Last week, we took our first family vacation to the Hudson Valley, two hours north of New York City. I'd love to share a few photos, if you'd like to see. We rented a charming
colonial cottage in the town of Red Hook...
Alex liked drinking beers in the wooden Adirondack chairs...
...and I loved the swing hanging from an enormous tree.
There was a gorgeous screened-in porch...
...which overlooked a meadow (with butterflies in the morning and fireflies at night).
Seven-week-old Toby approved of the comfy porch furniture. (He even gave us a few toothless grins, which were totally endearing.) And a delicious bonus: The owners of the house left us eggs from their own chickens and buttermilk pancake mix.
Mornings were pretty slow-paced with the baby, but each afternoon, we'd pack everything up and go exploring. One day, we toured the ridiculously fancy
Vanderbilt Mansion. We even saw the servants' quarters--the women lived on the fifth floor, and the men in the basement, so as to prevent any hanky panky. Alex and I found it fascinating, but Toby was less impressed and slept the whole time.
We also took Toby on his first
boat ride, which motored down the Hudson River past two lighthouses.
We sat on the covered upper deck and enjoyed the breezes...
...and did double-takes when we saw this girl's tattoo. :)
In the evenings, we'd explore the charming little towns, and we became addicted to the fish tacos at
Sante Fe in Tivoli. (We went three nights in a row.) The trip was wonderful, and, although it was chaotic sometimes with nursing, diapers, the car seat, and the
staggering amount of baby gear that we had to bring along, it was really lovely to travel with the little man. I'm so glad we did it. Looking forward to going back. :)
A few tips, if you're heading up to the Hudson Valley...
Where to stay: The Hudson Valley is peppered with adorable small towns, such as Rhinebeck, Rhinecliff, Tivoli, Saugerties, Hudson, Hyde Park and Kingston. We rented one of the gorgeous homes in the area (you can find rentals on homeaway.com, airbnb.com, or vrbo.com), but we also LOVE the Villa at Saugerties (pictured above; we've stayed there in the past; it will re-open again as a bed & breakfast soon). Also, the Saugerties Lighthouse would be a fun and quirky place to stay, and the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck looks pretty swanky.
What to do: Explore the towns and shops (our favorite was the design store Tivoli Mercantile); take a relaxing boat trip from Kingston; go on a sail from Tivoli or Saugerties; walk to the Saugerties lighthouse (it's really lovely); hike through the woods (this walk looks great); admire a 150-acre Chinese-inspired garden in Millbrook; pick your own fruits and vegetables in Red Hook; tour estates and mansions in Hyde Park, Rhinebeck and Hudson; see a drive-in movie in Hyde Park; go antiquing; and watch an airplane show and fly in an open-cockpit bi-plane in Rhinebeck (we did this once! It was awesome!).
Where to eat: The Hudson Valley boasts tons of amazing restaurants, but we especially loved the crispy fish tacos at Sante Fe in Tivoli, the fresh seasonal food at Miss Lucy's Kitchen in Saugerties, and the burgers and beers at New World in Saugerties. I'd love to try Le Petit Bistro in Rhinebeck, too, which critics swear is the best French restaurant in the Hudson Valley. If you're going on a picnic, Gigi's Market serves great prepared foods (quiche, veggie salads, brownies), and Bread Alone in Rhinebeck has delicious sandwiches. People also rave about the five student-run restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park; we've never been but I'd like to go sometime.Have you ever been? I'd love to hear any other tips you might have! xoxo
Treehotel is a brand new design hotel in northern Sweden, less than an hour from the Arctic Circle. The Mirrorcube room, above, has a double bed and roof deck, and you access it by rope bridge. I can't believe how beautiful it is! Wouldn't you die to stay there?
My lovelies, how was your week? Toby was sweet but oh-so-cranky today, so I didn't get much done other than rocking him, singing to him and playing Raffi on my computer in a desperate attempt to keep him happy. Whew! Now that he has mellowed out, we're heading to buy my brother a birthday beer. (Happy birthday, Nick!) Have a wonderful weekend, and here are a few great posts from around the web...
Last week, we took our first family vacation to the Hudson Valley, two hours north of New York City. I'd love to share a few photos, if you'd like to see. We rented a charming colonial cottage in the town of Red Hook...
Alex liked drinking beers in the wooden Adirondack chairs...
...and I loved the swing hanging from an enormous tree.
There was a gorgeous screened-in porch...
...which overlooked a meadow (with butterflies in the morning and fireflies at night).
Seven-week-old Toby approved of the comfy porch furniture. (He even gave us a few toothless grins, which were totally endearing.) And a delicious bonus: The owners of the house left us eggs from their own chickens and buttermilk pancake mix.
Mornings were pretty slow-paced with the baby, but each afternoon, we'd pack everything up and go exploring. One day, we toured the ridiculously fancy Vanderbilt Mansion. We even saw the servants' quarters--the women lived on the fifth floor, and the men in the basement, so as to prevent any hanky panky. Alex and I found it fascinating, but Toby was less impressed and slept the whole time.
We also took Toby on his first boat ride, which motored down the Hudson River past two lighthouses.
We sat on the covered upper deck and enjoyed the breezes...
...and did double-takes when we saw this girl's tattoo. :)
In the evenings, we'd explore the charming little towns, and we became addicted to the fish tacos at Sante Fe in Tivoli. (We went three nights in a row.) The trip was wonderful, and, although it was chaotic sometimes with nursing, diapers, the car seat, and the staggering amount of baby gear that we had to bring along, it was really lovely to travel with the little man. I'm so glad we did it. Looking forward to going back. :)
Where to stay: The Hudson Valley is peppered with adorable small towns, such as Rhinebeck, Rhinecliff, Tivoli, Saugerties, Hudson, Hyde Park and Kingston. We rented one of the gorgeous homes in the area (you can find rentals on homeaway.com, airbnb.com, or vrbo.com), but we also LOVE the Villa at Saugerties (pictured above; we've stayed there in the past; it will re-open again as a bed & breakfast soon). Also, the Saugerties Lighthouse would be a fun and quirky place to stay, and the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck looks pretty swanky.
My friend Sandra Juto makes knit plushes. She mailed one to Toby, and I laughed out loud when I opened the package yesterday. :)
Confession: I'm embarrassingly addicted to The Bachelorette. (I know.) Have you guys been watching it? The reality show, where one woman tries to find love among 25 guys, is sooo compelling. On my Glamour blog, I used to do "live commenting" during the finale episode, so everyone could chat about it as it aired. Would you guys ever want to do that here on Cup of Jo? The finale is in two weeks (Monday, August 2nd)!
What a beautiful room, don't you think? I'd love to spend an afternoon in that chair.
