A New York State of Mind: Savoring the Last Days of Summer Close to Home

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A New York State of Mind: Savoring the Last Days of Summer Close to Home

I think the ultimate travel flex in August is a staycation. Why endure the indignities of air travel, long lines, and packed, noisy restaurants when New York is nearly empty? For years, I was always stuck in Manhattan in August finishing the big September issues, and I sort of grumpily accepted it. But these days I’m leaning into it and looking forward to having one of the world’s greatest cities all to myself—even the tourists seem to go back home in the dog days of August. I might go for some downtown vibes and check in to Nine Orchard, the historic bank turned swanky hotel on the Lower East Side, and have dinner at Eel Bar, my favorite new Spanish small-plates spot on Broome Street. The latest enterprise from the folks behind Cervo’s and Hart’s, Eel Bar serves excellent dishes like grilled whole shrimp and a hamburger with anchovies and Roquefort, plus a nice list of vermouths and natural wines. Further uptown, I want to visit the Fifth Avenue Hotel, located in a Gilded Age manse and reimagined by Martin Brudnizki, and then try to snag a table at Le Veau d’Or, another old-school spot recently updated by chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson (Frenchette, Le Rock). Once the favorite French bistro of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Bobby Short, it happens to be the hottest ticket in town—try classics like roast duck with cherry sauce or the steak au poivre. But if you do feel the urge to get out of town, I’d suggest one of these storied resorts, all located in New York state. The beauty of all of them is that you never really have to leave the property. 

The Point, Saranac Lake
Built in the 1930s as a private “camp” for William Avery Rockefeller Jr., The Point is now an 11-room resort that sits on a 75-acre peninsula. It was taken over in 2016 by longtime regulars, who spruced up the place in a style best described as haute Americana. The resort is truly letter-perfect: The guest rooms have names like Mohawk and Iroquois, done up in pine paneling, taxidermy, gentlemanly sports equipment, and plenty of stitched throw pillows. There are handsome wooden boats bobbing in the lake and fully stocked bars found throughout the property—I recall spotting a bar service carved out of a tree trunk on one of my treks. It’s like a Ralph Lauren fever dream. There’s plenty to do on the property, including tennis, croquet, kayaking, wakeboarding, and fishing. Dinners are communal, which is not always my preferred choice, but when Bette Midler walked into the dining room and sat next to me one evening, who was I to balk at making small talk? It was a raucous night, and the Divine Miss M and I ended up playing charades together. That’s how special this place is. thepointresort.com

Troutbeck, Amenia
Anthony Champalimaud (the son of designer Alexandra) opened this country estate near the Connecticut border just two hours from Manhattan in 2017. The old manor house has a rich cultural history, having served as a de facto intellectual club for everyone from Teddy Roosevelt to Mark Twain to Langston Hughes over the years. Revamped by the same design firm that did Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, the main estate features clubby lounges with a crackling fireplace, an eclectic library, and a sunroom, which is a lovely spot to enjoy coffee and house-baked pastries in the morning. There’s also a spa, a barn-like pavilion hosting fitness classes, a pool, tennis courts, and a formal walled garden. You’ll be hard-pressed to leave after a weekend of indulging in the baronial-bohemian splendor. troutbeck.com

Bedford Post Inn, Bedford
Westchester may not feel like a glamorous escape from the city, but the Bedford Post Inn is not your typical B&B. First of all, one of the owners is Richard Gere, who bought the house with his business partner Russell Hernandez in 2008 and turned it into a lovely eight-room inn. The Cheeveresque setting is intimate, with flagstone walkways, lush gardens, and a pool, making it a pretty fabulous place to hole up for the weekend. There are also activities like horseback riding, hiking, and canoeing nearby for those who want to be a little more active. The owners have recently teamed up with Brooklyn-based group Sunday Hospitality, whose restaurants include El Quijote at the Hotel Chelsea and Rule of Thirds in Greenpoint, to refresh the restaurant as well as open an English-style country pub, which promises to become the buzziest spot in town. bedfordpostinn.com

An Insider’s Guide to Newport, America’s Idyllic, Well-Heeled Escape

My friend and former T Magazine colleague Alexa Brazilian is someone who has perfect taste. It’s rooted in this American preppy aesthetic but with some chic Francophile vibes. But most importantly, it’s effortless. A few years ago, she pulled up stakes and moved from New York City to Newport, Rhode Island, with her husband and three children. She’s still a contributor to T (and always discovering that next object you’ll just swoon over), but she also publishes a newsletter called, naturally, The Perfect. The brainchild of Brazilian and her friends Aaron Dickson Millhiser, a longtime fashion designer and consultant, and Courtney Broadwater, an illustrator and artist, The Perfect is both a newsletter and online shop showcasing their favorite things.

