***Here is this all on Google Maps too!
TROY:
Nighthawks - lunch/dinner burger menu during the week, weekends are brunch and rotating farm to table menus with great cocktails (dinner til 10pm too)
Little Pecks - breakfast/lunch/coffee with a beautiful covered back patio area
Alias Coffee - No frills coffee shop with great single source beans
Placid Baker - unpretentious local bakery with perfect french technique
Bacchus Wood-fired Pizza - for eating in, feels like a stone cellar, unpretentious wood-fired pizza (in an oven with a giant devil mouth)
Defazio’s Pizza - for takeout/delivery, also very good wood-fired pizza but less atmosphere.
Lucas Confectionary - candlelit natural wine bar with charcuterie snacks.
Saturday Downtown Farmers Market - takes over the downtown square, one of the biggest farmers markets in the area
Albany Rural Cemetary: Huge victorian rural cemetary with nature paths and great headstones - designed by the same architect of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
TIP: If you are looking for delivery food while staying in the area - the local delivery app is called Mealeo
CATSKILL/HUDSON:
Avalon Lounge: Very cool sake/beer lounge with Korean food with live music
Left Bank Ciders: local foraged apple cider taproom
La Perche - Fancy brunch in Hudson
Hi-Way Drive In Theatre - 1950’s drive in movies - always has a reliable throwback double feature every weekend.
Spotty Dog Bookstore - Beer and bookstore and art supplies, Main st. in Hudson.
White Whale Antiques - Great antique store on main street Hudson that isn’t priced for NYC money.
Olana Historic Site: Frederic Edwin Church’s massive estate with an art collection and landscape tours - epicenter of the Hudson River School of painting.
Minnewaska State Park Preserve - Big park preserve with waterfalls and many levels of hiking.
Katterskill Falls: - Really special double level waterfall, which makes it a popular hike - easy to the viewing platform, harder hike down to the falls and back out.
KINGSTON:
Stockade Tavern: Great cocktails in a beautiful bar (with snacks)
Rough Draft Bar & Books: Coffee, wine, beer, books, solid hang
The Little Rye Bakehouse: Morning/afternoon bread and pie
Tubby’s - classic dive feel with good food and a killer music calendar
WOODSTOCK:
Silvia: Great for a dinner date, farm to table, great cocktails and nice patio
Dixon Roadside: Retro nod to roadside diner
Garden Cafe: Healthy vegan/vegetarian.
Overlook Mountain House Ruins: Directly uphill hike with an old abandoned 1930s hotel at the top, and a fire tower you can climb for insane 360 view.
POUGHKEEPSIE/NEW PALTZ
Rossi’s Rosticceria Deli - ricidulously huge import italian sandwiches on great foccacia and ciabatta
Mountain Brauhaus - 1950s era classic german restaurant
Hudson & Packard - Hip spot for Detroit style pizza
Palace Diner - high chrome 24 hour classic american diner
Alex’s Restaurant- 1910 classic american diner
ART STUFF:
Dia Beacon: Huge beautiful contemporary art museum, Beacon’s mainstreet is extremely cute, and go to Momo Valley for Himalayan dumplings
Storm King: Massive sculpture park