Pup goes Upstate!
 

The Yankee decided that Scarlett and the Pup had had enough of this selling of ones home and trying to decide what to pack, so we took off for the woods on a glorious fall Sunday in NY!
We drove north to Cold Springs. We took the Palisades Parkway north, past Bear Mountain and got on Rt 9.
It was not even an hours drive, but we felt like we were days away from Manhattan!
What a pretty area! Boscobel, completely restored home with views that are wonderful, rose gardens, lawns that the Pup would have loved to check out but sadly, no dogs.
On to Cold Springs. A town full of antique stores, small cafes and a great restaurant where the train station used to be. There was an Oompah kind of band there, they were serving oysters and shell fish and people were drinking and enjoying the day outside while others were having a lovely lunch inside with the big fire going.
We just walked up one side of town and down the other, window shopping. Wishing we could buy one of the old houses and live there.
The town had a plaque on a wall comemorating it's 100th birthday, in 1946! So cool~
Of course, the Pup was his usual sociable self, making friends where ever he went. We met a lovely couple from England, a nice family from India and various other New Yorkers..Shopping for antiques in Cold Springs is an expensive proposition and there is a lot of junk. But it is fun to browse.
Then back to Bear Mountain. Today was the Oktoberfest at Bear Mountain. There were large crowds of people but since the place is so big, we were free to wander without running into anyone. I do recommend anyone wanting to get out of town and into the woods, here is a perfect destination. You can hike the Appalachian Trail here, the Pup and I wanted to take a small hike, but the weather got a little wet and windy so we had to call it a day and go back home.
The trees are just starting to turn colors, I think everyone should make plans to head up to that area next weekend :)
There will be a big Antiques Fair on Oct 12! Maybe we will see you there~

sounds enchanting to me. Wish I lived nearby to share that route. We, here in Massachusetts do the Rt 2 and Rt 119 for pumkins and farms with their bounty.

How far from Albany??? Where exactly is the antiques fair?

I would say that Cold Springs is about 2 hours from Albany.
The Antique Fair will be in Cold Springs on Oct 12. I was under the impression that it would be there on Main Street..since that is where all the antique stores are..there is also a huge old stone church that has fairs on their grounds.
Mimi, we had set out to do some apple picking, but there were none to be found! We are going to try to go to Rhinebeck in a couple of weekends, where we will fill the car with apples and pumpkins~

Scarlett, all the apples are here in the midwest--the trees are ripe for the picking, and gorgeous big pumpkins, too!

I hope your weekend outing will encourage everyone to get some fresh, crisp fall air in their lungs, and go out and admire the leaves. The fall is such a great time to enjoy antique hunting and hiking.

For anyone in the Midwest--the paddle boats are in Cincinnati! What a sight to see.

Scarlett-
Glad you enjoyed Cold Spring! I grew up near there, and often went there on weekends just to walk the quaint Main Street & sit by the river (with those huge mountains as a backdrop) & watch the boats go by. The town is a hidden jewel.

That is a nice area. There is a great hike there not too far from the church. Just keeping heading north and right after you go through the tunnel the trailhead is on the left. Follow the white blazes. It is strenous but short. The views are amazing. You can see all the way up and down the Hudson. It will be really beautiful in two weeks when the leaves peak. It's called Breakneck Ridge.

Hey!Thanks JeanG! Breakneck Ridge sounds just like something I need to try LOL I can see it now-Pup forging ahead, dragging me along by the leash, wonder which one of us will break our neck~
suzanne, how nice to grow up in such a lovely spot..That is a wonderful view, the river with those mountains on the other side. I would love to have a house facing it, one would never get tired of that view!
Rhinebeck is on for a couple of weeks from now (crossed fingers)..we will go to Greigs Farm and bring home fresh baked goods, pumpkins and apples. also, with all of this Krispy Kreme talk,(there is nothing wrong with KK) but there is nothing like fresh hot little donuts from these farms. They make them with apple cider and roll them in cinnamon sugar, sigh~

Did a similar trip this weekend Scarlett, to the Berkshires. We took our Pup for the first time! He was excellent. Discovered an area I'd never been before-Sheffield Mass. What an amazing, beautiful spot near the Conn/Mass border. Talk about antique shops-Route 7 in Sheffield is the place!

BTW, on your next trip to Cold Spring you might want to stop in Piermont. Cute town. I think it's on the way.

mclaurie, Piermont is one of our regular haunts. Have you ever eaten at the Freelance Cafe or Xaviers?
We wanted to go to Williamstown this fall..we can check out Sheffield too!

