Tablet Magazine: Escape from New York

For anyone who lives in New York, the excitement of the city’s famed crush of humanity occasionally feels simply crushing. No matter how much you love it, every so often you’ve just got to leave. Here, to keep the old damp, drizzly November from permanently chilling the soul, we present four plans for a weekend escape, each within a few hours’ drive from the city.

Jedediah Hawkins Inn
Jamesport, New York — With its country roads dotted with farm stands, its burgeoning vineyards and casually sophisticated food scene, the North Fork is a quieter, gentler side of Long Island — closer than the Hamptons to the rural idyll that has drawn urbanites to the East End for generations. And the Jedediah Hawkins, a six-room Victorian inn whose every last nook is as cozy as can be, sets just the right mood for a low-key escape from the city. While summer and fall bring the most visitors, the colder months have an unexpected charm of their own. A blustery day is all the more excuse to pile into that billowing white duvet and keep the fireplace blazing in the room — at least until the scent of fresh-baked bread wafting in from the dining room becomes too much to resist. Beyond the hotel’s own excellent farm-to-table restaurant and intimate little speakeasy, the North Fork’s many outstanding places to eat take on somewhat more of a small-town, locals-oriented feel in the off-season. The wineries, meanwhile, shift their focus from the vineyards to the cellars and tasting rooms, often hosting free tastings, holiday open houses, seasonal dinners and live music.
Getting there: Jedediah Hawkins is located 85 miles (about a 2-hour drive) from New York City.

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http://magazine.tablethotels.com/en/2013/11/escape-from-new-york/