Millerton - Quiet, Quaint, but Not Boring

Irving Farm Cafe and Harney & Sons Teas Cafe.

In the village of Millerton we are fortunate to have several, very good, restaurants. We have enjoyed dinner at Taro's Pizza, Number 9, Salsa Fresca and The Big Grill - all very good dinner spots (more about them in a separate blog posting). The recently re-opened "Oakhurst" diner is, well, needs a little more time to iron out some of the bugs so to speak.

That said, there are 2 spots that are "must visits" if you're in Millerton for breakfast or lunch.

My first favorite is Irving Farm. http://www.irvingfarm.com/. Almost every weekend we pay a visit to Irving Farm for breakfast of lunch and we generally have a group. Everyone who has tried it has loved it, from it's panini sandwiches, to it's $3 breakfasts, to it's sumptuous desserts or just a nice cup of coffee - everything here is terrific.

Our second favorite is Harney & Sons Teas (Cafe, Tea Bar and Gift Shop). Harney & Sons has a great sandwich menu, all named after common names like "the Peter". The cafe is very small but there never seems to be too long of a wait. The Tea Tasting Bar is terrific, supplied with helpful and knowledgeable staff to help you find the perfect tea (two free tastings) and a large variety of amazing teas. The Hot Cinnamon Green Tea is my personal favorite with just a hint of sweetness (But no sweetener, per se, is added. How'd they do that?). The gift shop is adorable and a great place to pick up something special for a friend (or yourself) or anyone who enjoys tea. http://www.harney.com/

Sights to See Near Millerton

OLANA


A couple of weeks ago we decided to go for a drive and visit Olana and the town of Hudson.

Olana was the home of Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900), a famous American landscape painter during the time and one of the major figures in the Hudson River School. Olana (named after a fortressed city in ancient Greater Persia) is an eclectic villa composed of many styles, which overlooks parkland and a working farm designed by the artist. As well, the residence has a wide view of the Hudson River valley, the Catskill Mountains and the Taconic Range. The stone, brick, and polychrome-stenciled villa at Olana is an unusual mixture of Victorian structural elements and Middle-Eastern decorative motifs from different times and places. Moorish elements blend with contrasting Italianate themes. And although Church never actually made it to Persia, the Middle-Eastern architecture is apparent.

We took a tour of both the upstairs and downstairs of the residence, much of which has been painstakingly restored to its original state. Olana is now a state historical site and therefore photographs of the inside were not allowed for “security reasons”. For more information, visit their website at www.olana.org.

Here are some photos of Church’s work. As you can see, his paintings are absolutely magnificent and the detail is extraordinary -- keep in mind most of his work is done on very large canvasses. I highly recommend taking a trip to Olana as these photos absolutely do not do it justice. And the inside of Church's home is remarkable.

Millerton Real Estate

Walking around Millerton I've noticed several properties for sale --- some at a great bargain!

Just up the street from our place is this little home. I bet it would make a great investment property as it is "in the village" and village homes are limited. CMAID=4640523&Date=9/2/2010&Time=07:36&ReportID=cfull

For more information contact my "amazing" real estate agent, Tiffany Pratt: http://www.midhudsonmls.com/R.asp?C=4639206&D=9/2/2010&T=07:36