You all are making me SO jealous!! Fall, leaves changing, crisp air, apples, Berkshires, Sheffield~~ little homesick pangs are creeping in. Sheffield does have some nice antique shops--the trade off is that it's flatter, being south county, than areas like Williamstown, but also less mobbed. Actually about now I'd take any of it!! Nice getaways, guys...fun to read about. I am amazed when I turn on the Today show and see how everyone is dressed in the streets there--coats, hats, gloves even. We are working on breaking out of summer here still, without much success yet.

Yes, I've been to Xavier's, Scarlett and I think the cafe too but, didn't remember the name. It's been a while.

OliveOyl don't feel too bad. Leaves are JUST starting to turn (very late this year because of the beautiful Indian summer we've had). And it rained all day Saturday :(( But would love to know more about Sheffield if you are familiar with it. I think I'll write a quick trip report on another thread so I'm not high-jacking Scarlett's :)

mclaurie, you aren't hijacking at all! Unless you metioned the President or what is the other subject that some use for ruining threads? San Jose? LOL
Anyway-last summer, August, we stayed in Egremont Mass, right on the NY border. If we went the back way out from the neighborhood our house was in, (part of some mountain)we ended up on Rt 7 leading us down that road of antique and garden stores right to Sheffield.
My husband reminded me tonight of the big old place that is a mall of sorts of different antiques dealers, some selling just glass, some selling posters. I came home with an old laudanum bottle and some tins for my sons collection..it was great fun and I am looking forward to going back.
Olive Oyl, you really do need to come back up for a visit..
mclaurie, they closed the X (Xaviers) in Garrison NY. They used to serve an enormous and delicious brunch on Sundays. Now, their new resto in Congers, is serving the brunches..Just in case you want to have brunch in the "country" :)

LOL, Scarlett. Yes, it is aptly named. For a little while you are using your arms and pulling yourself up the next rock. But how else would you get such spectacular views with just 1.5 miles of hiking? I've seen people do it with their dogs and the dogs don't have any problems. ;) Actually you don't have to hike up to the ridgeline to get great views. There are lookout spots on the way up which are also spectacular.

We rode up to Lake Placid this weekend.
We had to get well past Lake George before there was any significant fall foliage. Route 73, from 87 to Lake Placid, was really beautiful and near peak. It's cold up there, getting down to freezing at night already. Sunday we we rode to the Adirondack Museum taking 86 to 3 to 30. Again, beautiful fall foliage near peak. The weather was not good; it kept alternating between sunshine, rain, and sleet (!). Although this did result in some neat scenery: a mountain, the top 1/4 white, and the bottom all orange, red, yellows.

What sort of wee beastie is this pup?

Mclaurie, I couldn't say what it's like now as I haven't been in Sheffield per se in about 4 years and tourism is spreading rapidly through that entire area--you probably know more than I do about it now with your recent visit! It certainly is and has been the heart of the "good" antiques district in the Berkshires and that would be the purpose of my trips, but I'd drive down from my parents' house and only go for the shopping then turn around and head back home, so know nothing about lodging choices and great restaurants. As I said earlier, it isn't as pretty as central and northern Berkshire County as it becomes quite flat (relative term) that far south, but Sheffield, S Egremont, Southfield are the places to go if you are interested in antiques.

My personal favorite is the Splendid Peasant at Rte 23 and Sheffield Rd in S Egremont www.spendidpeasant.com specializing in American Folk Art...some affordable, some not, but great stuff, expensively :) and attractively displayed. The proprietors are NYC psychiatrists/ologists who took their own advice and gave up the stressful city life for the serenity of the Berkshires. I've decimated their antique decoy collection in every visit I've made. ;) Another fun and more affordable shop is the Buggywhip Factory in Southfield. Tons of stuff to dig through, some junk some great...the opposite end of the spectrum for the Splendid Peasant. In between you have a myriad of shops dealing in 18th and 19th English whatever, lining Rte 7.

If you are so inclined there is a great brook trout fishing stream in that area too, the Konkapot, where my parents and brothers spent many many an early morning Saturday and Sunday as we were growing up. I passed on the fishing expeditions, but have loved the stream for it's beauty in more recent visits as an adult.

The best way to see the area is just get off 7 and onto any of the smaller roads, drive and enjoy--streams, small and medium sized lakes, rock walls, orchards, narrow lanes and always beautiful hills, and cute villages, all especially beautiful in the fall. You run into absolutely gorgeous scenery, and getting lost, provided you have a map covering major roads, is next to impossible. All the smaller ones eventually lead to something you'll be able to identify on your map.

Yup...I'm jealous you all! Keep those of us in places where leaves don't change tuned into what's going on during leaf peeping season.

