AOA birthday drawing #2 MASS MoCA + Gramercy Bistro

mass moca lewitt black squiggle

From the Sol LeWitt installation at MASS MoCA.

This week, AOA celebrates our 5th birthday -- and you get the presents. Each day this week we'll hold a drawing for another birthday present. You can enter every day to win all kinds of good stuff.

Drawing's closed! Winner's been emailed!

Today's birthday drawing is for one of our favorite Capital Region road trips -- a visit to MASS MoCA and lunch at the Gramercy Bistro in North Adams, Massachusetts. The prize includes:

+ Four passes to MASS MoCA
+ Lunch for two (up to $40) at Gramercy Bistro

To enter, answer the following question in the comment section of this post:

There are so many great road trips you can make within an hour or so of the Capital Region. What's your favorite Capital Region road trip?

Tell us where you like to go and what you like to do there, so the rest of the crowd can try it sometime.

We'll draw one winner at random.

Important: All comments must be submitted by 11am on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Regular commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by 5 pm on Wednesday and must respond by noon on Thursday, April 18.

Comments

Heading out to Mass MoCA is actually one of my favorite field trips!

I like visiting the Battenkill for a float/kayak on summer weekends. Go Washington County!

My favorite Capital Region road trip is Lake George. My husband and I got married there so it is near and dear to my heart.

I kind of love driving through Averill Park, over Jiminy Peak, and into Cheshire on sunny days to sit on the deck at the Olde Forge in Lanesboro.

We've had some great road trips to the Norman Rockwell Museum

We're planning a trip down to the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park soon... Heard they have some awesome restaurants and it's a beautiful campus with great river views.

I love getting up to thatcher park, easy hikes, nice views and lots of space for fun

It's a toss-up between a trip west to see the historical sites in the Mohawk Valley and then dinner at Beardslee Castle, or a trip East to dinner and a concert at Tanglewood.

As any good geologist would say, "Thatcher Park!"

I can't believe someone else took my battenkill idea - guess it's more popular than I thought! There's a great little area of covered bridges near the state border - a little outside of Arlington. I love going there with tubes to jump off the rope underneath the bridge and float down the river. When I was a kid, we would camp there and eat at the State Line Diner, which is no longer in existence.

Berskhires day trip to a museum or play.

Cooperstown. Ommegang and Cooperstown Brewing, a picnic lunch at Glimmerglass and a visit to the Hall of Fame.

Into the Adirondacks for a nice day hike.

Great Sacandaga Lake!

Cruising the Harley to Cooperstown and eating a giant burger at the diner there, and walking around town = awesome and relaxing

I like going to Rhinebeck, NY, walking around, and dining at the Evereardy Diner.

Manchester! I know it's a bit more than an hour, but definitely a day trip.

Mariaville Lake for some relaxation.

I love heading down to New Paltz for brunch at Main Street Bistro, a stroll through Water Street Market, and a leisurely hike or swim in Minnewaska Park.

Apple picking in Columbia County! My dad has home movies from the 1970s of us going and it's still a great outing... and delicious!

King's Donut Cart in Cambridge on Sunday morning.

I regularly make a trip to Canaan, NY (right on the border of Mass) to visit The Fieldhouse where you can play ultimate with shelter from the terrible upstate New York winter.

Millerton, NY for some Harney and Sons!

Love going to Lake George with the family and just walking around.

oddly enough, a trip to the lindenwald. what. a. blast. thank you, ASAP and ASAP daisies! :D

i'd suggest grafton as a distant second.

I'd have to say the Nature Conservancy's Christman Sanctuary off of Schoharie Turnpike. It's the perfect summer picnic/swim destination!

Rensselearville and the Huyck Preserve are great for a day trip.

I enjoy Ushers Park on Lake George. Nice swimming and park for a BBQ.

A trip to Olana and lunch in Hudson at Mexican Radio or Swoon.

a trip over to Mt. Greylock for some hiking and biking!

A hike at Sam's Point in mid-October

Kaaterskill Falls is my favorite day/road trip in the area. It's a beautiful yet challenging hike to get to the top tier of the falls and the horseshoe amphitheater behind the falls. But the view once you are up there is pretty amazing.

