I traveled a lot when I was younger… when it was on my parents’ dime, haha! I’m first Gen American, so there were yearly trips to Europe to see family, attend weddings, and visit other countries along the way. Each winter break was spent in St. Maarten; there was even a high school trip to Morocco and a college semester abroad in London. Geez, was I a lucky kid or what!
Then, as a young adult when I was starting on my own, I did the responsible thing and paid for a trip with my bestie to Barcelona and Ibiza entirely on a new credit card. And San Francisco with a larger group of besties…on a credit card. Got an alien tattoo there…on a credit card. See? Responsible.
But travel over the following 15 years or so? Not so much. Not at all, actually. Things like buying a house, renovating it ourselves (ugh, the DIY mistakes we made!). Having a kid, preschool, car seats, and off-brand Pepperidge Farm Goldfish that are really turtles all came before traveling.
Now that the home and family groove are settled, I find myself making the time and effort to venture on quite a few local excursions, day trips, and overnights in the NY tri-state area. Even more so in and around the Hudson Valley, where my family moved up to from the boroughs 6 years ago.
OK, I’m lying….in between the move upstate, there was an 8-year stint of that first fixer-upper I mentioned that was actually in metro NJ. We were seriously green in our renovation efforts but were incredibly proud of that home, even if us Nyers did the ultimate shanda and defected to Joisey for a while. Ugh, the inner turmoil as I drove with Jersey plates those years through the city, natives honking at me with disdain and utter impatience, all the while deep inside I was like, “But, but, I’m really one of youuuuuuse.” 😭
Now that I’m here, though, I love to:
- Judge but simultaneously admire artsy towns upstate – there’s more than Woodstock, man.
- Get drunk at wineries and breweries converted from old carpet mills, factories, and warehouses.
- Feel awkward amongst outdoorsy types along the Hudson River – yes I kayaked across it last summer…a big feat for this chubby city girl whose level of physical activity rivals the sloth.
- Buy beautiful, dusty things that may or may not also be broken at the best antique shops, barn sales, and open-air flea markets…more than just Stormville, where HGTV’s Flea Market Flip is filmed.
- Envy local farms where you can buy eggs from a red, chipped, roadside wood cart. Don’t knock on their door, newbie! How was I supposed to know it was on the honor system? Poor guy in his jammies had to explain slowly that “you put your money in the box and just take the eggs.” Duh.
- Make the occasional trip into Manhattan because I’m a glutton for punishment and overpriced train fares and like to complain about the places and vibe of my youth that have now shriveled up and died only to come back as a shiny new Chipotle.
- Go on our annual girl’s summer weekender with my mom and Charlotte to the local beaches of the Hamptons and Newport, RI. Mom’s been pushing for Cape Cod or Martha’s Vineyard for years, but I just don’t own any pastel-colored clothing yet.
- Spend time at museums, festivals, restaurants, spas, and nature centers. Of course I’d never leave out the yearly Pine Bush UFO Fair (yes, I said what I said).
You’ll hopefully get an entertaining and close-up peek into my photos, tips, and abso-fucking-lutely the parts of it that sucked and the mistakes I made so you don’t have to!
Also, for all of you travelers who have more expendable incomes than I, I’ll spotlight some of the incredible destinations my closest friends visit. I’ll let you know what they really thought about an Eastern European soak in the thermal springs of Tbilisi and even how Reykjavik handles nut allergies. Finally, with cousins in Sweden, the South of France, and Israel, I’ll have plenty of other international gems to share too! And who knows, maybe I’ll get a new credit card and book that flight after all!
Make! My Mistake 