J.M.W. Turner's "Chichester Canal" at the Tate Gallery, London

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Escape Brooklyn, go to Phoenicia

By chance, found this item on the Web. Poor grammar and spelling and a plethora of apostrophes aside, it makes for (somewhat) interesting reading.


Phoenicia, New York
Phoenicia is a beautiful and sleepy little town in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. Between it’s scenery (it’s in the middle of a state park) and close proximity to NYC, it can get touristy in the summer. But with only a handful of hotels with small capacities, Phoenicia holds it’s own with awesome, friendly locals and weirdo townies.

It's an its and an it's.

Where to stay: As far as hotels go, the go-to for New Yorkers is The Graham & Co.  The structure is an old-school motel that’s been totally renovated by a team of designers based in NYC. Rooms are designed to be simple, but beautiful; think “Donald Judd meets outdoorsy.” 

Upon check-in, expect stellar treatment from the impossibly cool staff, and a can of Budweiser with your room key.

I thought one was given PBR.


Shopping: After you get off I-87, you’ll drive into Phoenicia on NY-28 which is practically lined with barn sales, antique shacks, thrift stores and the like. One of our very favorite places is the antique barn somewhere between Kingston and Phoenicia, pictured above.. It’s on the right side of the road coming into town about 10 miles outside of Phoenicia.

Somewhere.

Eating & drinking: There aren’t many options in Phoenicia, but fortunately the few options are all good options. Probably the best meal in Phoenicia is breakfast because you can have your pick. First up, Sweet Sue’s is an impossibly cute breakfast and lunch joint with pancakes that will blow your mind. The Phoenicia Diner is also awesome; the design feels straight out of Brooklyn but has a great mix of locals and vacationers at all times.

Straight outta Brooklyn. (And, remember, Sweet Sue's is now closed.)

Memorial Day 2015

On Sunday thirty of us got together for a brunch at the CPOA house, opening up the 2015 season in great style. The table was laden with good food brought in by community members.

On Monday the hamlet of Phoenicia put on its annual Memorial Day parade. It was a beautiful, warm morning, and the community turned out to salute its veterans and Onteora School majorettes and marching band, Boy Scouts, and the Phoenicia and Shandaken-Allaben Fire Departments and Ambulance Corps.