Living it up in Livingston Manor

In late July, Dan, E and I took a road trip to Livingston Manor, NY. You are probably asking, what the heck is there? That was my thought exactly when Dan told me that that was our next trip this past summer. Last year, Dan and his closest high school friends wanted to start an annual trip with their families. Most of us are from MA with one family in NY. Some key factors in finding location is the distance needed to travel, a house big enough for all of us (8 adults, 6 toddlers/babies) and proximity to water for outdoor activities with the kiddos. We had private access to this part of the lake with kayaks and paddle boards (pictured above). So, Livingston Manor it was for this year’s annual trip.

EATS

The key part to our road trips this summer was making sure we planned around E’s naps (in the car) and stopping for lunch for all of us and a diaper change. In doing a little on the fly Yelp-ing, we landed on Starving Artist Cafe and Creperie in Lee, MA. I loved that it was super family friendly. The bathrooms had great changing tables (yes, that’s the bar I have set these days for whether I like a place or not - HA!).

I opted for a savory crepe. If I recall correctly, I got the cheeseburger crepe. I then grabbed a delicious honey lavender latte for the road.

With so many kids, going out would be a challenge. We made almost all of our meals at home. Instead, the moms and dads each got a day/night out of their choosing. The ladies decided to go out for lunch and walk around the little downtown area. It was a beautiful day for dining outdoors at Kaatskeller. We shared a handful of yummy apps. The dads had gone out to dinner one of the nights at Arnold House, which was conveniently located near our house. They said it was a neat spot with good food.

Whenever we travel, my first order of business is to always know where my coffee and breakfast pastries will be coming from. On our drive in, I spotted Brandenburg Bakery. Lucky for me, I was able to convince two other parents to go on a 4+ miles run with me each morning from our house to the bakery. From there, we’d pick out the pastries and coffee and someone from the house would drive into town to pick us up for the ride home.

THIS was our reward after each run. So worth it.

Retail Therapy

Nest is located on the (small) strip through town. A fun home goods/decor/gifts/clothing boutique. I ended up nabbing a great pair of black wide leg pants that were perfect for the summer.

We popped into Upstream Wine & Spirits. I don’t know much about wine and spirits but if I purchased solely off of looks, I’d buy everything in that store!

One other place of note (that I don’t have pictured) is Main Street Farm. It’s a great indoor food market where we picked up sweet treats and other food knick knacks.

Ok, so that’s it from Livingston Manor. We had such a great time with our friends and their family. We already have our trip for next year on the books!