Upstate NY – The High Heeled C*ntessa

A scene from my parents’ backyard upstate – I feel like Charles Deetz in Beetlejuice when I am home because I can spend hours sitting on the couch bird watching through my dad’s binoculars. This is how I know I am getting old….

My birthday has come and gone, and once again I didn’t don any of the sexy dresses I have been stockpiling over the last year. I have probably purchased upwards of six dresses (on sale, of course) at this point, because they were heavily discounted and I was looking forward to a future date when I could finally get glammed up and wear one in public (instead of the confines of my own apartment). Buying all of these tight, short, plunging-neckline dresses has honestly kept me sane and motivated throughout the last year that the world has been mostly locked down and we’ve all been looking forward to brighter days. Needless to say, we aren’t quite there yet. If I had celebrated my birthday in the city with my boyfriend, I probably could have worn a more scandalous dress – it also didn’t help that I celebrated the day of my birthday upstate with my family. I was definitely not about to rock a bodycon dress and thigh-high boots at Remlik’s in Binghamton, NY with my parents and my sister’s family (more on Remlik’s below… it is my new fave).

It was so nice to be at my parent’s house for almost a full week, even if I was still technically working (I was lucky for once, and work happened to be very slow that week). I had to go upstate early (before my boyfriend and I had our mini-vacation in New Hampshire) to drop the cats off at the cat lodge, since they don’t do pick-ups or drop-offs on Sunday. I also had Monday, February 15th, off for President’s Day, so it was my only day to travel up without work interfering, and the only day my boyfriend could drive me, since he works all three weekend days.

I was happy to find plenty of white snow on the ground when I arrived upstate, and plenty more that would fall over the course of the next five days. I fucking love snow… probably because I don’t have to shovel it (which, truth be told, I actually enjoy doing since it is a good upper-body workout) nor do I have to drive in it. Anyhow, because work was slow, I was able to get out for daily walks and enjoy some time with my family. I celebrated my 33rd birthday at Remlik’s in Binghamton. I would highly recommend to anyone in the area. It was my first time there and I chose it specifically because I knew they had a raw bar and sushi. The oysters were awesome (when are they not?), the cocktails were lit (I tried three), and the food was great. The place was also really pretty and cavernous inside – dark wood, huge bar, good lighting. The ambiance and service were amazing – our waitress was super nice and accommodating to my niece and nephew, and the music was right up my alley (they played Massive Attack, Moby, and Depeche Mode… I mean, come on….(and yes, I am perpetually living in 1997)).

Seriously my new favorite restaurant upstate (or at least right up there with Peekamoose and Bull & Thistle). The cocktails were delightful, the oysters were great, and the menu and food itself was awesome. The ambiance was also really nice – a great restaurant for a date or special occasion.

After five days of almost continual snowfall, half-assed bird-watching, and gorging myself on the copious amounts of food available in my parents’ fridge and cupboards (dude – they have a whole drawer just for chips…), my boyfriend picked me up on Sunday afternoon and we made the six and a half hour drive to North Woodstock, NH.

Since we boarded the cats, we were able to stay in an actual inn, instead of a pet-friendly Airbnb. I did miss having a hot tub and wood-burning fireplace, but it was nice to have the bar and restaurant right there.

We stayed at The Woodstock Inn Brewery, in North Woodstock, right at the foothills of the White Mountain range. I stayed here a handful of times as a child on family vacations, and was really happy to be back as an adult. The place is better than I remember it. I think the part I honestly enjoyed most, was just being off work for a full week – shutting my laptop, ignoring emails, not having to answer to anyone. I really, REALLY needed that. We stayed Sunday night through Thursday morning, and in those four days we really didn’t do much besides eat, shop and chill. Honestly, just what I needed. I never chill…. ask anyone who knows me (*unless I’m in a highly intoxicated state of being).

The drinks and food onsite were good – they offer a really great deal to guests wherein breakfasts are totally free, and I’m talking FULL, AWESOME breakfasts (crab Benedict, omlettes, fresh waffles, etc.). I normally do not even eat breakfast, but I’m certainly not going to say ‘no’ to crab and eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce and a bloody Mary at a more reasonable hour of 11am. We would be full until dinner time after those breakfasts, so it worked out perfectly.

View from the beautiful Kancamagus highway, that cuts over the mountains from Lincoln, NH to North Conway, NH. We accidentally got caught in a blizzard on the first day we made the drive to North Conway to do some shopping in the outlets… oops.

The blizzard we had to drive through on our way back from North Conway…. great for photo ops

If we had gone in the Summer or Fall, there would have been significantly more to do in the way of physical activity and outdoor activity (hiking, etc.). We could have gone skiing, but didn’t plan ahead, and to be honest, I have never been skiing, so I would need some classes (to be even more honest – I have no desire to ski, although maybe I would like it if I tried it). Instead, we enjoyed good food, the scenery, and each others company (to the extent possible, since my boyfriend was still answering phones and emails for the better part of each day 🙂 #cheers).

One of the highlights for me was the gondola ride we took at Loon Mountain Resort… it was so cool seeing all of the mountains and ski slopes from that height!

View from a pull-off on the Kancamagus hwy the day after our perilous journey through a blizzard. We literally couldn’t see any of these views the first day since we drove through a snowstorm.

Naturally, the pictures I’m posting here aren’t doing any of these views justice. If you’re looking for a drive-able destination with some new scenery and you like mountains and/or snow, I would really suggest looking into a mini trip to the White Mountains. Especially if you like skiing/snowboarding – so many resorts and slopes everywhere. While we were in ski country, I attempted to find a ski suit for my weekend excursion to the Poconos with two friends. Needless to say, it didn’t happen, since I was looking for something along the lines of THIS but could only find, expensive, boring-ass ski wear in all of the shops. There was no way I was about to drop good money on some ugly crap that I would never wear. I ended up finding a ski suit from ASOS for a heavily discounted price that I wore last weekend in the Poconos, where yet again, I ended up not skiing… go figure….

View of Mt. Washington, the highest point in the Northeastern United States. In the Summer months, you can drive your car to the pinnacle – I actually drove up with my family as a child, and let me tell you, it’s pretty scary since the mountain is sheer rock and there is only a flimsy guardrail separating the road from the side.

We actually lucked out with the weather while we were there, because after the first day of crazy snow, the remaining days were fairly mild for this time of year (high 30s). I really didn’t want to come back to NYC, which is what happens every time I go away, but I was happy to be reunited with my cats after a several days away from them.

Another view of Mt. Washington… the pictures aren’t doing any of the mountain scenery justice. I have videos from our mountain excursion posted to my Instagram highlights that give a slightly better overall image.

I really am feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after my time at home and my time in New Hampshire. I hadn’t had more than a full week off of work since early August when I went away with my family, but that trip was without my boyfriend. We haven’t had more than a couple of days off together, since I don’t even know when… one of us is always working and we have opposite schedules. It’s honestly been forever. I feel slightly more prepared to push forward and tackle life again. Before this trip I was in a rut and started to have that “fuck it/this/everything” attitude. I couldn’t make myself focus or give a shit about anything, including my job. I’m feeling revived though…. not totally, but much better off than I was before this trip.