more of new york

Beyond staying at a fabulous bed and breakfast while we were in New York, and in between wedding activities, Nic and I were able to get out and explore the area a bit.



We hung around Franklin on Sunday morning to check out the Farmers Market.



A tour around the small town killed a bit of time as we waited for all of the vendors to set up.



Debbie, I took this just for you.







Back at the farmers market, we kicked off the morning right - with a beer tasting! Tundra Brewery is a new micro brew that had some really great brews! All of the ingredients to make the beer are grown on the family farm - very cool.

Here is a nice article from the New York Times detailing the brewery.



After beer tasting, we picked up the obligatory maple products, and then ran into the owner of the B&B. She gave us the insiders tip to stand in line for some break.

Well, you don't have to twist my arm!



The family run bakery had some stellar choices (and a really cool set up!) We were told we couldn't pass up the cinnamon-cardamon rolls, and also grabbed a green garlic roll. Both were superb.

In the winter time, the family has a bread truck that drives around town (similar to an ice cream truck) delivering fresh bread to whomever needs it. How awesome, right?!



There were a lot of great booths at the small market. I am glad we stuck around to check it out!



We explored Oneonta next, while waiting for the newlyweds to meet us for lunch.



A coffee to go with our roll was completely necessary.



We ate and drank while exploring the downtown. Note: we did not go into this bar.



But we did grab lunch at the Yellow Deli. A delicious restaurant, but also home of a cult?



Regardless, it was cool inside, and again - really delicious food.


Back in Cooperstown, we stole Kurt and Marisaa away from the kids and headed to Ommegang for a tour + tasting.



We are lovers of Ommegang beer. Last time we were in New York, we brought home a few cases. Sadly, that was not possible this time around.



Thankfully, there are many places in Iowa where we can get it.



Cheers!



Our last morning had us detouring to Treadwell to check out the general store.



A fun little store with a long history.



And then it was off to Albany for our trip home.

So long New York, it was a blast.

Next up....the main event!

catskills escape - a review of one amazing weekend in new york

Paradise, right?

Nic and I took last Friday off and made our way to upstate New York for Kajsa's wedding. After a few hours of dealing with mechanical issues at DTW, we were well on our way to a weekend in the most beautiful place we've been to in a long time.

That's saying a lot since we were just in Sweden and Denmark!

After much research and quite a few emails, we decided to book three nights at the Catskills Escape - a lovely bed and breakfast in Franklin, NY.

We decided on Catskills Escape for a few reasons:

#1 - Well, it looked beautiful on the website!
#2 - It was a mere 6 miles from were Kajsa and Joshua's wedding reception was being held (at Joshua's farm), talk about convenient!
#3 - I'd been emailing back and forth with a few area B&Bs inquiring if they would accommodate my vegan diet, and Randy, one of the owners at Catskills, was very willing to provide hearty vegan breakfasts each morning.

And....booked!



After a slight detour, and finally finding our way through a hilly, narrow, beautiful country road - we pulled up to Catskills Escape.


And fell in love.













Nic and I have two very different, yet shared, dreams for our future. One is to move back to the heart of Minneapolis or St. Paul and live in an old house at the center of town, in a neighborhood with tree lined roads, small yards and within walking distance to everything.

The second is living in the country, in an old farm house {or barn!} that sits on a huge plot of land with hills, trees, a river or pond, fields and far from anything.

Check, check and check.

Catskills Escape gave us a taste of that future - and we simply loved it.

While the outside oozes with charm, the interior of the house was stunning. Simple. Clean. Beautiful.



Because we just were vacationing in Sweden, we opted to go with the cheapest room. A bright, corner room with its own bath.

Twin beds...not a problem. It was too hot to cuddle anyway.

Breakfast was served just outside of our room each morning.



And each morning we were greeted by a beautiful spread of {vegan} food.

Day 1 - homemade granola, yogurt, fresh fruit, banana pancakes & coffee.
Day 2 - homemade granola, fresh fruit, oatmeal & coffee.
Day 3 - homemade granola, fresh fruit, carrot muffins & coffee.



The dining room was bright, with windows on either side of the table. It seriously, was such a great place to welcome each day.



The kitchen? Well, the kitchen had me at hello. I may or may not have given myself a tour before we checked out.



This bed and breakfast was Nic approved.

Not only did the owners go out of their way to make sure we had a beautiful vegan breakfast each morning, they also made sure even our simplest requests were fulfilled beyond expectations.

Take for instance a beautiful Sunday night.



Nic and I had a bottle of wine that we wanted to enjoy on the back porch and invited Kajsa and Joshua to join us.



I asked for a corkscrew and a few glasses, and ended up with a beautifully simple table set with candles and a few snacks to share with the newlyweds.






That is simply something I could enjoy every night. Wine, good chocolate, great company and a beautiful view.

You can see that we both were pretty smitten with the bed and breakfast itself, and the surrounding countryside was icing on the cake.



We set our alarms early on Sunday and Monday mornings so we could hit the road for a few walks before breakfast.



I am sure we could have gone further if I hadn't insisted on stopping every 50 feet to get a picture of this or that.



Nic had a great eye and spotted quite a bit of wildlife along the way.







A newt?! Seriously, when is the last time you saw an orange newt?!













We saw this guy twice. The first time he was scrambling up the tree with his breakfast in tow - a huge toad!





Just beautiful.

If you haven't gotten the hint by now, if you are ever in up state New York and are looking for a place to stay that is off the beaten path, yet close to everything, I would highly suggest the Catskills Escape. Need a place to get married - this is the place. You can also rent out the entire house for family gatherings, and being that it is only 6 miles away from Kajsa's new home, I can see Nic's family doing just that.

Did I ever mention that the owners are looking for innkeepers? Yep. Nic and I have our bags packed and ready to go...we are just waiting for the call! :)