Celebrities in Schoharie County? You bet there are. The Fabulous Beekman Boys, two NYC guys who bought a farm and share their experiment in a reality show on the Cooking Channel, are it. Visitors are welcome to pet the goats, pigs, chickens and one llama and, if you like, help with chores. Pitch in with as many tasks needed to keep the 1802 farm house in bucolic splendor.

More Schoharie destinations can be found on the new and improved Upstate Vacations website. ABC Owner and Creative Director Travis Bort. “Since most travelers do not pay attention to what county they’re in, we focused more on the ‘areas’ within Schoharie that may be more familiar to travelers. We concentrated on the quaint towns and villages in each area of the county.”

The website update coincides with the ABC-created “Something Unexpected” tourism campaign. Users can use an interactive map discover all the unique places within the county and use a complete listing to find accommodations, activities and dining. Naturally, the site is optimized for mobile devices for all those travelers on the go.

                          

The rain held off just long enough for this couple to be married, a little girl to fly a kite and Mutti to play hide-and-seek during the Azalea Walk.

The New York Botanical Garden couldn’t have been nicer on Saturday during Mothers Day Weekend. The overcast skies kept the crowds light so there was no hardship finding parking, waiting for a trolley ride, lunch from one of the food trucks or walking through the new Native Plant Garden exhibit.

Founded in 1891, the New York Botanical Garden is like ‘going to Emerald City’ declared my little sister who joined us. The world’s greatest collections of plants, trees, shrubs and native flora species will swallow up the entire day. We arrived shortly after they opened (10a) and spent every waking moment until closing consuming the intense beauty.

Paper maps of the 250-acres help orient you where to start your journey. At this time of year, practically, everything is in bloom. The daffodil and cherry blossoms are gone but other favorites include the deep purple scents of the Lilac Collection, the voluptuous blossoms of the Tree Peonies and the azaleas and rhododendrons walk beneath ancient native oaks, tulip trees, and sweet gums.

Small growth is peeking through the dirt at The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden where Mario Batali grows his kitchen favorites. Beds of vegetables and herbs are tended to by small hands while cooking demonstrations encourage healthy eating habits.

All day the ominous skies postponed the rain until I surrendered the umbrellas to the car. Then, of course, the clouds drained empty leaving Mutti, sis and I running for cover to the closest bathroom.

Opened in 1902, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is a New York City Landmark and we wisely saved it for last. Inside, the tropical rain forest is home to plant varieties from all over the world. An easy-to-climb staircase leads into a canopy of aquatic and carnivorous “jewels of the earth.”

To see more photos, click on this photo:

                          

Governor Cuomo is spending big money to boost tourism in upstate New York. Between the Path Through History campaign, spearheading Wine, Beer and Spirits tourism and the Adirondack Challenge, visitors are flooding to enjoy the state’s scenic beauty and attractions.

Yesterday, at the New York State Tourism Summit, the first of it’s kind, the Governor announced the launch of New York’s largest tourism campaign in decades. $60 million will be invested to grow the industry, create jobs and attract even more visitors to the Empire State. That will make make New York State third in the country in tourism funding.

“New York State has some of the most beautiful tourist attractions in the world. From the peaks of the Adirondacks to the beaches of Long Island, no matter what you’re looking for you can find it here,” Governor Cuomo said. “I want the world to know about these assets, too, and am committed to making the State a ‘must see’ global destination and creating new jobs and investments in New York.”

Be prepared to see posters announcing more I LOVE NY advertising on subways, buses, commuter rail systems and airports. Furthermore, more sporting and special events to upstate venues, new welcome centers at border and interstate crossings, the selling of more sampling of homegrown foods at thruway exits and the I LOVE NY LGBT tourism initiative.

                          

For some reason my video is not appearing in this window? Max! Go to my YOUTUBE channel to see the TAP VIDEO: http://youtu.be/6VuwJE3rTyQ

Finally, a few interviews and images from the TAP festival a few weekends ago.

                          

Even on weekdays, Rhinebeck is abuzz with specialty shops, films, art and food.

Gigi’s Trattoria: Fresh house-made ricotta with chive, lemon and pepper gnudi with carrot puree.

