Where's the there there??
This is the post I meant to write today. I was talking to folks at lunch who were leaving their two week Catskill vacation two days early. I asked why and they said they got bored. There wasn't enough for the kids to do. It made me think. What is it that we like to do here in the beautiful Catskill Mountains?? Is there a there here in the Catskills?
The answer is sort of, well, not really. What do we do when we come here? We come here to relax. Read a book. Garden. Go for a little hike. Make a nice meal and enjoy it just ourselves or with a few friends. Drive to the state lake for a dip with the dogs. Go to the farmers market or for a snowshoe hike. Go to a music event or performance. We drove to see the son of one of my all time favorite musicians Ali Farka Toure - and his band Vieux Farka Toure at the West Kortright Center. Well worth the drive by the way - but more people should have been dancing in the aisles.
Catskill vacations are sometimes called Do It Yourself vacations. Your expectations should be mellow. You should be adventurous and ready to do a little homework. Bring your own stuff to do - and don't be afraid to ask your lodging hosts for recommendations. Talk to people at the table next to you. Ask friends back home if they've been to the Catskills and what they did and enjoyed. Try and learn something new like flyfishing or skiing. Don't just look at the county tourism website. Go a little further. Try the NYState DEC website for Catskill hiking maps. The NYC DEP website for guided walks or fishing permits. The Catskill Mountain Club for organized hikes or Frost Valley YMCA for workshops - as well as the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development.
What is there here? Golf, horseback riding, kayaking, hiking, farmers markets, art galleries, quirky stores to shop in, antiquing, workshops on medicinal herbs or mushroom picking, main street festivals, harvest festivals, skiing, small town theatre performances, niche musicians performing and big names as well, swimming in the lakes in the state parks, camping, star watching, bird watching, hunting, hang gliding, mountain biking, fundraising 5k races, county fairs, Irish and German festivals, and a whole lot of hanging out on a porch on a rocking chair catching up with your family and friends.
It's kind of like a neighborhood bar. You have to go there a few times, but after you do, it becomes familiar. Soon everyone will know your name. Rent a private house or cabin where you can spread out and make it feel like it's your own private weekend getaway home. Come with friends so you can split up and do different things and regroup in the late afternoon for a great dinner. I wanted to tell the people I met - please come back again. Get to know the laid back pace of life and find the things that are cool for you to do and then do them some more. It could very well become your favorite get-away vacation destination.
The answer is sort of, well, not really. What do we do when we come here? We come here to relax. Read a book. Garden. Go for a little hike. Make a nice meal and enjoy it just ourselves or with a few friends. Drive to the state lake for a dip with the dogs. Go to the farmers market or for a snowshoe hike. Go to a music event or performance. We drove to see the son of one of my all time favorite musicians Ali Farka Toure - and his band Vieux Farka Toure at the West Kortright Center. Well worth the drive by the way - but more people should have been dancing in the aisles.
Catskill vacations are sometimes called Do It Yourself vacations. Your expectations should be mellow. You should be adventurous and ready to do a little homework. Bring your own stuff to do - and don't be afraid to ask your lodging hosts for recommendations. Talk to people at the table next to you. Ask friends back home if they've been to the Catskills and what they did and enjoyed. Try and learn something new like flyfishing or skiing. Don't just look at the county tourism website. Go a little further. Try the NYState DEC website for Catskill hiking maps. The NYC DEP website for guided walks or fishing permits. The Catskill Mountain Club for organized hikes or Frost Valley YMCA for workshops - as well as the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development.
What is there here? Golf, horseback riding, kayaking, hiking, farmers markets, art galleries, quirky stores to shop in, antiquing, workshops on medicinal herbs or mushroom picking, main street festivals, harvest festivals, skiing, small town theatre performances, niche musicians performing and big names as well, swimming in the lakes in the state parks, camping, star watching, bird watching, hunting, hang gliding, mountain biking, fundraising 5k races, county fairs, Irish and German festivals, and a whole lot of hanging out on a porch on a rocking chair catching up with your family and friends.
It's kind of like a neighborhood bar. You have to go there a few times, but after you do, it becomes familiar. Soon everyone will know your name. Rent a private house or cabin where you can spread out and make it feel like it's your own private weekend getaway home. Come with friends so you can split up and do different things and regroup in the late afternoon for a great dinner. I wanted to tell the people I met - please come back again. Get to know the laid back pace of life and find the things that are cool for you to do and then do them some more. It could very well become your favorite get-away vacation destination.
posted by Cool Cat #1 at
4:51 PM
