Tag Archives: Travel

Catskills Weekend: 48 Hours in Fleischmanns

© J.N. Urbanski 6.30pm – Usage prohibited without consent

For many years, the only nightlife on Fleischmanns’ Main Street was La Cabana Restaurant, which had village’s only bar until it was joined by Goatie White’s on Depot Street a few years ago, but over the summer the village got a taste of what residents would support. On a Sunday night over Memorial Day weekend, a backyard party hosting a variety show and music at the Arts Inn drew over a hundred people. The Inn’s summer party in August was similarly attended. The large, grassed area and back porch was packed with revelers, young and old.

The Arts Inn is owned and run by Randy Leer and Heidi Stonier, who purchased the property on Main Street just as the pandemic hit and began to redecorate. The inn is the newest addition to Main Street and its presence has enlivened the village.

In the last decade, especially the last five years, Main Street in this “four seasons village” – meaning that it welcomes visitors year-round, including skiers – has experienced steady growth, offering more food and culture options. Opening times are limited, but the customers are ready. Main Street now has a thriving new art gallery with some truly remarkable shows that run roughly monthly in addition to musical evenings and poetry readings, a farm store selling locally grown produce, two new restaurants in the last year and the aforementioned arts center and inn. Over the summer, the East Branch of the Delaware River Plein Air Painters took over the old bank shopfront on Main Street and hosted a gallery of the groups’ works. Soon, Main Street will have a wine bar in the old offices of the historic Purple Mountain Press called The Print Room. Residents are thrilled. Come visit!

STAY

© J.N. Urbanski – Usage prohibited without consent

Arts Inn, 923 Main Street, Fleischmanns, NY 12430 (pictured above). An inn, with three rooms, that hosts musical events and gatherings. Guests have access to the first floor amenities including game room, music room, library, dining room and outdoor spaces. Yoga classes and homemade dinners available for purchase.

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Interview with Linda Leaming, Writer & Author

I discovered the American writer Linda Leaming when I read her book, Married to Bhutan in which she describes her life in Bhutan after she first went there to teach English twenty years ago. Her story was extraordinarily familiar to mine. Like Linda, I also moved to another country to work, married a foreigner and ended up making a home in an unfamiliar mountainous region – The Catskills – but Bhutan is more or less the exact opposite of America. Although what the two countries have in common is a populace that works very hard, there are so many striking differences – like their happiness despite the comparative lack of convenience. Americans are devoted to the pursuit of happiness, but the Bhutanese actually have actually achieved it. Bhutan’s secret to happiness is time plus the nurture of its environment, which comes at the expense of the aforementioned convenience. Americans can learn a lot from both the Bhutanese and the people of the Catskills (more on that later).

This podcast was taped back in 2012, one of my first interviews conducted on WIOX and the one that has received the most feedback. I hope you find it as fascinating as I do all these years later. Find her husband’s artwork here.

J.N. Urbanski