The Perfect Day

I have always considered myself a "city" girl.  The country has historically made me bored and restless.  However, today I was desperate to get out of the city!  I just couldn't handle the noise or the mosh-pit walk to the subway anymore.  So, I went to a town that had one stoplight.  I thought Henderson, TN was the only place on earth in such a condition, but I was wrong.

Cold Spring, NY is only one hour from Grand Central Station, and is listed as one of the best day trips to take out of the city.  I should hug whoever wrote that.  I'm sure it is partly because you can get there, and get around there, without a car.  Cold Spring is a village in the town of Philipstown in Putnam County,  NY (copied straight from Wikipedia).  It is home to almost 2,000 people, and after today, you may add me to that list.

When I arrived this morning, I immediately found some antique shops to look around in.  I landed some great finds for the family, and spent at least an hour in one shop in particular.  I even considered buying a skull for my dad.  Some of you may think that is a bizarre, but it was a replica from a battle my grandfather was in during World War II.  After hours (literally) of antiquing, I decided to check out the rest of the town.

I started at the Julia Butterfield Memorial Library, which was incredibly well maintained.  There was a young girl receiving a tutoring session from a man who could've been her grandfather.  He was making jokes about geometry (which I didn't even think was possible), and she seemed embarrassed.  He seemed kind, and as much as I wanted to eavesdrop on more of his routine, I decided to check out the librarian.  True to form, she was an older woman who had read every book in that place.  As I was browsing through a pile of books on sale for $1, she proceeded to tell me everything she thought was wrong about all of them.  Really her objections amounted to her disapproval on how the female characters were written.  In at least 15 books!  

Next I headed towards the farmers market, but never actually made it there.  I got stopped by an eight year old boy who was participating in his family's yard sale.  He had created these puppets made out of mittens, and each one had a different "character", as he called it.  He had used felt to create all sorts of faces, clothes and props to go with the mitten.  After asking about all thirty of them, I finally decided on Gene Simmons from KISS.  He just kept thanking me over and over again, and it took me back to the summers where we charged $10 for a glass of lemonade outside of my grandparents house.  I am a proud supporter of the youth entrepreneurs of America!

By this time it was 2:30 and I still hadn't eaten lunch.  I had researched the Hudson House (& Inn) and headed back down towards the river to check out their menu.  As luck would have it, they were having their "Restaurant Week."  Many places do this in the city, but only in February.  Restaurants will deeply discount certain items on the menu in order to encourage those who wouldn't normally eat there (due to cost) to try them out.  For $20 at lunch at the Hudson House, I got homemade rolls with strawberry butter, vegetable spring rolls, a cajun chicken sandwich with fries and slaw, and New York cheesecake for dessert!  And YES, I ate it all!

Thankfully I had worn yoga pants with some give, so I didn't have to pay too dearly for stuffing myself with food.  But I did think a hike would do me good, so I headed to a section of the Hudson Highlands State Park called Little Stony Point.  There are a few miles of hiking trails there that run right along the Hudson, and provide some spectacular views of nearby towns, the mountains and the water.  One of my favorite parts of the day, by far!

By the time I got back to the town, it was nearly 5:30.  In an effort to prolong having to head back, I remembered seeing a sign for a jazz concert at the local Presbyterian church, so I went.  There were only 30 people there (all over 60), but I thoroughly enjoyed the music.  Apparently every third Saturday of the month, they feature a different artist or group in this performance that is open to the community.  I definitely plan on becoming a regular.

Cold Spring is the epitome of small town America, and reminded me of the Christmas village my mom puts up in our house every December.  The people were so kind, and I felt like I was home.  I can't wait to come back in the summer and kayak across the river to check out some of that West Point goodness!