Look up the word “locavore” in the dictionary and it should send you to the Hudson Valley. A bounty of fresh Spring veggies are sprouting up in restaurants throughout Dutchess County right now.

Asparagus, endive, leeks, green onions, peas, parsley, spinach and sweet turnips are menu mainstays for purveyors of sustainable and organic dishes.

I visited Rhinebeck on Wednesday, the perfect outdoor dining day, with client-favorite and foodie Jennifer Lawrence. It was a tug-of-war between dozens of CIA-trained chefs and famed restauranteurs.

We happily picked the award-winning Gigi’s Trattoria, described as “Hudson Valley Mediterranean” that prepares dishes almost exclusively with a bevy of foods from local farms. The dining destination is best known for their Skizza™, a flatbread pizza that won Best of the Hudson Valley award for Best Pizza in 2012.

With a hearty glass of Pinot, I complemented an arugula salad with a dish of sweet, fluffy ricotta ravioli called Gnudi, a type of gnocchi. Jennifer enjoyed the fish special albeit finding staring at the eyeballs a little creepy.

After 5p, all the novelty, specialty and thread shops close for the day. We were delighted to find Oblong Books to be the exception. Even with full stomachs, we found it hard to get past the hundreds of cooking memoirs that welcome patrons when they first enter.

That inevitably lead to a cup of goat cheese and honey gelato at Artigiani del Gelato. Technically, it was closed and the lights were off but the door was open for a light breeze and the owners succumbed to our pleas.

“Did we even work today?” I asked Jennifer. She couldn’t remember.

                          

The 16th annual TAP New York Festival was held at Hunter Mountain last Sunday and I’m just about sober enough now to blog about it. Was I supposed to sample all 85 breweries? Absolutely!
I held off only long enough to finish working on a video of the event, then I swigged, swooshed and swallowed repeatedly.

Since it’s humble beginnings 18 years ago, TAP has morphed include largest gathering of breweries in New York State. Craft micro and nanos are now a force to be reckoned with.

Big beer labels are running scared because independent breweries like The Beer Diviner, Chatham Brewing, Empire Brewing, Lake Placid Pub and Brewery, Rushing Duck, Three Heads Brewing, Upstate Brewing Co. and Schmaltz Brewery are bottling product that tastes better and helps the local economy.

“Beer is really coming into it’s own right now,” says Aaron Whittman, brewmaster general (or president) of the Albany Brew Crafters. “The so-called ‘winification’ of beer is actually a great thing for the industry.”

Just like wine, Whittman described how consumers are pairing up the different colors, textures, smells and most importantly tastes of beer with their everyday meals. Indeed, I caught dozens of sophisticated drinkers smelling their beer and swishing it from cheek to cheek, as if they were in a vineyard.

Inevitably, busloads of over-21 college revelers made attempts to turn the day into their Grandfather’s frat party but with prestigious award contests like the Governor’s, Matthew Vassar’s and F.X. Matt Memorial Cups, reverence was paid to innovators who made and make the brewing world a better place for all.

                          

Never pass judgement, so say all the best travel writers; write only what you see and hear, avoids speculation and opinion and keep it simple.

Old Greenwich is not simple.

“It’s all because of hedge funds” insists my friend Olive who moved from Rye, NY to Old Greenwich, Conn. 13 years ago. “…that’s the reason this town is so (super) rich. Yet, surprisingly, the taxes are really low.”

Indeed, it doesn’t take long to notice the hallmarks of Fairfield County’s mega-earners: beautiful waterfront mansions, turn-of-the-century stone homes, landscaped courtyards, private yacht clubs and spinnakers dotting the bay horizon. How the area maintains such a low tax bracket remains a mystery.

Some of the billionaires that make this hamlet home include investors (and founders) of big commercial names like Subway, Bumble bee Tuna, Vlassic pickles, Ghirardelli chocolate and the Hyatt Hotel chain. Celebs include Diana Ross, Judge Judy, Regis Philbin, John Travolta and an endless parade of entertainment tycoons.

