Recently I had the chance to experience something I typically wouldn’t. Like a New Yorker who wouldn’t frequent Times Square, because why? Similarly I wouldn’t be making vacation or staycation plans in the place where I reside. BUUUT because I am a local and I do frequent local places, I stumbled into a conversation which led to a relaxing night of luxury and the drive was only minutes.
I had only been to Hutton Brickyards once. A few years back, Le Shag participated in Love Hair Salons event along with a team from Spring Atelier and we presented the community with a whimsical hair and fashion runway show. The grounds were impressive and the event spaces were massive but by the end of the evening it felt like we had overstayed our welcome and a vibe seemed kinda off. After this visit, I left thinking it wasn’t really a place for locals. Beautiful? Absolutely. Somewhere I’d think to spend an evening? Probably not. And for me that was that. It was neither here nor there, it just kinda faded out of memory. Growing up in a very touristy area I was kind of used to these kinds of experiences as well as overcrowded weekends and avoiding certain roads in the fall. I won’t deny these types of things you could say jaded me a bit but not where I would make it my personality.
Flash forward to the conversation I stumbled into, and it was about how a new team was changing things by not only creating massive events like the Stateside Rolling Stone festival, but also a true effort to bring in the locals and make the Brickyards accessible for all. Wednesday is the new Weekend I saw printed on a Hutton flyer or a website and I fully support this idea. I’ve mostly lived and worked in the Hudson Valley in professions where I would work weekends. It wasn’t hard to love frequenting local places on an off day like a Wednesday. It’s perfect, like visiting Cape Cod in early September when most people are back to school and the tourists have mostly gone home, or like the East Village in July, when you feel like you have city streets to yourself or a subway car that is basically empty. There’s a little local magic when you get to have these moments to yourself.
And this is what the visit I had to Hutton Brickyards really was.
My only regret is we picked the weirdest Wednesday we could. We missed the opening of Lake Sophia by two days and it also was the day of heavy haze from the Canadian wildfires. So our plans for a long walk or using a free bike provided by the Brickyards for a ride on the Empire State Trail were not in the cards.
Although this was a bummer it faded fast once we realized our King Cabin had a record player with selected records for our stay. And if that wasn’t enough vinyl we could visit the Airstream on location that was stocked with more vinyl to choose from. I was so distracted by this that it took hours to realize the rooms didn’t even have a TV. I don’t have a TV, so I really felt comfortable in the tiny house atmosphere the cabin provided.
The trail to our cabin felt like we were walking through a fairy campground with bridges and paths leading to every tiny abode. Each stoop featured the namesake bricks and the cabins are laid out so lovely even on our deck we could not see or hear our neighbors even though they were right next door. We clinked glasses of prosecco while we waited for our time in the sauna and watched the restaurant get ready for the service ahead.
It took some convincing to get my partner into the sauna. With the heat and the haze he was reluctant to step in. I said outside will feel cooler once we get in and that was the push to get us inside. We took it slow in intervals of five minutes and after about twenty we both felt refreshed and ready to enjoy the evening. We sat in Adirondack chairs and watched the Hudson from the riverside lawn outside the restaurant.
Live jazz music filled the air where the haze that was lifting didn’t. The menu options at the River Pavilion, well it was hard to pick, it all looked so delicious. And the prices were basically the same as any other equivalent restaurant in Kingston or the Hudson Valley. Oysters were fresh and the wedge salad had the best dressing in the blue cheese variety of dressings that I have ever had. I had a steak for my main, with potatoes and vegetables and every bite was a little bite of bliss.
After dinner we were treated to a s’mores kit and would have a campfire lit for us. So here we go off into the night looking for the obvious campfire in the dark, but there was none. We found the campfire area which is located along the Hudson and well since we are local folk we both knew what to do. We grabbed discarded sticks from s’mores of campfires past and made ourselves a tiny campfire to enjoy our little treats. We figured we miscalculated about the scheduling of said activity and actually enjoyed the tiny challenge of making a fire.
The rest of the stay was a peaceful quiet one. The bed was soft and the quietness of the river made it easy to fall asleep. I live in Midtown near the train, and as much as I don’t hear it anymore, not hearing it was pretty great. It was so super lovely to experience where I live in this way.
Did I drop the little local curmudgeon jerk I had on my shoulder, yes. This experience helped me get out of my own way and reminded me that sometimes you should enjoy the nice things that are right in front of you. You deserve nice things too.
Spending the night right next to the water and feeling like I am immersed in nature while at the same time feeling completely taken care of in a luxurious way felt really great! Will I be returning? Absolutely. Gimme another jazz night by the river even if the stay is just for dinner and drinks and not a sleepover. Aw heck even a day swimming at Sojourner Truth Park and top it off with dinner at the Brickyards. I would one thousand percent recommend and I can’t wait to go back.
Wednesday is the new Weekend
