Summer Escape

The one thing last year taught us was to book summer weekends away. 

Way back in March we felt incredibly well organised when we planned this little mid-August escape to the Catskill mountains just a  few hours north of the city. 

(And then, of course, this August has been unbelievably fresh and cool, barely rising above 25. Typical.)

It was still a treat to arrive in the cute, quirky and picturesque town of Phoenicia (pop. 309).

(How Twin Peaksy is that first photo? Love that view).

We stayed in an old motel that has been recently converted in a way which was most definitely designed to appeal to the Brooklyn weekend market (in fact we seemed to be the only Manhattanites staying!)

Think vintage sun loungers, exposed light bulbs, free Budweiser on arrival, 80s movies screened in the garden at night. 

My favourite bit was the bonfire that was lit every night for people to gather round as they drifted back from dinner in town. S'mores ingredients were left out and we all toasted our own marshmallows (obviously we did not partake in the Hersheys chocolate element - yuk) and chatted by the fire.

The lovely grounds and pool could easily have kept us happy all weekend but we also explored a bit of the town, cycled all over on the free bikes provided by the hotel and went tubing on the river - essentially throwing ourselves down a river in a big rubber ring - exciting!

(The brake-free bikes took a bit of getting used to)

 (Bliss)

(Pancake stacks at Sweet Sues)

(The whole town turned out for Davy Crocket Day, including a beagle dressed as Davy)

(Gone tubing!)

(Best nap of the weekend)

 (Watching Back to the Future in the fresh air with a glass of wine)

On Sunday morning before getting the bus back to the city we took one last cycle out to the Phoenicia Diner.  

I am such a sucker for a diner. And this one was good.

Busy, bustling, pleasingly retro but with really good food. 

This was followed by a short cycle on Sunday's quiet country roads, riding two-abreast and racing down the hills.

Such a perfect end to the trip.

Winter in the The Hamptons

February is most definitely off-season in The Hamptons.

However last Saturday a few of us were desperate to get out of the city and breathe some fresh air and a blustery, wintery visit to the beach seemed like a good way to blow away the cobwebs.

Six of us (plus our newest, tiniest friend Amelie) headed to the fishing village of Sag Harbor for a walk and seafood lunch followed by a visit to the famous millionaire summer spot of East Hampton for some more chilly beach exploring and eyeing up the many seaside mansions.

The upside of February in The Hamptons is that the drive took only 90 minutes on quiet roads, we didn't have to wait for a table for lunch and we had East Hampton beach entirely to ourselves.

The downside was it started snowing pretty much as soon as we hit the beach for our walk!

{He's behind you...}

{My first time seeing snow on the beach I think!}

{No, not quite like beach weather back home in Mallloca!}

{I definitely want to see this beach again in summer}

Despite the weather we ended the day feeling pretty relaxed and had a beautiful drive home at dusk, spotting some more incredible dream homes as well as 5 or 6 deer running through the snowy forest.

Easter Sunday day-trip

Easter Sunday, blue skies and what felt like the first day of summer seemed like good enough reasons to get out of the city for a day with Mum and Simon. 

We decided to get the train up the Hudson river (a scenic trip in itself) to Beacon to visit the Dia Art Foundation which everyone in New York seems to be talking about at the moment.

The gallery is housed in a former printing factory right by the river and is a really incredible venue. Absolutely huge and so bright and characterful. 

It was very calming, enjoyable and totally engrossing.

I would definitely recommend a trip.

Dave's favourite pieces included giant metal drums with disorientating maze type paths through them and (of course!) a huge rock.

They also have a beautiful and very well looked after garden filled with blossom trees and a tropical soundscape.

After lunch in the garden we hopped one more stop on the train to Cold Spring village (which I'd previously visited with Susie) for a walk, some big house spying, antique hunting (I found a great vintage tennis racket for $10 which I love!) and most importantly the very first ice-cream of the season.

So excited for a New York summer now!