There are just too many of them! Living here, drive any direction and you cant go wrong.
But I'll focus on a day trip to Woodstock: head down early to hike Overlook Mountain - explore the ruins, climb the fire tower, then head back into town for lunch and to hit the fun shops and galleries, or the flea market if its a warm weather weekend...If you're me, you'll treasure hunt in the used bookstores and make a pit stop for tea from Harney & Sons. If you're there all day, stop at New World Home Cooking for dinner in Saugerties (NWBB's big brother!) and then consider taking a back way home - either through the hills up to Palenville and onto the highway in Catskill, or up route 9W through Catskill and all the way up to Coxsacki. Have fun daytripping!

Not to cater to the drawings but Mass MOCA and Williamstown are one of my favorite trips. Williamstown has a great little toy store, a crepe place, and a bunch of great restaurants. The Williamstown College art museum and the CLark are also great places to hit on the way back. Any if you want to make a really long day of it, you could stop at Grafton for an evening stroll.

Head south into the Catskills for a hike and then swing by Hudson for dinner at Swoon.

One of my favorite day day trips is to Woodstock NY. They have the cutest little shops and outside places to eat. Also they have some really great art galleries!

A cruise through Hudson.

One of my favorite road trips is to Willard Mountain in the winter. It's a gorgeous drive, and a fun, local mountain. I'm not yet used to it being spring, so I'll look to the comments for warmer-weather suggestions!

If I just want to drive but don't have a real plan, I like to drive the loop of Rt.2 E to Petersburg and the pass, come back and then up 22 to Rt. 7 W. Then, Man Of Kent on the way back! :)

More of a weekend than a day trip, but I love going wine tasting in the Finger Lakes!

A drive through Washington County. Last year we discovered a chicken farm and a covered bridge we'd never seen before!

Love going to Friends Lake Inn!

There is a quaint little town just south of Saratoga that goes by the name of Ballston Spa. Take a day to go antiquing, stop by the bottle museum, then get dinner at 50 South.

Lake Placid and Whiteface Mountain. 'Nuff said.

Drive to MA for a hike up Mt. Greylock!

Motorcycling around the Tomhannock Reservoir.

Sacandaga for boating/swimming/dock sitting.

I love going to Manchester VT. They have a little bit of everything. My husband loves the pizza :)

Skiing through the woods out at Lapland Lake

Gotta be Tubby Tubes, right?

Hudson for Code Talkers and Celebrity Sightings and if you are lucky... Daryl Hall

the woman is wild wwooooooooooo

Art Omi + Hudson. Boom.

Huyck Preserve in Rensselaerville, NY

Cooperstown. Ommegang and Cooperstown Brewing, a picnic lunch at Glimmerglass and a visit to the Hall of Fame.

My boyfriend and I love taking trips to Kingston - We get some baked goods from Deising's, hang out and buy hats at Blue-Byrds Haberdashery, have some delicious drinks and snacks at Outdated: an antique café then walk around the stockade district. They also have a very nice farmers market on Saturdays.

Lake George (the lake not the village)

I'll never say no to a day trip to Lake George Village for a rousing day of Around the World mini golf, soft ice cream from the Pink Roof, browsing wolf shirts at the Tom Tom shop, and of course A&W BURGERS AND FRIES!

Cooperstown/Ommegang Brewery

Ushers Park in Queensbury, small, quiet, locals-mainly, Lake George beach with gazebos, cooking pits and bbqs, bathrooms and quintessentially crisp and clean water.

Saratoga - like Christmas shopping there - like SPAC, combined with dinner at the Hall of Springs is best - still yet to go to the races. For those of us just south of Albany this is a day trip.

Northampton! The Adirondacks! Woodstock! So many great, easy road trips. Mass MoCA (with a stop in Williamstown along the way) is in the Top 5, for sure.

The Rensselaerville Falls are pretty. There is a restaurant there that I've always wanted to try. I think it's called the Palmer House.

Going to Hudson to stroll down Warren St.

Buck Mountain on the southern end of Lake George!

