Get Outta Town With The MTA!

Fall in love with Autumn in Duchess County 

The season is upon us and I want to share with you a little known secret that I have known for years. 

The MTA has getaway packages for day and weekend trips for sale! Right now!

Traditionally, they were set for just the fall season.  However, they have expanded and added museum, attraction and festival visits for all year round.

This is, in fact, how I became enamored with the state of New York's country side.  All you must do is purchase a ticket, get on the train and a tour bus will be waiting when you arrive an hour later in upstate New York (in some cases an hour in a half)

The MTA has been in cahoots with Duchess County tourism board for over ten years.  They offer a multitude of day trips starting at the end of August.

A typical trip will have 3 stops in day.  They will include a visit to small historical towns like Millerton, Rhinebeck, or Beacon. 

This will be followed by an encounter at a farm with piggy’s, cows and chicks waiting for hands for petting ( ex. McEnroe Farms).

Then, will be topped off with a tour of a vineyard (ex. Millbrook), maple syrup farm (ex. Madava), a distillery (ex. Duchess Spirit’s) or of course apple picking (ex. Meade Orchards).

Yes, you will do all this via tour bus and will be back on a train headed to the city by 6pm.  It doesn’t seem possible because the scheduling seems a little crammed but it is a quite lovely relaxing day.

Don’t forget the amazing views of the mountain ranges and valleys right off the country lane as you are driven from each location.

For a few years I have made my own itinerary and now travel via car.  I also book on AirBnB so I can take my wine, cheese, chocolates from local vender's of the day back to a quaint room to relax so I may possibly take in more sights the next day. 

Eventually, as you become more acclimated to different sites you will feel more comfortable to do the same.  As New Yorkers, it can be stressful to just want to get out of your head for the day or the weekend.  Instead, you find your face in a map or glued to the GPS on your dashboard nervous you've missed a turn to a place out in the middle of nowhere you have never been before.

Calgon… I mean MTA, take me away!

Note: If anyone takes my advice and uses this opportunity to travel outside the city, I will gladly post your trip as a guest blogger in the fall. Looking forward to hearing from you and enjoy!

Camping with Critters

It's a bird.  It's a place.  It's a Bat! 

Last summer I took to the Metro North railways for an overnight excursion in a tent.  I am accustomed to being adventurous when it comes to the outdoors.  You pack your tent, bring some freeze dried food and protein bars.  Don't forget plenty of water.  Then you are on your way.  I am not the sort for fires and roasting. 

I love the outdoors as far as the fauna and flora are concerned.  However, some of the fauna creeps me out a little.  Occasionally, in the middle of the night you can hear chirping.  That’s not a big deal but it’s the high-pitched sounds reminiscent of Transylvania that will get to me sometimes.  So I began to wonder to myself: Are bats dangerous?  What if you accidently camp under their hangout? Like some animals, will they attack?

I found myself recently discussing this with a friend and was put in contact with a researcher at Kennesaw State University named Linda Purvis.  She agreed to help sort this out for me.

Recently, there has been a decline in the bat population of North America.  Conservationists are trying to figure out what is happening.  As for me, I just don’t want to be bitten and turned into a creature of the night.

I asked her, why did you choose to go into this field?

I wanted to do my graduate studies in non-game wildlife biology and was a good candidate for the lab I currently work in.

 I continued, What is your title?

My title is Graduate Research Assistant at Kennesaw State University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology.

With increasing trepidation I asked, am I a candidate for being feasted upon by the local bat population while camping?

There is a long list of myths associated with bats, but none of them are true. July is peak season for bat activity.  Bats typically forage at dusk and near dawn.  They are insectivorous so they will forage where any potential food source is located (standing water and light sources).
 If campers see bats, they should enjoy the opportunity to see them in the wild.  They don’t need to worry about all the negative stigma associated with them. However, summer is also maternity roosting season, and certain species will roost in the most interesting places such as in between the barks of pines or within leaf litter.  If they come across a pup, don’t try to handle as they are very delicate.
 Contact the camp host, local conservationists or state department of natural resources for help.

Thank you Linda for explaining this to me.

Insectivorous?  I am now relieved.  Even though they still creep me out, I will be more appreciative of their presence.  No one need no worry that I may pick up a pup. I’ll leave that to their mothers.

North Fork Wineries of Long Island

The Winery Whining of North Fork

Or as we called them by the end of the day “the vineries of North Fork, Long Island.”  Let’s just start off by saying when you are traveling with group or even by yourself – three vineyards please.  Three is the magic number when deciding to spend a day in the country and go from one vineyard to another.  Now I am not saying four is that terrible but if you are given the choice to either taste or try a full glass of this year’s pinot, there is not enough complimentary cheese to soak that buzz up without a lunch involved.

We started out the day with a lovely trip to Dilberto’s Winery.  Located in Jamestown a few blocks from the Main Road; literally, the name is Main Road. I will eventually take you to one of the most eastern points of Long Island which is Greenport. Dilberto’s is a nice start to a very, very, very long day of drinking – I mean tasting wine.  You can order a nice thin crust pizza that Italy would be proud of.  You even get the offering to pay an extra 5 dollars to take home the wine of your choice.  If you don’t mind previously opened bottles that were poured into one.  Who cares? Doesn’t the alcohol kill all the germs anyway.  And what germs?  Who is directly drinking from the bottle? Not me, yet.

Oh, did I mention the air-conditioned table area?  This was very key to the rest of our day.