Whether it’s a Tiffany Padova Bartender Spoon, designed by Elsa Peretti for the jewelry company in the early 1980s, or a beautiful bar of Hermès glycerin soap that is used for saddles (not skin, though it still looks great in the powder room), you’ll discover so many hidden gems. It’s a delight to read—it’s as if the J. Peterman catalog were written by a trio of cool girls. I asked Brazilian to give me her insider list for Newport, a resort town I find charming but hard to navigate through all the crowds and twee touristy shops. I knew she’d know the best spots:

Sites
“The Jane Pickens Theater, a historic single-screen theater on Washington Square, is the only movie theater in Newport and is one of the reasons I love living here. Originally built in 1946 as a church, its wooden interiors, old-fashioned seats, and latticed balcony are pure summer nostalgia, and they play new releases along with classics like Jaws, Caddyshack and Top Gun—all with a full-service bar, which is kind of the best part! The Redwood Library & Athenæum has an amazing show up now (until December 15) of Slim Aarons photographs taken in Newport. It’s special because it has shots of many of the legendary locals who are still cocktailing around town today. The International Tennis Hall of Fame is one of the country’s oldest tennis clubs and has the most beautifully maintained grass courts (13 of them). It’s a members club, but you can pay to play on the grass as a nonmember and experience the gorgeous grounds and Victorian shingled clubhouse, which was designed by Stanford White and Charles Follen McKim. Playing there in your whites makes you feel like you’re in turn-of-the-century Newport—truly special, and my happy place. Cardines Field is the oldest ballpark in America and is just down the road from our house; we can hear the game and even see the lights from our backyard. They do games multiple times a week all summer long with the local collegiate baseball team, the Newport Gulls. Grab a beer and a hot dog and watch the game from the wooden bleachers.”

Shopping
“Cottage & Garden is a beautiful spot for antiques for the home and garden accessories in the historic Point neighborhood of Newport, where I live. The owner has a beautiful, rustic eye for special things, and the experience is such a treat. Meeka Fine Jewelry and Zürner Oceanic are both on Franklin Street in the Historic Hill neighborhood. Meeka sells a really great selection from earthy jewelers (many from New England, like Hannah Blount), and Zürner Oceanic is a line of one-of-a-kind hand-stitched bags made from marine-grade materials like vintage sailing rope and sailcloth. Make an appointment and they’ll even do something custom for you. There are also some great spots in nearby Tiverton and Little Compton. Gamine in Tiverton’s Four Corners is located on a charming little strip of shingled shops and restaurants and is run by Taylor Johnston, who was once the head gardener at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. (She now runs Issima nurseries with her husband in Little Compton, which specializes in rare varieties of flowers.) Gamine carries her line of American workwear like carpenter dungarees and well-made marinière shirts, which are inspired by life in the garden and New England in general.”

Food
“The Black Pearl on Bannister’s Wharf is one of the only second-generation family-owned restaurants left in Newport, and I absolutely love the patio bar overlooking the wharf for sundowners and clams casino, or a TC Salad and a Bloody Mary for lunch. The cozy Commodore’s Room is lovely for parties in the winter. Once or twice a summer we get dressed up for dinner and dancing at The Sky Bar, an institution located at the top of the Clarke Cooke House on Bannister’s Wharf. Women wear cocktail dresses and men wear jackets, and it’s always a lovely experience. Any other night, we love TSK on Thames Street, which has the best food in town and a cozy local vibe. Wishing Stone Farm in Little Compton is my favorite place to stop for produce. They have great prepared food, too—the house-made pizza is a must. You also can’t miss Groundswell, a Parisian-style bakery, home, and garden shop, or Gray’s Ice Cream, founded in 1923.”