OK, it's not within an hour (closer to 1.5) but Cooperstown. You can tour great breweries like Ommegang and Butternuts, hit the Baseball HOF, pass a couple of hours on the great back deck of the Otesaga, and grab dinner at Alex and Ika's. I am leaving out a few notable exceptions (e.g. Glimmerglass, etc.) but you've just given me a day!

Bennington, Vt. Usually in the autumn, as the drive is great for leaf peeping. Or in December to cut down a Christmas tree at Pleasant Valley Tree Farm- then grabbing lunch in town.

Storm King art center in the Hudson Valley. Great outdoor art in a beautiful setting.

Woodstock is the perfect meeting point for my downstate friends and me. We like a meal at The Bear or the Little Bear, some shopping and lots of people watching.

my favorite road trip from albany is to northampton. the drive is beautiful, you can stop at lee outlets to break it up. i go once a year before the holidays and stock up on unique gifts. the town has amazing shops such as faces and everything in thornes, great restaurants, and some other funky aspects nearby. there is the beer can museum, the dead frog circus, the bridge of flowers, and a stop by smith's botanical gardens is always nice. people watching is always great here as well!

To the Pilot's Knob trailhead to Buck Mountain for a lovely day hike! Bonus is I get to stop in Saratoga Springs on my way home and stop in for an excellent bagel at Daily Grind!

plotterkill preserve in rotterdam (it take about 45 mins from where i live in Troy so...)
sam's point preserve and the ellenville ice caves.

both have stunning waterfalls

What a tough question for the region known as being close to everything. I love our summer journey to Schroon Lake....it is the perfect little beach town, with a townie bar, famous pizza place, and cheesy little cabin rentals that smell deliciously of Murphy's Oil Soap. There's a hidden beach at the end of the road we rent on that is perfect for kite flying and doggie swimming. But I also love going to Mass MoCA, Cooperstown, Hancock Shaker Village, etc.

A day trip we enjoy is to the Springfield Museums; more like an hour an a half or so, but we do enjoy the Seuss Sculpture Garden and motorcycles in the history museum!

LEE MA - Outlet Stores

Lake Placid

Lake George and Pirates Cove Mini Golf

Woodstock in October for the Film Festival. Great films, beautiful places.

Wake up early and drive to Saratoga for some Mrs. London's pastries. Then hurry over to the Victorian Pool to be sure to get an umbrella. Then drinks at Max London's. Ahhh, summer.

Anything that brings me north closer to the ADKs.

Cooperstown!

Lake George. Boston. NYC.

My favorite Albany road trip is to drive to Lake Minnewaska to go on an easy, but beautiful hike.

Always to Boston. Such an easy drive to a wonderful place.

Going to Famous Lunch in Troy for a hot dog with their world famous zippy sauce.

Glens Falls is just over an hour . . . and it has Rockhill Bakery! (drool, drool, drool) Plus, there's some great antiquing and thrifting to be had up that way!

Olana is beautiful, and then you can grab some excellent dinner in Hudson after seeing the grounds! Perfect >1 hour day trip!

Omi sculpture park in Ghent.

love exploring howe caverns! and then a picnic to follow.

Hiking Mount Race, then visiting Hudson for some tacos from the truck and ice cream from Licks.

With kids in tow, the Adirondack Animal Land has been a yearly road trip.

art omi for sure

Howe Caverns never gets old-- went there on an elementary school fieldtrip, and I still love going 20 years later!

Canajoharie, N.Y., to see The Arkell Museum and other wonderful Mohawk Valley sights

The best road trip is Hyde Park/Poughkeepsie/Rhinebeck! Walk the Walkway, see the mansions, eat the the CIA or Everready or Terrapin...

Opus 40 in Saugerties, for its uniqueness:

www.opus40.org/

END of WINTER road trip ... herkimer to schenectady ... follow mohawk river ... checking ice jams ... spring is a comin'

Definitely a trip to Columbia County, perhaps stopping in Valatie to pick up cider donuts at Golden Harvest farm, then on to American Glory BBQ or Swoon!

My favorite repeated road trip is driving up to Salem Art Works either along the 40 or the 22, and stopping to swim at the riverbend in Shushan along the way. From Salem, crossing into Rupert, Vermont and heading south through some backroads to Manchester for the old Quarry. After a dip there, either crossing back into NY through some more backroads, or heading further south to Bennington for some fish and chips before trucking back to Troy along Route 7.

