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As far as tech goes, I love my GPS and how it gets me from here to there. Thank you, GPS. That said, while it gets me there, it doesn't give me much perspective on where I am or where I've been.
In the last year, as you know, I released an online guidebook to the Catskills. Why online? Well, it's a work in progress. It currently covers some back story -- how to get to the Catskills and some Inside Scoop on why it's so cool and who makes it that way -- plus over 150 destinations in Sullivan County. New places pop up all the time and, well, some don't make it and close. So, unlike a printed book, the guidebook is updated all the time. And several other counties are in development now ... so stay tuned for more places to get lost and found in the next few months.
In early June, I released a printed companion map to the guide. A real, honest-to-goodness map of Sullivan County with all of the locations in the guidebook pinned on it and listed with their addresses in categories -- where to stay, where to eat & drink, where to shop and what to do -- that includes a handy checklist, just in case you want to mark off where you've been and where you still want to go. Every single town is represented and there's even about a dozen places you can go On Your Way from NYC to Sullivan County ... if that happens to be your route. You can go to the online guidebook for more information about each one and why I think it's special.
I have to say, I really love the map. It has all the best places on it. And, it's fun and cute (if I may). But what's really important is that it gives you perspective. It shows you that there's more to explore than just your own backyard. You can see, that if you stretch yourself to get just a little bit "lost and found," you will find some pretty special spots.
I had the great opportunity to work with a small team on making the map: a cartographer and my editor (who makes sure all the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted and even checked every pin's location, twice. If you need a stellar editor for any project, big or small, let me know!!).
Cartographers are super interesting and mapmaking is still such an important art. One location on the guide and map in particular is super, well, mappy. Back in the day, in order to put their signature to a map, cartographers would insert a fictional location that was all their own. As other mapmakers copied their work, the fake town would take on a life of its own as it showed up on map after map after map. One such location, Agloe, is just outside of Roscoe (#110 on the map). Grab your map and head on over.
The feedback for the map has been overwhelming. I have distributed it to various locations and nearly all of them have requested more. What I hear from them is "This is the map that everyone has been waiting for!" I get DMs on Instagram and emails through the website asking for maps. I love sending them out! And I love hearing about how you make new discoveries by using them. Getting lost and found is so much fun! And with the map, you will never get too, too lost.
One reader shared that she had been stopping in Goshen (something I highly recommend) for years on her way upstate, but that through the map and guide she found a new place to eat (Angelita's Mexican Kitchen, #1 on the map) and loved it.
The maps are free. Special thanks to my friends at Catskill Brewery, Foster Supply Hospitality, The Kaatskeller and Main Street Farm for advertising on the map, which makes it possible for me to give them away. If you want your very own, you can find them at shops, eateries and inns in Roscoe, Livingston Manor, Jeffersonville and Narrowsburg. You can also send me your address (click below) and I will be happy to pop one (or a handful if you want to distribute them) in the mail to you, while they last.
XOXO Farm Girl
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