Go Love NY Edit - April

There was nothing on the calendar this month and then suddenly there is everything. One week it’s snowing and we’re still using the fireplace, the next it’s 88 degrees and we’re eating outside. One daughter home for exactly four hours turned into an impromptu family lunch. A spot that’s been on my list forever finally got checked off. A town I’d practically written off in winter turned out to be completely charming in the sun. All of it is worth sharing.

Wildflower Farms, Gardiner
Wildflower Farms Auberge Collection has been on my radar for a while, and I finally found my way in without booking a whole weekend. It turns out you don’t need to.

The first thing you see when you enter is a massive central firepit with seating all around, and everything radiates from that. Clay, the restaurant, on one side. Thistle, the spa, on the other. Views of the Shawangunks in the distance, everywhere. It’s the photo you’ve seen if Wildflower has been in your feed.

The hotel is a working farm, with greenhouses and fields that grow food for the restaurant, and some animals too. There happened to be a sheep shearing event at one of the barns, which made our whole afternoon feel festive. They gave me a tour of the spa, which uses botanicals grown on the farm. After lunch, we walked the grounds, got coffee, and settled into a few of the Adirondack chairs scattered around the firepits. That was really all we needed. It’s a beautiful place.

I’m already booked for June. (More on that soon.) If you want to experience Wildflower without committing to an overnight, book lunch or dinner on Resy, check their events calendar for farm events, or look out for “spa community days.” It’s a great way to visit without investing in a whole weekend.

Abbicco Salumeria & Focacceria, Dobbs Ferry
I met up with my friend Jeanne at Café Latte a few weeks ago and she mentioned a new shop that had just opened in town. Jeanne covers food for LoHud, so when she talks, I listen.

Abbicco is a small, authentic Italian shop run by Vincenzo, who’s from Naples. There’s a bakery, fresh pasta made in house, and pantry things I usually only find in Italy when I’m visiting my sister — just the right tinned tomatoes, the Pan di Stelle cookies I always stash in my suitcase, excellent prosciutto, and a fluffy focaccia that is reason enough to stop in.

Two days later, when my daughter was home from college for exactly four hours on a Sunday, we called her sister and a cousin, and had what, in my family, we call it a “Todi Lunch” — named for the Umbrian hill town where my sister lives and my family has spent summers for 35 years. A Todi Lunch doesn’t have to be elaborate. Good bread, good cheese, good prosciutto, a crisp salad, everyone sitting down together. That’s it. Abbicco made it very easy to pull off without leaving the Rivertowns.

If you want to complete the Italian fantasy, start or end with a coffee at Café Latte, which is about as close to a real Italian coffee bar as you’ll find around here.

The Eugene and Agnes Myer Preserve, Bedford
On one of those first warm spring days when I wanted more than a walk but wasn’t quite ready for a full hike, The Eugene and Agnes Myer Preserve hit the right note. This Nature Conservancy property is just outside Bedford. The loop we did was just under two hours with well marked trails, gushing streams, and a little elevation. A perfect start to the hiking season.

Bedford in spring weather felt like a completely different town than the one I had walked just a month or two before. Shops open, people spilling out onto the street, everyone eating outside. Go when the weather is good.

I’ve written about Mast Market before but it’s the kind of place that keeps delivering — this time with outdoor seating and a spring menu to match. We had salad with spring vegetables (asparagus, peas, etc.) and crispy little chicken bits. I left with a jar of Buddy Buddy chocolate peanut butter, which my girls told me is apparently a “thing” and now I understand why. Bedford Books across the street is the kind of neighborhood bookshop you wish every town had, with an events calendar that’s always worth checking. Don’t skip New York Stoneware next door either — mainly pottery, but with some really well-curated housewares mixed in.

Hudco Presents, Dobbs Ferry
I’ve written a lot about how much I love Hudco, my coworking space in Dobbs Ferry. It’s not just a beautifully-designed space with creative, engaging people – the programming alone is a reason to join. And some events are open to non-members, including “Hudco Presents.”

The whole place gets rearranged into what’s basically…a party. This time it was Armo, a West African rhythm band with serious dance energy. Food from Flours, signature cocktails, a local vendor section, and a lot of dancing. The music series is put together by my longtime friend and collaborator Doug Schneider, who happens to be both a musician and a food photographer.

We showed up at 6pm and were home by 10pm. Perfect for my age group — not too loud, not too dark, not too late, and a quick drive home. Check the Hudco calendar for upcoming events.

Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
I run on the grounds at Lyndhurst Mansion so often that I’ve started taking the place for granted. This month, I finally went inside for the flower show, which fills every room of the mansion with elaborate arrangements of tulips, daffodils, and peonies in full spring color.. The show itself has closed, but if you haven’t been inside the mansion, go and book a tour — three floors, completely intact, and genuinely impressive. And if the next few weeks are anything like past years, the rose garden will start to explode in early June.

The Bruce Museum, Greenwich
Here are two shows at The Bruce Museum to add to your list before they close on May 10th. Ursula von Rydingsvard fills the main galleries with monumental cedar sculptures built from stacked beams that are cut and carved into thick, heavily textured forms. They feel solid but delicate, and almost architectural. Tucked into what feels like a dark hallway, I stumbled onto Leonardo Drew, an artist I’d never heard of, whose works on paper are colorful, textile-y, and almost mosaic-like. I loved them. The two shows pair really well together, and the Bruce is small enough to be in and out in 30 minutes. The Bruce is a legitimate museum that proves you don’t always have to go into the city, and it’s easy to add on if you’re already in or near Greenwich for any reason.

Rosendale and the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail is a 23-mile trail that runs all the way from New Paltz through Rosendale all the way to Kingston. My plan was to walk the 14 miles from New Paltz to Rosendale, stay overnight at Six Bells Inn, and maybe keep heading north toward Kingston the next day. That trip got postponed, but Phil and I did get to Rosendale for the day to scout it out.

Rosendale is a small town but a charming one. We had lunch at The Big Cheese, one of those places that’s hard to put into just one category — part cheese shop, part deli, part market with an impressive olive oil section and local products, and somehow also a vintage clothing store. A short walk on the trestle, which is 940 feet long and 150 feet above the Rondout Creek, was enough to confirm this trip is happening. On the way home, we stopped at Dry Fly in New Paltz, a cute cafe right on the trail, clearly a pit stop for people mid-walk. Great matcha, giant cake like chocolate chip cookies, and exactly the kind of place you’d want to stumble into after a few tiring miles.

I’ve already rebooked at Six Bells for the overnight. More on that soon.

That’s a wrap on April! My May calendar is already looking full, too.. If you’re finding new places to explore through this newsletter, I ask you to consider upgrading to a paid subscription — it’s the best way to support what I do here.