Catskill Mountains Trip Report
 

The Catskills in NY are truly a very interesting and special place.
Our trip started with leaving Detroit and heading to Niagara Falls,
Ontario. Spent part of the afternoon at The Falls. It is so true
about what they say about negative ions - you can feel the calm and
their presence at Niagara. It has been about 5 years since we were
last at Niagara Falls. I have also visited this area many times in my
childhood on family trips. We could not believe how much Lundy Lane
has built up! {A kid's paradise.}

Wanted to stay the first night of this driving trip outside Syracuse in
the area of Oneida Lake/Sylvan Beach. This was a decision made on the
road. Found out at one of the travel rest spots that there wasn't
much there as far as hotels go, and could be in for a disappointment
without a reservation on a Saturday night. We opted to stay at Turning
Stone Casino in Verona, NY. Had a lovely room ($175 + taxes). My
partner loved the games. I am not much of a gambler, but I did notice
the absence of popular slot machines like Monopoly, Jeopardy, Wheel,
etc. The huge place was VERY busy, and proved enjoyable for me as I used
their nice spa. The hotel seems rather new. It has no liquor
license, and I wanted a beer after all of that driving! So we drove up
the road for dinner at Charlottes Creekside Grill. Had a wonderful
meal in a delightful setting. Request a table on their creek side
patio - beautiful with the gardens, lights and torches.

Checked out Utica, NY for breakfast and ate at Gary Casab's Café in
neighboring New Hartford. This seemed to be the place where the town
went for Sunday breakfast. Good food, sort of a deli atmosphere, and a
very large seating area. Visited the art museum, designed by architect
Phillip Johnson, and enjoyed their outdoor student art exhibit. Many
talented artists in this area! The museum housed terrific American
art. Especially enjoyed the works of Thomas Cole, including, "The
Voyage of Life."

Arrived at our resort, "Friar Tucks" in the countryside of Catskill, NY
and checked right into our timeshare. This resort initially took us
aback. Everything seemed very dark in the main hotel's huge lobby -
and was built in the style of a fortress castle, probably in the
1950's. It is a an enormous complex that not only offers their weekly
timeshare trades situated off near a lake, but the main hotel is a
500-room resort. The place is truly dated, but our room was recently
remodeled and was very nice. There are 6 pools on the complex, two are
indoor. There is also a very nice spa - the nicest part of the resort,
imho.

Visited the town of Woodstock and enjoyed all it had to offer. I have
never seen so many 'hippies' in my life! {Hey, but I could live there!
lol} Bought several things in this town as it proved to be the best
shopping of our trip. Everything from clothes to antiques to artwork.
Went back to this city another day and hiked Overlook Mountain - an
excellent 5-mile r/t hike. At the top of the mountain there was a fire
tower. When you went to the top of the tower, you really did feel as
if you were on the top of the world.

Visited Hyde Park and saw the mansions of Roosevelt and Vanderbilt.
Two beautiful homes in an even more-beautiful Hudson River setting. Went to
The Culinary Institute of America and had lunch in one of the five
restaurants, American Bounty. This school is truly a once in a
lifetime experience, and I highly recommend the stop. You are welcomed
to walk in any of the restaurants and watch the chefs cooking behind a
glass observation wall. This school is also situated on the Hudson
River, which adds to its old world architecture (part of it was once a
monastery).

Stopped in many wonderful old towns, including Rhinebeck where you can see
America's oldest inn, The Beekman Arms. Washington once had meetings
and made war plans at this inn. Saugerties was one of my favorite
towns of the trip. A very old, quaint river town that has plenty to do
downtown. Picked up the book, "Rip Van Winkle" to review the story I
had been read to as a child. This is the land where "he slept for 40
years" and I needed to be reminded of the tale. Also, we saw 4th of
July Fireworks at the foot of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Catskill.

The highlight of the trip was a day visit to the Mohonk Mountain House.
This is the acclaimed vacation spot that is always on everyone's top 5
best resorts list, and I can understand why. We had lunch
reservations, which for the holiday weekend, cost a total of $95,
including taxes and gratuities. They charge you this fee as your car enters
the property and then give you a ticket for your pre-paid lunch. If
you do not have reservations, you must park at the bottom of the
entrance, pay a $15 parking fee, and walk up the 2-1/2 miles to the
resort.

