Photo via ColdSpringLiving.com
On Memorial Day Weekend we decided to take a day trip up to Cold Spring, New York. It’s a tiny town of 1,900 people about 50 miles north of the city on the banks of the Hudson River.
Just before noon we hopped on the Metro North, a train line that runs from Grand Central Station in Manhattan all the way up to Poughkeepsie and back. A little over an hour (and way too much of an obnoxious conversation overheard from a loud group of fellow passengers) later, we were pulling up to the Cold Spring stop.
It was love at first sight.
More specifically, love at first sight of the adorable main street just a few short blocks from the train station. And more specifically than that, love at first sight of an old train-depot-turned-patio-bar filled with umbrella-adorned tables and drinks, also directly off the train line. Oh, and the bar is allegedly haunted. Heart-eyed emoji.
We grabbed a table on the patio and ordered apps and beers while John pulled up Trulia on his phone. We’re constantly researching real estate pretty much everywhere we go. Does anyone else do that? It’s fun to daydream about living somewhere random, but it’s also a great way to learn about a new place, like what neighborhoods are hotspots and where you can sightsee within walking distance.
We found a listing that was a prime candidate for our future home (naturally), so after we finished our bites we headed up Main Street to scope it out.
Walking up the main drag, my vibe on Cold Spring was 100% small town USA. It was the day before Memorial Day and every home and business on the street was decked out with an American flag or those festive round banner things that I recently learned are called bunting. Very patriotic.
In writing this post I discovered that Cold Spring sits directly across the Hudson River from West Point, so I’m sure that also had a lot to do with the festive spirit.
We walked about a mile up Main Street, which is lined with block after block of cute shops, cafes, antique stores, bars and restaurants. For how small the population is, I was surprised by the number of businesses. After about four or five blocks the street opened up to residential homes and beautiful churches.
I loved this ivy-covered building, home to the Pig Hill Inn
Cold Spring United Methodist Church
We arrived at our Trulia listing and although the price was a steal, it left much to be desired. By that point we had just enough time to walk back down and have a quick look at the waterfront before hopping on the train back to the city (dog-mom life, can’t leave home for too many hours without proper planning).
I loved everything about this little town, but feel like I was hardly there long enough to scratch the surface. Next time we’ll leave a little earlier in the day so we have more time to explore before catching the train back.
Also, I learned after this trip that the Metro North line allows dogs (!) so next time I want to bring Bo along for the ride. Anyone who’s met my dog is probably mortified by this idea, but YOLO.
If you’re in the Hudson Valley or are looking for an easy day trip out of the city, I definitely recommend checking out this gem!
