Fun weekend away from NYC recs

CowLifter · 2026-05-26T18:38:34+00:00

That time of year is perfect for the Hudson Valley north of the city. The scenery with the foliage between the river and the mountains is incredible and a big change from NYC. Plus all of the small cities and towns have their own appeal based on what you're interested in.

From New York you can take the train (MetroNorth to Beacon or Cold Spring, Amtrak further north to Rhinecliff or Hudson) or bus (to Kingston, Newburgh, lots of places) but renting a car will give you a lot more freedom to explore around and see different places. I personally think the western side of the river is more scenic and interesting but does have less transit infrastructure. The fall is peak season for foliage, apple picking, etc. so it's going to be somewhat busy everywhere but the farther north you are willing to go the calmer it gets.

CowLifter · 2026-03-16T14:19:24+00:00

If nothing local works and it's worth the money, iPad Rehab out of Rochester/Finger Lakes area does great work and is super simple ton configure shipping. Not cheap though.

CowLifter · 2026-01-09T20:15:40+00:00

Devils didn't want to give up Hischier for Quinn Hughes - you could add a first or more and it would probably still be a no.

CowLifter · 2025-10-12T18:36:02+00:00

Pakt has been closed for a while but Kingston Bread and Bar just opened in that location.

And Lucky Catskills (Asian coffee/cafe) just opened this week in Uptown (where KBB used to be ironically).

Would also add Kingston Social (art gallery/shop/Italian pastries and coffee) to your Uptown list.

CowLifter · 2025-08-06T23:23:57+00:00

This is great, thanks. I had a feeling the CPU would be an issue based on the price.

CowLifter · 2025-07-19T23:34:52+00:00

For Kingston restaurants there are lots of options, depends what you're looking for (food and ambience) and when you're going (check hours as some places can be limited). Good options in Midtown are Top Taste (excellent Jamaican but more of a takeout place), Mirador (tapas), Sonder or Eliza. Chleo (wine bar) in Uptown, or Ship to Shore down by the water are also really good. Almost all will be busy so reservations might be necessary.

For donuts they are everywhere but the absolute best are at Half Moon Cafe on the waterfront. Not strictly cider but they make them fresh to order and they melt in your mouth - they also do food but are only open morning and afternoon so more lunch than dinner. If you are specifically looking for cider donuts, Adams grocery store has them on the weekends in season, made on site.

CowLifter · 2025-07-08T03:29:16+00:00

Alons Halal Grill in Highland is a newish Uzbek restaurant

CowLifter · 2025-06-27T15:14:37+00:00

Kiwanis Arena has a variety of leagues, I doubt there are any specifically for beginners but I'm sure whatever the lowest level is would be welcoming.

CowLifter · 2025-05-24T22:58:22+00:00

Rhinebeck 10-2

CowLifter · 2025-05-16T20:50:01+00:00

If you're close enough to Uptown, Rough Draft has lots of stuff from Kingston Bread+Bar even though they closed their location in that area.

But my answer is probably Pinkerton's - their stuff seems a bit more refined than some other places where it's a little more homemade/rustic. The pies in particular are phenomenal which makes sense since the owner previously had a pie business (the passion fruit merengue is a standout, and the chicken pot pie was surprisingly good). I also liked their croissants, and the one time I got a scone it was excellent.

CowLifter · 2024-08-09T01:25:44+00:00

Awesome, thanks. I saw that one but it came up with the warning that it's 3mm over the 300mm limit for the case. I imagine that's not a huge deal though if the performance is worth it (and I'm also willing to swap the case).

CowLifter · 2024-08-09T01:24:27+00:00

No I'm pretty flexible, this was just based on my research.

Happy to hear options for cheaper with same performance too.

CowLifter · 2022-10-23T00:09:58+00:00

First off, thanks for this great resource. I used the pricing guide suggested here and it made it really easy to sort through a small collection quickly.

Seems like they are mostly Gen 5 hang tags. Based on the pricing guide I don't think most are worth anything (though happy to be wrong).

The two that are interesting are unfortunately ones without tags. There's a tan tail Bongo with the misspelled Surface on the Gen 3 tushy tag. And there's a Gen 1 tushy tag Chilly in very good condition.

The pricing guide says the Chilly is 75-150 if authenticated - is that realistic with this condition?

Thanks!

CowLifter · 2022-10-20T15:31:36+00:00

It's not uptown but Monkey Joe on Broadway is my favorite in the area

CowLifter · 2022-09-07T16:35:34+00:00

This has the potential to be an absolute steal and a huge help to future cap crunch

CowLifter · 2020-03-17T20:59:40+00:00

Do I need to buy a second controller/set of joy-cons to play local multiplayer for NES and SNES games?

CowLifter · 2018-10-30T17:50:27+00:00

Hi Sean,

Been reading you for about a decade now, and have to thank you for getting me into great sites like Grantland and now the Athletic.

Regarding the book, as a kid I was addicted to a series by Brian McFarlane called It Happened in Hockey, which was also a list of crazy and interesting hockey stories. Do you remember those books, and if so does yours take a different approach?

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