Autumn in New York

Back in October, I went on a little trip to New York to visit my brother and try to experience more of a “true” fall since Houston leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to season changes. We stayed in Brooklyn but were able to visit two towns upstate: Cold Spring and New Paltz. I actually considered (and am still considering) running away to live in the woods surrounding Lake Minnewaska. I’ll do it “my side of the mountain” style and survive off the land. Sounds pretty tempting… 😉

I’ll leave you with my favorite photos and a little guide of some of the restaurants and places I really enjoyed during the trip.

Brooklyn

-Sun in Bloom – all vegan eatery with a plethora of gluten free options. This is one of my favorite places that I insist on going to at least once every time I visit. I highly recommend getting a brazil nut milk latte if you have the opportunity to stop in.
-Cafe Ghia – adorable little cafe with vegetarian/vegan options and a rad installment of geometric shelving behind the bar (check it out on my instagram if you’re curious).
-Foster Sundry – a small but well curated collection of locally grown veggies and other artisan products.
-Elisa’s Love Bites Dessert Atelier – an all vegan bakery with many gluten free options as well. We tried the black heart mocha cake which according to their sign out front is better than sex.
-Brooklyn Botanic Garden – I could have easily spent an entire day here getting lost among the local flora and fauna.

Cold Spring

-Hudson Hil’s – charming little eatery with vegetarian and gluten free options. They make their own jams and pies in house and were totally in the Halloween spirit with a collection of jack-o-lanterns on the steps out front.
-Cold Spring Apothecary – beautiful space full of all natural handmade goods (soaps, lotions, candles, etc.) and many dried herbs. It looked like they had a salon in back as well.
-Cold Spring Mercantile – small but well curated shop full of all sorts of goods. In other words, the perfect one-stop-shop for gifts (or treats for yourself).

New Paltz

-Mudd Puddle – charming little coffee shop that drew us in because they were jamming some Waylon and Willie over the speakers.
-Karma Road Organic Cafe – tons of vegan/vegetarian/gluten free friendly options at this little eatery. I think my favorite was the spelt sweet potato walnut biscuit.
-The Sweet Bunny – gluten free bakery with many vegan options as well.
-Jenkins Leuken Orchards – They have both a farmstand and a you-pick operation here. Since we were short on time, we opted for the farmstand and brought back a few pumpkins and some northern spy apples.
-Lake Minnewaska – Technically this is in Kerhonkson but it’s a short drive from New Paltz to the entrance of the state park. Since the park is sitauated on a mountain ridge, you get rugged, rocky terrain in addition to beautiful hardwood forests and a crystal clear lake. There’s a trail that goes all the way around the lake and has several scenic spots in which to rest or take in the sights. This is by far one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. I kept joking it was so beautiful that it didn’t look real.