At weekends between July and September, when New York’s summer gets too steamy to bear, the city decamps to cooler climes to escape the heat bouncing off the midtown skyscrapers.
The Hamptons, the cluster of fashionable resorts on the eastern tip of Long Island, have long been the destination of choice.
But with traffic choking the roads to the towns whose Gucci and Hermes boutiques grow ever more reminiscent of the place Manhattanites are trying to escape, they are turning their attention to the Catskill Mountains in the north.
The region’s forests and hills, straddling the Hudson River gorge and just 100 miles north of New York on the I87, offer wonderful hiking in summer and extensive skiing during the winter.
In their own way, the Catskills have a history of wealth and privilege as deep as that of the Hamptons.
The home of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in Hyde Park on the east bank of the Hudson is now a museum, and a three-mile walk from their residence along a cliff-top path leads to palatial Vanderbilt Mansion.
Woodstock, 15 miles west on Highway 28 from the region’s main town of Kingston, is a good base from which to explore.
While not actually the scene of the famous 1969 hippie festival, which took place 60 miles southwest in Bethel, its collection of shops selling crystals and tie-dye T-shirts remind visitors that it was once the stamping ground of Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan.
Driving the loop from Woodstock around Highway 28 and Highway 23 takes in some of the region’s most spectacular scenery, including the dramatic gorge between the villages of Hunter and Catskill, where in the autumn the foliage is as stunning as any in New England.
Alternatively, the Catskill Mountain Railroad, which leaves from Mount Pleasant, circles through the mountains around Esopus Creek.
The region also holds many sporting delights. Hiking can be either tame or adventurous. The peaks are relatively low – between 2,000ft and 4,000ft – but the terrain is challenging.
Other activities include golf on the region’s dozens of courses, fly-fishing, horse-riding and white-water rafting on the Esopus Creek and the Delaware River.
In winter, the Catskills transform into one of the East Coast’s best ski areas. Hunter Mountain, the top resort, is a 3hr drive from Manhattan on the New York State Thruway to exit 20.
Hunter Mountain’s 12 lifts access 53 trails to keep intermediate skiers happy for a weekend. For those who just want to enjoy the scenery, the Hunter Mountain Skyride chairlift takes visitors to the 3,200ft summit year-round.
A good way to finish off is to indulge yourself at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.
The huge dining rooms of the nation’s most prestigious cooking school serve healthy Californian-style cuisine in the St Andrew’s Café and more formal meals in the Escoffier and American Bounty rooms.