Summer Fridays: The Catskills, NY

Summer means it’s time to get away. All season, we’re sharing some of our favorite US summer travel spots. Find a destination to cure your wanderlust? Take the Summer Friday.

It’s the finale of Summer Fridays, so for this destination, we wanted to pick somewhere extra special. A place our Brand Architect holds so near and dear that he chose to build his mountain house there. A modern art enthusiast (and secret outdoorsman), we’re going behind the scenes with Vicken for a weekend in the mountains.

On the itinerary: A few of our Re-Founder’s favorite places, plus a special story about Milk.

To Do

Kayak on the Reservoir

Many of my summer weekends are spent at my home (below) in the Catskill Mountains. I can usually be found outdoors; I find taking care of the property and the fresh air restorative.

Non-motorized boat rentals are available, which allows the reservoir to stay very serene and quiet. Visitors get a panorama of mountain views and opportunities to spot wildlife beyond the tree line. It’s a New York that not everyone gets to experience.

To Taste

Peekamoose

Peekamoose is that down-to-earth neighborhood restaurant where the staff seems to know everyone and their “usual,” combined with really great, upscale food.

The space is actually a renovated farmhouse with a rustic-chic aesthetic. The quirky interior is full of “found objects”—handmade lighting fixtures, wall treatments from discarded furniture and bar shelves created from fallen branches and logs. There’s always something new to look at, and I love bringing guests here for the food, vibe and aesthetic.

To See

Dia: Beacon

Just outside of the Catskills is one of my favorite modern art exhibit spaces. Dia helps artists achieve projects of larger scales and scopes that wouldn’t necessarily fit in the traditional museum space.

It feels like an open-space gallery where art meets architecture, and the size of each piece fully encompasses you. Two of my favorites are Andy Warhol: Shadows, (main image), which features 72 canvases across the room, and Larry Bell: Standing Walls, a more dimensional experience that explores glass and light.

To Spray

Milk Expressive

When we started to conceive a new fragrance, a perfumer asked about my hobbies. We discussed the Catskills, specifically that I partake in welding and frequently spend nights around a campfire, roasting marshmallows with my family.

This became the inspiration for Milk. 

She combined the coldness of welded steel—translated as Cold Milk—with the warmth of sitting around a campfire—Toasted Marshmallow and Mahogany. Milk Expressive is often seen as a cozy scent for winter, but for me, it’ll always bring me back to summer.