Amir & Clare
Things To Do
Boitson's
We swear by Zagat and this place gets a (rave!) 4.3 star review! The American-style bistro serves classic comfort food (and some fancier stuff), and apparently serves some great cocktails.
Brunette
Adorable little wine bar (seriously, it's beautiful) right near the Rondout Waterfront.
Duo Bistro
This cozy spot for American food comes highly recommended by the locals! We've heard especially great things about their breakfasts.
Stockade Tavern
Based in what was once a Singer sewing machine repair shop, this bar is right across the street from the Senate House.
Senate House
Built in 1676, the Senate House was the original meeting place of the New York State Senate after the Revolutionary War. We're also getting married in what used to be the Senate House Carriage House.
Forsyth Nature Center
A family-friendly activity for those of you traveling with kids! Beautiful gardens, and some animals.
Storm King Art Center
This is an outdoor art center, and a beautiful spot for a walk. It's not super close to Kingston, but is definitely an "on the way" recommendation for those driving up to Kingston from New York. (For fans of "Master of None", this is where Dev and Francesca frolic in the autumn leaves.)
Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park
You can really get in to the Hudson Valley spirit on the way to/from Kingston by taking a walk over the Hudson River. The Walkway over the Hudson connects Poughkeepsie to the tiny village of Highland.
Dutchess Rail Trail
For the more active amongst you, this 13 mile (21 km) trail is shared by pedestrians and cyclists and runs from Hopewell Junction to the Poughkeepsie entrance of the Walkway over the Hudson.
Millbrook Vineyards & Winery
Winery with wine-tasting and a shop. Millbrook (the town) is also adorable - it's pretty much Stars Hollow, but without Taylor.
Benmarl Winery
This winery contains the oldest vineyard in America and also fires up a wood oven and sells wood-fired pizzas over the weekend, so if you like your wine with cheese, this may be the spot for you.
The Culinary Institute of America
The training ground of America's Chefs! In addition to on-campus restaurants and cafes, the campus is gorgeous.
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Actual site of Woodstock (the festival). Get your hippy on.
Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art
The Hudson Valley is home to a number of local New York artists, so why not check out some of their work!
Innisfree Garden
A Chinese-style garden in Millbrook recognized as one of the 10 best gardens in the world.
Hudson Highlands State Park
There is some beautiful hiking in the Hudson Valley. Breakneck Ridge (a reasonably strenuous hike in the Hudson Highlands State Park) comes highly recommended.
Crown Maple Estate
You can taste Maple Syrup! They also make a decent cup of coffee and you can toast marshmallows in a fire pit outside.
Bear Mountain State Park
Not far from NYC, this is where we go hiking! It has some pretty gentle trails as well as some more strenuous ones. You can also pick your trail length pretty easily.
Smorgasburg Prospect Park - Breeze Hill, Brooklyn
Our favorite NYC activity - eating - is done to perfection at this great Sunday food market. It runs 11 am - 6 pm on Sundays from April - November. (There is also a Saturday version in Williamsburg, but this one is better!)
Chelsea Market
A cute indoor market and a number of really delicious restaurants (we highly recommend the Vietnamese sandwich place!)
The High Line
An old train track was refurbished to make a 1.4 mile park in Chelsea. It's beautiful, but can be a little crowded (like most things in NYC).
Arthur Avenue
New York's real Little Italy! We highly recommend the restaurants here - especially Roberto's. It's also only a couple of miles from where we live, so come and visit the Bronx!
American Museum of Natural History
A genuinely great Science Museum! Who doesn't love seeing the dinosaurs? The Hayden Planetarium is phenomenal too. Much like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum has a "suggested donation" entry fee, but you can pay as much or as little as you like.
Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden is gorgeous - and close to where we live in the Bronx. Come and check it out.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center is beautiful to visit, but we also recommend checking out a show - the Center hosts the New York City Ballet, The Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic, as well as the American Ballet Theater from time to time.
Cafe Mogador
Another fabulous Zagat find - this Moroccan gem in the East Village is delicious and makes a really great brunch.
Gotham Comedy Club
We spend New Year's Eve avoiding Times Square and enjoying a drink and a laugh at this NYC institution.
Chavela's
Delicious Brooklyn Mexican! Beware of long waits, but this place is great (and they do great taco platters and make a fantastic margarita.)
Marea
This does not come cheap, but it was the most delicious series of things we have ever put in our mouths. Get the four-course tasting menu. Just do it. This place has TWO Michelin Stars. TWO.
Park Avenue Autumn/Winter/Spring/Summer
This place is great! And after 8 pm (all night on Sunday) they serve a "wine dinner" - your choice of three delicious courses plus unlimited wine.
Packsun
(Formerly known as Neerob) This is where we had our first date - there aren't a lot of places in NYC where you can get food this good this cheaply. The Bengali food is amazing, and Premium Sweets and Restaurant (across the street) is really good too.
Liebman’s Deli
For a real taste of New York, head to Liebman's Deli in Riverdale. We recommend pretty much everything, but especially the corned beef, matzo ball soup and latkes.
Jacob's Pickles
Fantastic Southern-style brunch on the Upper West Side. It doesn't take reservations, but it's worth the wait. The mac and cheese, fried chicken and biscuits and all of the pickles (fried and otherwise!) are delicious.
Peaches Hot House
More fried chicken! Peaches, run by a graduate of Prince's in Nashville, does excellent spicy fried chicken.
Eataly NYC Flatiron
This place is an Italian food heaven! Home to a number of great restaurants, fresh produce and pasta, Italian meat and cheese, wine, cookbooks and supplies as well as a rooftop bar and a great cafe and gelateria.
City Island
This tiny little island off the coast of the Bronx is known for fabulous seafood. (Clare can't confirm, but Amir recommends.)