From the New York Times: Travel Guides to Two Sides of the Catskills

  |  May 30, 2017

From the rooftop at Grossinger’s Resort, Liberty, NY. Photo by Kandy Harris.

Planning an epic road trip around New York? The New York Times has you covered with a recent list of recommended guides for exploring NYC, Long Island, and Fire Island, as well as walking tours focused on architecture, statues, and cemeteries. Of course, any trip to the New York area wouldn’t be complete without a jaunt to the Catskills, and the NYT recently recommended two books that celebrate the mountains in distinct ways.

Marisa Scheinfeld’s book ‘The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland’ made the list and zeros in on the family resorts and hotels of the western Catskills during the height of its days as a vacation destination. Scheinfeld’s photos of these crumbling, abandoned structures were featured in Upstater Magazine’s Spring 2017 edition.

Also on the list: Leslie T. Sharpe’s book ‘The Quarry Fox and Other Critters of the Wild Catskills,’ published by Woodstock-born Overlook Press, offers the naturalist Sharpe’s front-row view observations of the wildlife she encountered near her home in the western Catskill Mountains.

Got a favorite guide to exploring the Catskills and Hudson Valley? Let us know about it in the comments!

Read On, Reader...