Sunday, August 24, 2008

New Paltz: potential site for my dream commune...

Unfortunately I'm running way behind on my blogging. I'm already in freaking Berlin, and I haven't yet told you how awesome New Paltz, NY was.
I spent the last six months planning my best friend's bachelorette party which she opted to have outside of Manhattan, her home base. She wanted to pick some berries dance to a Neil Young wannabe band and drink local cider, so we picked some berries, danced and drank.
If you see above, there is Kelder's Farm, which is absolutely beautiful, has tons of fruits to pick beside just apples (this is apple territory in the Hudson Valley), and has the World's Largest Garden Gnome (!), seen below. That's me and most of the awesome ladies who helped me throw Liza a good time partay.
New Paltz is home to one of the SUNYs (State University of New York), but it is also one of the oldest Huguenot communities in America (those French Protestants, remember from American History?).
I actually found a beautiful place for us to rent for the weekend on Huguenot Street, which is apparently the oldest continuously inhabited street in America (impressive). The houses were built around the turn of the 17th century. We obviously weren't staying in one that old, but we were right down the block. The town is not just quaint, but really beautiful, with deer and rabbit running freely through the half-acre yards before a green, mountainous backdrop.
Here's where things get less wholesome... Isn't this a handsome cake? It's from Masturbakers in NYC. It was tasty too!
Now for eating in New Paltz, we did good, as they say.
This little beauty was from the Main Street Bistro. The name would suggest some run-of-the-mill garbage breakfast joint with old ladies munching on caesar salad made with ranch dressing, but this was by far the most delicious breakfast burrito I have ever lain my lips upon. It was called the "South of the Border." I am a Mex-breakfast fanatic, but this blew my mind and my belly with the freshest ingredients and some kind of genius magic food that they give to people to make them fall in love with burritos. Drive up there, eat this, and then try to tell me otherwise. I dare you.
We ate at a place Bacchus the night before which had one of the most extensive beer list I've ever seen in my life. I got the ribs, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn. The ribs were super saucy and dripping from the bone, you can't fuck up mashed potats, and the white corn obviously sprouted from the earth out back and needed no salt and no butter. That's good corn in my book. This was a great overnight trip out of the City. And while I was on my way up, my mom told me we used to pick apples there in the fall when I was a kid. A kiss of nostalgia and delicious food: New Paltz rules.

2 comments:

eldesaparecido said...

You can always botch Mashed Potatoes. I have had plenty of non-clutch pure de patatas sadly.

Emily Sue said...

I can taste that burrito just by looking at it and it tastes amazing. Looks like some good times, my kind of celebration. I love me ye olde buildings.