Woodstock Music Festival was, in fact, not held in Woodstock, NY. It was held in a field at least twenty minutes away from Woodstock. That didn’t stop a bunch of my friends and I from heading to this little hippie haven. First we visited the Woodstock Museum in Saugerties, which is basically two rooms. One filled with posters and decor from the Woodstock era. The other room is part gift shop, part auditorium. This is where the movie is screened and the museum’s curator gives a twenty minute talk about his experiences and wishes for the future.
After the museum, we headed to Woodstock’s short and sweet main drag. We ate lunch at Landau Grill, which has some very tasty options for omnivores and vegetarians alike. I had the fried ravioli, and although I normally stand against fried foods- they were delicious. While waiting for our food to arrive we played various games on the paper table covers. My favorite was MASH, which I hadn’t played since I was in the middle school, even though I ended up with 14 kids in a shack in Georgia, driving a pick up truck and married to some guy named Chris Pan (the scribe misheard me say Chris Pine). After lunch we searched for a place to eat dessert. We struck out at The Tea Shop, which is a retail loose leaf tea store that has some excellent teas but no desserts. But we struck gold at Bread Alone, a bakery that has something for those who love savory and something for those who love sweet. My friend and I split a gorgeous chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting and chocolate shavings. After dessert the eight of us went in separate directions, to check things out that tickled our fancy at our own pace.
On my own I checked out children’s part of The Golden Notebook, a well lit, cozy store with shelves brimming with soft and hardcover books. This place was perfect for children, plenty of playful colors and small passages. Even the carpet lent itself well to imaginative daydreams. I completely forgot that it was a drizzly, gray day until I stepped back outside. About a block down is Ye Olde Hippie Shoppe, which engages the senses- a light blue paint job is accentuated with the Rastafarian colors of black, green, red and yellow; the whole store has a lingering patchouli scent; the shoppe to take on the warmth (or cold) from outside; and music playing so softly you can still hear gusts of wind coming through the open front door at the back of the store. I’d recommend skipping Ye Olde Hippie Shoppe in favor of local artist co-op Woodstock Earth (a block closer to the center, on Tannery Brook Rd.) or flight of fancy store Winternight Whimsy (directly across the street).
The day in Woodstock was excellent, even though a few complained that it was too rainy for their tastes. I don’t think warm sunshine could have improved the experience any way.