a buda besties + terrance new year adventure.

when katie was in town very briefly in october she floated the idea of returning at the end of the year to ring in 2023 together. maggie and i were immediately on board and excited to plan an upstate adventure that would allow for all of us to wind down from the year and spend a long weekend together without all the chaos and noise of the city. maggie asked if she could invite her friend terrance, we said yes, and together we planned our excursion.

our airbnb came with this lovely deck. saugerties, new york. december 2022.
road trip buds for life. december 2022.

we found a fantastic airbnb in saugerties and loosely decided to spend one day in the village, one day in hudson, and play the rest by ear. we made reservations for friday night dinner and saturday lunch and otherwise let our whims guide us. below are some of the highlights from our trip [and yes, there are lots of photos*].

saugerties

we needed a dinner spot after we rolled into town on thursday and thanks to katie found ourselves at miss lucy’s kitchen. great drinks, the aoili on the brussels sprouts was finger-licking good, and my papardelle was delicious. pro tip: make a reservation; we got really lucky and grabbed four seats at the bar, but the wait for a table was close to 2 hours // their mussels are supposed to be really good, but they were sold out when we got there

so much deliciousness in one photo. saugerties, new york. december 2022.

slices of saugerties was recommended as a good spot for pizza, so that became our stop for lunch on friday. we all got a combination of slices plus some garlic knots to spare, and it was some of the best pizza i’ve ever had. also the guys working there were super friendly. pro tip: you get a discount if you pay cash

loved this spot. saugerties, new york. december 2022.

if you’re on the hunt for really lovely bedding or other general household things, bosco’s mercantile is a great spot. i have it filed away for when i have my own place and am ready to decorate.

tell me this isn’t the cutest street corner you’ve ever seen. saugerties, new york. december 2022.
found a new bookstore, promptly fell in love. saugerties, new york. december 2022.

you know i’m a sucker for a bookstore, and inquiring minds bookstore is no exception. it’s a warm, inviting space, with comfortable chairs and couches throughout to encourage you to sit and stay a while. there’s also a café in the back and some tables if you want to work from there.

we really wanted to visit the saugerties lighthouse but sadly the trail was closed due to winter weather from the previous weekend. we did, however, enjoy our scenic drive through the town. pro tip: in general the trail from the parking lot to the lighthouse is open most days from sunrise to sunset, but in the winter months it’s subject to additional closures

so, so good. saugerties, new york. december 2022.

katie has a knack for finding delicious restaurants and did so once again with red onion, our friday night dinner choice. it has such cozy vibes, we loved our server anne, and i ate every bite of my lamb shanks. it was also nice to dress up and pretend to be fancy for an evening. pro tip: make a reservation

hudson.

cuties with cocktails. hudson, new york. december 2022.
besties. hudson, new york. december 2022.
cannot get enough of this place. hudson, new york. december 2022.
buda besties forever. hudson, new york. december 2022.
if ever i don’t return, this is where i am. hudson, new york. december 2022.

i knew from my visit in september that katie would love the maker and so made reservations there for sunday lunch and am happy to report i was correct. it’s such a beautiful space, and the food and drinks are so good. i had a pastrami hash that was incredibly and even indulged in a second bloody mary. also we took lots of photos because how can you not. pro tip: make a reservation; only open for brunch at the weekend

could have spent a lot of time in here. hudson, new york. december 2022.
hudson sights. hudson, new york. december 2022.
i really should have bought this. hudson, new york. december 2022.
you’re welcome. hudson, new york. december 2022.
pretty buildings. hudson, new york. december 2022.
i also should have bought these glasses. hudson, new york. december 2022.
loved their lights. hudson, new york. december 2022.
we’re unstoppable.

after lunch we literally walked up one side of warren street and down the other, popping into whichever places caught our eyes. some of our favorites were hudsontricity, intentionally blank, spotty dog books & ale of course, the quiet botanist, and finch, where we bought matching shirts in different colors like the obviously cool kids that we are. we made friends up and down warren street, and i’m sure they are still talking about us. pro tip: wear good shoes

loved this door. hudson, new york. december 2022.
call me for all your instagram husband needs. hudson, new york. december 2022.
who put her in charge? hudson, new york. december 2022.
stunning. hudson, new york. december 2022.
couldn’t resist the colors here. hudson, new york. december 2022.
happy walkers. hudson, new york. december 2022.
katie looks great in all the shots; this was the best maggie and i could do. hudson, new york. december 2022.

during our warren street adventures we also stopped for many photo shoots. this is but a very small sample of what is currently on my camera roll. all i can really say is: you’re welcome.

can’t take us anywhere. hudson, new york. december 2022.

one of katie’s coworkers had recommended wm. farmer and sons for a drink, so we made that our final stop in hudson. we chatted up sean at the bar [are you sensing a theme?] and enjoyed some very delectable beverages. mine was a royal navy old fashioned created by the in-house bartenders in 2018, and it was a treat.

we’ll be dropping our album soon. saugerties, new york. december 2022.
impromptu charcuterie. saugerties, new york. december 2022.
resident fire expert. saugerties, new york. december 2022.

rather than going out for new year’s eve, we were back home by 7pm and created our own hodgepodge of a feast. katie and terrance arranged a beautiful charcuterie board, maggie made a yummy lentil soup, and in lieu of black-eyed peas [the grocery store in saugerties was out] i made good luck garbanzo beans. it was great to sit by the fire [thank you, terrance, for making that happen], watching the various nye tv specials and relaxing with each other; it was exactly the evening i imagined.

hikers extraordinaire. upstate new york. january 2023.

falling waters preserve.

off we go! upstate new york. january 2023.
traditions. upstate new york. january 2023.
we were promised falling water, and falling waters we received. january 2023.
walking up. upstate new york. january 2023.
first hike of the year was a beaut. upstate new york. january 2023.
sending her hopes and dreams along the river, i think? upstate new york. january 2023.
contemplating life. upstate new york. january 2023.
great spot to sit and think. upstate new york. january 2023.
such a beautiful day. upstate new york. january 2023.

carroll family tradition dictates a january 1 hike, so after checking out of our airbnb we took ourselves for this lovely hike along the hudson. it was a beautiful day, and this walk was the perfect length and amount of exertion.

new york city.

can’t go wrong with dim sum. new york, new york. january 2023.

we had one evening together back in the city and did the most with the time we had. first stop was golden unicorn for dim sum, then chinatown ice cream factory because dessert stomach, and then a walk through chinatown, little italy, and nolita.

cocktail roulette champion. new york, new york. january 2023.

we found ourselves at rintintin and met johnny, bartender extraordinaire, who regaled us by creating various cocktails and making terrance guess what was in them. by the end of the night we were all best friends and johnny now has all of our emails and phone numbers. i can’t make these things up, and also i will be back because the drinks were very good.

our final stop of the night was prince street pizza so terrance could enjoy some slices of nyc pizza. his vodka slice was too spicy for him so maggie and i very enthusiastically ate it for him, and we made friends with a group of 22-year-olds from los angeles who also want to be our besties. it was the perfect cap to an excellent trip.

lovely way to close out an amazing trip. new york, new york. january 2023.

phew. it was an adventure for the ages and one that might have to become an annual or bi-annual tradition. i loved spending the last few days of the year and welcoming a new one with this crew, and i’m ready to do it again.

*photos are a combination from all four of us. thank you to maggie, katie, and terrance for letting me use your lovely photos!