A Day at Hunter Mountain

Living in New York isn't easy, but there are many benefits. One of them (for us ski-lovers): being able to escape for a day in the mountains. Last year, we didn't perfect the ski day trip, but this year, we think we've got it right.

Our tips:

1. Don't take the ski bus. It's a super early start and then you take a stupid route through Manhattan so it takes forever. By the time you get there the queues are terrible and you won't be skiing until late morning (last year we weren't skiing until after 11am having caught the bus at 6am). It will also take a painful amount of time to take home (over 4 hours, with a journey that went through Times Square). Instead, rent a car, or better yet, borrow a friend's (thanks G!).

2. Get up early. Yes, our Saturday morning alarm went at 5:15. But we made it from Brooklyn over the George Washington Bridge in 25 minutes. And we were on the slopes by 9am.

3. Bring your own lunch. Hunter Mountain isn't a culinary hotspot. And it isn't super cheap either.

4. Ski early to early. It only gets busier as the day goes on, and the snow gets worse too. Plus, after the 5am alarm, you'll be exhausted by 3pm.

5. Stop at Phoenicia Diner on your way home. It's 10 minutes out of your way and those pancakes are worth driving far more than 10 minutes for.

6. Order the pancakes at Phoenicia Diner. Plus whatever else you fancy. But don't forget the pancakes.

7. Get a good playlist ready for the drive home. It won't be as smooth as your journey out.

One more close-up of those pancakes. Just because.

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Getaway Snapshots

Last weekend we escaped the city with a Christmas present from M&D: a weekend in a Getaway cabin. No internet, lots of woodland, possible bear sightings, and time to read and cook over a campfire. It was heavenly. Here's some snapshots from a weekend I hope we'll repeat very soon:

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Spruceton Inn

When you reach six months of living in New York, the importance of escaping this city suddenly becomes clear. While many people have family or friends in the Hamptons, a house out in the countryside, or some connection to a nearby state, we really don't. We knew nobody in the city when we moved here, so befriending people who don't live just next door has not been a high priority. However, running away from the Big Apple on a regular basis has become a necessity.

So, with no ties to anywhere besides our Boerum Hill home, we're free to explore wherever we like, as long as it can be done in a weekend (time is not on our side). Last summer we headed out to Mattituck, during our first winter we spent a cold weekend in Hudson, every June we go for a run round Shelter Island, we skied and ate waffles in Vermont, and a couple of weeks ago, we retreated to the phone signal-free Catskills.

If you're in need of a NYC detox, aren't scared to temporarily lose connection with the outside world, and love sitting round a campfire, you need to book a trip to Spruceton Inn. Set five miles down a seven mile dead-end road, this ten-room 'motel' is simple, grounding, and, well, perfect. On a wet spring weekend, leafy green trees line the road, the lights glowing in the bar welcome you in after the three hour drive up from the city, and lying in bed listening to the rain sputter on the roof, the stream flow outside, and literally nothing else, is like walking into the biggest, warmest hug.

We spent our evenings cooking simple suppers on the stove in our kitchenette (sadly it was too wet to grill), hiding from the rain, celebrating with Champagne, reading, and wrapping up to head to the campfire to make s'mores. Because you can't spend a weekend in the American countryside and not make s'mores.

Mornings began slowly. Café Grumpy coffee and sprinkle-topped pop tarts can be found in Room One (the bar/reception/breakfast room/shop/chill out zone, where you'll find yourself spending a lot of time). Extra coffee should be taken back to your room to accompany your second breakfast of fresh eggs from the nearby farm and whatever else you bought with you (we recommend a Bien Cuit loaf). And then it's time to get outside.

Both Casey and Stephen, the owners of the inn (and the people whose lives I'd like to steal) will provide you with all the hiking tips, local information, and old Spruceton stories. By the time you've hiked up to the fire tower, you've probably already planned your future Catskills life. And you'll be ready to celebrate these plans with a glass of local cider and some freshly popped corn when you get back down.

Saying goodbye to Spruceton is hard. Despite the rain, the cold, and the lack of grilling, a weekend in this Catskills is peaceful, refreshing, and impossible not to love. If we return in the summer for more grilling and campfire time, I'm pretty sure I'll never leave.

Spruceton Inn, 2080 Spruceton Rd, West Kill, NY 12492.

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