Red Hook

Sean learned about this amazingly generous program that some BB owners take part in where they give free rooms to Veteran's on Veteran's Day.  Sean booked us at the Red Hook Inn, about an hour and a half north of here in beautiful upstate NY.  Because my mom came in early, we were able to do our first official getaway without baby.

We arrived in time to grab a drink in Rhinebeck at Terapin, which is a restaurant located in an old church.  Having a yummy cocktail with my husband at a nice restaurant reminded me of our DINK (dual income no kids) days...ahhh, how the times have changed.  It was fun to get out to a somewhat swanky place, even though I felt/looked like I had a long day with an almost one year old :)  We then went to Flatiron Grill for a scrumptious dinner.  The next day we hit up all the local antique and cute gift shops before heading home.  I love trips like this because they always feed my soul and provide lots of unexpected and welcome inspiration...

Since I am such a detail lover, I loved that the B&B always had fresh chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa in the foyer.  They also had a 24 hour snack station area, which I think is genius.  It can't cost them that much, but little touches like that can go such a long way.  They also had a vast library of DVDs and interesting books.  Nice.

Here is some of the inspiration...

French Fries with Wasabi dipping sauce...need to re-create..

Vermont Cheddar Ale soup with homemade pretzel...need to make those homemade pretzels again, pronto.

Many thanks to the beautiful Red Hook Inn for their incredibly generous Veteran's Day deal...

This antique store was by appointment only, and I was so tempted to try to break in because their merchandise was so cool and even more beautifully displayed.  I had a hard time walking away from this store...

 look at those shovels!  LOVE.

Then we went to a very cool paint and gift shop, Tivoli Mercantile.

They have colored chalkboard paint...cool.  Loved the vintage ornament display.

They also had a great book that Paddy will be getting for Christmas - No No Yes Yes by Leslie Patricelli.  I felt like this was written for a very 'curious' one year old like our Sean Patrick.

Love these flashcards suspended from string...would be fun to make different sayings...

I love scales and when I saw this huge vintage one, I decided that this would be something I would love in a dream house kitchen.

We then went to Rhinebeck where we hit up the cigar shop and a few antique places (overpriced...or, I guess, more appropriately, out of our price range).  We then grabbed some slices of pizza, and then stopped in Grand Cru - a Beer and Cheese shop (genius!) to bring home a mix and match 6 pack of local beer and some stinky Hudson Valley cheese for happy hour before the Toby Keith concert here at West Point....ahhh, what a day.