You all have heard me romanticize the California coast numerous times. From wine country just north of San Francisco, to Monterey, Carmel, Santa Cruz...the list goes on and on, and it's one of the huge reasons why I love the west coast so much. The ease to which you can escape the city, with nothing more than a half tank of gas, some tunes and hopefully someone cute to take turns manning the wheel.

Of course, once I moved out to the east coast, I've been meaning to stretch my legs to see what upstate New York has to offer as far as city retreats. My list is pretty extensive at the moment. Catskills. Woodstock. Niagra Falls. But at the top? Hands down Hudson Valley. I remember chatting with Mike from Taylor Stitch during a recent shoot I did with the brand and he swore up and down that Hudson Valley was soon to be New York's next "Montauk." Take that as you will, but I knew I had to get myself there soon, before the rest of NYC decided to flock there.

As luck would have it, a few weeks back, the lovely folks at Garnet Hill had just the retreat I had been looking for planned, with the perfect amount of relaxation, exploration and appreciation for perhaps one of the gorgeous areas I've seen in the fall yet. I'm not exaggerating when I say, the colors blew me away. And don't get me started on our train ride out there. I'm a complete sucker for train rides.

Here's a little taste of our city retreat, including, but not limited to: local wine tasting, the most picture perfect countryside homes, s'more making and golden afternoon runs. I'm already trying to figure out when I can visit next...

Photos of me by Christine Cameron