While working in Old Greenwich (though, I can hardly call it working) my clients treated me to an English manor-styled Greenwich hotel with a soaring atrium inside. My 2nd floor room overlooked a man-made pond with, what I thought, was a rare albino snapping turtle basking on a rock. It turned out to be plastic… oops.

Nautical-themed filming locations included the Indian Harbor Yacht Club, the Crew Restaurant and the Belle Haven Country Club. All were wonderful; delicious food, warm atmosphere and friendly staff. No doubt about it, living among high society has social privileges.

Old Greenwich is unusually quaint and charming with a strong sense of nostalgia, much like a Norman Rockwell painting.

After probing the coveted Colonial homes of yesteryear, I walked the sandy beaches of Greenwich Point Park. Bring ‘old money’ if you have any because a day pass is not cheap – $20 entrance fee.

                          

Sponsor-a-Scholar videos from PilotGirl Productions on Vimeo.

The last couple months have been spent working with some amazing students, mentors and guidance counselors of the not-profit Capital Region Sponsor-a-Scholar program. Embedded here (just push the arrow above) are 3 of 4 marketing videos that I thought I’d share with my readers.

The program provides high school students of low-income families with an extra push in resources and services to help elevate their grades from C’s to A’s giving them the opportunity to go to college. Even after high school, the program continues ensuring success for an additional two, four or six years in college.

Results prove that the cycle of poverty stops once and for all when a family member graduates with an education that he or she is passionate about. In the case of Naquan King, undergrad at Rochester Institute of Technology, his future holds great promise in the business and engineering world.

Thanks for watching!

                          

85 breweries, fifteen of which just started operations this year, will be showing off their suds at the annual NY TAP FESTIVAL this weekend.

If you’re like me (is it a curse or not being German?) you’ll want to stop drinking now (it’s Tuesday) and save up your calorie count to sample all 85.

Chocolate peanut butter, coffee, pumpkin and banana nut are the mainstays but new seasonal sensations like Watermelon Wheat, Strawberry Cream and Raspberry Jalapeno from Ithaca’s Bandwagon Brewpub sound just as yummy.

Other breweries of interest include Sloop Brewing’s “The Sauer Peach,” Three Heads Brewing’s “Bromigo Smoked Maple Amber Ale,” and Rohrbach Brewing’s “Pineapple Wheat.” You won’t find Anheuser-Busch, Coors, or Miller products here!

Get your recommended daily or monthly dose of fruits and carbohydrates all in one weekend.

Tickets are going faster than a college kid pounding a keg so act quickly – CLICK HERE: TICKETS

After that, watch this entertaining ditty was made by cheerleaders who love the beers at the community supported “Beer Diviner.” I’m personally anxious to try their Ancient Gruit Ale that aims to defeat the drowsy effects of hops with a slightly psychotropic concoction of medicinal herbs.

See you at the experimentation tables!

                          

Amelia Fredendburg, Henrietta Hood, Cynthia Cummings, Ronnie McCrea, Anthony Simone, Laurie Desmarais, Angel Vasquez, Theresa Nocerino, Teri Tarshus and Alex Spektor – if you don’t recognize any of these names it’s because you’re not suppose to. They are the industries hardest working, behind-the-scenes hotel employees in New York State. They perform their jobs so flawlessly it’s almost intuitive.

Every year, the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA) recognizes 10 unsung heros who go above and beyond your every day room attendant, bellman and manager. Of their 1300 members only a select few make the cut. Tonight, hotels like the Sherry Netherland in NYC, Holiday Inn in Elmira, Otesaga in Cooperstown and the Country Inn & Suites in Cortland took center stage for a night dinner, drinks and videos (that’s where I come in).

Italian Bellman Anthony Simone of the Westin Grand Central in NYC has been written up so many times on tripadviser.com that guests ask for him by name. Tobago-native Cynthia Cummings of Albany’s own Homewood Suites discreetly wipes her finger across every sill, counter and surface ensuring spotless cleanliness from her staff. Guest Services Representative Laurie Demarais of Elmira’s Holiday Inn will fix a pair of broken glasses, provide you with a bible should your Wedding Minister forget his or craft you a personal Finger Lakes wine itinerary.

If your travel plans take you to any of the destinations where these top ten work, tip wholeheartedly – they deserve every penny.