Albany to the CIA at hyde park as many others have commented above. Also, trips to any parts of the Saratoga P.L.A.N. for some nature walking/picnicking are great options.

Although it's more than an hour (hour and a half), my pick is Northampton, MA. It has a wonderful main street and tons of goings on all the time. Even the street performers are often very talented! It has the beautiful Smith College Campus, some really great restaurants, and awesome venues for music, art, and various performances.

If you haven't been, check it out!

A picnic lunch along the escarpment in Thatcher Park on a sunny day.

Head east on Rte 20. Just past Nassau go down to Lyon's Lake for lunch. You can eat out on the dock, play some pool, and stick around for line dancing or local bands, if nothing is happening that night that interests you then head south to Chatham to see a cheap movie at a beautiful movie house and walk up and down main street and see some cool stores.

The Route 9 Hudson Valley loop! South through Rensselaer and Columbia counties - beautiful open farm land with views of the Hudson - down into Dutchess - across the mid-hudson - and back up route 9W to Albany. Can't be beat on a blue sky holiday. No sir.

I've enjoyed opus40 and spending the day in Woodstock!

Mass MoCA, The Clark, or a cruise on the Dutch Apple!

I live an hour away so my favorite trip is back into Albany for errands and seeing my friends.
But when I lived in Albany, it was to Saratoga for shopping etc. Nothing terribly exciting but whatever.

Drive rte 9H down into Hudson. Walk around Olana and then Warren street- maybe lunch at Mexican Radio, or a beer and browsing at the Spotted Dog, and of course looking at vintage clothes!

Taking the kids out to Stewarts in Altamont for ice cream and then just driving around that area. It is ALWAYS the simple things in life. :)

A road trip through Washington County on the motorcycle or a kayak paddle on the Hudson from Warrensburg to Lake Luzerne.

I love heading out to the Schoharie Valley for a trip to the Carrot Barn or Apple Barrel, or a hike up Vroman's Nose. Can't beat the fresh produce and the beautiful scenery!

I love a drive over to Great Barrington, MA. Take a walk up and down the main drag, have lunch at Gypsy Joynt (try the "ziggy up" burger w/ locally sourced/grass-fed beef, peanut butter, and jam), walk around again, check out some of the shops, grab a coffee at Rubi's for the ride home (and maybe some cheese from the front of the same building - Rubiner's Cheesemongers - for dinner later). Road trips aren't just about the destination - they're about the ride too. This is one of those trips where you can easily take a different route each way, seeing different towns and forests.

Cooperstown. Ommegang, the HOF, and a beautiful drive on Rt. 20.

Visit to Olana with dinner in Hudson and a show at Stageworks. Great Day.

my favorite nearby road trip destination is Bascillica Hudson for concerts. one of the coolest places to see live music in the area.

Biking up to Grafton Lakes and grilling a few hot dogs.

I love driving down to Poughkeepsie and taking the train to Yankee Stadium to catch a weekend game during the summer months. It's a very easy day trip and can be pretty cheap, depending on seats at the game!

Hiking in the ADKs!

Hudson!

Any place in the Hudson Valley!
So many wineries/breweries and cool villages with shops to check out. I really like visiting Woodstock--and throw in a hike at Overlook, followed by dinner in the village.

Thacher Park!

Hudson! Walk around and do some shopping. Of course, get a margarita or two at Mexican Radio.

Just enjoy the sunshine!

Whch direction am I going? South,I'd go to Hudson - (Club Helsinki), Rhinebeck (Shopping and Terrapin restuarant) or Woodstock, Saugerties. North, I'd go to Glen Falls and Davidson Bros Brewery. East - Berkshires.. all of it. Musuems, good, shopping, people watching, West - Where ever the whim takes us.

Cooperstown National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

My favorite recently was to the Norman Rockwell museum for the Alex Ross exhibit. So quaint!

Apple picking at Altamont!

A trip to Hadley Mountain to go for a hike with my family.

new paltz, mohonk mountain

Out Chatham way. Visiting with friends, alpaca farms, and tasty pizza!

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