A Catskills Reset

I went foraging with goats. I know. Bear with me. A few weeks ago, I escaped to Hemlock at Neversink in the Catskills, a wellness retreat that feels like an adult summer camp, and the highlight wasn’t the yoga or the spa treatments or even the hiking. It was walking the property with a small herd of goats, foraging as we went, completely present, completely quiet. That moment stopped me in my tracks. When was the last time I was that still?

The Catskills have a way of doing that. Two hours from the city and the pace just… shifts. The air changes and you remember what quiet sounds like.

I’ve been making a conscious effort to get to know the region more deeply, not just as a weekend escape, but as an area with real momentum. This trip took me through Callicoon, Livingston Manor, and Narrowsburg. Each town has its own personality, its own energy. 

And yes, I can’t travel anywhere without studying the market. It’s wired into me.

What struck me most was how many people I met had Brooklyn roots. Opening restaurants, curating shops, buying weekend homes. There’s a creative energy up there that felt instantly familiar, like a little piece of Brooklyn had quietly relocated to the mountains.

If you haven’t been, go. And if you find yourself foraging with goats on a hillside, don’t fight it. Just be there.

That’s the reset I didn’t know I needed.