Thanks so much for the info OliveOyl. As I've yet to write this trip-ette report I'll continue to usurp Scarlett's thread:)

My friends have a home in Austerlitz so I've been going up there for years but usually from NYC. This time we started from eastern LI-took the ferry from Pt Jefferson to Bridgeport CT (fabulous ride!) & headed up route 8 (great 2/3 lane highway with no traffic!) to 44 west to 7 north. I had gotten directions from mapquest but neglected writing down the distances between turns.#o So...it said make a left onto Silver St from Route 7. Well just after arriving in Sheffield I saw a sign for Silver St so I turned. AWESOME homes, horse farms, ponds, rivers, a small water fall or weir or something. I was spellbound. The road winds around & around & we were LOST but I kept saying where ARE we & who lives here. We finally stopped a jogger & got directions that led us back on course. I couldn't stop talking about Sheffield all weekend. We had taken the WRONG Silver St. but had a spectacular bonus.

On the way home, we stopped in Great Barrington with our friends & had brunch at Helsinki-a cute, funky place behind the main st. with an entrance on the parking lot. Excellent eggs benedict (reputed to be the best in the Berkshires). I had something called eggs Helsinki-benedict with gravlax instead of ham (but they put caviar on top which was too salty). Anyway, we left from there & headed south on rte 7 & I was flipping out over all the antique shops along that stretch. For some reason I had never heard of Shefield as an antique center. Had I stayed on route 7 as I should have on the way up, we would have seen these places earlier & I could have PLANNED to stop on the way home. I'm just really curious as to what caused that particular town/area to have such lavish homes. Was it always so?

I think I passed your Splendid Peasant while driving around. We went to Egremont to visit the Weathervane Inn briefly. My cousin is close friends with the owners. Very cute place.

OliveOyl, where did you grow up? Is your family still there?

mclaurie,
You have to go back! To browse Rt 7 and to eat in some good restaurants!
Did you see the Old Mill in So.Egermont? Wonderful food, the best chocolate bread pudding dessert!
In Great Barrington, there is the Verdura, Castle Street Cafe , John Andrews, Pearls and you have to have pancakes at Moms !
Now I want to go too :)

chocolate bread pudding, mmm

yes, mrwunrfl,mmmmmm:)

Yummm yes Scarlett, but you know what that chocolate bread pudding means? 3 laps up and back Breakneck Ridge. :D Or...lap Bash Bish falls (the climb to the top of the falls, not the stairs to the bottom)!

Mclaurie, I grew up on the south side of Pittsfield, about a mile from the Lenox border. To paraphrase a line from Dreamcatcher, &quot;Pittsfield is a great place to be from, but you wouldn't necessarily want have to go back there&quot;. :) It <i>was</i> a great area to grow up though, really beautiful, we even had the requiste 20's era colonial-style house with a brook running through our backyard and an old functioning cider mill across the brook and downstream a bit where we could go for free samples, but of course living in it, we didn't appreciate any of it until we were grown and gone. It was &quot;the city&quot;...but that was relative because nothing else around came close to being one. And at that time, both Great Barrington and Adams were places to be avoided at all costs...mill towns. My, my, how times change! :D We sold the house about 7 years ago after my parents passed away and my brothers had already scattered to NY and CT so no one is there now, but we all still go back periodically to play tourist with everyone else.

Back to &quot;upstate&quot;, is Pup having to wear his flannel shirt when he goes upstate now? I want to hear all about everyone's leaf peeping/apple picking trips. My Dad spent some part of his childhood just across the river from Rhinebeck, in Kingston, but I don't know that area at all. Oddly, going to NY in those days was considered a major trip!

I intend to go back soon Scarlett. :) Funny story about the Old Mill. My friend's parents had been touting this place for some time to her. Since it was her parents who are not great gourmands, she assumed it would be awful. She finally tried it &amp; was over the moon with how wonderful it was. In fact we stopped there on Sat. afternoon to see if they serve Sun. brunch but they don't:( We were looking for an Inn type cozy,pretty place for brunch. Is there such a thing? Seemed like most of the Inns either just serve breakfast to their guests or only do dinner.

We went to a &quot;divey&quot; diner place for breakfast on Sat. in Great Barrington. It could have been Mom's-don't remember the name.

I'm still stuck on finding out about the history of Sheffield. I've done a web search &amp; so far haven't come up with much. I'm hoping OliveOyl might be able to help. I'm always fascinated by what causes a place to develop in a certain way.

mclaurie, to the best of my knowledge, that area of south county has always been primarily supported by agriculture...dairy and poultry farms. There wasn't any industry there to speak of aside from an old marble quarry nearby.

