I Carried a Watermelon
By vpc
June 18th, 2010 |
Dine + Design

On a recent weekend getaway to New York’s Catskills, I fulfilled several of my most secret dreams, dancing the night away like Frances “Baby” Houseman and catching a glimpse of one of the rarest of celebrities… well, read on and you’ll see.

A Berkshires girl myself, I was lured to the lovely mountain town of Fleischmanns, New York with the promise of a dinner dance and silent auction,  a stay in a quiet bed and breakfast and huge pancakes.

Wildflowers are fascinating to city folks.

Wildflowers are fascinating to city folks.

I’d highly recommend the beautiful Breezy Hill Inn, which featured a lovely, soothing palette of Benjamin Moore colors (People tell us about their favorite BM colors ALL THE TIME!) a gorgeous garden, soft comfy beds, and best of all, perfect peace and quiet.

Big bonus- the French innkeeper makes perfect crepes for breakfast!

Big bonus- the French innkeeper makes perfect crepes for breakfast!

Besides the obvious benefits of an adorable town with dinner dances (we sat with fabulous Fleischmanns residents and got down to tunes by The Family Band, a local favorite) it’s a perfect jumping-off point for exploring the beautiful countryside. I don’t hike, and it’s still too cold for tubing down the Delaware River, so we visited a few of the nearby towns for entertainment.

I will never forget the town of Phoenicia, New York. Here are the two reasons:

All kinds of goodness inside...

All kinds of goodness inside...

Sweet Sues, my friend Ali’s favorite restaurant, is really, really cute, and it has the world’s BEST PANCAKES. Go yourself, because words don’t exist to describe the deliciousness. Also, they are the size of a seat cushion.

This is Sweet Sue's short stack.

This is Sweet Sue's short stack.

Better yet, Phoenicia provided a coveted, rare celebrity sighting…. an OLSEN TWIN! I couldn’t tell you which one, because I have a no-staring-at-celebrities policy, but I am certain that it was one, because I sent my husband and two friends back into the restaurant for a casual look after I noticed her on the way out.

She looked exactly like this. I think it was Mary Kate.

She looked exactly like this. I think it was Mary Kate.

Still on a high from the maple syrup and my primo Olsen sighting, we stopped in Woodstock on the way home. It’s an incredible mix of hippie culture and high-end boutiques, and I scored an awesome resin necklace at the local flea market.

The flea market was chock full of crystals, Buddahs, and handmade leather accessories.

The flea market was chock-full of crystals, Buddahs, and handmade leather accessories. They also serve fancy fresh-squeezed lemonade.

So visit the Catskills, friends- I loved every minute.

This guy wants you to visit, too.

This guy wants you to visit, too.

lisa