As a “hickster” revival sweeps through rural regions north of New York City, the hamlet of Livingston Manor (population: 1,200), about an hour west of Woodstock, has emerged as the new poster child of bohemian Catskills living. Affordable housing has made the town attractive to creative types, who have in turn opened up a half-dozen or so new visitor-oriented businesses in 2019 alone. Like New York's Hudson and Phoenicia before it, Livingston Manor is set to become the next frontier for life, post-Brooklyn. Or, for those who still live in the city, a smart choice for a long weekend getaway that doesn't yet feel overrun.
“A few people tell their friends, and now you’ve got so many who are starting their own projects or who can work from anywhere, looking for a different life than what’s in the city,” says Meg McNeill, who opened a wine shop on Main Street two years ago and expects her new wine bar, Sunshine Colony, to be doing business by Christmas.
It will join a local scene whose concentration of eating, drinking, lodging, and shopping options make it a perfect, not-too-far destination for a late fall or even a winter getaway. But head's up: you will have to drive; trains don't go up here from the city. Once you make it up, here are the highlights.
Where to sleep
The upscale hotel of choice is The DeBruce, a 14-room country inn on 600 acres of trout stream and rolling countryside. Owners Sims and Kirsten Harlow Foster also run the Arnold House on the other side of town, a more casual and mid-century take on the classic Catskills resort, and a pair of additional boutique options in nearby North Branch and Calicoon. There's also the Livingston Manor Fly Fishing Club, where a weekend or mid-week stay may include fly-casting lessons, a foraging walk, a visit to nearby farms, and a dinner of fire-roasted local trout in the eight-acre property’s riverside backyard. It is geared toward group experiences; for singles and couples, owners Tom Roberts and Anna Aberg take bookings at Lady Pomona, their neo-Victorian B&B, and a pair of vintage-inspired kitchenette cottages they unveiled this summer at Catskill Brewery.
Where to eat and drink
The biggest new opening in town is Upward Brewing, which showcases its easy-drinking beers at a chalet-style brewpub situated just above Main Street. Trimmed in reclaimed mahogany and kitted out with vintage De Sede furniture, the handsome facility occupies 100 acres of grass lawn and woodland, including a small mountain that takes a half-hour to hike—a perfect way to earn a pint of crisp pilsner or half-wheat ale.
A weekend booking at The DeBruce includes a nine-course tasting menu in the hotel’s glass-walled dining room. On a recent visit, chef Aksel Theilkuhl served venison heart as part of a woodsy Bento box of hors d’oeuvres that included a raw oyster in buttermilk and an escargot tart—then, later, a mini-venison steak garnished with a blade of pickled carrot and a dollop of celery-root puree. A seared diver scallop arrived atop a bed of fragrant wood chips, and an earthy “sausage” of locally grown shitake mushrooms was sublime.
Weekenders and locals get their barbecue on at Smoke Joint, a longtime Brooklyn favorite which relocated to Livingston Manor this fall. Try the 14-hour brisket and a helping of perfectly smoked chicken wings with blue-cheese dressing.
Casual, cool Main Street Farm is a go-to for fresh local produce, honey, waffle mix, and other pantry goods. There’s kombucha on tap, and the lunch menu includes homemade soups and tasty sandwiches stuffed with smoked Beaverkill trout, locally sourced pulled chicken, and more.
The wood-fired pizza at The Kaatskeller is some of the best in upstate New York, and makes use of mozzarella and pepper-infused raw honey from local purveyors. The wood-paneled bar upstairs boasts the liveliest Saturday night scene in town, and serves up local beer and hard cider as well as a city-quality craft cocktails like the “Hemlock Negroni.”
Where to shop
Open since August, Long Weekend sells vintagefurniture and lighting that owner Ninze Chen-Benchev sources mostly from estate sales around the Northeast. Well-priced pieces from blue-chip designers like Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe are arranged in a showroom layout, alongside a smaller selection of new home goods.
The pocket-sized Homestedt boutique, another summer 2019 opening, carries fisherman-inspired Stutterheim raincoats, Lexington blankets, wooden camp cups made in Bali, herbal mosquito repellent, and other accoutrements for a well-styled outdoorsy getaway.
Small producers and natural wines are a focus at Upstream Wine & Spirits. Brooklyn refugee Meg McNeill sells orange wines, wines from Georgia, wines made from under-appreciated grapes like grolleau—and uses beautifully written descriptive tags to tell the story of each. Saturday afternoons, a local gin or hard-cider producer is likely to be hosting a tasting.
Former Vogue editor Anna Bern sells chic fashion and homewares at Nest, where the goods skew magazine-ready Scandinavian: hand-cast ceramics from Copenhagen, cozy-looking cowhide winter boots from Norway. She also rents a beautiful two-bedroom apartment next door, where all the décor is for sale.