Lenox and Stockbridge became <i>The</i> areas for summer homes during the Gilded Age, in some cases, (very)small scale Newport &quot;cottages&quot;, (Naumkeag, Edith Wharton's The Mount, Daniel Chester French's Chesterwood) and home to sculptors, painters and writers, but I don't think Sheffield was involved in that golden era for the Berkshires.

Nearby (to Sheffield) Great Barrington became the mill town...cotton mill, woolen mill, paper mill, and it's possible that some of the wealthy owners moved a bit south to Sheffield, but this is sheer conjecture!

Much of the wealth around Pittsfield also arose from the mills...Eaton Paper in Pittsfield, and Crane Paper in Dalton...the latter family and their vast wealth are still spread throughout the county. Colts too, though I don't think there was a factory nearby. Anyway, for a small and rather rural area, there was a tremendous amount of wealth. Oh...Jack Welch got his start with GE in Pittsfield as well, but of course has since taken his wealth (and some of ours as well :) ) away from the county.

Hey...fall is coming and it's worth a trip back to enjoy the beauty, explore, antique shop and...report back here on the town's history. :D Now you have me curious too.

Going to take nieces and nephews this weekend to Applewood Orchards in Warwick, NY for apple and pumpkin picking. They also have a winery. Yeah!!!!! Anyone have any dining suggestions? Looking for casual, kid friendly, and affordable. Not to much to ask for?! Thanks.

Scarlett, we all want to know what kind of dog &quot;Pup&quot; is. I am picturing a Lab.
OliveOyl, where do you live now? Florida?? I live in Albany and wonder how I would adapt to Florida living.You're envious of us and I am envious of you because we are facing winter!!

Hi ho!
Olive Oyl, such a wealth of information! You are such a treat!
BashBish Falls, LOL, I never saw them with water!! It is a lovely area, I just like the drive from the Taconic into Hillsdale NY, all the farms and the river along one side, the old farmhouses on the other. This time of year is great, lots of festivals and farm stands full of goodies.
Up around Amenia NY , where there is a very good winery, they have hot air balloons on some Sundays..what a sight! Floating over the hills and horse farms.
Mclaurie, we ate in Freelance last night! Talking about it made me have to have it..it was exceptional as always.
kalmia,Pup is a Brown Standard Poodle. And while he does look very cool in his grungy blue plaid shirt, these days he is just wearing his stars and stripes bandana..soon to be replaced with one that has pumpkins on it LOL...
I too want to go spend the winter where Olive is :)

Kalmia, yes Florida, but via a very indirect route--lots of years in various areas of the south before arriving here. One of the things most noticeable now when I go home is how often it's cloudy there. This area of FL averages 361 days of sunhine a year! But...we have our bad days too: by this time of year we are <i>so ready</i> for summer to be over! Winter is heaven...summer falls way short. After my father retired they spent May 1 to Nov 1 in MA, and the rest of the year in Bonita Beach. That's the way to do it. Had we not already owned another house we weren't living in when it came time to sell theirs, we'd have bought that and done the same (if and when DH ever gets to retire).

Scarlett, I remember you saying that about Bash Bish but can't recall what time of year you were there. Was it a drought year? You'll have to go back too! lol...do I sound like the Berkshire County CVB? I've never gone in from the Hillsdale side...we'd normally cross over on 20. heheh...that brings back memories. It was just referred to as, &quot;going over the mountain&quot; when we were teens. Drinking age in MA was 21 but only 18 in New York State (then)..and I don't think we noticed the farmhouses along the way. :D That was a treacherous return trip...especially in the winter!

Pup's shirt is quite chic looking...but yes, a pumpkin scarf would be great for the next trip, and so much better than black, black, black. If you go to Mexico can he come and what will that scarf be? A hacienda print maybe?

OO, it was last August, the entire month was terribly hot and no rain. There were fire warnings for people hiking, no fires, etc. The day we drove to Bash Bish Falls, there was no water in sight! Yes, I do want to go back.
Pup will probably wear a poncho or maybe a cute little sombrero when he goes to Mexico LOL...I am falling out of my chair at the mental picture!
The idea of driving in that area, no streets lights! fast at night with the deer leaping out into the street and drinking on top of it...Yikes!

Pup sounds very current with his fashion. I guess it is because he lives in New York.

Thanks for the info OliveOyl. Your theory sounds plausible. My husband just thinks it's the beautiful terrain there &amp; water that attracted folks. I spoke to a friend today who goes to Tanglewood regularly &amp; her theory on Sheffield is it's $ from CT insurance industry. She stays at the Manor House in Norfolk CT &amp; raves about it. I did stop at an antique store in Norfolk thta was beautiful &amp; pricey.

Scarlett my pup is a champagne miniature (but he thinks he's a standard!)