Travel journal: Cold Spring, NY
A solo weekend getaway during the coldest days of winter
Hello! I’m easing my way back after a month away from this newsletter. Despite its depressing nature, February has been a fruitful time. But more on that next week!
Today I want to share my visual journaling pages from a solo weekend trip I took to Cold Spring, New York in late January. I hesitate to call this format a sketchbook anymore as there is quite a bit of writing, though there are plenty of drawings alongside the paper ephemera, reflections, and quotes. Think of it as a catch-all visual journal—a mashup of a sketchbook, commonplace book, junk journal, and a diary.
Cold Spring is a small village within commuting distance of NYC, known for its charming Main Street and its proximity to popular hikes in the Hudson Valley. I’ve been to Cold Spring just once before for my 30th birthday with a group of friends. That was during the beginning of fall, when the town is overrun with tourists. Every shop is busy, every brunch spot has a two hour wait.
Going again in the winter two days after a big snowstorm provided a radically different experience. There were very few out-of-towners walking around, and I got to speak with many local shop owners as the only person inside their store.
A trip always begins before one arrives at the destination. I love experiencing Grand Central as a tourist despite having lived in NYC for over a decade. It really is romantic and grand as the name states. This time I especially enjoyed zoning out as I stared up at its zodiac ceiling, waiting for my train platform to be announced.