The hotel is sprawling and is in one of the most beautiful settings I
have ever seen. There is no air conditioning or TV's in the
guestrooms, and rates run around $550/night to start. They are only
10% less expensive in the winter. With fireplaces all around -
including most rooms - winter might be just as nice of time to visit as
the summer is. Our lunch was a buffet. The food was good, yet
included most common selections: carved roast beef and lamb, fish,
chicken, pasta, great salads, etc. Had a delicious piece of their
butterscotch pie for dessert.

After lunch, we went hiking on the property. We took the crevice hike, most commonly referred to as the Lemon Squeeze. This property is
truly amazing! The lake, the mountains, the gardens, the trails, the
hotel - all first rate! You can see 7 states from the top of the
panoramic climb. After the hike, we enjoyed high tea in the hotel's
parlor. What a perfect day!

It was a wonderful time exploring this (for me) unknown region. The
Catskills and the Hudson River Valley are truly special. Most
everything is old, but there is a true romantic feeling for the area.
It is obvious to see why so many artists are inspired by the awesome
landscape.

Thanks to fellow Fodorites for helping me plan and make this trip
great. I could not have done it without your wonderful words of
experience and wisdom.

Happy Trails,
Paul

Paul, nice report. Wow you really covered a lot of area.

It was really interesting for me to read your report on the "Catskills" and to see it through your eyes, because I grew up in the area and I definately have a different perspective (not all good)on this area.

I do agree that Woodstock and Rhinebeck are truly wonderful little towns with lots of atmosphere. The Culinary Institute is a treat not to be missed.

Also the Mohonk area is just beautiful to explore. But can you tell me what you found so interesting about Saugerties (ps I grew up there)except the antique shops (which are relatively new additions)?

Glad you had a great time.

Hi KarenL,

Wow - so you grew up there, huh? What a beautiful and interesting area. I found Saugerties to be a weathered, beautiful, very old city. This must have been a neat place for you to grow up as a little girl. It is certainly a warm river town that seemed to have a lot of charm, and even some 'undeveloped potential.' What I mean by that would be around the dam area. There seems to have been an electrical source at one time stemming from this rusted area (next to, I believe, their big candy store by the bridge). I was so surprised when I walked around down by the water that it wasn't more obvious. That is, there was old growth, weeds, and a vacant field next to what could be a beautiful attraction for the downtown. Why they don't showcase this waterfall is beyond me. -At least that is what I mean by the undeveloped potential.

I also enjoyed the town's two old bookstores, yes - the antique shops were VERY good, I liked the Saturday market downtown (hokey, but nice just the same), and I enjoyed the restaurants, Café Tamayo (downtown) and also the Red Onion (out on the country road). There were also other downtown eateries and a coffee shop that looked interesting. Walking through the old hardware store was a step back in time.

Their old-fashioned 4th of July morning parade had that small-town warmth and generosity. Lawn chairs and families, kids and pets - it was all just happening.

I'm sure that I saw the town through different eyes than you did when you used to actually live there. But all that I saw, I really enjoyed.

Paul, glad you liked Woodstock, but as someone who grew up there, you may not want to live there. They resist progress like the plague.

Isn't it funny how two people from the "area" responded to this post and probably feel similar about it because it's where they grew up. I still like Woodstock better than Saugerties, but that's probably just because I didn't live there, I just visited.

The area that you refer to Paul down by the dam was an old paper mill that burned down about 20 or so years ago (it was closed down for about 20years even before that). So far they haven't found a buyer for the property (I think it might have some environmental issues).

I agree that the area does have potential and I can see how someone would think it was quaint. But as the other poster mentioned, progress moves slow in that area. In someways I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

The one thing I do miss about Saugerties is the 4th of July celebration. Although I still have family in the area, I haven't been able to get back there for the 4th celebration in about 6 years.

Oh well, I quess it is much a different area then where you are from (if you are from the Detroit area that is).

And that's what travel is all about isn't it... to see and experience something new and different. Travel on.