Some of my best ideas start on the shower, others on the drive north. Once the New Jersey freeway fades away and the hills close in, I feel my nervous system calming down and noticing the color of a riverbank, looking for wildlife into the woods, chipped paint farm houses, an old barn full of antiques and curiosities by the side of the road.
These are the three upstate towns I like the most, and the shops and tables that make each one feel like home. Kingston for treasure-hunting in old stone streets, Woodstock for vintage and music under the trees, and Narrowsburg, my quiet river town, for long dinners and slow afternoons.
Kingston, New York: old stone and good taste
Kingston was New York's first state capital, and Uptown, the Stockade District, still has its 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings. It's the kind of place where every block has a shop worth ducking into.
2. Woodstock NY: vintage, music and a vibrant downtown
3. Narrowsburg: The quiet river town
