for half the price in a place where we would be forced to live without distractions. i booked the trip through airbnb and decided that we could piggy back the trip as being our october
date
, even though it was supposed to be our minimoon
(hey, we still have a reception to pay for, we can't go too crazy with the vacations yet).
on the way to bloomville, we stopped at
warwick valley winery
. expecting your average winery with lots of wine to taste and buy, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that this is the place that makes
doc's apple cider
! while my taste buds have grown more "mature" since my days of loving every cider on a bar's menu, i still enjoy doc's. the cider was included on the tasting menu, giving us a quick taste of a cider that never makes it to the draft list at our local bars: pumpkin cider. i know, i know, everything has a pumpkin flavor nowadays, but this one was really good. they know what they're doing when they say it's "seasonal" and "when it's out, it's out". so, we packed our car full of booze, and continued driving to our destination in the catskills.
at
table on ten
, we were greeted by the smell of brick oven pizza and a friendly staff. we were shown our rooms, and just laid on the bed in awe of our weekend ahead. you know you married the right one when you're excited for a room with no shower
(just a hand held shower head and a tub, freestanding in the middle of the suite) and no door on the toilet area, just a curtain. the attic above table on ten is romantic. it's minimalist. and the SMELL. gosh i couldn't get over the smell. it was fresh, it was cozy, and it made the place feel like home. we spent the night eating pizza from the café at table on ten
(their friday and saturday night specials), had a hot bath with the rest of our wine from dinner, and were ready for bed by 9:30pm.
i can't tell you how long it's been since i woke up on a saturday at 6:15am feeling 100% awake and refreshed. we actually had to waste time before breakfast started to be served. although Inez recommended a nearby café for breakfast, the smell of coffee and all things breakfasty told us we needed to stay. after breakfast we planned to go to
plattekill mountain
, which has ski slopes in the winter that double as mountain biking and hiking trails in the non-winter months. i like hiking, but it's not really hung's thing. so this was a happy medium. we rode the
chair lift
to the top of the mountain, and hiked our way down. the hard part was done FOR us, AND we got views of the mountains unachievable from any spot on the ground. worth every penny of that $7 ticket to the top.
\
afterwards we ended up going to the café that inez referred us to for brunch. it's called
russell's
, and it's the cutest little store in bovina. it's a no frills place, where everyone seems to know everyone. but as newcomers, we were treated with the same hospitality. the place is filled with general store goods, bakery items, nostalgic candies, and, again, that delicious smell of bacon. we ordered sammiches and devoured them. end of story. we were, again, referred to another local restaurant for dinner, and decided that these recommendations are a good thing
(because they all actually ARE good recommendations).
we spent the afternoon drinking
ommegang
beer at the
taste of the catskills
event in delhi before heading back to table on ten to relax before dinner. i never would have thought that a place that seems so desolate would require reservations for dinner, but as we walked into
brushland eating house
, we realized why. the well-designed space was dimly lit with just the right amount of cozy, not too many tables that makes you feel like you're packed in like sardines
(ahem, like every restaurant in manhattan), but enough to fill the space with friendly conversations to make it feel lively. when there's a place in town that serves food that's THAT good for reasonable prices, it gets packed. fortunately for us, we are pretty low key and those bar stools at the ledge near the front windows that face the street are totally fine with us! we ordered the recommended roasted carrots, fell in love with turnips, and for once i think we each ordered entrees that was equally as awesome as the other
(hung ALWAYS orders the better dish).
another bubble bath and bottle of wine, and we were destined for another early night. our final morning was reserved for a farm tour at a local animal farm called
stone and thistle
, where the owners served brunch at their home at a huge communal table after the farm tour. after seeing a real family farm in action, it makes us appreciate meat that comes from these kinds of places. although we have almost unintentionally reduced our meat intake to just a few servings a week, it makes use realize that maybe the "cheapest chicken breast we can find" might not be the most sustainable, the most ethical, or the most healthy. although this mindset is in our faces everyday in the media, it wasn't until we actually visited a small family farm that we truly knew what it meant to choose ethically-raised, quality meat.
although we only took a half day off of work on friday, being away from distractions for just the 2 nights made our weekend feel so long
(in a good way), and it was such a nice treat for us newlyweds. now i know why people take honeymoons ;)
we fell in love with the catskills, and we will certainly be back again.
cheers.
jenn