We then made our way to Jason’s Vineyard. It was set up like a party scene with tour buses and limos for bridal parties backing up the drive way. However, we were still able to maneuver into a parking spot and walk in unscathed.  This place encourages byof – food.  We had decided to bring some grapes, cheese, salami, and crackers because that’s how Italians roll on car trips. The vineyard did offer an amazing cheese selection. We chose a

creamy Havarti.  The inside was a bit livelier and air-conditioned but we decided to go outside where the band was going to play. Other than the porch area, there was no real coverage from the blaring sun. The picnic area had just a few strips of cloth on lines tied to poles near the vineyard. So melting in the summer heat, eating warm cheese and smelling farm animals (picnic area next to goat pen) took its toll on my sensitive prone migraine symptoms.

The third was a little further down the road in Cutchogue; Pugliese’s Vineyards.  Can I just say, hands down, best one yet? I can’t understand when I looked online how it got low ratings as being one of the smaller vineyards in the area. I was pretty big and secluded from what I saw.

Now keep in mind, from where we began, every sign on Main Road in the Northfork is a friggin vineyard. We must have passed 30 by time we got to our third destination.

I know I haven’t mentioned much about the wine.  You want to know why? Because after the first stop you can’t taste anything anymore.  It doesn’t matter how many crackers you stuff in your mouth.  Ok, if you twist my arm, I’ll say Dilberto’s red table wine.  The magical mixture of God knows what thus far was pretty tasty.  In fact, it’s sitting my fridge right now.

Ok getting back to Pugliese’s.  First of all, ample parking.  No matter how many limos, yes I know again with the limos.  Who are these women? Doesn’t anybody go to Atlantic City anymore?

Coverage?  Perfection.  A huge trellis that could easily fit 200 people under it comfortably. Grapes were dangling over us giving us a very picturesque atmosphere.  The pond with a fountain and swimming koi set the bar for the day.  We ordered a bubbly red.  I am a fan of chilled Lambrusco in the summer and this hit the spot.  Not because I could actually taste anything because I was passed 3 sheet...but because it was cold and refreshing and went great with my migraine medication.

The band played rock that I like; none of that new mumbo jumbo stuff. I heard James Taylor, Stevie Nicks and some good ol Boz Scaggs.  Ah Yayeh!

It was a pretty sunny day.  With some voting, it was unanimous that the fourth “vinery” (Webster’s, your welcome) was probably not needed.  Especially, because the inside area of the vineyards accommodations looked like a utility shed.  We aren’t going to name the vineyard because we feel sorry for the persons who bought it.  Apparently, it was a recent purchase.  When you list in the menu the notes of the wine but decided to replace all the “wine speak” with” nice taste,” “a great accent to any dish” or “great for gatherings,” methinks you don’t really know a lot about what you are growing.

Also, would it kill you to put the wires to the household appliances away.  I thought while sitting on the stool a guy in overalls was going to come out and tell me I needed an oil changed and my suspension was busted.

At this point, we could have just spit the wine into the air like lawn sprinkler. We were so done with the tastings.  Plus side: we did get three free bottles with our Groupon.  I have no idea what the notes or after taste was as they are sitting in a cabinet waiting to mixed for Sangria eventually.

The only after taste I remember is stuffing my face with fried fish for dinner and anything else greasy I could get my hands on.

So remember, vineyards are a staple in our culture to partake in enjoyment and spending time with others in the beautiful countryside. 

Just remember. you don’t have to partake the whole countryside in one day.

Cin Cin!

Ashville: Someday We Will Meet

Kate's Date with Ashville

While scrolling around the internet recently I came across a quirky traveling blog by a young lady named Kate.  The blog called Adventurous Kate chronicles the travels of Kate, mostly traveling solo around the world.

First of all, I do appreciate her introduction of herself and giving great information about safety for women traveling by themselves.  That is a reality when traveling abroad that should always be on the forefront of one's mind.

I was especially intrigued by the article 14 Reasons Why I am Smitten with Ashville, North Carolina.
I like when someone gets into the nooks and crannies of a town; more of the off the beaten path.
Overall, I do anticipate a trip to Ashville mainly because of Biltmore; the largest estate of the Vanderbilt's.  I am fan of great estates from the Gilded Era.  This one is like Disneyland for me.

There are some listings for great places to eat and shop that I will definitely make a note of when I make my visit down south.

Note: I have attempted for 3 days to leave a message on this page and even created an IT ticket but to no avail there is no way to leave a post.  I have emailed Kate.  She might not be aware of it. I feel it is necessary to support and encourage fellow bloggers around you.

Update: A page was put up this morning stating one cannot make a guest post.  That is really funny and kinda weird seeing how there are posts from other people.  The only way I can figure is she is apart of a class or a group that only post amongst themselves.

The Four Corners Of Kingston

Meet the American Corners Older than the Constitution

What a splendid way to end my July 4th weekend. This is where buildings stand that represent the spirit of the American Revolution. That's what I discovered when I had my visit today in Kingston, New York.

At this intersection stand four buildings at the corner of John and Crown Streets.  Four stone houses that were the only buildings standing after the British stormed Kingston and burned the town to the ground in 1777 in retaliation. Let's just say, they were sore losers after retreating post war.

I was pretty surprised not to find too many people on the street. As I stood in the middle of the road of absolutely no traffic.

The route to Kingston has amazing views. You will pass the most spectacular stone buildings and dated private residences along the way.  Then, a beautiful view from Rhinecliff Bridge that beholds the sights of a distant Catskills. Withim ten minutes you are in the Historic District of Kingston.

The rest of the town isn't exactly to be scoffed at. There is a Dutch Reformed Church that still stands.  Either way, it's a wonderful location to visit anytime of the year.